Tank Thread Tank reached 38 years old...in 2009!

[rcharliesam]

I don't get back to this thread often enough. Paul, it's always a pleasure to read your posts. Congrats on grandchild #2(?)

 

[Paul B]

Thank you. It could happen at any time even though it is not supposed to be for another 2 weeks

 

[Paul B]

Teddy is ready to come out, I saw my Daughter last night after I played Santa. Teddy is turning around and probably carving his initials in the walls. We are ready for him. He will be in the same bassinet his Sister, Mother and I was born in along with about 30 other babies. I wrap it up and it stays in my house for these occasions. It is about 70 years old as I was not the first one in it.

 

[lnevo]

Thats a beautiful bassinet and a great tradition...not sure whats more amazing..the longevity of your tank or that bassinet! Mazel Tov for you and your family! Should be a great Christmas for you guys!!

 

[Paul B]

Thanks, I really like that bassinet even though i don't really remember being in it. After each baby I spray paint it. I didn't have to do it this time because the older one was just born 17 months ago and it is still in great shape. The thing of course is wicker, no plastic. I am sure it was natural wicker color years ago but now I paint it white. The tradition is that when the first baby is born, the skirt for the thing which goes around the bottom part and covers the wheels is made from the Mother's, or Grand Mother's wedding gown. My wife's wedding gown was used for our Grand Daughter.

 

[Sharkbait420]

Is your tank 43 years old now or do you change the title every year? Either way it looks great and very rare to see someone with a tank that old. Your tank is almost double my age.

 

[Paul B]

No, it is only 42 years old, it will be 43 in March. I don't know how to change the title and there is no need to do that as the tank was 34 when the thread started.

 

[Paul B]

No Teddy yet. Right now we are waiting for my Grand Son Teddy to be born. The Dr. said it would happen yesterday but so far, nothing yet. When it happens we have to rush into Manhattan to take the 17 month old Greta home with us. Teddy may be born on Christmas like I was.
I just finished adding his name to the painting I did on the wal of their room for when we babysit.

 

[chris koci]

unreal your a true legend in the hobby!!!

 

[Paul B]

Thank you, I am a legend in my own mind. In everyone else's mind I am an old Geezer who is so old school that I live in a one room school house. But I will take it. Merry Christmas, happy Holidays and Happy New Year. :smoker:

 

[Jenna X]

Thanks for the tank updates, it's amazing having a thriving reef tank with happy fishes and corals. Also congrats to the new addition to the family

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Reefs

 

[Paul B]

Thanks.
I took this last picture for 2013. I don't have half a copperband, I merged the shots to get the wide shot

 

[Paul B]

I was just looking at my tank and wishing the fish a Happy New Year and noticed that I have a lot of animals in there that eat pods.
I have a banded pipefish, a pair of mandarins, red scooter bleeny, some tiny gobies, possum wrasse and a copperband who also eats most of the food I throw in there.
I have a large pod population but pods won't just reproduce unless they have some food and they refuse to go out and buy their own. To remedy that I always have an automatic feeder in the tank.
(Oh wait, what a coincidence, the thing just this second dispensed food into the tank. How weird is that?)
Anyway, the feeder is not there for the fish as most of my fish don't know a pellet from Justin Bieber, the pellets are there to feed the pods.
I know most people get terrified at the thought of pellets going to "waste" in the tank making nitrate, phosphate, radioactive waste etc. But I get over that by not having any test kits. I want my pods well fed because as we often forget, it is the bacteria and pods that keep a tank running and healthy, not us. We are here just to give the pods and bacteria something to make fun at, and don't fool yourself, they can see you and they think you are funny looking, especially you people with the comb overs and they know, that you know who you are.

 

[Custom05Taco]

Hey Paul it was nice meeting you the other day at aquarium village. I went back and bought that ruby red scooter bleenny you showed me. Great fish! Tank looks great happy new year!

 

[Paul B]

Scott, it is a beautiful fish, I still may go and get the other one but that is one fish I would never find in my tank. It is one of the nicest looking fish out there though. Good luck with him.
Paul

 

[Paul B]

I think I am going to enlarge my whiteworm culture (as soon as I find out why they are not eating) These worms live in dirt, freshwater and saltwater. They seem to live forever in freshwater and so far I have not seen any die in saltwater so they also may live forever in there. I think I can make a feeder, taking into the consideration their long lived water living arrangements. I would love to be able to dump maybe ten worms in the tank every hour or so. I also want to build a feeder for copperbands and mandarins with these worms. These ideas appear in my head all the time and is the reason I don't sleep. That and Supermodels, but Supermodels I don't have much control over, worms I have a shot with. I feel if the tank could be fed worms continousely almost all fish related problems would cease. My fish never have any problems and I think it is because of live food which in my case is worms.
Just a thought.

 

[jrjackson]

is there a way to get ahold of some of these worms to seed my tank??

 

[Paul B]

Just google "White Worm Culture" That is how I first ordered them

 

[jrjackson]

okay I see the culture do you put them directly into your tank? or is this something you do in containers? thanks

 

[Spracklcat]

Love the idea of a white worm culture. I might try that too...any handy live food is a good thing. They would be good for getting finicky sick fish to eat too.