My tank reached 46 years old today

[DaveK]

I love hearing about the history from folks like @DaveK and @Paul B.

For a relative novice like me (3 years), it helps put the advice we get (some of it contradictory) in context. Also, it makes it clear just his new this hobby is. The 70s Paul talks about is hardly all that long ago.

Some of the advice we get comes across as "the" way to do things. Then you see someone like Paul or David say, "well, maybe" and it really puts things in perspective.

Thanks for your support. Yes, SW systems in the home only go back to about 1965. Not that people didn't try SW tanks before that, it's that the only people that had any success were people that were in a position to easily collect natural salt water. Reef systems as we know them today occur much later, about 1985 or so. Again, some people did try corals and the natural system of Lee Chin Eng but success was very limited.

In those olden days, knowledge was extremely limited, and many failures were blamed on "something toxic" in the tank, rather than the correct thing which was failure to cycle the system. It also was considered doing well if you kept a fish alive for 6 months. Today, we know somewhat more, and with some care it's not too hard to have a decent reef system.

 

[Paul B]

Dave is correct so he is probably a Geezer like myself.
I posted this here about 6 years ago.
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forum/index.php?threads/love-of-the-hobby.73600/#post-1008259

 

[DaveK]

Dave is correct so he is probably a Geezer like myself.
I posted this here about 6 years ago.
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forum/index.php?threads/love-of-the-hobby.73600/#post-1008259

There is no probably about it. I was about 15 when I set up my first SW tank, and that was about 1966. Offhand I think @Paul B is about the only active member "somewhat" older than I am.

At that time there were only two LFSs that carried SW fish in the Philadelphia area. One I could get to via a trolley ride. The other was fairly far away, and until I could drive and had some experience I only got there once. Over the years both these stores went under.

Later on some other stores got involved in SW fish, but I can't think of any in my area that have been around since way back when. Today I'm still kind of lucky since there are still a few good stores in the area.

 

[Witfull]

My father was a pilot in the south pacific flying sea planes to all the fly specks on the map on the 50's & 60's. Many of the passengers were marine biologists. One year I got the opportunity at MACNA to talk with a godfather of the field. I told him my father's formal name and he starts laughing, saying he remembered him and referring to him by his nickname. That person was Dr. Charles DelBeek.

Later that night was a crazy time of drinking and carousing with Bob Fenner. Somewhere here on RS is a pic of us the next morning. We definitely were hung over and paying the Piper. So that's where I got the bug for this from, it's my daddy's fault.

Sent from Capt. Kirk's communicator

 

[Witfull]

Dave, one of the stores, was it a huge white building with a yellow sign? There was Martin's as well later, I think they started in late 70's. I even worked at the Cherry Hill store for several yrs, as well as with the Lance brothers, the store that has several names in Cinnaminson. Used to love going out to Hidden Reef too.

Sent from Capt. Kirk's communicator

 

[Witfull]

found it on my PC. Bob and i taking a brief rest.
pic courtesy of Woodstock

 

[Paul B]

Cool picture.

 

[DaveK]

Dave, one of the stores, was it a huge white building with a yellow sign? There was Martin's as well later, I think they started in late 70's. I even worked at the Cherry Hill store for several yrs, as well as with the Lance brothers, the store that has several names in Cinnaminson. Used to love going out to Hidden Reef too.

Sent from Capt. Kirk's communicator

I didn't want to post any specific store names from way back when because most of them went to some very sad ends after being good stores for years. There are a whole mass of stores that have come and gone over the years, so we could be talking about a lot if different places if we are talking about the last 15 years or so. Your welcome to PM me if you want to talk about specific places that we have most likely been to at one time or another.

The Hidden Reef is still around but at a different location now. It's still worth the trip, but can be a bit uneven as far as livestock goes, being excellent sometimes, and way down at others.

 

[Witfull]

No problem, Dave. over the past 35+ years or so we have been to every store in the area, possibly at the same time.

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