Tank turned 41 years old

[Paul B]

I read through all 175 pages of my new camera book and now I can either take yellow looking pictures or blue tinted pictures. Some day I will be able to take normal pictures

Same tank, same lighting, same camera.

Make believe the lighting is in between these pictures

 

[Scooterman]

Have you played with your White Balance at all?

 

[Paul B]

Yes, that last picture was set as to WB

 

[Scooterman]

Yes, that last picture was set as to WB

It was set to WB but did you adjust it to what you need? There should be a way so you can adjust it. Once you know how to adjust it, then you need to adjust it to your lights, hold up a white sheet of paper under the lights and use that to adjust to as white or you can go to photoshop and adjust the WB there also, easier! lol

 

[Paul B]

Scoot, I did set the WB on a piece of paper under my MH lights in the tank but I did not go to photoshop later to adjust it. I am getting the lighting corrected now I want to work on the sharpness. I will fool around with shutter speed until I get it right.
Thanks paul

 

[ReefLogic]

wow....38 years old....that is an amazing feat to keep that bad boy alive and running that long. Congrats man.

 

[Paul B]

Thanks ReefLogic, you just have to get old.

I am gettin there. Here is what I just did using Photo Explosion

That is the original
This is the improved copy.

 

[NWDiver]

I love that fish!
I also wanted to say thanks for the blog/post. I read each of your posts knowing that I will either learn something or laugh. Sometimes both

-Todd

 

[Paul B]

Thanks Todd, I collected that burrfish when he was as big as a marble, now he is 4 or 5" and I want to donate him to a public aquarium the next time I go to one.

 

[Paul B]

When the photographer for my Daughter's wedding came to my house to take pictures (of her) I had her take a picture of my tank. Kind of cool.

 

[Flatlander]

Its still the coolest tank Paul. :clap2: I cant believe all these years I have looked at your pics, I never knew the tank was built into a wall until that pic. :lol:

 

[Paul B]

Thanks Flatlander, that wall is the staircase to the basement. You can just about make out the stair on the right. The wall ends just at the left side of the picture. I put the tank in and built the basement around it so I can't take it out if I wanted to.

 

[Paul B]

This will be the last update of this tank before it's birthday in 3 weeks.
Many of the rocks have a very short red turf algae on them that comes from the Sound and I see it as a good sign. If I see no growth, no algae, no reds or greens I know something is wrong. Multitudes of pods, worms, brittle stars and other tiny indescript creatures is a very good sign and a tank with spotless clean rocks is not very healthy.
Some algae is a good sign, not a lettuce farm but some spots here and there.
This slight algae sometimes gets more or less depending somewhat on the animals I keep but more so on the cycles the tank experiences. Sometimes the algae gets long and I will see some hair algae but these short cycles now only last a couple of weeks every few years.
This is the first time I remember that the SPS, LPS and leathers are all healthy and growing at the same time, usually one type prevails.
I have not seen any type of paracite or disease in decades and it seems the fish will live forever, or as long as me anyway as I am old. Maybe the tank is finally cycled. In 3 weeks the tank will be 40 years old, maybe I will start a new thread.

 

[trever22]

wow, thats amazing

 

[Paul B]

I went to a beach yesterday where I do a lot of collecting. I don't know why but I just didn't feel like collecting water at that time.

 

[NWDiver]

looking a little bumpy

 

[Saltyreefkeeper]

Hey that is amazing that's just like my pops tank but urs beat him!!! Wow i see ur post about not doin a water change??? And so u don't even vacuum ur sand then huh?? Because that is one of my xperinments now (not vacuuming please let me kno if this is a good idea)?? All I do with my sand is take a turkey baster and stir it!!! Sorry to get off the tanks birthday but I will have alot of Q's for u I like the old school way!!! Not direspecting u!! Just kno ur knowledge on salt water tank keeping please give me some tips and "HAPPY-B-DAY TANK" WOWWW 38 years old!!! U are the man!!! I respect u for that!!!!

 

[Saltyreefkeeper]

I'm sorry i was reading past posts even more amazing 40years o man!!!!!...... I'm speechless how and how did u do it???? U gotta lend me some good tips Paul!!! If u don't mind!!! U may private message me or anything u choose!!! It would be an honor to hear from u!!! It would be like learning from my dad but yet 20+ years more experience then him!!! Please write back if u have the time!! I would like to learn alot from u and how u did it!!! I'm not a quiter iv been reefing since I can remember even fragging my dads corals and returning them to a different area because his crete pool was getting over run by his corals!!! Happy birthday soon to come!!!!

 

[Paul B]

Saltyreefkeeper thank you. I do change the water just not that often maybe 5 or 6 times a year and I do not use a DSB so I also stir up the dolomite substrait I use once or twice a year with a diatom filter.
This tank is very cheap to run and I don't think it costs me $200.00 a year for everything except electricity. That includes food.
I run a reverse UG filter, I am sure on all these pages of this thread it mentions it somewhere.
If you have any questions let me know. And say hello to your Dad for me, sounds like he has a very healthy tank
Take care.
Paul

 

[Saltyreefkeeper]

Yes i will Paul!!! And I just met a guy named Doug "the rock guy" who u should kno and he does the same thing about 2 water changes a year he told me that u should never vacuum the sand only stir it!!! ( just like u do) he teaches me alot of the oldschool ways and I like these methods due to it saving money and alot of what he teaches me is like common sence (like with vacuuming the bed) he told me that when doing so all we are doin is stealling from our systems!!! I just had a good discussion on a different thread about not vacuuming my bed so would u recommend this or should I vacuum??? I have sps,lps and softies "I have not vacuumed my bed in over a year and all perams are all on point" I have well over 30+ corals so I would never want to kill them or make a mistake with my system!!! Thanks for ur help Paul ur like the reef GOD of salt water tank keeping!!! In my opinion!!!