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Going back to the 70's

andy

andy

Member
Joined
14 Sep 2007
Messages
317
Location
Lewes, East Sussex
Having kept all kinds of aquaria over the past 50 years (High tech reef, Koi, planted tanks etc) I'm finding myself wanting to go back keeping fish that i kept back in the day and bought with my paper round money.

I'm just about to upgrade my high tech planted tank to a 1m x 40 x 40cm and I love the idea of a South American biotope....shoals of tetras, plecs etc.

However, i'd just love to add a pair of Swordtails or Black Mollies (Wrong water conditions) or a group of Honey Gouramies.

Many fish...back in the day, weren't available in the local pet shops and I only ever saw them in books. A prime example is the Bleeding Heart Tetra and even now, i rarely see them. I never forget the time my little fish shop (12 tanks approx 18" x 10 x 10") got a small group of Red Eyed Tetras. I could only afford a pair back then and didn't realise they were a bit "nippy" but I was thrilled to keep them.

Happy days back then with my 24 x 12 x 12 angle iron tank (held together with putty), separate heater and thermostat and basic air powered undergravel that my grandparents gave me.

Rant over
 
Lol! i remember those days, my father had a no filter 4ft tank, heavily planted with normal gravel, no light fixture, no tech. He'd set it up in front of a window , natural light 4hrs a day, a massive shoal of what looked with scissortail tetra and it flourished... and oh absolutely - an iron framed tank with putty corners, never leaked. I was hooked from then!
 
Oh I remember those days, and we had an abundance of LPS and LFS with loads of choice. All the tanks filtered by UGF only and they looked great.
Had a 4foot tank that was ran on UGF and loads of plants. Big chunky tube lights with the brick ballasts etc.
Fish like Kissing gourami, loads of tetras and livebearers
 
Remember the day your Dad did a goldfish water change by moving the fish to a foil container whilst cleaning the water, and then filling up with untreated tap water (checking temp with just fingers) and then putting the fish back in the cleaned tank?
 
Bradders said:
Remember the day your Dad did a goldfish water change by moving the fish to a foil container whilst cleaning the water, and then filling up with untreated tap water (checking temp with just fingers) and then putting the fish back in the cleaned tank?
Click to expand...
Yep many a goldfish in the plastic bowl in the kitchen. Dumped into whatever container was for use. Bowl swilled out and filled back up with straight tap water. Gravel/plants rinsed and dumped back in.
Fed with the yellow supa tub of flakes etc.
 
I worked in a fish shop in Shepherds Bush on Saturdays in the early 70s. There were three tiers of angle iron tanks and I used to stand on the bottom ones to catch the fish in the top ones. And I could feel a slight pulsing in the cuts in my fingers - the lids were sheets of glass - when I put my hands in as the tanks were live!
 
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