Tannin Aquatics Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 So, if you follow me, you know I'm blabbing on and on about this new tank thing that I've been playing with in my office, right? Well, part of the process for me involves going through that big 'ol stash of "stuff" I've accumulated over a lifetime of aquarium-keeping...seeing if there is anything worth salvaging or repurposing for my new projects...Yeah, liquid test reagents and food samples from 2002 need not apply... I was digging through my 'box of fish junk" the other day (we ALL have one, right?), looking for some ridiculous thing I needed...and of course, it made me stop and reflect... We all have that box, right? You know, the one that contains the parts for that 1982 model Eheim canister filter, or the diaphragm for that air pump you bought back in '93. Maybe you even have an old "Metaframe" aquarium from dad back in the day? As aquarists, we love shiny new stuff..but we like to hold on to our old stuff, too! I'd like to think it's because we have a sentimental sense of history, and these things make us harken back to a gentler, more simpler aquarium-keeping era... Perhaps, it's because experience tells us we're going to need some of this stuff again. Maybe for some new application that wasn't even imagined back in the days when some of these items were brand new. Or possibly, we need to cannibalize an old device to keep the one we have in operation running for an indefinite period of time. Maybe some of you out there don't have the slightest bit of sentimental attachment to your 30-year-old hang-on-the-back power filter. Maybe you feel no great sense of historical obligation to reflect upon that old pump and perhaps admire its durability. Maybe you chose to keep it for other reasons. Which brings us to the final reason why we hang on to stuff, having absolutely nothing to do with sentimentality: Maybe, we're simply just too cheap/poor/busy to replace them? That could be it..not sure. But keeping old equipment is sort of a validation of our culture, an homage, intended or unintended, to the hobby's progression and history. I mean, there is something so appealing about taking a piece of damn-near antique aquarium equipment and employing it in a new, more-or-less state of the art system. Repurposing. Sort of like the way old factory buildings are turned into cool offices for high-tech startup companies- uses that no one could have ever conceived of "back in the day." And let's face it, some stuff was- IS- still great, withstanding the test of time. Like Ehiem "Classic" filters. Sure, the materials might have changed a bit, but the filters are essentially unchanged from their original 1970's design- because they work awesomely! And of course, you've seen me rave on about my 1980-vintage Tetra "Luft" air pump, which has been operating with me for so long that it's become a family heirloom! Well, I do draw the line with aquarium heaters. I don't like old heaters. Don't trust them, for many reasons..An air pump is one thing- a heater, however, is another story. Old heaters are archaic, often undependable, and occasionally downright scary! Practicality and safety outweigh sentimentality with a critically important piece of gear. Yet, for so many pieces of aquarium equipment, some of the older stuff, like the aforementioned Ehiem filters, is so appealing. So well made. So "right" in its utility and practical elegance. Maybe old aquarium equipment appeals to us because it has a bit of "soul" to it; like an old friend, its proven itself as a reliable, earnest partner over many years and many situations. That new high-tech Bluetooth-enabled LED light just doesn't offer that feature. Perhaps we have some psychological sense of "kinship" that we attach to old equipment? Okay, perhaps I'm reading too much into this topic at 5:45AM PST in Los Angeles...Perhaps the damn thing may be old, but it's what we've got right now, and we really need a three-way gang valve immediately, be it plastic or 1960's vintage brass! Yup. Wow. That could be it. I Like the sentimental explanations better, though. Do you have that ONE fave piece of, shall we say..."vintage" aquatic gear that you hang on to? Does it still work well, or do just keep it because you feel some sentimental attachment to it? What is it? What gems do you have in your "collection?" Do tell! Because I know I'm not the ONLY one who's got that "aquarium junk hoarder" thing going on, right? Until next time... Hang on tightly to all of your old aquarium "stuff"..And your new ones. But give away your experience and time freely with other hobbyists. And stay wet. Scott Fellman Tannin Aquatics Soothing Shrimp, fishface and Vpier 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishface Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 I only wish I had everything from my first foray into freshwater aquariums - way back in the late 1940s/early 1950s. Unfortunately I turned into a teenager and didn't get back *into* fish for 60 years (with interludes of anoles and white mice and 20+ years in dogs). Somehow a Metaframe 10g did manage to survive until the late 1990s. Wish I'd kept it but it was sold in a garage sale. Tannin Aquatics 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tannin Aquatics Posted March 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 I KNOW! I had SO much cool stuff that I wish I'd saved...I got some hand-me-downs from my father from the mid-late 1960's when I started, and held on to them for years...Surprisingly, many of those things held up well for decades! I had a Metaframe "Hush 1" air pump that was from like 1965, and ran it well into the 1990s without so much as a hiccup. Scott fishface 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishface Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 I have only vague memories of most of the equipment I had. Filters were strange; if I remember correctly (big IF), we used charcoal and spun glass - which was also used on Christmas trees back then; not good for the hands! No water test materials. Just aged water overnight and no gravel vacs - just tore tank down completely, cleaned and started anew. Oddly I don't remember any mass fish die-offs! Tannin Aquatics 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tannin Aquatics Posted March 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Yeah, they used to call it "glass wool, right?" Not good! It's amazing, even in our own "fish careers", if we mentally take ourselves back to the times when we didn't really "know" as much, we tended to just do what worked...and that's not a bad thing. I'm all for progress and new ideas and such, but it's always nice when we can fall back on some really fundamental stuff that works! -Scott fishface 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishface Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 You can see what a steep learning curve I've had for the past couple of years! Still haven't *graduated* to a canister filter; HOBs & sponge filters are as far as I've gone. Not too long after I was out of fish, under gravel filters were the next big thing. We actually had one fish store here; population of maybe 10,000 and in the middle of nowhere. I used to breed Zebra Danios to trade in to them. I really do wish I still had some of that old equipment. I'm glad you remember the glass wool - people usually look at me like I'm nuts when I mention that! Tannin Aquatics 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tannin Aquatics Posted March 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 2 hours ago, fishface said: You can see what a steep learning curve I've had for the past couple of years! Still haven't *graduated* to a canister filter; HOBs & sponge filters are as far as I've gone. Not too long after I was out of fish, under gravel filters were the next big thing. We actually had one fish store here; population of maybe 10,000 and in the middle of nowhere. I used to breed Zebra Danios to trade in to them. I really do wish I still had some of that old equipment. I'm glad you remember the glass wool - people usually look at me like I'm nuts when I mention that! Yeah, I wad raised via my dad's orientation, which was his 1960's era take on things. I learned a lot! This last decade or so has seen such a HUGE advancement in all areas of the hobby. Great time to be a fish geek. fishface 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oem Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 When looking for some new gang valves last year I got really frustrated that most are junk and longed for a real brass valve no matter the cost. That will be on my list at the next club auction. When I bought several 10g tanks Tuesday I thought they felt really light. I came home and looked at my only 10, and you could see the difference in the glass, a little thicker. Maybe $15 for a used 10g really is a bargain. Don't miss the glass wool at all, but still like UGF. Tannin Aquatics 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tannin Aquatics Posted April 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 I remember the "Necktonics" under gravel filters from the late 70's/early 80's when I was a kid. They seemed very exotic- very expensive...When in reality, they were just a piece of super-cheap extruded plastic...but they worked well...Really "aspirational" equipment for this kid! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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