Tank birthday and I'm a Geezer

[Paul B]

I have to change the exhaust manifolds on my boat and it is breaking my heart that I will not be able to do it myself. I really have never hired anyone for anything especially something like my car or boat but there comes a time when this stuff is just to heavy. I have changed them on my last two boats but I was a lot younger then. The manifolds are the 4 big iron things, one on each side of the engine with the worm gear clamps on the far end.
This boat has two engines and there is very little room to work. They weigh maybe 25lbs each and you have to be able to twist yourself in there to lift them out, then align them up to get them back in. It is not a complicated job but it is a heavy one. You are supposed to change them (in salt water) maybe every 5 or 6 years and I have this boat 12 years and never changed them. They could be 15 or even 20 years old.
If they allow seawater to leak into the cylinders you could break a connecting rod or crack the block, two reasons to junk the boat. I don't trust anyone's work and I just like doing this type of work.
But age and strength just won't allow me to do it again. Getting old stinks but it is better than the alternative (I think)
It's the end of an era when I can't repair my own boat. :bawling:
They are also not real cheap. To do it myself would cost about $1,500.00 and to have them to do it is almost tipple that. And I wanted to buy a clown gobi. :fish:

 

[David]

You take meticulous care. You don’t see too many engine compartments that look that good. No bilge water stains or anything. I know it hurts not to do it yourself.

 

[Paul B]

I get in there with Lestoil and bleach all the time and touch up rusted spots. Those engines are 20 years old.

 

[Paul B]

So last night we took our Grand Daughter Greta to the beach behind out house to launch these hot air balloons. They are these 3' paper bags with a wax fire in them. We got on the beach with the Jeep as the sand is very deep and soft. The thing went fine going in.
After we lit and flew the fire things (and they go for miles and so high you can barely see them) we got in the Jeep to go home.

The thing wouldn't let me put it in 4 wheel drive. It didn't light up or anything but the Jeep kept going. Then the "Check Engine" light came on. Then something was flashing that said
"Torque Steering something" needs service" Then the "Air Bag, not working" light came on. I felt like I was driving a Christmas tree.

It didn't seem to effect the drivability or 4 wheel drive capabilities but when I got home I checked into it. I found out I have this "Trail Hawk Trail Rated" model which is the Super, Duper Jeep with the drivetrain that allows you to drive under the Pacific Ocean or on craters on the Moon. I think that may impress some CPA. I also found out it was built in Italy, which didn't make me happy at all.
I have a Test module you plug in to tell you what is wrong, but there is something wrong with my test module that tells you whats wrong. It didn't give me any codes to tell me whats wrong. It's either a module or a software problem because when they invented computers and put them in cars, they invented all these silly problems.

My old Willy's Jeep didn't have any of these issues because it was a 1960 Willy's and the thing was built to just work. No issues, no breaking, no modules, just steel parts.
When you wanted to put it in 4 wheel drive you pushed this big steel lever, it made a big noise and then you could drive through a house and not even dent the thing.

Now they have these silly, plastic, electronic modules that allow the vehicle to do all sorts of things that used to be done with iron and steel. The new electronic assisted vehicles do not run any better, there 4 wheel drive is no better, they are certainly not cheaper or more reliable. What they are is disposable because you need to be Houdini and Einstein to fix them. I could fix anything on my Willy's with a hammer and maybe a torch.

I went to the Jeep dealer and they said they have to check it out to see if it is under warranty even though Jeep Corporate headquarters told me it is.
If it is not, I will just have to fix it myself or take it to some Jiboni with a drawer full of modules and software programs.

 

[diana a]

craftsmanship is just not the same as 1920-1980, and no pride is creating things. Business model is how can we make it cheaper and charge more.

 

[Paul B]

I hate cheaper and charging more.
Give me iron, steel, oak, and bakelite. No Sissy plastic, styrofoam and software. Software is for Girly Men.

 

[Paul B]

I can't believe at least 3 of those tiny baby fish that I collected a few days ago are still living and actually thriving. I put them in as food. They stay at the surface and eat tiny
"stuff" just like a whale shark. OMG, I hope they are not whale sharks. Those things never even make it home in a bucket.
They have nice colors and iridescent fins just like very healthy fish are supposed to have. Maybe they will spawn soon.
They may be stripped bass, bluefish, marlin etc. Who knows. The next time I go I will bring a bigger net and collect a few hundred. This may be the next fish craze. I hope they get colorful as I can only see faint vertical stripes on them. They are tiny, like this size. -------> ! <--------
(picture that thing horizontal) but real cute. I can collect thousands of them in 5 minutes at low tide in a small lagoon I discovered. I am sure it was discovered before, probably by Nancy Pelosi, but you know what I mean.
Whatever I throw into that tank lives forever. It's like the fountain of youth for marine creatures.
OMG, I forgot to quarantine them for 75 days.

 

[Paul B]

I have been putting in this "electric" fireplace. We moved to a Condo and I am not allowed to put in a real one. Besides I have no chimney. My last home had a real fireplace but I have to live with what I now have.

All I have left to do on this is install the stone hearth at the bottom which will open on hydraulics for storage. (really electric lifts)

The wall is 1/8th" steel plates. I ground them to have those swirls.




It started like this. The entire thing is also on wheels so I can move it away from the wall for maintenance, painting and when I hide from my wife. The black thing at the bottom is the sound bar for the TV


I cut the steel with an electric sheers as a tin snips won't cut it.



The mantel is 8 2X8s glued together and "hollowed" out to fit on the fireplace.


The "Stovepipe was from a copper gutter.


I bent it round and held it in place with these.

 

[Paul B]

This weekend we have a full boat just to hang out in the lagoon where I collect so i will get more of those tiny fish to throw in my tank. The ones I have grew about 50% in a week so i think they are halibut.

I hope they stay near the surface because if they get big and go behind the rocks I won't be able to get them out and they will probably eat everything in my tank including pictures of my old girlfriends.

They have about 6 or 7 vertical black stripes and are now 1/2" long.
I have too many snails so I won't take any of those but I may pull a plankton net for a mile or so to see if I get anything to dump in.
I love this stuff.

 

[Paul B]

So I was working on my workshop and I installed a door on a closet. It is very damp here so the thing swelled, sort of like my feet.
I got out my trusty Craftsman belt sander that I think I got when I got out of the army in about 1970 or so. I have used this thing dozens of times for probably hundreds of hours so it was "tired" and it served me wekk.
Anyway, after about 5 seconds, it croaked.

No noise, no sparks, no smells, no flames, nothing.
Usually when an electrical thing doesn't work it's the wire, plug or switch. So I took the thing apart and checked those things. They were all OK meaning it is in the motor.

I figured the windings just shorted out as it is so old so I figured I would just let it die and buy another one. I am sure this one was a couple of hundred dollars in the 70s but I need it so I want to buy a new one.

I go on Amazon and they have a lot of them so I started reading about them and they are very cheap, like the same as a grilled cheese sandwich in a small greasy spoon. You can get them for like $35.00
Unfortunately I couldn't find one built in any country that I could even pronounce much less America. The wire alone on a good tool costs more than that and I want something good, and American.

The only way that could happen is if I just repaired my old American one.
It turns out the wire that was soldered to the carbon brush came loose and needed to be soldered. An easy fix (after you take the entire thing apart of course)

So Now I still have my good old USA Craftsman belt sander which proudly sits on my shelf with the rest of my (Mostly) American tools. I am so happy.
I would rather have a good American tool than something made in China probably by an 8 year old wearing shoes made out of old Toyota tires. I won't take those tools for free.

 

[Paul B]

Today we are going boating in this new lagoon I discovered here where the water is very shallow, just about to shallow to get my boat in but if it is not dead low tide, we will get in. Last week there was so many fiddler crabs that the noise was driving me crazy, it was like being in the middle of "Fiddler on the Roof" but they were on the sand because there were no roofs.

The last place I lived we also had fiddler crabs but here there are so many that in about 100 yards of sand/mud shore, you couldn't even see the sand, just crabs. And almost all of them were males. Like 99%. Once in a while you can see a female, but she must have been, (I probably can't say it here), but no one wanted to mate with them. Maybe they had a social disease , psoriasis, foot odor or were Liberals. I really don't know.

Normally fiddler crabs live in holes and as you approach, they go in them, but here there were so many of them that if they had holes, the earth would collapse. It was totally unbelievable. I am going to bring my camera today but I bet it will be high tide and we won't see any crabs.

It is also hard to walk there as your feet sink in to the muck almost up to my Speedo . The crabs don't have that problem. Well, maybe the fat ones do. (Is it PC to call "fiddler crabs" fat or even mention that some of them are males and some females that look differently and live differently. If that's not PC, report me to the crab ethics socity)

Anyway, the hoards of crabs were trying to move away from us but there were so many of them that they were practically pushing each other out of the way and some were running over their "cousins". They were running through thick patches of mussels and sea grass to get to the other side where the holes were. The ones in the holes were waving with their big claw to attract the very few females who were I assume returning from Pilates class, having foot massages or seaweed wraps to remove cellulite. ;Wideyed ​

 

[diana a]

You are Hysterical! Love reading your posts

 

[Paul B]

Diana, I write them for you because I am sure there is no one else here.

 

[Paul B]

Last night this thing tried to carry my wife away. I lent him my hand truck.

 

[reefsandrotts]

Im here as well,your post are both educational and intriguing and the cause of half the divorces within the club because of your awesome building skills...

 

[Paul B]

Im here as well,your post are both educational and intriguing and the cause of half the divorces within the club because of your awesome building skills...

Thanks, you should see my hair combing skills.

 

[Paul B]

This morning about 5:15 I took my bike out for a ride. I like to go before the sun rises so I can see all the deer, rabbits, frogs, and Muskrat Sally's. We have loads of them.

Then I came home and made a nice batch of blueberry corn muffins from fresh blueberries that grow up the block and local corn.

It is almost ready, but no one is up. I like to cook for us and my neighbors who are our lifelong friends.


On another subject, I read these forums in the mornings, (after bicycle riding and baking ) and it really Irks me the amount of fish we are losing and the number of fish we allow to get sick. It's like the Holocaust of fish and it bothers me. There is no reason to let our fish get sick.
We are killing them with kindness and quarantining. Fish come to us already immune. AAAAAAhhhhhoooooo. I am fed up to here (my hand is under my chin) with so many fish dying. But what do I know? It just sickens me because I really love fish. Not like I love my wife, Christie Brinkley or linguini and clams, but you know what I mean.
Just keep the fish healthy or throw them back into the sea. Just my opinion of course. ​

 

[David@wegetkraken]

40 year old tank...wow...you sir are an inspiration. I'd love to hear some of your stories over a coffee or a beer sometime. That is simply amazing!

 

[Sponge]

Paul:
I truly feel what your saying. And yes there will always be a scant few that don’t research and carelessly kill the animals in there care. But to be fair. I am confident that the far majority of those in the hobby and on this forum. Really do care about the animals in there care. And it breaks there heart when they loose one. And I have read a boat load of your post (they are alway great) and I agree that fish are more hearty than we give them credit. But in fairness. Many fish come into the hobby on there death bed from how they were captured to being bagged and transferred from system to system and so on. YOU ARE RIGHT. Perhaps we care to much. But generally people are quarantining to protect the animals in there display. I quarantine. But practically never medicate. I just like to make sure they are eating and healthy before I put them in the system. I don’t understand how that’s putting them at risk. I love you and I love your posts. I have learned more from your posts alone then I have in 20 books. But I think we could give the general population a little leeway. This hobby continues to evolve as we learn and share information. keep sharing. Keep preaching. Some day we will catch up. Thanks for all the information, you help more than you know.

 

[Paul B]

David, thank you, I appreciate that. This thread started in 2011 but I have been around since 1911. Many of my stories are in the thread, If not, just make something up, preferably something that includes me and Christie Brinkley.

Sponge. (I love that name) Watching a fish in a separate tank is fine "as long" as that other tank is large and is decorated with real stuff that a fish is used to. No PVC because there are no Home Depots under the sea. Well, maybe in Atlantis, I don't know. But all fish hate PVC, Just look at them in there, they hate it.

But IMO all fish carry diseases and parasites which is normal. The fish don't care. But fish exist on a different plane than we do. A different universe if you will. We humans can live very long in a dirt cell with no light eating bugs for years as some of our unfortunate POWs can attest to. But fish can't. Their "being" depends on things that they are used to and stress actually"causes" diseases in fish but not so much in us. We may fade away in captivity but to a point, our immune system will still function. A fishes will not and as soon as a fish is stressed, and that could be by just eating different foods or feeling the glass around them, their immune system immediately stops functioning. Especially if we feed the fish sterile foods that do not have disease causing bacteria and parasites in it. Fish need that to keep their immunity. Most people don't get that and do just the opposite by keeping fish "clean", sterile and away from dirt and bacteria. That is the exact wrong thing to do and the fish know it and respond by getting sicker and dying. Just go to the disease forum and read almost any post. Fish should never get sick. Besides the occasional upset stomach.

I get it that many fish come to us in a half dead condition but that should happen if you have to buy them on line. If you get them in a store, just don't buy that fish. How come these problems don't happen to me? I am not the God of fish.
Just a bald guy with common sense and a love of Christie Brinkley.

All fish will eat a couple of days after you put them in a "proper" tank. I don't think in 50 years I have ever had a fish that didn't eat. "But" you have to feed it something that it recognizes as food. Just because there is a Moorish Idol on the package doesn't mean the fish knows what that is and he may have never even met a Moorish Idol. Fish in the sea for the most part eat living prey. They were eating that up until a week or so before we bought him.

Many people say Copperband butterflies are a difficult fish. They are not. But in the sea they eat live worms and they don't give a Hoot that you can't get live worms. Twin spot gobies are very difficult to keep in a tank. That is not the fishes fault, it is ours. That fish eats what it siphons out of the sand and little else. Clean, aquarium sand won't do it no matter how many pods we buy. Mandarins are the same thing. I almost always keep them for 10 years which I think is their lifespan. My gravel is full of life because I run a reverse UG filter and oxygen goes all through it to keep the life alive. We need to do a little research or dive with these fish before we get them just to go on a disease forum then kill it.
All fish are easy to keep "if" we can and have the patience and means to feed and house it correctly. Dry, sterile foods is not a food for anything except maybe worms and pods.

Also IMO we keep our tanks much to clean. Let some algae grow in there. Leave that detritus alone and a little cyano is not the same as Anthrax. That spot you may see on a fish is not a reason to take that fish out and dip it in fresh water or stump remover or quarantine it for 72 days. That is a recipe to kill it as we have been killing them since 1971 when the hobby started. I know because I was there sitting on a log reading "Tom Sawyer."

Like you said, we are killing these fish with kindness and it is totally our fault. I feel that this hobby is very easy but many of make it very hard. It is not really our fault because we have been taught these methods for years. Unfortunately IMO they are all wrong.

I took this in Key Largo Florida. How clean does this look?

Happy Fourth.