In a couple of weeks my reef will will have reached 40 years old.
Unfortunately I don't remember when I was 40 but I remember when I set it up. I was a skinny 22 year old just back from Viet Nam.
It is still running very well, still using the same reverse UG filter, same dolomite substrait but none of the fish are original. The oldest one, a fireclown is just over 16, all of the older fish died in an accident that was due to my carelessness.

The tank is mostly LPS, gorgonians, giant mushrooms and a few leathers.
There are only three SPS corals, two of which have been with me for a few years and are growing nicely.
I am not sure is any of the original NSW from the Long Island Sound is still in there or any of the original amphipods but maybe much later generations.
I still can't take a decent picture and the tank is not as blue as these pictures but it is what it is.

wow 40 years is a long time...well done

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"SOUTH AMERICAN BIO-TYPE AQUARIUM" - 20g long tank; 1 south american puffer, 1 dwarf cichlid, 1 clown pleco, 1 black skirt tetra, 1 phantom tetra, 1 serpae tetra, 8 cardinal tetras

10g round tank; 1 orange crayfish, 12+ guppies

1/2g tank; 1 betta

http://www.youtube.com/user/corE3105

Holy crap!! Congrats...same tank over the past 40yrs?

Thanks guys

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
BEAUTIFUL
Guess you doing it right

Awesome tank Paul. I'm still scared of salt water even after 45 yrs of this. You must have seen a few technilogical changes in the time that tank has been up. Very cool.

I have seen technoligical changes come and go and also Supermodels.
Everything keeps changing

Congratulations. That is an accomplishment.

Oh gosh, Paul! I'm just looking at those great pictures of your tank, trying to wrap my mind around 40 years ..... thinking 'How many things did I have or did I start 40 years ago that are still of this earth ..... that are even better than I envisioned' like your wonderful salt tank? Not many, except maybe my son who is now 47! What you have done here is really an art form - a personal triumph, a work of the heart. Wish the world could say the same about its last 40 years. You have done what most of us could never have done, but always dream about. Thanks for sharing it. Happy Birthday!

wow, you're tank is 16 years older than I am! LOL

amazing looking tank; that's quite a feat to have it up and running that long!

any corals been in the tank for the entire time?

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My 30 gallon planted freshwater - CONSTANTLY CHANGING

Alice that is an extreamly nice thing to say, thank you.
No corals have been in there all that time. No one kept corals in those years. Coral keeping is a relatively new endeavour.
It actually started in the 80s when the German government banned the importation of angelfish and tangs to that country. Without those beautiful fish the German people looked for other things to fill their tanks with. Thats when we started to keep corals and the US followed. All of the books were written in German and translated to English

Time to celebrate a great success!!!!! Your tank is awesome.

Paul's tank is really really amazing. and proof you don't have to spend $1,000s for the latest do dad recommended in the latest popular book.

Congratuations Paul.


Happy birthday tank.







And happy birthday Bob. Glad you made it to 64 (yesterday). Gee that's even older then Paul's tank.

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fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html
recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden

She is about to lay eggs again. This large watchman gobi has been with me for many years along with her boyfriend. She has also laid eggs many times but all the times except once she laid them in places where I can't get to to take a picture. This time she picked a place in the back of the tank where I hope to get a picture of. She already uncovered my UG filter and is fat. I am hoping to see some eggs this week but you never know. She could also just have eaten too many Doritoes and just gotten fat.

This was another batch of eggs from her in another place where it is hard to get a picture

I went to a beach yesterday where I do a lot of collecting. I don't know why but I just didn't feel like jumping in and collecting water at that time.

Wow!! your tank is as old as I am...LOL. That is impressive, a 40 year old set up!
I love it, it looks amazing! Thanks for sharing

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J-Pond
http://j-pond.myminicity.com/

please click on the egg/baby to help it grow:

Thank You J-Pond

I still can't figure out why you didn't just dive in to collect more!! LOL

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J-Pond
http://j-pond.myminicity.com/

please click on the egg/baby to help it grow:

Your tank is unbelievably beautiful. Congrats on 40 years, and here's to another 40!

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100G->African Cichlids:Kribensis-2,Bumblebee-2,Red Zebra-2,Elec. Yel. Labi.-2, Acei-2, Elec. Blu. Johanni-2,Peacocks-2 / Community: Australian Rainbow-3,Turquoise Rainbow-4,Dalmatian Mollies-2,white molly-1,Dojo Loaches-1/Cleaners:Chinese Algea Eaters-5/Murderers: Dinosaur Bichir-1And lots of other tanks,2-Gourims,6-Rams,1-Arrowanna,6-FW Flounder,1-Farlowella CF, 1-Spiney Eel

I am completely envious. Amazing tank! It is beautiful. Soon I hope to get a large salt water tank as well. Congratulations!!!