Just an Old Bird Looking for a Place to Roost

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

herefishy

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
May 28, 2008
Messages
25
I have been in the hobby for over 46 years. I now have more tanks than any sane person could imagine. I actually have more tanks than most shops. WAY more. I would give the number but I might be banned for being insane.

I also belong to more forums than I can keep up with.

Anyway, just joined to find more crazy, addicted, dedicated, opinionated, resourceful, serious hobbyists. Have I found the right place?

Bob
 
Welcome to the site and you have definitely found the right place!
 
Banned for being insane? not around here. If the number is as big as you're making it sound, you'd probably be instantly voted president around these parts! :ROFLMAO:

Welcome to the site! You know, you're going to fit right in around here.
 
I hope you all are sitting down or are able to land in a soft spot. The number of tanks is.......... Maybe we should make this a game. You guess and I will say higher or lower. Nah. That would take forever.

The number is 492. And the basement isn't full yet!!:shocked!:

Call it insanity, call it crazy, I call it total dedication.
 
Welcome herefishy! You have helped me on other forums when I got my syno eupterus and added it into a 10gal community tank. Needless to say, your expert advice is most welcomed here!

I remember reading a post about the number of tank you had in another forum. I can't even imagine the upkeep of all those but I bet you have a system down by now!!! Great to see you join!
 
Expert? Hardly. Even with all of the years in the hobby, I'm still learning. The process never stops.

meegosh, I am no longer moderating on the other site. I stepped down for reasons best left alone. My time that was once spent there will be drastically cut. I am a member of many other forums, but rarely posted. Basically , I just took advantage of the quality classifieds on many sites. Now that I will have more time, I hope to promote the hobby in any way that I can. It is all about the hobby. It's my meager attempt at giving back to something that has given me enjoyment for so many years.

Yes I do have a system. I spend about two hours a day in the fish room and that includes feedings and water changes. The system, other than feedings, is almost "no hands". Water is drained on the floor at water change time. "Auto top-offs" tank care of the rest. I use a battery power pump to start the siphon process. I can clean 100 tanks a day in relative ease. But my feet do get wet. lol
 
Welcome to AA! I daresay that is a lot of tanks, but I do know a couple of people that have you beat! LOL you have found the right place to roost. I would love to see some pics of your fish room.
 
Yeah, definitely some pics would be in order! Do you do any SW?
 
welcometoaa.gif
PICTURES, PICTURES... We want PICTURES

Oh, and ....
 
As one would imagine, the basement is crowded. I have tried to take pictures but can only get glare. The setup is unique and a result of over 25 years of serious trial and error. Most of which was error. But so it goes. It has been refined to the point of low labor, while still being able to maintain the high degree of care needed for supporting aquatic life.

The system includes a prefilter system, not quite pure RO water, but it does filter out any harmful elements and impurities. Reservoir tanks with high output pumps charging the "automatic top-off" system. Filtering is usually provided by sponge filters, some driven by powerheads(the Marineland 660r is the pump of choice) and some power filters. I think that I may be Emperor's best customer.

The tanks are basically set up in banks that require similar water conditions. These are set up back-to-back so that a single reservoir can feed both sides. I am blessed with having neutral pH and good GH and KH. I have lived in areas previously that really caused problems in "taming" the water conditions.

Salt tanks? I have one. A 29g with live rock and inverts, no fish.
 
are all 492 up and running? what is the total gallons between all those? not including reservoirs and filters system space and whatnot.
 
You know, I don't know exactly. And that's the truth! The fishroom evolved without much thought to how much water was there. I would "guestimate" somewhere near 16,000g give or take. That number, and the number of total tanks, also includes the 14 show/display tanks in the living area of this old castle. The newest addition being a 720g monster that I picked up in what could be "the deal of the century". It is now cycling. I took four weeks to get a service room built and all water and power run to the room. I also had to build the stand and my welding skills were a tad rusty. I ended up having to do alot of grinding.

Photos are almost impossible. I have tried. Maybe if I didn't spend so much money on fish I could afford a good photo setup.
 
Last edited:
720 gallons???!!!???!!!.... do you put scuba gear on and dive in to clean that one? thats a 203 gallon pwc a week if you go by the 25% rule.... wow... i mean........ WOW
 
Haven't had to change water yet. It does have a 150g reservoir that keeps the water level up. And in most big tanks drastic water changes aren't necessary as in smaller tanks. 203g, huh? That IS alot of water. Doubt that I'll be making wholesale water changes like that..
 
I hope all your tanks are on ground level! I'd hate to be the floor in your house!!! I can't imagine the weight of all those. Have you run into any support issues?

I'm onto my second tank in under two years... at this rate I'll be long gone before I can catch up to you! :)
 
203 gallons is only the normal weekly 25%... drastic water change would be like 400-500 gallons
 
Back
Top Bottom