Paul B. Do you have any recommendations for good reading about diatom filters?It's raining so I figured I would "play" with my tank a little. A gorgonian in the front grew much to large and I already cut a lot off of it but it is growing into the front glass and starting to cover an acropora that I have been babying for a year and it is growing well.
To move this gorg I had to re locate a few things and move a couple of bottles that have been in there for years. Of course they were filled with among other things, detritus, a lot of it because thats what bottles do. There were also a bunch of snails and tiny hermit crabs in there and forget about brittle stars, it's like a galaxy.
So I am not finished for a while but still not happy as that gorg is still hitting all sorts of corals so in the near future I think I am going to have to cut a lot of it and plant it in different places as I ran out of room.
To clear all this up I had to run my diatom filter which I am doing now. I really don't know how people are in this hobby for a long time without a diatom filter.
View attachment 31171
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Tank birthday and I'm a Geezer
- Thread starter Paul B
- Start date
Glad u made it home, by this time next year you’ll need a lil rascal to get aroundThis morning at about 6:00 I took my morning walk. I try to go about half an hour, then turn back so I get an hour walk in. I started out and it was fifty degrees so a little cool, but nice and brisk. There were deer all over the place but I think they know me now so wait until I get really close before they run away in fear. I hate to see the summer go but the fall is really nice up here in New York. It's just to short. I feel like I just put my boat in the water and I didn't even fully stock it yet, soon I have to go down there and empty it out of everything that can freeze.
Wine, beer, sun tan stuff, bug killing stuff, tick killing stuff, cleaning stuff etc. That stuff will freeze making a real mess in the spring.
I don't live in a Girly climate like you Floridians as we have real, Man weather here. Or at least we used to. Last year we got about 1/4" of Sissy snow. ;Meh
When I was a kid in the 50s it would start to snow in November and that snow wouldn't melt until April. The lakes would freeze and we would ice skate all winter. Now the lakes stay so warm you could raise Achilles tangs in them in January.
Anyway, about half my way through my walk. my right knee gave out. My age is so exciting because you never know which part will fail at the most in opportune time. Like for instance if I were on "Dancing with the Stars" doing the Fox Trot with Nancy Pelosi and my tennis elbow snapped right at the time where I threw Nancy over my left shoulder and I was preparing to spin her around three times for a final triple axle crescendo.
It could happen.
Anyway, the pain was pretty severe and if I were a Snowflake I would have sat on the street and called an Uber. But I am not a Snowflake so I just waited a while, then took a few steps to work it out then concentrated on the beautiful scenery and thought about all the parts of me that are still working fantasticall. I made it home with no Uber.
Paul B
NJRC Member
Did you find a dealer still selling them? My unit broke 2 years ago.
Paul B
NJRC Member
I see questions about mandarins every day. Can I keep a Mandarin in a Coke bottle? Can I get it to eat Cheerios?
How many pods do they eat in 7 1'2 hours? Will Mandarins live with moray eels and swordfish? etc.
A mandarin is the easiest, least problem, no disease, no maintenance fish there is. You throw it in a tank it they live about ten years. Eleven if you don't listen to Rap music. But it has to be in the right tank! The right tank is not a 15 gallon tank stated Tuesday with dry rock and fake, bottled bacteria I don't care if you put a wheelbarrow of pods in there every 5 minutes.
A mature, natural tank that makes it's own food is what it needs. I have been keeping and spawning mandarins since they invented the things during Noah's flood. They were swimming underneath the thing.
Wait until your "large enough" tank is "mature enough" which will take years, not weeks or months.
A natural tank will grow it's own food but you can't just be feeding flakes, pellets or freeze dried watermelon.
Feed the tank clams along with the clam juice. If you live in Idaho and can't get that, keep guppies or tangs and feed them avocados.
Pods will reproduce on their own and you can't stop them from reproducing. Forget about buying them. They will double in numbers in a couple of weeks but they need to eat. Stop cleaning every bit of detritus and algae.
See this mandarin? he was about 10 years old in this picture and spawned many times.
OK forget the fish, look at the rock he is on. See the mulm and stuff growing? Thats what pods love. They think they are in central park without the pigeons. If you have that stuff growing, mandarins will take an Uber to your house and do the macarana without buying pods. Forget buying anything. Most of the stuff in this hobby we don't need to buy.
Take your girlfriend out to a nice Italian restaurant so she don't think you are a cheap you know what. Your Mandarin is a fish. Your girlfriend is more important, trust me you will be happier if your girlfriend is happier than your fish. The mandarin will be fine if you do as I just said.
How many pods do they eat in 7 1'2 hours? Will Mandarins live with moray eels and swordfish? etc.
A mandarin is the easiest, least problem, no disease, no maintenance fish there is. You throw it in a tank it they live about ten years. Eleven if you don't listen to Rap music. But it has to be in the right tank! The right tank is not a 15 gallon tank stated Tuesday with dry rock and fake, bottled bacteria I don't care if you put a wheelbarrow of pods in there every 5 minutes.
A mature, natural tank that makes it's own food is what it needs. I have been keeping and spawning mandarins since they invented the things during Noah's flood. They were swimming underneath the thing.
Wait until your "large enough" tank is "mature enough" which will take years, not weeks or months.
A natural tank will grow it's own food but you can't just be feeding flakes, pellets or freeze dried watermelon.
Feed the tank clams along with the clam juice. If you live in Idaho and can't get that, keep guppies or tangs and feed them avocados.
Pods will reproduce on their own and you can't stop them from reproducing. Forget about buying them. They will double in numbers in a couple of weeks but they need to eat. Stop cleaning every bit of detritus and algae.
See this mandarin? he was about 10 years old in this picture and spawned many times.
OK forget the fish, look at the rock he is on. See the mulm and stuff growing? Thats what pods love. They think they are in central park without the pigeons. If you have that stuff growing, mandarins will take an Uber to your house and do the macarana without buying pods. Forget buying anything. Most of the stuff in this hobby we don't need to buy.
Take your girlfriend out to a nice Italian restaurant so she don't think you are a cheap you know what. Your Mandarin is a fish. Your girlfriend is more important, trust me you will be happier if your girlfriend is happier than your fish. The mandarin will be fine if you do as I just said.
Even when your chewing somebody’s ass up it still makes me laugh with all the side humor, you mastered the art of being a prick and still be entertaining. All jokes aside I 100% feel same way as you do about letting Mother Nature do her job with minimal help from us/ ocean water all the way, better than jack in a bottle for 20 dollars for an 8oz bottle of snake oil. But then again what do I knowI see questions about mandarins every day. Can I keep a Mandarin in a Coke bottle? Can I get it to eat Cheerios?
How many pods do they eat in 7 1'2 hours? Will Mandarins live with moray eels and swordfish? etc.
A mandarin is the easiest, least problem, no disease, no maintenance fish there is. You throw it in a tank it they live about ten years. Eleven if you don't listen to Rap music. But it has to be in the right tank! The right tank is not a 15 gallon tank stated Tuesday with dry rock and fake, bottled bacteria I don't care if you put a wheelbarrow of pods in there every 5 minutes.
A mature, natural tank that makes it's own food is what it needs. I have been keeping and spawning mandarins since they invented the things during Noah's flood. They were swimming underneath the thing.
Wait until your "large enough" tank is "mature enough" which will take years, not weeks or months.
A natural tank will grow it's own food but you can't just be feeding flakes, pellets or freeze dried watermelon.
Feed the tank clams along with the clam juice. If you live in Idaho and can't get that, keep guppies or tangs and feed them avocados.
Pods will reproduce on their own and you can't stop them from reproducing. Forget about buying them. They will double in numbers in a couple of weeks but they need to eat. Stop cleaning every bit of detritus and algae.
See this mandarin? he was about 10 years old in this picture and spawned many times.
OK forget the fish, look at the rock he is on. See the mulm and stuff growing? Thats what pods love. They think they are in central park without the pigeons. If you have that stuff growing, mandarins will take an Uber to your house and do the macarana without buying pods. Forget buying anything. Most of the stuff in this hobby we don't need to buy.
Take your girlfriend out to a nice Italian restaurant so she don't think you are a cheap you know what. Your Mandarin is a fish. Your girlfriend is more important, trust me you will be happier if your girlfriend is happier than your fish. The mandarin will be fine if you do as I just said.
Attachments
Paul B
NJRC Member
I got up early this morning to take a walk and see the sunrise until I realized that I could go, but my knee will have to stay home.
It is not good today so I am in my workshop figuring out where I have to put a toggle bolt to fix it so I can go for a walk.
I have all of that stuff that you rub on so you can be completely pain free and 89% of doctors recommend it but we all know none of that stuff does anything except make you smell like your old Aunt Ester.
It is not good today so I am in my workshop figuring out where I have to put a toggle bolt to fix it so I can go for a walk.
I have all of that stuff that you rub on so you can be completely pain free and 89% of doctors recommend it but we all know none of that stuff does anything except make you smell like your old Aunt Ester.
Try CBD oil I understand it helps, it’s pot without the THC in it, kinda like non alcoholic beer,, I personally find it pointless to take out best ingredient, but that’s what snowflakes came up with
I'm there with you . Need something to take pain away..so far 3 back injections. Next burn some nerve endings . Hope that works . If actually sucks that I cannot walk without a bunch of pain . Maybe one of those strap on mechanical legs would be good. Never tried clean oregano.
Give the CBD oil a try nothing to lose won’t make ya feel high
Paul B
NJRC Member
Paulie, I can take a bath in that. My wife has a prescription for it for her MS. I also have it in a rub for the knee,but it works about as good as boiled broklirob or mud.
Myrjon, I also had those 3 back injections. I had it done 4 times. But my back got better on it's own. I think my knee convinced my back that it is it's turn to turn to snot. I got one new knee but I wore them out at the same time so I need the other one. The problem is my wife has MS and can't do much so I have to do most things like clean, cook, make the beds, wash the dishes etc. She tries to do most of those things and does some of them, but I need to do the bulk of it. A new knee takes almost a year to heal and you can't kneel after it for the rest of your life and your neighbors life so I can't afford to take the time to do it.
I plan to wait until I can't walk at all then maybe Medicare will send a retired Supermodel here to help me with these chores.
Myrjon, I also had those 3 back injections. I had it done 4 times. But my back got better on it's own. I think my knee convinced my back that it is it's turn to turn to snot. I got one new knee but I wore them out at the same time so I need the other one. The problem is my wife has MS and can't do much so I have to do most things like clean, cook, make the beds, wash the dishes etc. She tries to do most of those things and does some of them, but I need to do the bulk of it. A new knee takes almost a year to heal and you can't kneel after it for the rest of your life and your neighbors life so I can't afford to take the time to do it.
I plan to wait until I can't walk at all then maybe Medicare will send a retired Supermodel here to help me with these chores.
Paul B
NJRC Member
My SCUBA buddy and best friend was just here and said the same thing. He said the tank looks so healthy since he saw it a couple of weeks ago. For some unknown reason everything is growing like crazy and 3 or 4 pairs of fish are spawning.
I had to break some SPS and LPS last week because they are getting to close to the glass and I can't clean it. It's a good problem.
I had to break some SPS and LPS last week because they are getting to close to the glass and I can't clean it. It's a good problem.
Hopefully I’ll have same problem in the futureMy SCUBA buddy and best friend was just here and said the same thing. He said the tank looks so healthy since he saw it a couple of weeks ago. For some unknown reason everything is growing like crazy and 3 or 4 pairs of fish are spawning.
I had to break some SPS and LPS last week because they are getting to close to the glass and I can't clean it. It's a good problem.
Paul B
NJRC Member
I took my wife to a really good Italian market this morning and it is near a LFS that I like to go to. The place is probably 50 years old and I think the last time the bathroom was cleaned was 55 years ago. I won't go near it, and I am a combat Veteran. 
The tanks are also filthy and a good portion of them are empty.
But I got this pair of Ruby Red dragonettes for $30.00 for both of them. I know in the nice clean stores many people like to go to they are closer to $50.00 bucks each.
I got my sunburst anthius there for I think $25.00. Those are $60.00 in Florida. Copperbands for about $25.00.
I don't have to go into the bathroom, make friends with the guy or live in his tanks. The livestock is very healthy and cheap.
Those fish, after a 10 minute acclimation (because the salinity was high enough to turn Lot's wife into a pillar of salt ,Google her) are happily swimming around in my tank, making friends and soon will start doing the macarana.
They look great but are young. In a month or two, when they age a bit, they will spawn.
The tanks are also filthy and a good portion of them are empty.
But I got this pair of Ruby Red dragonettes for $30.00 for both of them. I know in the nice clean stores many people like to go to they are closer to $50.00 bucks each.
I got my sunburst anthius there for I think $25.00. Those are $60.00 in Florida. Copperbands for about $25.00.
I don't have to go into the bathroom, make friends with the guy or live in his tanks. The livestock is very healthy and cheap.
Those fish, after a 10 minute acclimation (because the salinity was high enough to turn Lot's wife into a pillar of salt ,Google her) are happily swimming around in my tank, making friends and soon will start doing the macarana.
They look great but are young. In a month or two, when they age a bit, they will spawn.
Like the color of that fish niceI took my wife to a really good Italian market this morning and it is near a LFS that I like to go to. The place is probably 50 years old and I think the last time the bathroom was cleaned was 55 years ago. I won't go near it, and I am a combat Veteran.
The tanks are also filthy and a good portion of them are empty.
But I got this pair of Ruby Red dragonettes for $30.00 for both of them. I know in the nice clean stores many people like to go to they are closer to $50.00 bucks each.
I got my sunburst anthius there for I think $25.00. Those are $60.00 in Florida. Copperbands for about $25.00.
I don't have to go into the bathroom, make friends with the guy or live in his tanks. The livestock is very healthy and cheap.
Those fish, after a 10 minute acclimation (because the salinity was high enough to turn Lot's wife into a pillar of salt ,Google her) are happily swimming around in my tank, making friends and soon will start doing the macarana.
They look great but are young. In a month or two, when they age a bit, they will spawn.
View attachment 31550
Paul B
NJRC Member
I am enrolled in the Agent Orange Registry due to my exposure to the stuff in Viet Nam. My good friend Tommy, in the background died recently from presumed Covid but he suffered for the last couple of years from Parkinsons disease. Just last year the VA deemed service for the Blue Water Navy to be included in the Registry. (The Blue Water Navy is the ocean going Naval ships and not the smaller inshore Navy vessels used in Nam)
Tommy served on an Aircraft Carrier off Viet Nam for 4 years and even before he died, they have been trying to get aid for him and his wife because Parkinson's is one of the diseases that could have been caused by Agent Orange and Tommy assisted in filling the planes and helicopters with the stuff to be sprayed over the jungles (and over troops like me) He also had "Boots on the ground" for a while there)
I have been trying to help his wife get his disability benefits but sometimes as with any large agency you get a run around that could, and always does take years. It's a shame that sometimes American Hero's have to go through all this red tape after serving their country and it is sometimes so easy to get Government assistance for civilian things like food stamps, housing or medical care.
Tommy and his wife has been trying to get this for 3 or 4 years now with no end in sight. The poor guy already died and it is still tied up in red tape.
Agent Orange, if you don't know was a defoliant used over the jungles of Viet Nam to kill all the vegetation so we could easily see the enemy troops.
It was used almost everywhere and was sprayed over myself many times. Most of the people who used to spray the stuff already died from cancer or other debilitation fatal diseases and it could take many decades for it to show up. It could even affect your children.
Most of the guys I served with already died.
Agent Orange
Military herbicide
Agent Orange is an herbicide and defoliant chemical, one of the "tactical use" Rainbow Herbicides. It is widely known for its use by the U.S. military as part of its chemical warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. It is a mixture of equal parts of two herbicides, 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D. en.wikipedia.org
Here is one Firebase I lived on for a week or so. This is in the jungle and you can see there is nothing growing near there. I spent my year on this one and similar, but mostly smaller firebases or LZs.
Tommy served on an Aircraft Carrier off Viet Nam for 4 years and even before he died, they have been trying to get aid for him and his wife because Parkinson's is one of the diseases that could have been caused by Agent Orange and Tommy assisted in filling the planes and helicopters with the stuff to be sprayed over the jungles (and over troops like me) He also had "Boots on the ground" for a while there)
I have been trying to help his wife get his disability benefits but sometimes as with any large agency you get a run around that could, and always does take years. It's a shame that sometimes American Hero's have to go through all this red tape after serving their country and it is sometimes so easy to get Government assistance for civilian things like food stamps, housing or medical care.
Tommy and his wife has been trying to get this for 3 or 4 years now with no end in sight. The poor guy already died and it is still tied up in red tape.
Agent Orange, if you don't know was a defoliant used over the jungles of Viet Nam to kill all the vegetation so we could easily see the enemy troops.
It was used almost everywhere and was sprayed over myself many times. Most of the people who used to spray the stuff already died from cancer or other debilitation fatal diseases and it could take many decades for it to show up. It could even affect your children.
Most of the guys I served with already died.
Agent Orange
Military herbicide
Agent Orange is an herbicide and defoliant chemical, one of the "tactical use" Rainbow Herbicides. It is widely known for its use by the U.S. military as part of its chemical warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. It is a mixture of equal parts of two herbicides, 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D. en.wikipedia.org
Here is one Firebase I lived on for a week or so. This is in the jungle and you can see there is nothing growing near there. I spent my year on this one and similar, but mostly smaller firebases or LZs.
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I am also familiar with the oxymoron that is military intelligence. 21 years Air Force. My version of your pictures has a lot of hot sand in the background. My group was exposed to God-knows-what; Anthrax, chemicals, etc. We already lost a guy who was way too young to die. Makes we wonder.
I wouldn’t do it any different - loved serving and we saw some crazy, unique parts of the world. But the military really can turn a simple thing into a cluster****.
Hope she can get the benefits she deserves soon.
I wouldn’t do it any different - loved serving and we saw some crazy, unique parts of the world. But the military really can turn a simple thing into a cluster****.
Hope she can get the benefits she deserves soon.
I am enrolled in the Agent Orange Registry due to my exposure to the stuff in Viet Nam. My good friend Tommy, in the background died recently from presumed Covid but he suffered for the last couple of years from Parkinsons disease. Just last year the VA deemed service for the Blue Water Navy to be included in the Registry. (The Blue Water Navy is the ocean going Naval ships and not the smaller inshore Navy vessels used in Nam)
Tommy served on an Aircraft Carrier off Viet Nam for 4 years and even before he died, they have been trying to get aid for him and his wife because Parkinson's is one of the diseases that could have been caused by Agent Orange and Tommy assisted in filling the planes and helicopters with the stuff to be sprayed over the jungles (and over troops like me) He also had "Boots on the ground" for a while there)
I have been trying to help his wife get his disability benefits but sometimes as with any large agency you get a run around that could, and always does take years. It's a shame that sometimes American Hero's have to go through all this red tape after serving their country and it is sometimes so easy to get Government assistance for civilian things like food stamps, housing or medical care.
Tommy and his wife has been trying to get this for 3 or 4 years now with no end in sight. The poor guy already died and it is still tied up in red tape.
Agent Orange, if you don't know was a defoliant used over the jungles of Viet Nam to kill all the vegetation so we could easily see the enemy troops.
It was used almost everywhere and was sprayed over myself many times. Most of the people who used to spray the stuff already died from cancer or other debilitation fatal diseases and it could take many decades for it to show up. It could even affect your children.
Most of the guys I served with already died.
Agent Orange
Military herbicide
Agent Orange is an herbicide and defoliant chemical, one of the "tactical use" Rainbow Herbicides. It is widely known for its use by the U.S. military as part of its chemical warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. It is a mixture of equal parts of two herbicides, 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D. en.wikipedia.org
View attachment 31562
Here is one Firebase I lived on for a week or so. This is in the jungle and you can see there is nothing growing near there. I spent my year on this one and similar, but mostly smaller firebases or LZs.
It’s a shame that heroes like you and your friend Tony had to go through such extreme or craft once you’ve already done your job and it also pays me that people get welfare food stamps and snowflake protection just by asking really nicely well people like you were fighting and dying for us to have the right to complainI am enrolled in the Agent Orange Registry due to my exposure to the stuff in Viet Nam. My good friend Tommy, in the background died recently from presumed Covid but he suffered for the last couple of years from Parkinsons disease. Just last year the VA deemed service for the Blue Water Navy to be included in the Registry. (The Blue Water Navy is the ocean going Naval ships and not the smaller inshore Navy vessels used in Nam)
Tommy served on an Aircraft Carrier off Viet Nam for 4 years and even before he died, they have been trying to get aid for him and his wife because Parkinson's is one of the diseases that could have been caused by Agent Orange and Tommy assisted in filling the planes and helicopters with the stuff to be sprayed over the jungles (and over troops like me) He also had "Boots on the ground" for a while there)
I have been trying to help his wife get his disability benefits but sometimes as with any large agency you get a run around that could, and always does take years. It's a shame that sometimes American Hero's have to go through all this red tape after serving their country and it is sometimes so easy to get Government assistance for civilian things like food stamps, housing or medical care.
Tommy and his wife has been trying to get this for 3 or 4 years now with no end in sight. The poor guy already died and it is still tied up in red tape.
Agent Orange, if you don't know was a defoliant used over the jungles of Viet Nam to kill all the vegetation so we could easily see the enemy troops.
It was used almost everywhere and was sprayed over myself many times. Most of the people who used to spray the stuff already died from cancer or other debilitation fatal diseases and it could take many decades for it to show up. It could even affect your children.
Most of the guys I served with already died.
Agent Orange
Military herbicide
Agent Orange is an herbicide and defoliant chemical, one of the "tactical use" Rainbow Herbicides. It is widely known for its use by the U.S. military as part of its chemical warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. It is a mixture of equal parts of two herbicides, 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D. en.wikipedia.org
View attachment 31562
Here is one Firebase I lived on for a week or so. This is in the jungle and you can see there is nothing growing near there. I spent my year on this one and similar, but mostly smaller firebases or LZs.
I know I’ve said it before but I like to say it again thank you for what you guys did out there I was just an infant when all that was going on don’t remember much but I do understand what you guys did for people like me to be free God Bless
Was supposed to say Tommy not tony oops