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Tank birthday and I'm a Geezer
- Thread starter Paul B
- Start date
Paul B
NJRC Member
Today we are putting up our Christmas tree. It's the smallest tree we have ever got as we are moving and people are coming to view the house and we want them to be able to walk around without falling into baby Jesus and the sheep and all that.
I finished the outside a couple of days ago which was great because it will snow today. I didn't go as crazy as I normally do but I have to do a decent job because my Birthday is on Christmas Day and I played Santa Claws my entire life. I build all my decorations because I am not a Home Depot kind of guy and like my tank, I like my decorations to be different. I really don't like those plastic inflatable things. They were cool when they first came out, but now they are all over the place.
I built this plane, train and Jack in the box over the last 38 years. The Jack in the Box is the newest. Sadly, after Christmas I will have to get rid of all this stuff as our new condo doesn't have any place to display them.
I will put them out with a sign that says "Free" and hope someone can use them as I hate to see them go in the garbage because I put a lot of work into them. The plane which is about 4' wide has a motor for the prop that spins slow. It needs a new motor but I won't replace it this year. Not much point to that. The train "boiler" is a 20 gallon drum and it comes out to store.
Happy Holidays to everyone.
I finished the outside a couple of days ago which was great because it will snow today. I didn't go as crazy as I normally do but I have to do a decent job because my Birthday is on Christmas Day and I played Santa Claws my entire life. I build all my decorations because I am not a Home Depot kind of guy and like my tank, I like my decorations to be different. I really don't like those plastic inflatable things. They were cool when they first came out, but now they are all over the place.
I built this plane, train and Jack in the box over the last 38 years. The Jack in the Box is the newest. Sadly, after Christmas I will have to get rid of all this stuff as our new condo doesn't have any place to display them.
I will put them out with a sign that says "Free" and hope someone can use them as I hate to see them go in the garbage because I put a lot of work into them. The plane which is about 4' wide has a motor for the prop that spins slow. It needs a new motor but I won't replace it this year. Not much point to that. The train "boiler" is a 20 gallon drum and it comes out to store.
Happy Holidays to everyone.
Paul B
NJRC Member
Today I called my elevator installer to ask him about the problem with the thing not working in the winter. I figured that was a viable question before I fork over $35,000.00 for the thing. He didn't have an answer for me so I asked for the guy who owns the company who makes the elevator. I called the guy and explained the situation to him. He said they don't recommend putting the elevator in this place with no heat.
I asked, what part of it needs to be heated? He said the motor and oil resivour along with the ten foot piston.
I asked if it comes with an oil heater? Yes it does, but not for the temperatures we have here on Long Island. I said, but you are selling the thing here on Long Island, not in the Bahamas.
He didn't have an answer.
So I said can't I just put the motor and oil resivour in an insulated box and heat that?
He said that is a good idea. But what about the 10' piston.
I said can't I just put a heat trace wire around the piston and put pipe insulation on it like we do to prevent pipes from freezing.
He said, that is also a good idea.
I then said, then why am I designing this project instead of you?
Like Duh. As I said, I am dealing with Jibonies.
I asked, what part of it needs to be heated? He said the motor and oil resivour along with the ten foot piston.
I asked if it comes with an oil heater? Yes it does, but not for the temperatures we have here on Long Island. I said, but you are selling the thing here on Long Island, not in the Bahamas.
He didn't have an answer.
So I said can't I just put the motor and oil resivour in an insulated box and heat that?
He said that is a good idea. But what about the 10' piston.
I said can't I just put a heat trace wire around the piston and put pipe insulation on it like we do to prevent pipes from freezing.
He said, that is also a good idea.
I then said, then why am I designing this project instead of you?
Like Duh. As I said, I am dealing with Jibonies.
Paul B
NJRC Member
I am today building the lights for my new condo. They are called Wine barrel lights built "obviously" from old wine barrel hoops. I need three of them for over the Island in the kitchen.
I saw them on line for about $115.00 which is not bad but I would rather build them. I built the white form out of poured concrete and embedded a bolt near the top to hold the hoop as I bend it. I bent the hoops around the cone shaped mold. Later I will put a clear coat on them and add the socket and bulb. I am going for the industrial look.
I am also building our bed. It will be built to look like a big, industrial dolly with huge steel wheels on it. The platform will be re purposed barn timbers and it will be really cool looking and have quite a bit of hidden storage.
I buy very little because anyone can do that.
This the one sold, mine will look just like it.
I saw them on line for about $115.00 which is not bad but I would rather build them. I built the white form out of poured concrete and embedded a bolt near the top to hold the hoop as I bend it. I bent the hoops around the cone shaped mold. Later I will put a clear coat on them and add the socket and bulb. I am going for the industrial look.
I am also building our bed. It will be built to look like a big, industrial dolly with huge steel wheels on it. The platform will be re purposed barn timbers and it will be really cool looking and have quite a bit of hidden storage.
I buy very little because anyone can do that.
This the one sold, mine will look just like it.
Paul B
NJRC Member
I just read back over a couple of pages and noticed I don't have much fish stuff.
I apologize for having all of this non fish stuff posted. I am surprised they didn't throw me off of here with all this un fishy stuff.
I will try to post some underwater stuff as soon as something hits me.
I cleaned my algae scrubber yesterday, that is fishy.
I apologize for having all of this non fish stuff posted. I am surprised they didn't throw me off of here with all this un fishy stuff.
I will try to post some underwater stuff as soon as something hits me.
I cleaned my algae scrubber yesterday, that is fishy.
Paul B
NJRC Member
OK I will try to post some fish stuff. Nothing happened in my tank today. The pipefish are still spawning, the fireclowns are spawning, the cardinals are spawning, the mandarins are spawning and the copperband is looking at them because he is jealous that he has no one to spawn with. He tried to spawn with the urchin and his insurance didn't cover the aftermath.
Everything looks happy and are doing the macarana. I tested the water............Maybe 6 months ago. I forget. The water cooled lights are doing what lights are supposed to do.
I don't know what to say. I wish my perchlet, whatever it is thing would get acne so I had something to post. 2 or 3 pods died of old age but thats about it.
I woud like to say I was battling something but I think I won all the battles. I would even be happy if I found a hitchhiker, even a duck billed platypus, but I got nothing. Sorry.
I better talk about lights, elevators, Santa Claus or global warming as I am at a loss.
He still looks good, if only he would sneeze, something.
Everything looks happy and are doing the macarana. I tested the water............Maybe 6 months ago. I forget. The water cooled lights are doing what lights are supposed to do.
I don't know what to say. I wish my perchlet, whatever it is thing would get acne so I had something to post. 2 or 3 pods died of old age but thats about it.
I woud like to say I was battling something but I think I won all the battles. I would even be happy if I found a hitchhiker, even a duck billed platypus, but I got nothing. Sorry.
I better talk about lights, elevators, Santa Claus or global warming as I am at a loss.
He still looks good, if only he would sneeze, something.
Paul B
NJRC Member
I just noticed something else. I shouldn't have looked at my tank. One of my bluestripe pipefish is not swimming exactly like he should be. I looked at him closer and someone took a bite out of the middle of him. There isn't much meat on a bluestripe in the first place so I know he needs a chiropractor. The other one is fine. The only fish that doesn't like the male bluestripe is the Janss pipefish and he has a smirk on his face. He once bit the tail off this bluestripe. If he is alive in the morning he will make it. He is very old for a bluestripe pipefish and way past his lifespan so I am not sure how he will fare.
If he croaks, I won't get another one until after I move. It will be one less fish to catch.
If he croaks, I won't get another one until after I move. It will be one less fish to catch.
Paul B
NJRC Member
The Bluestripes are probably my favorite fish, if not my smallest. That injured guy is still kicking. I hatched extra shrimp and he is eating like this is his last meal. I can tell he has some nerve damage but it doesn't look infected. If his insurance covered it, I would get him an MRI. Him and all my fish have a great immune system so I feel he will recover. That is if the Janss pipefish leaves him alone. I don't really have any aggressive fish except for an old fireclown but I have never saw him attack the bluestripes. But I have seen the Janss pipefish go after him a number of times. It's a good thing none of them have teeth or he would have been bitten in half which wouldn't take much.
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Paul B
NJRC Member
My bitten up bluestripe pipefish seems completely healed. He has a scar that goes through his beautiful blue stripe so now his bluestripe looks like Morse Code but I think he feels well and keeps (stupidly) taunting the much larger Janss Pipefish who has absolutely no sense of humor.
Fish in spawning mode heal very quickly. He hasn't resumed spawning yet and I am not sure if his mate thinks he is a wimp for losing the fight but if I look close, I can see him smiling.
(not a recent picture)
Fish in spawning mode heal very quickly. He hasn't resumed spawning yet and I am not sure if his mate thinks he is a wimp for losing the fight but if I look close, I can see him smiling.
(not a recent picture)
Paul B
NJRC Member
Unfortunately I think I will have to do another big water change and I just did one not very long ago. I don't know what my nitrates are but they are way up there due to too many fish and I want them spawning. But I am sure I am feeding to much and due to my impending move, I have been ignoring the tank almost completely. A couple of SPS have a little algae growing on them so their tips died. That is not to bad because SPS should not live in my tank anyway as the water conditions are probably the same as a cesspool in Bayone New Jersey.
My algae scrubber is so full of algae that people have been ringing my door bell asking if I have spinach to sell. I also have not stirred the gravel in I don't remember but it could have been over a year or two ago so I need to do that. Maybe I will stir it up just before I change water so I can suck some of the muck out.
The fish are all fine but I ran out of live blackworms a week ago so they are mad at me. Blackworms are a little harder to get because of the drought in California so I would imagine the worms there are thirsty and on strike. For some reason, they want to save the water for people.
If I have time, I will go and collect some real water but it is very cold now and I am not that ambitious to get wet.
My algae scrubber is so full of algae that people have been ringing my door bell asking if I have spinach to sell. I also have not stirred the gravel in I don't remember but it could have been over a year or two ago so I need to do that. Maybe I will stir it up just before I change water so I can suck some of the muck out.
The fish are all fine but I ran out of live blackworms a week ago so they are mad at me. Blackworms are a little harder to get because of the drought in California so I would imagine the worms there are thirsty and on strike. For some reason, they want to save the water for people.
If I have time, I will go and collect some real water but it is very cold now and I am not that ambitious to get wet.