snobanker
Well-known member
Paul, obviously with the amount of experience you have and even more obvious ability not to panic ...lol... I would say you'll be 100% in no time. Good luck on that great tank.
Reef 35 years old this month
- Thread starter Paul B
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Stan, I fought in a war and I had ich problems. War is worse 
I am kind of excited as this gives me an opportunity to change things around and see what is hiding in places where i don't usually get to see. I am diatoming the tank now and I can't believe the amount of tiny brittle stars in there. They are everywhere. It never ceases to amaze me the variety of life that multiplies in an old tank. It is either worms, copepods amphipods, anemones, snails, slugs or those little fat starfish that I also have by the dozens. I find it even more amazing that these things usually don't appear all together but they come in cycles like algae. I think it has something to do with the chemicals that the corals or algae exude.
I am also waiting for some quinicrine hydrocloride which is a malaria medication and works for ich. It does not harm starfish, crabs, and gorgonians but some corals will not tolerate it. I am going to do some experiments in my reef with it. I have used it many times in the past but since ich was never a problem I have not used it in 25 years. It is also not easy to get in the states as it is a prescription drug and we don't see malaria much in Long Island
I am kind of excited as this gives me an opportunity to change things around and see what is hiding in places where i don't usually get to see. I am diatoming the tank now and I can't believe the amount of tiny brittle stars in there. They are everywhere. It never ceases to amaze me the variety of life that multiplies in an old tank. It is either worms, copepods amphipods, anemones, snails, slugs or those little fat starfish that I also have by the dozens. I find it even more amazing that these things usually don't appear all together but they come in cycles like algae. I think it has something to do with the chemicals that the corals or algae exude.
I am also waiting for some quinicrine hydrocloride which is a malaria medication and works for ich. It does not harm starfish, crabs, and gorgonians but some corals will not tolerate it. I am going to do some experiments in my reef with it. I have used it many times in the past but since ich was never a problem I have not used it in 25 years. It is also not easy to get in the states as it is a prescription drug and we don't see malaria much in Long Island
The Apprentice
Well-known member
My pair of blue striped pipe fish keep spawning.
Very Nice Paul not to many people out there able to keep these guys alive!
But to see you have a breeding pair congratas truley a hard task and i applaud your efforts .I truley have enjoyed reading your post's
Thanks for sharing...Jeff
Very Nice Paul not to many people out there able to keep these guys alive!
But to see you have a breeding pair congratas truley a hard task and i applaud your efforts .I truley have enjoyed reading your post's
Thanks for sharing...Jeff
I have to update this. Two weeks ago today my Mother who is 96 was found in a semi comotose state and she was brought to the hospital where she still is. She is dying and it will be any day now.
I don't want to get into this now but this happened when all of my fish were in a 15 gallon tank and we had to stay with her 24/7 to make sure she diden't remove the oxygen or numerous IVs.
I was away for two days and something must have died which of course killed almost all of the fish.
I am still going to the hospital every day but we don't stay all night anymore.
Besides that my tank looks like hell. I wanted to do some experiments but now I don't have time and I just want to keep my remaining animals living until this is all over.
I still have my fire clown and a couple of gobies. The corals look OK and since there are very few fish in there there is no trace of algae. There are also hundreds of tiny brittlestars all over the place.
When this is all over I have to do a large water change with NSW and put the rocks back. Most of them were removed to give the moorish Idol swimming room.
There is little time for tank maintenance now as I have more important things to do.
I will update as soon as I can.
Paul
I don't want to get into this now but this happened when all of my fish were in a 15 gallon tank and we had to stay with her 24/7 to make sure she diden't remove the oxygen or numerous IVs.
I was away for two days and something must have died which of course killed almost all of the fish.
I am still going to the hospital every day but we don't stay all night anymore.
Besides that my tank looks like hell. I wanted to do some experiments but now I don't have time and I just want to keep my remaining animals living until this is all over.
I still have my fire clown and a couple of gobies. The corals look OK and since there are very few fish in there there is no trace of algae. There are also hundreds of tiny brittlestars all over the place.
When this is all over I have to do a large water change with NSW and put the rocks back. Most of them were removed to give the moorish Idol swimming room.
There is little time for tank maintenance now as I have more important things to do.
I will update as soon as I can.
Paul
Krish
RF STAFF
Sorry to hear that Paul...Especially about your mom:doubt: Hope everything works out for the best.
Reefdaddy1
Reef Geek Jedi
I feel your pain Pual. My Dad is back in the hospital and just got home from visiting him in the ICU. Its something we all understand. Family first then tank.
My Mother is still with us (barely) and is in a nursing home. Last week I had some time and did a massive tank cleaning. I removed most of the rock and stirred everything up. I even lifted the RUGF plates to clean under them. The last time I did this was about 4 years ago, the time before that was 25 years ago. That was because of the moorish Idol which would eat more than all of the other fish combined many times over.
This afternoon I decided to take some water to a local LFS to do some water tests. My test kits are older than most members here so I doubt they are even close to accurate. People always publish their water parameters so I was curious what mine were and instead of buying kits the store tests them for free so it's a no brainer. I really wanted to test the salinity because I use one of those swing arm testers and they are close to useless so I test it against a refractometer then I draw a line on it where my salinity should be, but if you really need to spend $150.00 on one of those, by all means, go for it.
I found my salinity to be low, my nitrates to be zero and my calcium to be 400. I was very surprised at the nitrate reading but that was no doubt my very thorough cleaning a couple of weeks ago. I also have about a third of the rock still out of the tank. It takes me a few weeks to put everything in because I get ideas along the way and if it is all in there it is harder to visualize.
I still have hundreds of tiny brittlestars, they go sailing often when they crawl on the powerheads and get onto the outflow.
I bought a copperband because I have always had one and they are my favorite fish, I am not crazy at the way he eats but he does eat. (my last one was better but I can't tell him that)They can be finicky at first. I hope to have him eating salami sandwiches soon, maybe with bananas
The tank is very clean and I am not used to seeing it that way. The crabs seem bored. I want to fill the tank with gobies as that was always my wish. I hope I don't get sidetracked with some moorish Idols along the way.
Have a great day.
Paul
This afternoon I decided to take some water to a local LFS to do some water tests. My test kits are older than most members here so I doubt they are even close to accurate. People always publish their water parameters so I was curious what mine were and instead of buying kits the store tests them for free so it's a no brainer. I really wanted to test the salinity because I use one of those swing arm testers and they are close to useless so I test it against a refractometer then I draw a line on it where my salinity should be, but if you really need to spend $150.00 on one of those, by all means, go for it.
I found my salinity to be low, my nitrates to be zero and my calcium to be 400. I was very surprised at the nitrate reading but that was no doubt my very thorough cleaning a couple of weeks ago. I also have about a third of the rock still out of the tank. It takes me a few weeks to put everything in because I get ideas along the way and if it is all in there it is harder to visualize.
I still have hundreds of tiny brittlestars, they go sailing often when they crawl on the powerheads and get onto the outflow.
I bought a copperband because I have always had one and they are my favorite fish, I am not crazy at the way he eats but he does eat. (my last one was better but I can't tell him that)They can be finicky at first. I hope to have him eating salami sandwiches soon, maybe with bananas
The tank is very clean and I am not used to seeing it that way. The crabs seem bored. I want to fill the tank with gobies as that was always my wish. I hope I don't get sidetracked with some moorish Idols along the way.
Have a great day.
Paul
burning2nd
Well-known member
DOOD i lots changed in the last 25 years.... for one Refracometers cost like 40-45 max
brady816
Well-known member
Any new pics coming soon???
lavenderfish
https://www.facebook
Wow great thread. I wish the best for your mother.
Brady I guess I will take some pictures when the new aquascaping is completed. I am still spending a lot of time at the nursing home and we are looking at places to move my Mom.
There is also something wrong with my water but I have not had the time to investigate. Probably something to do with my RO/DI. THe last time this happened, my town put Zinc Orthophosphate in my water supply which killed almost everything in my tank. I diden't have RO then as I do now but even RO does not completely remove everything. I need some time to collect fifty gallons of real water.
Have a great day.
Paul
There is also something wrong with my water but I have not had the time to investigate. Probably something to do with my RO/DI. THe last time this happened, my town put Zinc Orthophosphate in my water supply which killed almost everything in my tank. I diden't have RO then as I do now but even RO does not completely remove everything. I need some time to collect fifty gallons of real water.
Have a great day.
Paul
brady816
Well-known member
I know you have much more important problems you are dealing with and pics would be the last thing on your mind at this point... I really hope your mother gets better..
Krish
RF STAFF
My prayers are with you Paul...I wish your mom well.
kriswaters
Well-known member
Wow
Reverse UG. I guess my FW tank will be ok with that method. It's been going like that for years.
On that topic, who came up with the SUMP?
Kris
Reverse UG. I guess my FW tank will be ok with that method. It's been going like that for years.
On that topic, who came up with the SUMP?
Kris
I don't really remember when sump's came out because I never had one. I think it was in the eightees. For my tank I designed an overflow inside the tank that feeds the DIY hang on back skimmer. There is an acrylic cylinder behind the rock in the corner that goes just about up to the surface. The water overflows into it and is pulled out of it by a submersible powerhead to feed the skimmer.
There is a strainer near the bottom of the cylinder that just lets enough water into the cylinder to keep the water level at a set level even if it drops below the top of the overflow. I also have an automatic DIY make up water which keeps the tank filled to exactly the proper level.
My tank is made of tempered glass all around and I couldn't drill it if I wanted to.
Paul
Damsel13
Well-known member
I think death is just a temporary(sp) state of being. I wish your Mother the best for her.
And good luck with your water.
Deb
And good luck with your water.
Deb
Last edited:
Thanks Deb. I think so too. I just hope she doesen't linger too much longer. For her it's time to go.
As for the tank I think I found the problem with my water. The DI cartridge I have been using seems to be defective. The resins are supposed to turn color when they are exhausted but they do not even if I put them in salt water. I removed the resins and replaced them with regular carbon and ordered different resins. My RO also seems to be clogging earlier than it should meaning that my town has been adding chemicals to the water again.
I also removed the sump which holds the fresh water that is automatically added to the tank and there is slime growing in there probably a bacteria. I bleached everything and dumped the fresh water. When all this pases I will collect some real water and do a large change. Also my make up water should be fine by then. I just need some time and a better frame of mind.
Have a great day.
Paul
As for the tank I think I found the problem with my water. The DI cartridge I have been using seems to be defective. The resins are supposed to turn color when they are exhausted but they do not even if I put them in salt water. I removed the resins and replaced them with regular carbon and ordered different resins. My RO also seems to be clogging earlier than it should meaning that my town has been adding chemicals to the water again.
I also removed the sump which holds the fresh water that is automatically added to the tank and there is slime growing in there probably a bacteria. I bleached everything and dumped the fresh water. When all this pases I will collect some real water and do a large change. Also my make up water should be fine by then. I just need some time and a better frame of mind.
Have a great day.
Paul
It seems that my tank is again picking up some dirt and looking good again. I replaced most of the rock that I took out for the Idol and I used a lot of pieces that I built that I had no room for. There is still no algae to speak of but I hope a little grows soon.
(a little, not a forest) I am sure my town has been putting "stuff" in the water again which kills my corals. They use zinc orthophosphate which clogs my RO and screwed up my DI. The DI resins diden't even change color like they do when they are exhausted so I had to dump them and get some different resins and my RO clogged about a year early. This is the third time this happened to this tank and I really have to talk to someone in the water dept. to see what I can do about it. The last time, a few years ago even before I had RO I lost almost all of my corals to this chemical. This time, with the RO/DI I only lost a few but the rest shrunk. I may use a PVC pipe filled with carbon before the DI but I really need to talk to a chemist. RANDY COME BACK.
Anyway I like my new aquascaping and my fish are very healthy. I want to start breeding gobies and I have been collecting a few of different types. This was always my plan to have many gobies and bleenies with only one or two slightly larger fish like a copperband and hippo. It's not like there is a fish that I diden't have that I really feel the need to have. Well I diden't yet have a pinecone fish but that will have to wait.
I have some gobies that I have never seen before that I hope to breed. Right now I have two males and they seem straight so no pairing there.
I also need desperately to get to the water to do some collecting. There is almost nothing tiny crawling around, whatever they put in the water also affects those big time. There is usually uncountable "things" crawling around and I believe they are missing in many tanks which is a big reason a lot of tanks are not as healthy as they could be. We really need this stuff. I am
talking about the bacteria and animals found under rocks on a muddy beach. I have always used this stuff and if it were not for my water company I would have corals like oak trees.
I am still going to the nursing home almost every day to "babysit" my Mother and try to feed her
Take care and have a great day.
Paul:
(a little, not a forest) I am sure my town has been putting "stuff" in the water again which kills my corals. They use zinc orthophosphate which clogs my RO and screwed up my DI. The DI resins diden't even change color like they do when they are exhausted so I had to dump them and get some different resins and my RO clogged about a year early. This is the third time this happened to this tank and I really have to talk to someone in the water dept. to see what I can do about it. The last time, a few years ago even before I had RO I lost almost all of my corals to this chemical. This time, with the RO/DI I only lost a few but the rest shrunk. I may use a PVC pipe filled with carbon before the DI but I really need to talk to a chemist. RANDY COME BACK.
Anyway I like my new aquascaping and my fish are very healthy. I want to start breeding gobies and I have been collecting a few of different types. This was always my plan to have many gobies and bleenies with only one or two slightly larger fish like a copperband and hippo. It's not like there is a fish that I diden't have that I really feel the need to have. Well I diden't yet have a pinecone fish but that will have to wait.
I have some gobies that I have never seen before that I hope to breed. Right now I have two males and they seem straight so no pairing there.
I also need desperately to get to the water to do some collecting. There is almost nothing tiny crawling around, whatever they put in the water also affects those big time. There is usually uncountable "things" crawling around and I believe they are missing in many tanks which is a big reason a lot of tanks are not as healthy as they could be. We really need this stuff. I am
talking about the bacteria and animals found under rocks on a muddy beach. I have always used this stuff and if it were not for my water company I would have corals like oak trees.
I am still going to the nursing home almost every day to "babysit" my Mother and try to feed her
Take care and have a great day.
Paul:
Damsel13
Well-known member
Beautiful tank.
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