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Tank birthday and I'm a Geezer
- Thread starter Paul B
- Start date
Paul B
NJRC Member
For a few days I couldn't find any of my anemone crabs, and I have 5 of them. I searched behind rocks with a flashlight, crawled under and to the back of the tank with a mirror, called out their name etc. Not one.
But this morning before the lights came on I see four of them on the same montipora like they were checking out each other's cell phones. I can't find the fifth one but he may be shedding someplace or just enjoying his quiet time.
But this morning before the lights came on I see four of them on the same montipora like they were checking out each other's cell phones. I can't find the fifth one but he may be shedding someplace or just enjoying his quiet time.
Paul B
NJRC Member
I just took this video which came out pretty good. The mandarins won't let me take closeups so they are not in it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7dKzh6ZOYs&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7dKzh6ZOYs&feature=youtu.be
Paul B
NJRC Member
Today my wife went to the drug store and as she went down the porch stairs I saw that a few of the bricks on the top step were loose. Great, now I need to fix that so my wife of the mail "Lady" don't break their neck.
I put those bricks on there about 20 years ago and I didn't do a real great job. Of course there is a reason. I probably put this on here 80 pages ago but I will put it on again.
At that time I wanted my fieldstone and brick porch fixed and I was working around the clock in Manhattan so my wife said to hire someone. I never hire anyone because I always end up doing it myself anyway. WE have an argument and she won. So I get this guy who did my friends porch and did a good job. He comes to my house with a shovel that has a hole in it, a stick with a piece of string tied to it for a ruler and a sledge hammer that he has duct taped in the middle of the handle.
I also want him to make a new sidewalk in front of my house where a large oak tree broke up the walk.
He demolishes the sidewalk and stone porch. I built him a large wooden box that I wanted him to put in the porch and pour 6" of cement around and on top of it because I wanted the porch hollow unlike 100% of all porches that are filled with dirt. In the freezing winter, those porches expand and the stones bulge out and break. My way, the thing will last 1,000 years like the pyramids.
I come home from work and he has the box in there but he filled it with dirt. I tried to explain my pyramid method to him but it was lost in the translation. I told him I don't care how they do it in South America, here, you do it my way. So "we" removed the dirt from the box and turned it over.
The next day the cement truck is there when I come home and he poured cement over the box as I described. The cement truck driver said to this genius that he has cement left over and what should he do with it? The contractor told him to dump it in the "storm drain in the street". The driver who was not an Idiot just smirked and drove away. Like I need a half a truck of cement in my storm drain.
The next day he is installing the sidewalk and I told him to put a stress groove in front of the tree because that is where it is going to crack and the stress groves are there so you can direct the crack where you want it and not in the middle of the slab.
Of course he put a groove everyplace I told him not to so to this day I have cracks all over my sidewalk.
Again I come home to fine his guy building my stairs in my stone porch with cinder blocks. The holes facing up. The stone porch was built out of fieldstone with brick edging and the steps were supposed to be brick. The guy told me, "This is how we do it in Guatemala". I said, "look around, does this look like Guatemala?."
I come home the next day and he is installing bricks for the stairs. There are three steps. The top one is about 4", the second one is about 10" and the bottom one is about 14". I said is this also how they do it in Guatemala?
TAKE THEM OUT AND PUT THEM IN ALL THE SAME SIZE. or is that asking too much.
I come home the next day and he is finished. I try to go in my house, but I can't open the door because he built the porch higher than my door. It is also sloping into my house so if it rained, all the water would flow into my living room.
He tells me to cut the door. I tell him, I am going to cut his throat. Then he tells me he will "grind" down the concrete so I can open the door.
I said, "You have a shovel with a hole in it, a stick with string on it, and a hammer with fifteen dollars worth of tape holding it together and you are going to grind down the concrete two inches all the while I am standing out in the street because I can't get into my house. Is that what you are going to do?
He says, "I don't think you want to pay me" I said PAY YOU, I am going to kill you if you don't get off my property.
Now I have to find a neighborhood kid to help me smash up the new porch so I can get in my house, then I had to re-build it as fast as I could because I had to go to work.
That is one reason I never hire anyone for anything.
Just now I cemented in those loose bricks and if I get the time I will remove all the edging bricks and re-install them like they do it here in the US.
I put those bricks on there about 20 years ago and I didn't do a real great job. Of course there is a reason. I probably put this on here 80 pages ago but I will put it on again.
At that time I wanted my fieldstone and brick porch fixed and I was working around the clock in Manhattan so my wife said to hire someone. I never hire anyone because I always end up doing it myself anyway. WE have an argument and she won. So I get this guy who did my friends porch and did a good job. He comes to my house with a shovel that has a hole in it, a stick with a piece of string tied to it for a ruler and a sledge hammer that he has duct taped in the middle of the handle.
I also want him to make a new sidewalk in front of my house where a large oak tree broke up the walk.
He demolishes the sidewalk and stone porch. I built him a large wooden box that I wanted him to put in the porch and pour 6" of cement around and on top of it because I wanted the porch hollow unlike 100% of all porches that are filled with dirt. In the freezing winter, those porches expand and the stones bulge out and break. My way, the thing will last 1,000 years like the pyramids.
I come home from work and he has the box in there but he filled it with dirt. I tried to explain my pyramid method to him but it was lost in the translation. I told him I don't care how they do it in South America, here, you do it my way. So "we" removed the dirt from the box and turned it over.
The next day the cement truck is there when I come home and he poured cement over the box as I described. The cement truck driver said to this genius that he has cement left over and what should he do with it? The contractor told him to dump it in the "storm drain in the street". The driver who was not an Idiot just smirked and drove away. Like I need a half a truck of cement in my storm drain.
The next day he is installing the sidewalk and I told him to put a stress groove in front of the tree because that is where it is going to crack and the stress groves are there so you can direct the crack where you want it and not in the middle of the slab.
Of course he put a groove everyplace I told him not to so to this day I have cracks all over my sidewalk.
Again I come home to fine his guy building my stairs in my stone porch with cinder blocks. The holes facing up. The stone porch was built out of fieldstone with brick edging and the steps were supposed to be brick. The guy told me, "This is how we do it in Guatemala". I said, "look around, does this look like Guatemala?."
I come home the next day and he is installing bricks for the stairs. There are three steps. The top one is about 4", the second one is about 10" and the bottom one is about 14". I said is this also how they do it in Guatemala?
TAKE THEM OUT AND PUT THEM IN ALL THE SAME SIZE. or is that asking too much.
I come home the next day and he is finished. I try to go in my house, but I can't open the door because he built the porch higher than my door. It is also sloping into my house so if it rained, all the water would flow into my living room.
He tells me to cut the door. I tell him, I am going to cut his throat. Then he tells me he will "grind" down the concrete so I can open the door.
I said, "You have a shovel with a hole in it, a stick with string on it, and a hammer with fifteen dollars worth of tape holding it together and you are going to grind down the concrete two inches all the while I am standing out in the street because I can't get into my house. Is that what you are going to do?
He says, "I don't think you want to pay me" I said PAY YOU, I am going to kill you if you don't get off my property.
Now I have to find a neighborhood kid to help me smash up the new porch so I can get in my house, then I had to re-build it as fast as I could because I had to go to work.
That is one reason I never hire anyone for anything.
Just now I cemented in those loose bricks and if I get the time I will remove all the edging bricks and re-install them like they do it here in the US.
Paul B
NJRC Member
We just got back from Southern California a few minutes ago. I took my wife there for experimental stem cell treatment for her MS.
We won't know if the treatment works for maybe 9 months but she feels great. We are very hopeful for the outcome of this as we heard some great stories from other patients there.
When I got home I immediately heard the pumps on my tank. The water level dropped about 4" and the powerheads were splashing all over the place. I have a tank sitter who is also a Supermodel and a very good friend but she knows nothing about fish tanks. She is always kind enough to feed my fish so I would never say anything to her. Once before when we were in Germany the water level went down about 7" and killed most of my corals. This time it is not so bad but I do smell the corals as they were stressed and when that happens they shed. The lights are still off and I see the fish swimming so I think it will be OK. My skimmer is going nuts after I added five gallons of fresh, cold water but I am sure they will get over it. I will see what it looks like tomorrow after the lights come on.
This happens because my gravity fed ATO sometimes gets a bubble in it and stops. Of course it only happens while I am away.
We won't know if the treatment works for maybe 9 months but she feels great. We are very hopeful for the outcome of this as we heard some great stories from other patients there.
When I got home I immediately heard the pumps on my tank. The water level dropped about 4" and the powerheads were splashing all over the place. I have a tank sitter who is also a Supermodel and a very good friend but she knows nothing about fish tanks. She is always kind enough to feed my fish so I would never say anything to her. Once before when we were in Germany the water level went down about 7" and killed most of my corals. This time it is not so bad but I do smell the corals as they were stressed and when that happens they shed. The lights are still off and I see the fish swimming so I think it will be OK. My skimmer is going nuts after I added five gallons of fresh, cold water but I am sure they will get over it. I will see what it looks like tomorrow after the lights come on.
This happens because my gravity fed ATO sometimes gets a bubble in it and stops. Of course it only happens while I am away.
I hope your wife responds extremely well to her treatment. Please keep us updated. With the advancement in stem cell research and FDA approvals of new drugs like Ocrevus I have no doubt that major advancements and a potential cure is in the future.
I also hope your tank gets back to normal in the coming days.
I also hope your tank gets back to normal in the coming days.
Paul B
NJRC Member
Thanks guys. Altohombre, that drug Ocrevus was approved while we were in California. We have been waiting for it for a couple of years as we were following it's progress and wanted to get my wife on it as soon as it became available. Now we can't try it because it may damage the stem cells she just got. In a year we can try it. It looks very promising.
Paul B
NJRC Member
My tank doesn't seem to have suffered any damage to losing 5 gallons of water and me adding 5 gallons of cold, fresh water. The fish didn't even look up from their texting. I cleaned the glass so I could see them and they know I am home even though I know they like the Supermodel who feeds them while I am away better.
I really need to clean the algae scrubber as it is sloughing algae back into the tank but I don't have the time. The Veterans Administration called me in for an appointment today about the PTSD they seem to feel I have.
I will see how that goes
I really need to clean the algae scrubber as it is sloughing algae back into the tank but I don't have the time. The Veterans Administration called me in for an appointment today about the PTSD they seem to feel I have.
I will see how that goes
Paul B
NJRC Member
I added a couple of queen anthius a couple of days ago to keep my only one company. I can't say yet if they get along because I think they are different types of anthius. My old one has a yellow stripe under his dorsal and the new ones are all purple.
I may airbrush them to see if they hang out together.
Ialso got a new anemone crab. Now I think I have 6 of them but usually only find two. I don't know where the others hang out.
Everything else looks good, no problems. I wish I could get another clingfish to keep mine company and spawn. They don't order them because no one but me wants a fish that is dark brown and hides virtually all the time.
A video from last year.
I may airbrush them to see if they hang out together.
Ialso got a new anemone crab. Now I think I have 6 of them but usually only find two. I don't know where the others hang out.
Everything else looks good, no problems. I wish I could get another clingfish to keep mine company and spawn. They don't order them because no one but me wants a fish that is dark brown and hides virtually all the time.
A video from last year.
What is that thing in the video? A feeder of some sort?
Paul B
NJRC Member
Yes, it's a feeder. That device is why my mandarins, pipefish, scooter bleenies and ruby red dragonettes all spawn. I wrote an article about it on Salt water Smarts, in my book and other places but I am not sure If I am allowed to link that here.
But it is basically a container with a tube to the surface where you add new born brine shrimp. The fine mesh on top restricts the shrimp from leaving until the fish pull them out.
But it is basically a container with a tube to the surface where you add new born brine shrimp. The fine mesh on top restricts the shrimp from leaving until the fish pull them out.
Paul B
NJRC Member
My new Anthius. If I have time I will go back and get the remaining 3 at the store.
(Andy, they are different from my other one.)
Here is a lousy video I just took
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC33ZWfZqLY&feature=youtu.be
(Andy, they are different from my other one.)
Here is a lousy video I just took
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC33ZWfZqLY&feature=youtu.be
Paul B
NJRC Member
I went back to the store last night and bought the two remaining Queen Anthius. They were eating new born brine in their acclimating container and as soon as I put them in, 15 minutes later, they were all hanging out together and telling stories about their time in the store.
Wow!! Hey Paul! Good to see you still have the tank going strong!! Everything looks amazing from the video you put up!!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk