The Tint

So, I’ve been getting ready for working some new aquarium projects for the past few weeks, and not too long ago, I needed a specific part for some application that would work perfectly…Something I KNEW I still had…somewhere… 

You know that feeling?

Well, part of the process for me involves going through that big ‘old box of “aquarium stuff”  in the garage that I’ve accumulated over a lifetime of fish-keeping…seeing if there is anything worth salvaging or repurposing for my new projects…Of course, not everything is salvageable.

Yeah, liquid test reagents and food samples from 2002 need not apply…

I was digging through one of my several ‘boxes of fish junk” the other day, looking for some ridiculous thing I thought that 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 ’03. Maybe you even have an old “Metaframe” aquarium that dad gave you back in the day?

As aquarists, we love shiny new stuff..Hell, I sure do.

However, I’d hazard a guess that most of us 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. Just like what I  was thinking recently. Or possibly, we need to cannibalize an old device to keep the one we have in operation running for an indefinite period of time.

This is not a bad thing at all, right? I have reefer friends who, let’s put it nicely- are hoarders...And I mean that in a good way…because if you need a part for a 2006 model AquaMedic protein skimmer or a vintage 2013 EcoTech Marine Vortech pump…they’ve got it!

No- that’s not a bad thing at all. It’s good to know aquarium equipment “hoarders!”

Of course, perhaps 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”, less defined reasons.

Which brings us to the final set of reasons why we as fish geeks typically hang on to stuff, having absolutely nothing to do with sentimentality: Maybe, we’re simply just too cheap/poor/busy to replace them?

Or just too lazy to go through the box and toss stuff away?

That could be it..not sure. No shame in any of those reasons, by the way…

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 and motor types might have changed a bit, but many of the filters are essentially unchanged from their original  1970’s design- because they work so awesomely!

Perhaps you’ve heard me rave on about my 1980-vinatge Tetra “Luft” air pump, which has been operating for me for so long that it’s practically become a family heirloom! If not, I’ll tell a little tale here:

Greatness comes in many packages, many forms. In sports, boxer Mohammed Ali earned the title, “The Greatest” from sports fans worldwide. The three-time World Heavyweight Champion easily earned his nickname. In the aquarium hobby, it’s tough to earn the rating of “good”, let alone, “great”.

However, I think that I own a product that has safely earned the title of“The Very Greatest One”.

The year was 1981, and this teenage fish geek needed to make what was then a major purchase for my hobby- a strong, reliable air pump to power my Necktonics undergravel filter in my 20 gallon marine tank, complete with two Blue Damselfish, a Percula Clown, and an H. crispa anemone, which “thrived” under my DIY triple Vita Lite fluorescent fixture.

(Actually, I think it did thrive- had it for over 7 years before I gave it to a friend.). I was sick of unreliable, cheap pumps, so in scanning my well-worn copies of FAMA magazine, I saw an ad for a mail order outfit Aqua Engineers (Remember them? They were the “Bulk Reef Supply ” of their day. No “Prime” shipping, either, lol).  They had a lot of air pumps-but they also had THE pump.

The one every fish geek at the time loved.

After much research, and a lot of saving, I decided to make a big investment (I think it was like $19.95) in a Tetra “Luft” pump. This was a huge move for the time- the Luft was the Ecotech Marine Vortech of its day, the European high-tech answer to the American “Silent Giant” air pump (remember that one?). 

The little brown German -engineered wunderkind delivered large quantities of air in near silence- a huge plus when your aquarium was in your bedroom! With a simple twist of a rheostat, the mighty Luft could be cranked up to deliver precise volumes of air effortlessly up to 7 psi. I had the “Porsche of air pumps”- and I was still in high school!

The GREATEST one.

The little workhorse powered tank after tank, delivering air to everything from my killifish breeding setup to brine shrimp hatcheries, even going to work on my quarantine tank (thanks to fancy air management with sexy plastic gang valves). 

(And yes- I had a QT even back then!)

The dawn of MTV, “Reaganomics”, New Wave, college, the fall of the Berlin Wall, The Gulf War, the “Grunge” movement, the “dot.com” boom and bust, two major earthquakes, several relationships, 7 different houses, the new millennium, 9/11, 8 U.S. Presidents, my marriage, and literally thousands upon thousands of hours of operation. My little brown Luft has been around for all of these things, all the while faithfully and silently cranking out air in dozens and dozens of setups.

Right now, it’s doing occasional duty once again on a quarantine setup. For 5 years prior, it was working on a small tank full of Hawaiian Red Volcano Shrimp (Halocardina rubra).

A workhorse!

 In fact, this small wonder has worked  more-or-less continuously in one capacity or another for 45 years, a longevity/reliability record few products in any industry could match! Short of rinsing the little air filter that slips on to the bottom of the pump every so many years (or when I remember to do it), I have not had to do any maintenance.

Unfortunately, the pump is no longer marketed under the Tetra name, but the original design was apparently been repackaged by other brands, and available up to a few years ago. It operates under a wide variety of conditions, and represents-to me- the pinnacle of air pump design and engineering.  I swear, this thing will outlive me. Talk about value for the dollar!  It’s been worth every cent- although the price tag, when I Iast checked, the price for a “vintage” unused one was a dizzying $65.99!

Greatness has always come at a price, I suppose.  

And then again, I haven’t had to purchase an air pump for 45 years, so what the hell do I know about the price of one? That could be a pretty good deal?

Yup, we all have our favorite product, be it a protein skimmer, high-tech powerhead, light bulb, etc. Mine is just a humble air pump.  Well, not just an air pump. It’s a noble and reliable little device that has powered my aquatic hopes and dreams for over three decades. A family heirloom. It’s not just a piece of aquarium equipment- it’s a part of my family! Live long and prosper, my little brown friend.

To me, you are truly The VERY Greatest one!

Yep. I love “vintage” aquarium stuff.

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! Some new ones are, too…but old ones scare the shit out of me. Practicality and safety outweigh sentimentality for a critically important piece of gear, so I’ll just stick to looking at ’em in the box of junk…

Yet, in general, many pieces of older aquarium equipment, like the aforementioned Ehiem filters, are appealing because they’re so well made. So “right” in their utility and practical elegance. Hell, I have a 37 year old sponge filter!

Maybe old aquarium equipment appeals to me…to us- because it has a bit of “soul” to it; like an old friend or pair of jeans, it’s proven itself as a reliable, earnest partner over many years and many situations. You plug it in, give it a whack, and it does its thing…That new high-tech Bluetooth-enabled LED light or controllable DC wave pump 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 5:45 AM in Los Angeles…Maybe I’m waxing ga bit too romantic?

But that old gang valve in that box in the garage? Perhaps the damn thing may be old, but it’s whatwe’ve got right now, and we really need a three-way gang valve immediately, be it plastic or 19060’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? Or have you simply forgotten to toss it in the recycling bin?

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 to your new stuff, too.

But give away your experience and time freely with other hobbyists.

Stay true to your roots. Stay focused on the future.

And of course…

Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman