almost 35 year old reef pictures

[Paul B]

My reef will be 35 years old in a few weeks and I have some time so I figured I would post some new pictures. I was getting tired of looking at the old ones anyway.
It's still going strong with the reverse UG filter, the only new addition this year is an algae tray over the water. There is no algae in the tank except for the local New York macro that I collect on the eastern end of Long Island.
Have a great day.
Paul

[Paul B]

[Ky_Yaker]

I always enjoy seeing pictures of your tank Paul. You're insperation for a lot of us!!!!!!!!!!!

[Paul B]

spalmerm I aspire to retire.
Paul

[JENnKerry]

I agre with Spalmer Paul. Always a pleasure to look at. Didn't you have a foxface at one time?

Love that Idol by the way

[Paul B]

Kerry, I gave the foxface to someone here on RC. It used to fight with the moorish Idol and steal too much food from him. It also bit off the streamer and so far it has not grown back.
If you look back at some old posts I posted "free foxface to anyone who wants to pick it up"
Paul

[JENnKerry]

That was a beautiful fish as well. But you have to do what's best for your Idol right?

[jman77]

Paul B,

Very nice, very nice !!!

Have you ever broken down the tank and re- siliconed it?

[romanr]

Is that the original substrate? Although I'm sure you've had to add some as it would have dissolved over time. I guess what I'm really asking is, have you completely changed the substrate at any time? If not what kind of maintenance have you performed to it.

[Paul B]

Jman, so far the silicone has remained intact. Romanr, that is the original dolomite substrate. I may have added a little but 98% of it was in there when the tank was brackish in the late sixtees or so. I stir it up once or twice a year and use a diatom filter to clean it out. I can't really move the rocks because of the stuff growing on them but very little of them are hitting the bottom.
I build a lot of my rocks and I designed it that way.
Paul

[trippyl]

Great new pics. Would love to see more! Not many people use diatom filters these days, but they were really good back in the day, and probably still are.

[gwaco]

[kevensquint]

How long have you had your oldest coral?

[Paul B]

Kevin, I have no Idea. Some of the mushrooms are maybe 10 years old I can't tell because they multiply and they are all over the place. That star polyp is older than that and the bubble may be 10. That little greenish looking thing in the front is about 8 and that gorgonian is also about 8, give or take a few years.
I can't remember what I ate for breakfast.
Take care.
Paul

[scarletknight06]

very cool. what do you use for lighting and circulation in the tank?

[Paul B]

Lighting is some left over MH fixtures I had from lighting up the Plaza Hotel in New York, there is also 2 PC actinics in a 2" plastic pipe sliced in half, and circulation is just two powerheads

[Rhas]

I can only hope to such a nice tank one day... For now Ill have to stick the the 30 gallon That tank is beautiful.

[Sullyman]

That bottle still looks great, last time you posted pics, I saw that bottle and never thought it would last. But there it is, hasn't grown much but the color is still great.

[Paul B]

Rhas, all of this stuff started out in a 30 gallon tank, it was transfered to the 100 in about 1978 or so.
Sullyman, some of the bottles are so encrusted in star polyps that you can;t see them. There are maybe 8 bottles in there.
This is a picture of a new homemade rock I added yesterday. It is about a foot long and of course still looks like cement but in a few weeks that will change and you will never be able to tell it is not real.
Take care.
Paul
[IMG]Rhas, all of this stuff started out in a 30 gallon tank, it was transfered to the 100 in about 1978 or so.[/IMG]

[Paul B]

Wow, that was a mistake

[mc-cro]

Paul, do I understand you right to say you only have 2 powerheads for circulation in a 100g tank?

[Sullyman]

Paul, now that I look closer I can see more bottles. I was only kidding about it though, I saw your tank before and it's one of a kind. In a good way.
Bob

[Shawnts106]

Well this tank is far from "high-tech" and whatnot...

But this definately wins the most unique tank of the year!
pretty neat!

[jent46bow]

I love how natural your tank looks! I would have removed the bottles, but it oddly fits (unfortantly probbly makes it even more athentic).

[Paul B]

mc-cro, there are only 2 powerheads and I usually only run one. Most of my corals are lps and the extra current annoys them.
Sullyman, is this the bottle you are talking about? This is a new picture

and this is the bottle last year, yeah it does look about the same. But it's a bottle, I think it will always stay like that.
Paul