Tank birthday and I'm a Geezer

[Paul B]

Even though my tank uses minimal maintenance I realize It does require "some" maintenance. My powerheads were covered in growth, my algae scrubber looks like the produce section of a supermarket and the glass looks like sheet metal. My skimmer is filthy and overflowing a little. I have been trying to do these things but the knee pain with associated sick feeling from the meds is hampering my attempts.
I cleaned the powerheads but not the scrubber. I think I went over my standing up time today and I can't do it sitting down. I can't get the fish to do anything on their own as they are slobs.
My magnet/razor glass cleaner broke and I have to build a new one.
Now I am going to lay down and put my leg up like a Sissy Girly man. But I will have some Cognac for the Manly aspect.

 

[Paul B]

Today I had a little not to painful morning so I did some maintenance. I re-built the skimmer venturi to make finer bubbles and I cleaned the thing. I cleaned the algae scrubber and re-built my magnet/razor glass cleaner. I made it to a store and bought some food and clams and all is well.
All seems well and I will try to collect some water in between the ice bergs soon.

My wife did something embarrassing. She got a text from one of her friends and she responded, "OK Sweetie, see you soon". With a big kiss emoji.
But instead of sending it to her friend, she sent it to a priest. ​

 

[Paul B]

So yesterday we went to see the Kids and Grand Kids in the East Village in Manhattan. I worked in Manhattan for 40 years and would rather have Nancy Pelosi stick me in the eye, twice with a sea urchin, then step on my busted knee with a high heel than go into Manhattan. So I have to stop before I tell you how I really feel about Manhattan.

Anyway we drive to the Jitney, depot and get on the bus. It's about 100 miles to downtown from here and busses are not built for people with new knees. You can't stretch your leg because for some reason they always put a seat in front of you.

An Hour and a half later we get to 44th st and Third Ave. And have to get a Taxi.
It's cold.
We hail a cab and it was a tiny cab with a driver who barely speaks English, but that is a requirement to be a Taxi driver in NY. If you can speak perfect English, they won't give you the job and you would have to run the French Fry cooker at Burger King.

My left knee is new and I can hardly bend it. My wife has MS and can barely bend her right leg. We are trying to get into this cab at the same time and to do this you have to put your butt in and slide all the way over to the other side to get your leg in. While I am trying to do this (carrying a cake, Christmas presents and a pie) My wife is trying to get in on the other side.

I don't know if you know what 44th st and Third Ave in Manhattan looks like but it is not like somewhere in Idaho.
WE have both doors wide open, I slide all the way in and pick up my leg with my hand to get that in. My wife has to slide in and get on my lap so she can get her foot in. (It's OK because we have been married for 45 years) Now we are both in and we have to close the doors with her cane. I have a cane that folds up so you can't pull anything with it or it falls apart. I am holding in my screams because this is very painful as my leg is practically on the drivers shoulder and my wife's leg is almost out the window.

The traffic is horrendous like it always is and it is a 20 minute ride.
WE get to our Daughters house and I have to get out to pay the guy. I slither out onto the street like a snake and my wife got out some how. Now I can't stand because new knees take a while to move. It must be some kind of aluminum problem. I get to straighten up to almost half my height and pay the guy.

Then my wife and I limp into Our Daughters house where there is a long walk to the elevator. We looked like those guys from the Civil War where one is carrying the flag, one has a flute, one has a drum and they have bloody bandanas on. ​

 

[Paul B]

I have been looking over a few other forums where I wrote that I sometimes add, or used to add garden soil to my tank. I didn't invent that, it was Robert Straughn, The "Father of Salt Water Fish Keeping" and many people are aghast at that (I love that word and wonder where it came from)
Anyway as I was thinking about that I realized that for many years, long before Nancy Pelosi was born the sea has been coming in contact with garden soil. I realize this is very radical thinking but many people have never seen the sea. I personally think they should move but I digress.
The ocean normally contacts a beach which is in almost all cases just sand. It's sand because if it was soil, as many beaches were due to volcanoes, earthquakes and builders who make shopping centers near the shore, the organic material in the soil washed away leaving sand.

But all that soil including what runs off celebrities lawns including Seinfeld and Billy Joel, goes into the sea. Why is it such a foreign concept to see that soil is in the sea and always has been.
I added soil in the beginning for biodiversity. Do I know if any of that biodiversity lives in salt water or reproduces at all, No, I don't, but I still like the concept.

I know the tide pool where I collect things like mud, amphipods, messages in bottles etc. at low tide is almost all fresh water because it gets run off from a lake, but at high tide it is full salt water as the tide here rises 8'. Those amphipods, worms, crabs and I assume bacteria don't seem to mind the change and if I put my ear to the ground I can't hear them screaming when the water turns fresh. Even tiny horseshoe crabs are there by the thousands but I didn't really count them.

I think those small creatures can and do make the transformation to salt water quite easily, maybe not all of them but enough to add bio diversity to a tank. Just my thoughts of course and I could be totally wrong, especially about Mrs. Pelosi.



​

 

[Paul B]

The water I collected warmed up and the salinity was 0.014 so I could either add some salt or buy some kissing gourami's. I added some salt, a lot of it.
The water is still slightly green even after diatom filtering it for a few hours so I was a little hesitant to add all 40 gallons of it at once. So I chickened out and only added 10 gallons. After a few hours the fish were still breathing and the corals looked fine but I have not gone down stairs yet to see if they are still alive. If they are, I will dump in the rest of the water.

I tested the salinity of my tank water and it wasn't much saltier than the water I collected so I said to myself. Self. OMG.
I immediately started to add some salt. Like a pint an hour but I have a long way to go to bring up the level. It got so low because in my old house the effluent from the skimmer went into a bucket and I used to replace that with salt water. Here the effluent goes right into a drain so I have no idea how much water I am losing. But I must have lost 10 or 15 gallons and the fresh water makes up automatically so I have to work on that so I know how much water is lost. I am surprised I have any corals but I guess it was so gradual that the corals didn't notice.

The sea water here now is so low in salinity because it has been raining non stop for about a month. I am still surprised it is so low being it is really the Atlantic Ocean. I hope the green coloring isn't from land run off or it could be fertilizer. If it is, I may be selling lettuce out of my tank. A few more days should tell.

The sea was also dead low tide which I do not like to collect in, but it is going down to 9 degrees tonight so that was my last chance to collect for a while.
I will collect again soon.
But if the tank crashes, it had a good run.

​

 

[diana a]

Hope your tank doesn't crash. I do expect it will. Hope you are feeling better each passing day.

 

[Paul B]

The tank is fine. The knee, not so much. I go to the Dr. today. Maybe he will put a grease fitting in.

 

[myrjon]

Grease fitting's would be great...

 

[diana a]

Hope your tank doesn't crash. I do expect it will. Hope you are feeling better each passing day.

That was suppose to read: I don't expect it will. My fingers can't keep up with my thoughts

Hoping to read your appt went well!

 

[Paul B]

The Dr. said I don't have to go to therapy after this week because I am such a fine specimen of a man.

I just have to ride my bicycle. I am looking for snow tires for it now.

 

[Paul B]

I just remembered a Viet Nam story. If I wrote it already just go and watch Oprah.
We were on an LZ (Big clearing in the jungle) which is where I usually was and me, my Captain and a couple of other guys were talking and having a hot beer that we got from the Air Force. This guy comes up to us and he had face camouflage on, sticks in his helmet, grenades hanging all over him. 2 knives, a 45, an M-74 rifle with a grenade launcher (I am not sure if it was an M-74 or what number it was) He thought he was Rambo and we figured he just came in from the bush or was special forces or something. I asked him when he got in country. He said Last Tuesday.
The guy looked like he was born in the jungle but obviously saw too many war movies.
We all said, "Get away from us, you are the first guy they are going to shoot."

So we asked him if he would like to see what a charge 7 + rat was. He was all excited. We had 6 105 Howitzers there (big cannons) and we got a rat, which were all over the place. We put the rat in the gun and put in the powder charge. We let him pull the cord to shoot the thing. He was all excited.
Then we made him clean the gun. For the animal activists there were rats all over the place and I even got bit by one and had to get shots. I would wake up with rat foot prints all over me and they would eat my food, even out of my hands. They would walk up your leg if you were in the "bathroom", which had no bath and wasn't a room, it was a barrel. We used to shoot them with soap filled bullets. So if you were in that situation and you feel you want a rat for a pet, join the Army.

 

[diana a]

Love reading your stories! Rats ....shoot them all

 

[Paul B]

I finished therapy for my new knee a few days ago but the Dr. said I have to go to the gym and use the incombant bicycle for exercise and try to get the leg to bend more. I kind of like it straight but he said it needs to bend if I want to walk. So I go to the gym with my wife who goes almost every day. This Gym is in a hotel and there is no changing room so I went to go into the Mens room to change into my Jogging pants.
I wanted to change fast before anyone came in so I ran into the room and threw my Gym clothes into the sink.

Of course it was an automatic sink and the water came on as I had one leg out of my pants. I can't hop very well due to the rusty knee so by the time I took the stuff out of the sink, it was all soaked.

I had to put those clothes on and get on the bike where I was dripping all over the place but I just made believe I was working so hard that I was sweating.

 

[Paul B]

I just did something that I rarely do, I tested my nitrates and Calcium. My calcium is 440 and nitrates are 5. Not bad and I am surprised being I feed so much. But it is all new NSW from 7 months ago so I guess it is all good.

 

[diana a]

do you dose Ca?

 

[Paul B]

Yes I do. Maybe once or twice a month when I think about it. But it doesn't seem to matter much. My calcium is always about 440. Maybe it's my calcium kit that came in a wooden box with directions in Sanscrit.

Today started out at 5 degrees and my titanium knee is letting me know it is not happy so I didn't feel like doing anything. I took a ride to a LFS just to see if I could waste some money and they didn't have anything that peaked my interest. I figured I was there anyway and I saw a couple of striped cardinals. They were swimming around and looked fine so I told the guy, I will take those.

He caught the pair and brought them up to the counter.
As he was putting the plastic bag into a paper bag I noticed one of them was swimming funny. The guy saw it too so we both looked closer. He was not swimming funny, he was not swimming at all. He croaked in the 20' from the tank to the counter.
I never saw a fish croak so fast. I mean my tank is good, but the fish has to at least be alive when I throw it in.

This is not him, but one I had a few years ago.

 

[diana a]

did you make a funny face at the fish to make him croak? LOL

 

[Paul B]

That is so cool.

 

[Paul B]

I collected more water today, not that I needed it but it was so warm I wanted to do something in the sunlight and didn't want to put on my Speedo to get a tan.
I went down to the beach expecting it to be empty but almost all the parking spots were taken although no one was swimming.
I had no trouble parking because I just backed down the boat ramp and threw a pump in the water.
I am diatom filtering it now as it is a slime green color. After a pass through the filter, it is crystal clear.

I am not sure why the water is that color this time of the year but the last two times I collected it, it was the same color. I used 40 gallons the last time I collected it and nothing got the horrors or croaked so I assume it is fine.
If you put your hand in it you get instant frost bite.

 

[Paul B]

I got nothing and my wife is still sleeping so I will re-post a trip I took on Spirit Airlines. If you don't want to read it, go back to sleep at it is 6:00 am here.
I had to edit it a little as it may not have been PC enough and I don't want to get Tarred and feathered.
Well since the last time I was on here I did go to a few places. A riverboat cruise through Germany on the Danube river and 3 Hawaiian Islands. We just celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary and that is where we went on our honeymoon.
This time we went to Maui, Kauai and Lanai as Lanai was not open to the public the last time we were there and it is secluded. The diving in Hawaii is not very good but I did three dives anyway just because I could.

Early this week I had to go to Florida on business and I flew Spirit Airlines. I usually go on Jet Blue but Spirit had a flight that was a better time. Have you ever flown on Spirit?
It is an experience and there is a reason Jet Blue charges in excess of $300,00 and Spirit charges $17.67, round trip.

The first thing you notice on the flight is that there are no TVs, no little hole to plug ear phones or charge electronic devices in, no blankets, pillows, magazines or those little papers that keep the grease off your head from the last guy who sat there.

There is also no free soda, water, peanuts, juice or anything else. as a matter of fact, when you take your ticket and scan it at that little kiosk, it asks you how much you want to pay for your seat. There are $10.00 seats, $20.00 seats and $50.00 seats. I took the $10.00 seat as I assume the $50.00 seat you have to sit on the pilot's lap, but I am not sure. If you don't pick a seat I don't know where they put you as I didn't see anyone lying on the floor and it was night time so I couldn't tell if anyone was strapped to the wings. Carry on bags cost you $50.00 and if you want to take luggage there is a "Bank of America" there where you can take out a home equity loan.
The hostesses were friendly but they didn't have much to do as there was nothing they could give you except a smile when they told you "Sorry" we don't have that or Sorry, you have to pay for water and peanuts.

I noticed a guy near the back of the plane with a bow and arrow, I figured he was the air marshal.
I sat by the emergency door and she instructed me that in an emergency I would have to open the door. I said "fine" I have no problem with that. It was a door knob with two deadbolts. So we are flying and it was a very turbulent flight. I spoke to the hostess for a while as she was standing in front of me ironing. It got very rough. She leaned over and took a book out of the overhead compartment. It was a bible.

I read the Bible a few times in Viet Nam, but that was just before we would go into battle, a hostess on a plane reading a Bible in rough weather is not very soothing to me.
Then I tried to remember all the safety features of the plane. Of course, the safety features were the smoke detectors in the bathrooms, the little plastic card in the seat back that has the emergency instructions on it and those little orange life vests under the seat because whenever a plane traveling at 600 miles an hour hits the sea in a fiery crash, we always see all the people in perfect health floating with those little orange vests.

So I looked under my seat to see if there was a credit card slot next to the life jacket just in case I needed it. Then I was thinking, if anything happens I am going to be the safest one on the plane as I will take all the safety devices. The first thing I will do is make my way to the bathroom so I can grab a smoke detector. I will have to be fast as there are only 6 of them. Then I will get that little plastic card from the seat back and swipe my credit card under the seat so I can get the vest and if I have time, I can grab that bible. I may even be able to grab a few more of those plastic cards in the confusion.
I am seated by the emergency door and I know how to open it as I have the key. I am just waiting for something to happen.

Generally if you see the pilot running towards the back of the plane or if the hostess is having no trouble laying on the ceiling of the aircraft, those are sure signs that you can start reading that bible. But none of those things happened. Speaking of the back of the plane, that is the safest place to be as whenever you see pictures of a plane crash you always see that tail in perfect shape sticking up out of a sand dune.

There was one Supermodel on the plane and she was about 7' tall and if I was standing she could probably eat spaghetti off the top of my head. She had a ponytail and she sat a few rows in front of me on the plane. I kept watching because her pony tail almost got stuck in the overhead bins.
Speaking of overhead bins, I was sitting there waiting for the plane to take off and I was bored as I only had that pony tail to look at and the big guy who couldn't fit into the seat. So I take out my book just as the Captain shut off the lights.

I wanted to turn on my overhead reading light but I noticed you had to put two, size D batteries in it and I didn't have any. So as I am sitting there in the dark it started to get stuffy and I reached up to turn on those little air things. I turned it and nothing happened. A few seconds later the hostess comes over to me and hands me this little paper envelope.
I open it up and it is one of those little paper fans that they used to give you in cheap Chinese restaurants. You can't make this stuff up.

Anyway the flight was uneventful but it gave me time to think, why don't they just make the entire plane out of the same stuff they make the black box out of? That always survives.
As I left the plane I had to squeeze past the hostess selling time shares as the co pilot was holding one of those cardboard containers with the slot in it for quarters for homeless dogs.
Make believe there is a picture of a plane here, I am standing next to it with a Supermodel who has a ponytail​