New blue hippo tank

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by Reefstark

I sure didn’t mean too make u feel old lol as far as the metal framed tanks I bet that was scary with the salt spray and corrosion not too mention electricity I’d love too live by the coast just too set up a cold water tidal pool tank you are right about the advantages of modern technology as far as reefing goes now I will definitely contact you if I have any questions about anything related too our hobby I couldn’t afford too get more then one hippo right now so I actually ordered the blue damsels unpurpose just for that I will order another one soon for it too have a freind as soon as I get the 180 cycled and ready they will be my center piece fish I read about how u all used under gravel filtration and coral deco from furniture stores back then sure have came a long way thank u again god bless

Not to worry. My last birthday moved me to a new generation so I KNOW I'm old. LOL ( People I meet usually can't guess my age when they see all that I still do. ) The good news is that I have done A LOT in my mumble mumble years on this planet with over 50 of them involved with fish and animals so I have a lot of experiences I can share. I'm not ready for a rocking chair on a porch. LOL

There is another "trick" we tried with some success. If you can find and print a picture of a school of Hippo tangs ( small ones in your case) incorporate that into a background and tape it on the back of the tank and your fish may feel more secure being around the school. You may even find him staying close to the picture thinking he is once again part of the school.

Yes, filtering started with basic filters ( corner box filters and then undergravels) and in my time, the Wet/Dry filtering system was the best "invention" ( it's actually a modification to the filtering systems in waste water treatment plants so not really a new invention.) for the hobby. As for corals, my tanks were filled with natural corals for decorations and my collection remains large and currently in boxes. Being in Florida, there were many shell and novelty shops where corals and shells were easier to get than in furniture stores.

[Reefstark]

That’s cool if u ever would like too sell some of your corals please let me know I’d love too add some branches and mushrooms too my tank being in the desert it is hard too find and I really don’t do ebay too often I will definitely print out a pic of the school of hippos and tape it on my tank until I can get another one ya I look up a lot of videos about the old techniques of reefing we also breed love birds and parakeets I appreciate your time I’ll will keep u posted on its progress thank u

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by Reefstark

That’s cool if u ever would like too sell some of your corals please let me know I’d love too add some branches and mushrooms too my tank being in the desert it is hard too find and I really don’t do ebay too often I will definitely print out a pic of the school of hippos and tape it on my tank until I can get another one ya I look up a lot of videos about the old techniques of reefing we also breed love birds and parakeets I appreciate your time I’ll will keep u posted on its progress thank u

All my corals now are skeletons. I kept 2 types of corals: ones for fish tanks and ones for display. The ones for fish tanks are all for decorations only. The nice part about using natural coral skeletons was that if the nitrate levels got too high, it acidifies the water. The coral skeletons would start to release calcium carbonate which would raise the Ph back up. It was a natural way of balancing the water.
My display corals are perfect or near perfect pieces, no broken tips or missing pieces. Big plates, pillars, stylaster, purples, rose kind of stuff. You can see some of the display here: https://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...bums14895.html

[Reefstark]

I tried pulling up your coral pics it didn’t let me I like the natural coral a lot more then artificial I’d rather use natural coral any day that’s awesome that it causes that chemical reaction naturally I am going too keep hunting for dead corals i have a few tiny pieces in my tank but it’s rare too find in New Mexico lol thanks again

[Reefstark]

Here’s a pic of mine

[Reefstark]

This is the only piece I’ve been able too find out here 🤦*♂️

[Reefstark]

Not sure why it sent so many pics lol sorry

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by Reefstark

I tried pulling up your coral pics it didn’t let me I like the natural coral a lot more then artificial I’d rather use natural coral any day that’s awesome that it causes that chemical reaction naturally I am going too keep hunting for dead corals i have a few tiny pieces in my tank but it’s rare too find in New Mexico lol thanks again

Not sure what the problem is? The link worked for me. Maybe it's a setting on your device?
Yes, natural corals are getting harder and harder to find in the trade as the movement to synthetic has become more popular than removing natural coral skeletons from the reefs. Most of my corals have been out of the ocean for at least 40-50 years. The ones that are younger than that were live imports that didn't make it.
As for where to buy natural corals, if you do any traveling, you can usually find shells and coral pieces at airport curio shops and some malls. ( I found my big pipe organ piece in a mall in Texas when I was visiting. ) Florida has plenty of shell stores up and down the coast. California may also have them? I found this place https://www.caseashells.com/coral/ that is closer to you than Florida is. You just need to let your fingers do the walking through the internet.

[Reefstark]

Thanks I will just so you know the blue hippo is doing