What do you miss?

[CoryDude]

I was watching an old video I took about 15 years ago of my first sw tank, and it got me to thinking. Here's my list of my favorite things in the hobby that fell out of favor over time, what about you?

- Trickle filters. Nothing was more relaxing than watching water flowing into a trickle plate and cascading over a few cubic gallons worth of bioballs.

- Florida Live rock. Man, it was dense, but it was usually covered in christmas tree worms and other little goodies. Of course, it was also filled with some of the nastiest looking hitchhikers around (crabs, mantis shrimps, etc).

- Waiting for my monthly subscription of Freshwater and Marine Aquaria (FAMA) to arrive and seeing what Sprung was talking about in his Reef Notes column. Marine Monthly was another good one, but FAMA was a more polished publication.

- Red Sea's Berlin Skimmer. The revolutionary venturi driven "triple pass" design absolutely kicked butt compared to my Lee's wooden airstone skimmer.

[BSJF]

The majanos that covered my tank so gorgeously! And that under gravel plenum filter that my Bluespots had to dig around to make a hole.

[Bill S]

I miss the bleached coral. My tank from about 1980:

[CoryDude]

Bill, I think you have most of us beat on this catagory. Didn't your first light hood consist of a couple of candles, or was electricity available back then?

[hobogato]

[Bill S]

Bill, I think you have most of us beat on this catagory. Didn't your first light hood consist of a couple of candles, or was electricity available back then?

Oh, that's low...

I DO remember when fluorescent fixtures first came out - before that, it was screw-in bulbs. I also remember when the first all-glass aquariums came out (ironically, the company that made them was "Allglass Aquariums". Those old stainless steel framed tanks with a slate bottom were cool though.

[BSJF]

Very nice tank Bill! You were really rocking back then! No algae or nothing!

[Bill S]

I miss the bleached coral. My tank from about 1980:

Please note:

The plastic plants (they were easy to bleach)
Bleached coral
Undergravel filter
Supreme HOB filter (these were EXPENSIVE)
Fluorescent hood with "gro-lux" bulb (just one!)

[Mr Cob]

all I can say is...lol

I remember my parents had a tank back then when we lived in Hawaii and it was also filled with bleached coral....yeah I remember we would go snorkeling to find coral for that tank that would get bleached : 0. Crazy to think people did that. I was obviously young then and I just remember hating that stupid fire coral...I would get a rash all over my arms and legs.

dang...so to stay on subject...what do I miss? Nothing....I love the hobby more and more every day and don't look back.

....ok, I miss having a dedicated display tank, THAT IS TRULY ALL MINE...

[CoryDude]

The majanos that covered my tank so gorgeously! And that under gravel plenum filter that my Bluespots had to dig around to make a hole.

Ah, forgot about undergravel filters. Anyone ever setup a jubert style dsb using one? Eggcrate, pvc pipe, window screen, and lots of sand.

Sorry Bill, couldn't resist. Yeah, I remember having those screw in bulbs on a gold fish tank back in '82. Man, that tank got pretty hot during the summer.