Paul, the tank looks great, but please!!!! We all know why you took the photography course.....hopes of becoming a photographer for super models. 
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Tank birthday and I'm a Geezer
- Thread starter Paul B
- Start date
Paul B
NJRC Member
This morning before the reef lights came on I decided to look in the tank for a new slug just to see what it was doing. It was gliding along the front glass looking for it's meal of spaghetti worms which unfortunately is the only thing it eats and won't touch real spaghetti or anything else as I have found out. But as I was searching for him I noticed my bluestripe pipefish all entwined with each other as they often do, I just didn't know they did it in pitch darkness. Anyway, I noticed something go floating by and I am pretty sure it was a couple of baby pipefish. I can't be 100% sure because there is a lot of things floating by in my tank, but it sure did look like two entwined baby pipefish. I am telling myself that's what they were anyway just so I can feel good about it. Of course it could have been slug snot.
The pregnant male is the top one.
The pregnant male is the top one.
Paul B
NJRC Member
Early this morning I got out my flashlight and looked at the tank before the lights came on. I normally get up way before the rest of the world does and nothing is open so I look at my tank. I usually will see things swimming or floating by but it is so fast that I rarely get a chance to see if it is a fish fry, amphipod or UST (underwater swimming thing). This morning was no different but I did see about a dozen bristle worms and they seemed to be having a party while doing the Macarana. Bristle worms don't bother me much but there are so many of them so I sucked them out and flushed them. (they hate that) They get kind of big and I just don't trust the big ones.
As I keep saying, I have way to many fish and they are growing. I was surprised to see my clingfish yesterday because that is one creature that you will rarely, if ever see. This type of clingfish is not the cool looking one with the stripes that swim all the time. This one is brown, about one and a half inches long and looks like an elongated flounder. It sucks itself to the rock and becomes part of it. I only see it if a worm floats near it, then it attacks like a great white shark before again sticking to a rock. Very few people will want such a creature but to me, that is my main thing. People go into LFSs and I see them drooling over colorful wrasses, tangs and angels like they are looking at Supermodels while I am looking under rocks for some indiscriminate organism that no one ever wants or even knows exists. (Of course if there were a Supermodel there, I would be all over her) I can always get tangs, wrasses and angels and I can see them in any tank, but to me, they are boring. Of course I used to like them along with moray eels, puffers, jacks and all that, but now I go for the un-ordinary.
Today I was happy to be asked to be interviewed on a small Long Island Radio Station in April. It won't be about fish, at least I don't think so. It is a station that caters to "Mature" people (which is a nice way to say old) They discuss finances, pensions, investments and how people spend their time. I have a lot of hobbies including fish so I guess I fit the bill. For the last 45 years I have been SCUBA diving mostly in the Long Island Sound and this station is also into environmental causes so I think we will also be discussing the state of the Sound. I know they also have some Veterans from Korea and Vietnam so we will also be discussing my time in Nam. It should be interesting and fun for me at least. Maybe I can even put some people to sleep.
As I keep saying, I have way to many fish and they are growing. I was surprised to see my clingfish yesterday because that is one creature that you will rarely, if ever see. This type of clingfish is not the cool looking one with the stripes that swim all the time. This one is brown, about one and a half inches long and looks like an elongated flounder. It sucks itself to the rock and becomes part of it. I only see it if a worm floats near it, then it attacks like a great white shark before again sticking to a rock. Very few people will want such a creature but to me, that is my main thing. People go into LFSs and I see them drooling over colorful wrasses, tangs and angels like they are looking at Supermodels while I am looking under rocks for some indiscriminate organism that no one ever wants or even knows exists. (Of course if there were a Supermodel there, I would be all over her) I can always get tangs, wrasses and angels and I can see them in any tank, but to me, they are boring. Of course I used to like them along with moray eels, puffers, jacks and all that, but now I go for the un-ordinary.
Today I was happy to be asked to be interviewed on a small Long Island Radio Station in April. It won't be about fish, at least I don't think so. It is a station that caters to "Mature" people (which is a nice way to say old) They discuss finances, pensions, investments and how people spend their time. I have a lot of hobbies including fish so I guess I fit the bill. For the last 45 years I have been SCUBA diving mostly in the Long Island Sound and this station is also into environmental causes so I think we will also be discussing the state of the Sound. I know they also have some Veterans from Korea and Vietnam so we will also be discussing my time in Nam. It should be interesting and fun for me at least. Maybe I can even put some people to sleep.
Is that 45 years without moving the tank?
Paul B
NJRC Member
I am having a hard time keeping all my fish fed because I just have too many. You know that feeling when you go into a LFS not intending to buy anything. You promise yourself you won't buy anything because you just don't have the room. You swear to yourself you won't buy anything. Then you see it. You really must have it. It is a one of a kind. You convince yourself that you owe it to your body. Then as you are driving home with the new fish, you swear to yourself, that that is the absolute last fish you can possibly fit in there. My fish are now taking turns putting their heads underwater, that's how crowded it is. Their tails are getting a rash from hitting each other. Each fish is on a first name basis with each other.
It's terrible, but that's where I am now. For the last two weeks I can't find my male bluestripe pipefish, so I figure he is gone along with my clingfish, so that gives me the opportunity to get more fish. As soon as I put in the new fish, guess who shows up? Yep, the bluestripe pipefish and clingfish. The pipefish was doing what he always does, having babies in the back of the tank. My water is like sewage from all the food I have to put in. One of my bubble corals died, probably because my nitrates are 980 or so. I tested the nitrates once and the test water in the vial turned into tar. I don't know what I am going to do because the fish just won't die, they don't even jump out any more but they keep growing. One of my bangai cardinals uses a shoehorn to get in between the rocks because he got to large. That fireclown had a birthday, he is about 25 years old (but I could be off by a couple of years as I lost his birth certificate)
It's terrible, but that's where I am now. For the last two weeks I can't find my male bluestripe pipefish, so I figure he is gone along with my clingfish, so that gives me the opportunity to get more fish. As soon as I put in the new fish, guess who shows up? Yep, the bluestripe pipefish and clingfish. The pipefish was doing what he always does, having babies in the back of the tank. My water is like sewage from all the food I have to put in. One of my bubble corals died, probably because my nitrates are 980 or so. I tested the nitrates once and the test water in the vial turned into tar. I don't know what I am going to do because the fish just won't die, they don't even jump out any more but they keep growing. One of my bangai cardinals uses a shoehorn to get in between the rocks because he got to large. That fireclown had a birthday, he is about 25 years old (but I could be off by a couple of years as I lost his birth certificate)
Paul B
NJRC Member
Today is a beautiful day so I figured I would powerwash the eaves of the house. To do that I had to turn on the hoses outside that I had off all winter. I tried to turn on the valve inside my house for the hose and it wouldn't budge. That figures, I never turned off this valve before but this winter it went to zero degrees and I figured I would turn it off so I didn't break the pipe. That valve was installed when they built the house in 1959 and generally you don't touch something that has had water flowing through it for so long. I put a wrench on it and tried it but I could see that I would probably break the valve if I turned hard enough so I shut off the water main in the house. Sure enough, just as I figured, the valve handle broke off. Great. But at least it broke in the off position. So I remove the bonnet nut and put a vise grip on the stem and get it to move. That valve is not in a place where I want to change it. Maybe 20 years ago, but not now. It is over the red central vacuum just to the right of the blue bucket that is my RO/DI top off and behind the float switch for that system. It is also right against the side of the house in a place I can just about reach with one hand. I would like to ask the genius who installed it what he was thinking as it could have been installed just as easily a foot away from the stone wall where it was accessible, but people rarely so sensible things. So I just put the valve back together, made sure it was open and not leaking and I sweated a new ball valve in a place where I could get to it. This also happened a few weeks ago with another valve for a different hose. They are always in the stupidest places.
But now all is well again and I can get back to powerwashing.
But now all is well again and I can get back to powerwashing.
Paul B
NJRC Member
As I was feeding the fish tonight I noticed a pipefish that I thought I lost a couple of weeks ago. It is a very plain looking pipe that crawls around the bottom like a dragon faced pipe. I got him at Aquarium Village my favorite store.
He is crawling around hunting, and apparently finding pods
He is crawling around hunting, and apparently finding pods
Paul, while you were at changing out the shut-off, you should have put in a frost-proof sill cock. Even though code still requires a shut-off in the house, these "new" sill cocks don't freeze because the actual valve is in your house........and the remaining part drains out.......never freezing......all for a mere 25-30 clams.
I'm sure what you have is the old school simple sill cock valve that is all "external," hanging out in the freezing weather.
I'm sure what you have is the old school simple sill cock valve that is all "external," hanging out in the freezing weather.
Paul B
NJRC Member
Yes that is what I have and I have known about the frost proof valve for a long time. Where the thing is located, it is just so much easier to put in a ball valve in the house. My home is stone and to put in that valve I would need to get up into a place above the foundation which is 18" thick. It is a place in the nether regions of my basement which is inaccessible so this was so much easier.
Paul B
NJRC Member
Just after Thanksgiving I had a hand operation. If you worked construction for 40 years and your joints still work, you didn't work hard enough. One finger (the one I use to point at Supermodels) was becoming stuck in the bent position so I went in to have it fixed. They "fixed" my knee at the same time. Well, the knee surgery didn't do anything and neither did the hand surgery. If I see a Supermodel now, I will have to point with my foot or chin.
The surgeon sent me for hand therapy and all that. Even the Supermodel in the therapists office massaging my hand couldn't fix it so I went in today to see a "different" surgeon. This guy only does hands. The other guy did arms, legs, ears, teeth and anything that ails you so I figure I would go to a guy who only does hands.
The nurse comes in and asks me all the silly questions, things like "Do you use your right hand much?" and "what do you use it mostly for?" "how soon would you like it fixed?". I said, "I don't have to comb my hair but if someone was hitting you in the face with a hammer, would you like him to slow down, or stop?".
Then she takes me for an X Ray. The Doctor comes in and he is a little older than my Grand Son. He bends my finger around a little asking me if this hurts and if that hurts. Now there isn't any part of my hand that doesn't hurt.
He says, We have three options. I can give you a cortisone shot in the finger. I ask, "does that ever work?" He says, "No". Then he says "We can try putting me on steroids for two weeks" I ask, "Does that ever work?" He says "Usually not, but it may make me fat" So another surgery it is. This time they are not going to knock me out so they can ask me stupid things while they cut open my hand, maybe tell some knock knock jokes.
This week I need to work on my boat outdrives to get them ready because I won't be able to use my right hand for a few weeks so if I need to pick my nose, I will have to use my toe.
The surgeon sent me for hand therapy and all that. Even the Supermodel in the therapists office massaging my hand couldn't fix it so I went in today to see a "different" surgeon. This guy only does hands. The other guy did arms, legs, ears, teeth and anything that ails you so I figure I would go to a guy who only does hands.
The nurse comes in and asks me all the silly questions, things like "Do you use your right hand much?" and "what do you use it mostly for?" "how soon would you like it fixed?". I said, "I don't have to comb my hair but if someone was hitting you in the face with a hammer, would you like him to slow down, or stop?".
Then she takes me for an X Ray. The Doctor comes in and he is a little older than my Grand Son. He bends my finger around a little asking me if this hurts and if that hurts. Now there isn't any part of my hand that doesn't hurt.
He says, We have three options. I can give you a cortisone shot in the finger. I ask, "does that ever work?" He says, "No". Then he says "We can try putting me on steroids for two weeks" I ask, "Does that ever work?" He says "Usually not, but it may make me fat" So another surgery it is. This time they are not going to knock me out so they can ask me stupid things while they cut open my hand, maybe tell some knock knock jokes.
This week I need to work on my boat outdrives to get them ready because I won't be able to use my right hand for a few weeks so if I need to pick my nose, I will have to use my toe.
Paul B
NJRC Member
In a few weeks my boat will be in the water and it will be amphipod hunting season. The early summer is when they are free swimming and possibly breeding but I really don't know. I do know that there are so many of them at that time that all I have to do is put my arm in the water (in a tide pool at low tide) and I am covered in them. If I anchor my boat, the anchor line is full of them. I normally hang a frayed rope off my dock and it becomes filled with amphipods. To me, this is very important as is all live foods. Not just for the obvious health benefit of feeding live food, but more importantly for the living (wild) bacteria in their guts. I feel this is the main reason my fish seem to be immune from everything so far so I will keep collecting and feeding live foods. Of course I still feed live blackworms and earthworms for the same reason.
