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Tank birthday and I'm a Geezer

Paul B

NJRC Member
I will Diana. I am mixing up water now and planning a trip to collect. My new home is right on the Sound and although I went out there yesterday, I need another excuse to go again. :D
 

Paul B

NJRC Member
I just collected some Atlantic water and I am thawing out. now.
I collected 15 gallons because thats all I care to carry and I was getting frostbite. I tested the water for nitrate which is zero and the salinity is a little low but that reading doesn't mean much now because the water is about 39 degrees. After it heats up I will re test it and probably add some salt.
I have to filter this water through my diatom filter because it is very green and has a lot of floating particles in it. After going through the diatom, it is crystal clear. I also mixed up another another 30 gallons which comes to 45 gallons. That is much more water than I have ever changed but I want to bring my nitrates down to at least where I can read them because I don't think I will have another opportunity to change any water for many months due to my move. I will be too busy to change water. That is if the tank survives the move. If it doesn't I will have a lot of salt water to soak my feet in. :rolleyes:
 

Mark_C

Staff member
Officer Emeritus
NJRC Member
Moderator
Paul,
Lemme ask you a question as one good looking, witty, and dapper fellow to another.
I know you've had your tanks running for many moons and they thrive.
I'm on the Jersey shore, Brick/Point Pleasant to be specific.
I've been using my own RODI and mix (Red Sea Coral Pro) since I started, and continue to do so out of habit, though I'm not one of those unwilling to make a drastic change born of curiosity.
I am tempted to haul a few 5 gallon buckets to the shoreline and fill em up (not the inlets, too many boats and associated pollutants) as I'm curious if my fish and corals might enjoy this a bit more.
Any thought or recommendations?
No rush, spring and summer are a bit off yet.
Would just appreciate the input and advice of a Reef Jedi on a switchover from commercial to natural.
In the interim I shall seek out aquatic supermodels. As a gentlemen I would never have them carry anything, but I will request in their contracts that they go, 'Ohhhhhh!' every time I lift a bucket.
 

MadReefer

Vice President
Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
MarkC would think it must be stored in the dark with circulation for awhile. Then filtered before using. I have been wanting to try this too but my tank is doing well and cannot take the chance.
 

Paul B

NJRC Member
Marc-C, Lemme answer that as a Dapper kind of guy. If you have one of those Sissy..... I mean quarantined tanks you need to worry about silly things that some not really Manly men don't worry about. Parasites will not be in the seawater now because parasites are Girly things and afraid of the cold. But if you collect NSW in the summer and you care about such things, (I don't) you can either add a tablespoon of "Regular" Clorox to the water because parasites hate that. A tablespoon to 5 gallons. (It has to say "REGULAR" on the bottle. No, It won't kill your stuff. Circulate the water for a few days , add some chlorine remover and throw it in. (I know you are cringing now and won't do that, But I do it all the time and my fish have a nice fresh scent). Your fish will be doing the Macarana and may have to go to a plastic surgeon to make their face bigger to fit their smile. :confused: Or heat the water with heaters to about 90 something degrees for a few hours. Filter it through a diatom filter or keep it for 72 days which seems insane to me.
If you run a Manly tank, just get the temperature right and dump it in. If it has a lot of floating things in it like hypodermic needles, cigarette butts, bikini tops, flip flops etc, filter it through a coffee filter, and if you are a Man, make coffee with that filter.
Your fish will love you..

The other Marc. You must have heard that from an old wife.
I started my tank with water right out of the East River in Manhattan and with in a week my fish grew chest hair and became very tough.
Forget oil, gas and other pollution things because those things float and you will see it. Of course if the water goes on fire if you light a match to it, I would not use it. At least not right away.

I started my tank with this water. Maybe this is the secret.
PS, Supermodels can only carry a damp tissue, anything heavier and they tend to bend over.

 

diana a

Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
I have been using water from Sandy Hook per Paul's advise. No problems here either. Santa is giving me a BRS RODI for Christmas(box is sitting in my foyer) because this girly doesn't like walking with (4) 5 gallon containers in the cold:D
 

Paul B

NJRC Member
Diana, this Manly man also doesn't like to do that any more but in my younger, more manly days it was no problem and I could carry fifty gallons on my back (in my dreams anyway).

Merry Christmas.

 

Paul B

NJRC Member
Thank you, but thats Greta. I know it is hard to tell at that age and with that hat on. She is 5 now but I like that picture.

I just completed the biggest water change I ever did in the life of the tank. It was difficult because I am not 20 years old any more and for some reason, water keeps getting heavier. Maybe it's from all that nuclear energy we use and they throw out that contaminated heavy water. 15 gallons was NSW.
I changed 55 gallons and I think there are only about 60 or 70 gallons in my tank as it is full of rocks. There was only about 5" of water left and my copperband was having the horrors and scratching 911 in the glass.
I stirred up the gravel as best I could with my diatom filter (which you can still see in the picture) and siphoned out the muck and mud, hopefully no pipefish, anemone crabs or beer cans.
I will let the diatom run until it goes on fire or shuts off the lights in my neighborhood then I will cal it a success.... Well almost. I had to manipulate the diatom outflow hose to stir up the bottom at the same time I was siphoning out water using a large diameter hose into pails. During that time I had to keep changing buckets but there were so many buckets, that I couldn't get around.
I only broke a few..... OK, Most of my corals, especially the montipora's but I feel they will croak during my move anyway. I will glue them someplace when I have time.

 

MadReefer

Vice President
Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
She may only be 5 years old Paul but seems to have you wrapped her finger. :)
 

Paul B

NJRC Member
She certainly does. I am going to be with here Christmas then her and her brother will stay with us for a couple of days.

I was looking at what I got my wife for Christmas and I decided that it wasn't enough so I figured, stupidly, that I would go to a store and get her something else, 3 days before Christmas. So I drive to Sears. No, I didn't buy her anything there. If I bought my wife something in Sears, she would throw it at me.
You go there for cro bars chain saws and axes.
I parked in Sears parking lot because no one goes there so you can park. I walked through the store to get to the stores on the other side where you can't buy a parking space. Remember, this is New York.

So I find this Girly Girl store and go in. I am of course the only man.
10' in the store they have these down coats so I grab one. XXL, XL, L, XXS, XXXS etc.
My wife wears a small. I couldn't find one. Then out of the corner of my eye, I spot one on the floor, in between the racks where no one looks. I got it, it's a small.

I go to the counter and I am in luck, there are four girls working there and only two people on line. At least I thought there were only two people on line. There was really 6 or 7 people on line but they were all off looking for some other stupid thing and the 2 people on line were saving their place.

So I wait, and I wait, and I wait. Like really! How do you Ladies shop. Just throw some money on the counter and leave.

They are all showing pictures of their dog to the sales girl or asking about the return policy, exchanging E Mails, how the stuff is sized, what kind of bodice it has, like what is that? All sorts of silly questions that they should have Googled before they got on line in front of me. If I had a gun, I would have blew my brains out.

There is no way I would wait in a Mans store. Just hand me my box of cro bars, I will give you more than the thing costs, I don't need a receipt, have no questions, don't own a dog so I won't show you pictures of him. I don't want to make friends with you or give to charities like homeless dogs, homeless chinchilla's, chimpanzees or sign my name to save the whales, porpoises, duck billed platypuses, bald eagles or eagles with hair.

Just get me out of here.
I said it many times. I know how to move these lines along. They should have two lines. One for people with nothing to do and no life who don't mind spending the Christmas season on line. They can pay the normal price, get a receipt, talk about the store policy, discuss fall colors, sign up for a credit card or save the whales.

Then the other line, lets call it the express line, will move very fast. For the people with a life who just want to get out there should be a girl (or man, elf, leprechaun, etc.) at the door with a bucket. If the item is marked $137,52, the person in a hurry can give her any amount he or she wants higher than $137.52. I would give her $150.00 and run out. No receipt, no questions, no bag, no box, no thank you but I would say Merry Christmas and be on my way. The rest of the people on the slow line can spend Christmas on line.

The extra money in the bucket at the end of the day can go to save the whales, seals and eagles with hair. Like whats the problem!

 

MadReefer

Vice President
Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
That is why the past few years I but everything online. Only went to the mall once in three years, Toys R Us twice. This year Kohl's delivery was in Jan but store pickup was two days so I went there to get it.
 

Paul B

NJRC Member
We are surrounded by malls but I have not been in one in 20 years. This wasn't a mall, just a store in a small shopping center next to Sears. :cool: I never went to a Toys R Us or a Kohls and don't even know what they sell there. :rolleyes:
I got her mostly gift certificates for hair, nails, massages and like that. But it looked small so I needed a big box. A down coat is big. She will probably exchange it but at least I tried. :D
 

MadReefer

Vice President
Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
HA! Doesn't matter Paul I went to one place and someone nailed my car. Not sure if they keyed it or something on other car scratched it.
I hope it buffs out. People have no clue how to drive where I live now so avoid going out as much as possible. Second time this year I was hit; other car was in parking lot and they hit the back of my other car and broke the tail light.
 

Paul B

NJRC Member
It was great this morning. We went out to breakfast like we do on Sundays, then to the Italian store to get some last minute stuff like shrimp cocktail to feed 40 people.
It is so nice to see so many people out shopping and making preparations for my birthday tomorrow. It makes me all tingly. :rolleyes:

My male pipefish didn't show up for roll call this morning so i am sure the Janss pipefish made toast out of him. He was near the end of his lifespan anyway so I hope he will rest in peace, or wherever pipefish rest. It's a shame he couldn't enjoy Christmas. :cool: The female doesn't seem to care or notice.

I tested my nitrates and I am happy to say they are down to about 100. Not to bad :eek:

Merry Christmas anyone who still reads this thread. :)
 
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