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Tank birthday and I'm a Geezer
- Thread starter Paul B
- Start date
Paul B
NJRC Member
Yes I can. But I am getting a new shoulder in 2 weeks and I can't do much with my left arm now. That coral is all the way on the left side of my tank and I need a small step stool to reach the bottom of my tank. 
This morning on my beautiful beach walk at dawn I collected some Codium seaweed. I glued it to a rock and threw it in my tank. In the summer I normally have a bunch of this stuff in my tank but it doesn't live very long and my urchin has a taste for it.
This morning on my beautiful beach walk at dawn I collected some Codium seaweed. I glued it to a rock and threw it in my tank. In the summer I normally have a bunch of this stuff in my tank but it doesn't live very long and my urchin has a taste for it.
Paul B
NJRC Member
This was a true story and I think I posted it a year or two ago
I remember being quite cold many times but once in particular sticks in my mind. It was 1970 and I was a Sargent in the Army in Colorado before I went to Nam. I did my jungle training in Colorado in the winter and in Colorado if it doesn't snow at least 5' deep, they don't even notice it or take out a snow shovel.
We were doing war games which is totally stupid. I had to ride in a small "roofless" Jeep across these plains which stretch almost to Vermont with this skinny second Lieutenant who was not to bright.
We had to lay out this COMMO wire for a few miles by ourselves. We started out and the wire was going out the back. It was snowing. And snowing, and snowing. Eventually it was a foot deep and we didn't know where we were or why we were there.
Remember this is decades before cell phones or even credit cards. We didn't even have a working radio or a pen to write a post card.
Now we were covered in about 18" of snow and it was cold. The Army "Cold Weather Gear" at the time was about as good as Lycra that Nadia Cominich wore on her Olympic trials.
I was shivering, scared and disgusted. The snow was getting deeper.
The LT. tells me he is going to climb on top of a hill and see if he can tell where we are.
I said, "Good Idea because we are going to die"
So he gets out and leaves me there. Now it is getting dark and the snow is picking up as is the wind.
After a few minutes I hear: "HHHHhhhhhhhhooooWWWWWWWlllllllllll".
I am a New York City boy and the only thing we have in New York that howls are rats and roaches.
I must have been thinking "Big Foot", wolf, or the very strong Russian Cossack girl I was dating.
The Lt. is no where to be seen. I yelled for him but it was drowned out by:
"HHHHhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooWWWWWWWWlllll. HHHHHHhhhhhhooooooWWWWWllllll."
And, It, or THEM was getting closer. HHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhoooooWWWWWllll.
Then CLOSER.
I remembered, I have a weapon. An M-16. Yeah. But wait, I idon't have any bullets. I was praying for at least one bullet so I could blow my brains out before whatever it was that was going to kill and eat me any second and wouldn't have the satisfaction of hearing me scream. Or cry, maybe wimper. OK beg for my life.
I got out of the Jeep and climbed on the hood. Now I am at least two feet off the ground and we all know that Big Foot and wolves can't climb that high.
I held my rifle by the barrel and was ready to smash the first thing that came close.
My visibility was very limited by the snow so I waited until I could smell freshly killed accountant on his breath and I would strike. The cold was completely through the Lycra thin clothing I was wearing.
Suddenly and without warning, I HEAR:.....................................................
"Sargent Baldassino What are you doing?"
So we were lost and I had to walk in front of the Jeep a couple of miles while picking up the wire until we found our way back.
I remember being quite cold many times but once in particular sticks in my mind. It was 1970 and I was a Sargent in the Army in Colorado before I went to Nam. I did my jungle training in Colorado in the winter and in Colorado if it doesn't snow at least 5' deep, they don't even notice it or take out a snow shovel.
We were doing war games which is totally stupid. I had to ride in a small "roofless" Jeep across these plains which stretch almost to Vermont with this skinny second Lieutenant who was not to bright.
We had to lay out this COMMO wire for a few miles by ourselves. We started out and the wire was going out the back. It was snowing. And snowing, and snowing. Eventually it was a foot deep and we didn't know where we were or why we were there.
Remember this is decades before cell phones or even credit cards. We didn't even have a working radio or a pen to write a post card.
Now we were covered in about 18" of snow and it was cold. The Army "Cold Weather Gear" at the time was about as good as Lycra that Nadia Cominich wore on her Olympic trials.
I was shivering, scared and disgusted. The snow was getting deeper.
The LT. tells me he is going to climb on top of a hill and see if he can tell where we are.
I said, "Good Idea because we are going to die"
So he gets out and leaves me there. Now it is getting dark and the snow is picking up as is the wind.
After a few minutes I hear: "HHHHhhhhhhhhooooWWWWWWWlllllllllll".
I am a New York City boy and the only thing we have in New York that howls are rats and roaches.
I must have been thinking "Big Foot", wolf, or the very strong Russian Cossack girl I was dating.
The Lt. is no where to be seen. I yelled for him but it was drowned out by:
"HHHHhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooWWWWWWWWlllll. HHHHHHhhhhhhooooooWWWWWllllll."
And, It, or THEM was getting closer. HHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhoooooWWWWWllll.
Then CLOSER.
I remembered, I have a weapon. An M-16. Yeah. But wait, I idon't have any bullets. I was praying for at least one bullet so I could blow my brains out before whatever it was that was going to kill and eat me any second and wouldn't have the satisfaction of hearing me scream. Or cry, maybe wimper. OK beg for my life.
I got out of the Jeep and climbed on the hood. Now I am at least two feet off the ground and we all know that Big Foot and wolves can't climb that high.
I held my rifle by the barrel and was ready to smash the first thing that came close.
My visibility was very limited by the snow so I waited until I could smell freshly killed accountant on his breath and I would strike. The cold was completely through the Lycra thin clothing I was wearing.
Suddenly and without warning, I HEAR:.....................................................
"Sargent Baldassino What are you doing?"
So we were lost and I had to walk in front of the Jeep a couple of miles while picking up the wire until we found our way back.
Paul B
NJRC Member
Now that my tank almost instantly recovered from my massive sponge elimination and the Ugly stage it created that lasted about 5 months, the tank looks just like the Great Barrier Reef. Almost all the corals, even the ones that I thought were dead came to life and look fantastic.
The water surface which had been covered in dino slime causing me to net it out every day is completely clear of anything.
The tank is again crystal clear and the fish look like jewels like they are supposed to.
It took quite a while and I "almost" added some chemical to speed the process along but thankfully I resisted and the tank is still natural with only mud from the sea. I did replace about 90 gallons of ASW with NSW which I feel made the final difference as ASW is completely devoid of nutrients but I needed that to help eliminate the invasive sponge and I hope it stays eliminated.
You can see some of the nasty "slime" here as it covered everything and killed some of my old gorgonians. I couldn't clean them fast enough.
This was probably a month ago.
(That fish is one of my older ones. I don't remember when I got him but it was in my last house before I moved here about 5 years ago so he may be 10, 12 or much older. I have no idea)
Yesterday I had to go to my shoulder surgeon for the pre surgery nonsense and he is near my favorite LFS. (thats actually the reason I picked this surgeon)
Now I have no idea how many fish I have because lately I have been going there quite a few times and I always pick up something. Those smaller fish like bleenies and clown gobies you can put in almost as many as you like as they are so small.
You can plainly see some of that slime here that I thankfully eliminated.
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The water surface which had been covered in dino slime causing me to net it out every day is completely clear of anything.
The tank is again crystal clear and the fish look like jewels like they are supposed to.
It took quite a while and I "almost" added some chemical to speed the process along but thankfully I resisted and the tank is still natural with only mud from the sea. I did replace about 90 gallons of ASW with NSW which I feel made the final difference as ASW is completely devoid of nutrients but I needed that to help eliminate the invasive sponge and I hope it stays eliminated.
You can see some of the nasty "slime" here as it covered everything and killed some of my old gorgonians. I couldn't clean them fast enough.
This was probably a month ago.
(That fish is one of my older ones. I don't remember when I got him but it was in my last house before I moved here about 5 years ago so he may be 10, 12 or much older. I have no idea)
Yesterday I had to go to my shoulder surgeon for the pre surgery nonsense and he is near my favorite LFS. (thats actually the reason I picked this surgeon)
Now I have no idea how many fish I have because lately I have been going there quite a few times and I always pick up something. Those smaller fish like bleenies and clown gobies you can put in almost as many as you like as they are so small.
You can plainly see some of that slime here that I thankfully eliminated.
Paul B
NJRC Member
I got my fish food prepared for my surgery next week as I won't be able to use my left arm for a while. I also do this when I go away so my tank sitter only has to dump one in the tank every day.
These are film containers. For anyone under 50, film was used in cameras before cell phones. It is like Scotch Tape but pictures stick to it.
These are film containers. For anyone under 50, film was used in cameras before cell phones. It is like Scotch Tape but pictures stick to it.
I use zip lock baggies with the day written on and eventually added the date. I added a date because the sitter called me and said I did not leave enough food, one day short. This puzzled me until I got home. I labelled the bags for every few days i.e. Mon, Wed, Sat, Tue, etc. Well one had Sun which was for the next week and they fed 2 days in a row (Sat/Sun) it was no big deal. So now i put both on just to be clear.
Paul B
NJRC Member
I don't know whats going on with my tank but it's a good thing. My inhabitants have always been healthy but after I eliminated the invasive sponge and the subsequent dino's and algae that resulted from it and I changed out 80 gallons of ASW and put in NSW, (That I have used for years) everything is looking and acting like they are in the ocean.
Corals that I thought were dead and growing like crazy and taking over bare real estate. My fish always spawned but now it's like they found an aphrodisiac. My mandarins, Ruby Red Dragonettes, Fireclowns and some gobies and bleenies are all over each other like wet suits. My fish that are not paired are also all pregnant with obvious eggs.
I am happy but wish I knew what I did that was different. I am getting a shoulder replacement in a couple of days so I won't 'be collecting water or sticking my hand in there for a few months.
After I put everything back from the sponge situation, I left out about 10lbs of rock. I may put it in eventually, I don't know yet. I am sure in a couple of months the corals will again cover everything like it used to.
I think I have about 40 fish.
Even my 12 year old urchin is smiling.
Corals that I thought were dead and growing like crazy and taking over bare real estate. My fish always spawned but now it's like they found an aphrodisiac. My mandarins, Ruby Red Dragonettes, Fireclowns and some gobies and bleenies are all over each other like wet suits. My fish that are not paired are also all pregnant with obvious eggs.
I am happy but wish I knew what I did that was different. I am getting a shoulder replacement in a couple of days so I won't 'be collecting water or sticking my hand in there for a few months.
After I put everything back from the sponge situation, I left out about 10lbs of rock. I may put it in eventually, I don't know yet. I am sure in a couple of months the corals will again cover everything like it used to.
I think I have about 40 fish.
Even my 12 year old urchin is smiling.
reefsandrotts
NJRC Member
Looks great Paul,best of luck with your surgery.
Paul B
NJRC Member
Glue them back on with bathtub calk. They love that.
Paul B
NJRC Member
This morning after my 6:00am beach walk
I did a little maintenance that needed to be done before my tomorrow morning surgery. Things I won't be able to do for a while.
I noticed my skimmer water level was to low and I found the ozonizer almost clogged. That happens about every two months and I need to take it apart to clean.
My skimmer top needed cleaning
as did my algae scrubber
I did a little maintenance that needed to be done before my tomorrow morning surgery. Things I won't be able to do for a while.
I noticed my skimmer water level was to low and I found the ozonizer almost clogged. That happens about every two months and I need to take it apart to clean.
My skimmer top needed cleaning
as did my algae scrubber