Tank birthday and I'm a Geezer

[Paul B]

I received the parts to build my newly designed diatom filter. I won't have time today to do much so maybe tomorrow. It all looks good and "should" work very well and look nice. (I don't like to build ugly stuff)

The filter cartridge is a 30 micron pleated membrane. I picked that one because I figured the one with the smaller pores may not let enough water through and I am counting on the diatom powder doing the work, not the membrane although they do come with one micron pores so you could use that without powder but I feel it will clog easily and not be able to clean as good as the powder which you just dump out.

But I didn't test the one with the one micron pores. The cartridges are cheap so I assume if you don't mind buying them occasionally you could use it without the powder. The one I am using is washable.

This drives me crazy. The "Manufacturer" is only a few miles from my house and it reads on the box
"A Proud American Manufacturer". Under that it reads "Made in China".

You can't be a proud American Manufacturer and build something not from America. The "Majano Wand" is built in Florida but most of the parts come from overseas because they don't make anything here mostly because of PCBs and other things. When I patented the thing most of the parts were made in the US. We don't make any power supplies here any more which is a shame.

When I go near there, I will pay them a visit and express my opinion.

 

[MadReefer]

I received the parts to build my newly designed diatom filter. I won't have time today to do much so maybe tomorrow. It all looks good and "should" work very well and look nice. (I don't like to build ugly stuff)

The filter cartridge is a 30 micron pleated membrane. I picked that one because I figured the one with the smaller pores may not let enough water through and I am counting on the diatom powder doing the work, not the membrane although they do come with one micron pores so you could use that without powder but I feel it will clog easily and not be able to clean as good as the powder which you just dump out.

But I didn't test the one with the one micron pores. The cartridges are cheap so I assume if you don't mind buying them occasionally you could use it without the powder. The one I am using is washable.

This drives me crazy. The "Manufacturer" is only a few miles from my house and it reads on the box
"A Proud American Manufacturer". Under that it reads "Made in China".

You can't be a proud American Manufacturer and build something not from America. The "Majano Wand" is built in Florida but most of the parts come from overseas because they don't make anything here mostly because of PCBs and other things. When I patented the thing most of the parts were made in the US. We don't make any power supplies here any more which is a shame.

When I go near there, I will pay them a visit and express my opinion.

Nothing is made in the states anymore.

Anyway, what type of canister are you using?

 

[Paul B]

It's a normal, under sink canister. The majano Wand is made in the States. In Boca Raton Florida. It was one of my stipulations when I patented the thing

 

[mrehfeld]

Yup that will work like a charm. I've done it. I suspected that was what you were doing. Add one of these and you're all set.

 

[Paul B]

I normally use a rigid acrylic tube on the outflow. On one end of the tube I heat it and squash it a little to make a power washer. I have been using it like that since the 60s and it is very powerful so I can stir up my reverse undergravel filter and clear detritus out of the pores in the rock or clean under my toenails.

I ran one of these pumps in my last house to power my skimmer 24/7 for like 15 or 20 years. It was under a cabinet so I forgot about it but it was very reliable. I never even cleaned the thing or did any maintenance to it. Then the impeller housing cracked and it leaked. But I probably hit it with something. Those impeller housings are a little delicate so you have to be careful that you don't tighten up the hoses to much or it will crack and I am not sure you can get a replacement.


I hope to start assembly today. I will build 2 configurations. One is simple but doesn't look too great and one that looks like a piece of art work.
(I am an artist, what can I tell you) This one will just be for a test to see if the concept works well and if it needs any tweeking, it will be easier to experiment with that design.

I will initially build the simple one because I think if anyone wants to build this thing, that's the way they will go and it is so simple that even your cat could build it. (with some help from a 5 year old) It should cost under $100.00.

If I get time today I will go to Home Depot because I am not sure I have enough of the correct fittings to complete it even though I have an enormous amount of "things" laying around and could probably build a nuclear submarine....A small one without the propeller or periscope.

After I finish the thing I will list the parts and where I got them (on Amazon) Of course thats if it works to my specifications. If it doesn't work well, I will take it apart and grow tomatoes in it.

 

[Paul B]

I put a thread here on how to build the diatom filter

Build a Diatom Filter for under $100.00

I have 4 or 5 old Vortex Diatom filters in various stages of disintegration and I use one all the time to stir up the gravel in my 125 gallon tank. I also use it to blow out detritus in the pores my real rock. The tank uses dolomite gravel and the gravel has been in there for the 52 year life of...

www.njreefers.org

 

[Paul B]

I just ordered parts for a half size diatom filter but this one has a one micron cartridge and it doesn't work with powder. It should work perfect for people concerned about parasites (I am not). I can't find a one micron pleated cartridge to use with powder. I want to see how this one works and how easy it is to clean. The cartridges are only five bucks so even if I can't clean it, it is still cheap enough to change the cartridges occasionally.

Hopefully next week I will be able to build the thing and test it.

It will cost me about $115.00 in parts because I am using a good pump.

 

[Paul B]

It seems I am going for another back procedure so I can stop walking like a blue lagged hermit crab.



They are going to knock me out again to make a few small holes in my to inject my sacroiliac joint on both sides. I am not sure why they have to knock me out for this but I think it's because the needle is like 5" long and they don't want my screaming to scare the other patients.

I also have to drive 60 miles for this because none of these doctors are around the corner to me. When I used to live there, right on the New York City border, my doctors were out here 60 miles. Now I moved out here and my doctors are all there.

I have to get someone to drive me home because for some reason they won't allow you to drive after this. I can see that for some snowflake Sissy but after 33 surgeries, I think I can handle this minor thing.

 

[Paul B]

Just now I see I have a dead fish stuck to a powerhead. I almost never see a dead fish. It was a file fish I have for a couple of years. I noticed yesterday that he was very fat. I didn't think he was pregnant because I never had a pregnant filefish although it isn't that odd to have one.

But I knew there was something wrong with him. Nothing contagious or anything a drug would be able to cure.

I did a necropolis just to see if it was eggs. It was not. But whatever killed him it was infected because although the fish just died and didn't stink, when I cut him open he really stunk so I knew it was an infection of some kind.

His organs were all rotted so I can't tell where it came from. But fish do sometimes get something we can't cure.

 

[diana a]

Merry Christmas!

 

[Paul B]

Thank you Diana, I hope you and your family had an excellent Christmas.

 

[diana a]

It was nice

 

[Paul B]

Good Morning. Going to the pain management Doctor today to see if she can get me to walk upright like a normal person. After my spine ablation a few weeks ago my sacroiliac joint in my lower back got jealous and froze up and doesn't want me to move.

That is a big crack in your pelvis that holds you together so you don't look like a jellyfish.

It's all inflamed and I am not sure what it wants but it doesn't seem to want to get old. It must have heard all the celebrations for my birthday on Christmas and realizes it's time to get aggravated. Maybe I didn't eat enough birthday cake. It must figure that it stayed calm and allowed me to move for 75 years and thats enough.

I don't think so. So she will "shoot" me with something, maybe Prizapro using some sort of scanner so she doesn't put the needle in an important part that I may need in the future.

Of course some people here would just fresh water dip me with some hydrogen peroxide and methylene blue for my complexion then quarantine me in a downtrodden sanctuary city in the Florida Panhandle for 74 days while checking me for spots.

Right now I have to walk next to my wife with one hand on her walker so we both don't fall down. Hopefully in a few hours I will again be doing the macarana or maybe even the mashed potatoes (Google it)

Right now I have a "tens" pack on me that shoots electric shocks into you which is fine unless you walk near a GFCI in which case you just burst into flames.

 

[reefsandrotts]

Good Morning. Going to the pain management Doctor today to see if she can get me to walk upright like a normal person. After my spine ablation a few weeks ago my sacroiliac joint in my lower back got jealous and froze up and doesn't want me to move.

That is a big crack in your pelvis that holds you together so you don't look like a jellyfish.

It's all inflamed and I am not sure what it wants but it doesn't seem to want to get old. It must have heard all the celebrations for my birthday on Christmas and realizes it's time to get aggravated. Maybe I didn't eat enough birthday cake. It must figure that it stayed calm and allowed me to move for 75 years and thats enough.

I don't think so. So she will "shoot" me with something, maybe Prizapro using some sort of scanner so she doesn't put the needle in an important part that I may need in the future.

Of course some people here would just fresh water dip me with some hydrogen peroxide and methylene blue for my complexion then quarantine me in a downtrodden sanctuary city in the Florida Panhandle for 74 days while checking me for spots.

Right now I have to walk next to my wife with one hand on her walker so we both don't fall down. Hopefully in a few hours I will again be doing the macarana or maybe even the mashed potatoes (Google it)

Right now I have a "tens" pack on me that shoots electric shocks into you which is fine unless you walk near a GFCI in which case you just burst into flames.

Love my tens unit.

 

[Paul B]

Love my tens unit.

I have mixed feelings. I actually think it makes the pain worse but that may be because I cranked it up all the way while I had my feet in my tank. Good thing my electric eel went dead.

 

[diana a]

Che cosa? How did you walk with it like that before you went to the doctor? Feel better mio amico

 

[MadReefer]

Good Morning. Going to the pain management Doctor today to see if she can get me to walk upright like a normal person. After my spine ablation a few weeks ago my sacroiliac joint in my lower back got jealous and froze up and doesn't want me to move.

That is a big crack in your pelvis that holds you together so you don't look like a jellyfish.

It's all inflamed and I am not sure what it wants but it doesn't seem to want to get old. It must have heard all the celebrations for my birthday on Christmas and realizes it's time to get aggravated. Maybe I didn't eat enough birthday cake. It must figure that it stayed calm and allowed me to move for 75 years and thats enough.

I don't think so. So she will "shoot" me with something, maybe Prizapro using some sort of scanner so she doesn't put the needle in an important part that I may need in the future.

Of course some people here would just fresh water dip me with some hydrogen peroxide and methylene blue for my complexion then quarantine me in a downtrodden sanctuary city in the Florida Panhandle for 74 days while checking me for spots.

Right now I have to walk next to my wife with one hand on her walker so we both don't fall down. Hopefully in a few hours I will again be doing the macarana or maybe even the mashed potatoes (Google it)

Right now I have a "tens" pack on me that shoots electric shocks into you which is fine unless you walk near a GFCI in which case you just burst into flames.

What no malachite green

 

[Paul B]

Malachite Green was for the next day. My wife uses it for permanent eye shadow.

I went to the pain Mgt Doctor yesterday and she got me up on the table. There were two other people in there, one was the guy who aimed the Death Ray, I mean X Ray thing and the other "female" I wasn't sure what she did but she had a rag which I assumed was to clean up the blood on the floor after the procedure.

The Doc said "little pinch" and stuck the needle in my back, 8 times to numb the area a "little."
(A little to little if you ask me)

Then she studied the X Ray, unless she was watching "Dancing With the Stars" and filled the Turkey Baster, ,I mean needle, using a funnel with the "stuff". I asked for the good stuff not the stuff from Amazon.

"Another little pinch" and she stuck it in my lower back,,,8 times. A few of those times she stuck it in so far she had to climb up on my back to put her foot on my spine so she could pull it out. And she had high heels on.

After the procedure she asked me to sit up which I tried to do. She asked if there was still any pain. I waited until I stopped whimpering screaming and crying and tried to get up. It took me a while and she could tell I was still in pain so I said yes, "Here and there". She asked if I would like more Cortizone, or Coppersafe so I said, Yes, fill me up. Wherever you see skin, stick one of those needles in until I am "full".

When I was a mechanic for Oldsmobile (google it) We had to check the grease in the rear axle. To do that you open this big plug in the thing and stick your pinkie in. If your finger came out with grease on it, it was full. I asked her to stick her finger in my ear and if it has "stuff" on it, I am full.

Then I was almost pain free. (not because of the cortisone, but from the lanacane she mixes with it so she can tell where the stuff is going by the level of your screaming.)

I finally got up and walked a few steps. I didn't fall down and was standing up right.

She said "how do you feel?"
I said "pretty good and would you like to go dancing?

Remember I grew up in the Disco Age, she wasn't born yet as she is somewhere between my Daughter and Grand Daughters age.
Disco dancing is sort of like texting only instead of your thumbs, you use your feet.

We used to go to Disco's to meet girls because thats where everyone was and thats what you did. (When I was not taking care of my fish tank of course but I never mentioned that)

In a disco if you wanted to meet a girl (which was why we were there) you had to walk up to a girl and make intelligible words come out of your mouth, not LOL, or ROTFLMAO or anything like that or she would smack you and call the cops.

You also needed a cool car. "Your" car not your Dads. It helped if it was fast. Muscles also helped because girls didn't like Wimps. Having hair was a big must and believe it or not, I didn't always look like this.

I met a lot of cool girls and actually married one 50 years ago, she is still sleeping now but still looks the same. (I didn't meet her in a disco but thats another story for another day)

So it is the next morning and I am still upright getting ready to go on my 2 mile, cold and dark walk and I feel confident that I can handle any ground hogs, deer, possums or squirrels that want to attack me

 

[Paul B]

Diana I know you read much of this nonsense I post so you may like this...Maybe not. This was from a few years ago and is about gender stores, one for men and one for Women.

It is a true story....Sort of.

We really need gender specific stores. because Men, like me have no patience. How many times do us men go into a store and there is a woman in front of us checking out. and she doesn't have exact change and searches in her bag for 15 minutes looking for it. My wife does that.

I say just give her a 20 and forget abut it. It isn't worth the wait.
Once my wife sent me into a Mall, a place where I would "never" go, to return something. I would just throw the thing out no matter what it cost. I get that "Mall look"

So I was on line thinking of what disease I would rather have that waiting here on line. Maybe irritable Bowell. Then, I figured the wait wasn't going to be to long because there were only two Ladies in front of me.

The first lady walked up to the cashier and also wanted to exchange something so she put it on the counter and explained to the salesgirl if she had this thing in yellow.

Now the two of them had to go look through the aisles for this yellow thing and couldn't find it. So now of course they had to order it so she had to look through a prism of colors to find the right yellow to match her shoes. If I had a chain saw I would have cut my head off.

Finally she was done. So there is only one lady in front of me so I figured I was almost out of there. Wrong.
She put the item on the counter and gave the salesgirl her credit card. It didn't work. Then she gave her a different credit card which also didn't work.

Now of course they have to call the bank because it just worked a while ago when she got her hair colored to pink.
The bank put her on hold as I was putting gas in the chain saw.
Then the sales girl and the customer realize they know each other and their kids went to the same school. Now they are showing each other pictures of their kids and their dogs.
I looked around for a file to sharpen the teeth on the saw.so I would get a clean cut on my neck.

Then it was my turn. I put the thing on the counter, told the girl to keep it and have a nice day and I walked out.

In a Men store we wouldn't have any of those problems.
There would be a girl, it doesn't matter what she looks like or if she had a nice personality because she doesn't have to say anything. She would be holding a pool cue stick.

The real man would say something like where are the "cro Bars". She would smile and point the pool cue in the direction of the cro bars. She would also have a box near her feet where the real man would put some money. Maybe five or ten bucks depending on what he is buying. That is not sexist . (A Ladies store could hire a man for this) It is so the store doesn't have to waste time paying this girl and she should make a good living and be paid in cash so she doesn't have to claim it on her taxes.

The real Man would then go to the cro bar aisle (because in a real Mans store only manly things would be sold, no incense burners, bed sheets or pink cell phone cases.)

At the cro bar aisle the price would be marked on each cro bar in red permanent marker and it would be priced in whole numbers, no 99 cents or anything silly like that.
If it is supposed to be $49.99, it is fifty bucks. $37. 23 would round out to $37.00 or $40.00. Real men don't need change as I always leave it on the counter or put it in one of those boxes that say homeless dogs, homeless Aardvarks, homeless Veterans, whatever is closest to me.

Then when we had the cro bar that we wanted we would look for that girl at the door.
Just inside the door would be a bucket. We would throw approximately how much we owe the store into the bucket.

Sometimes more, sometimes less. At the end of the day it will almost even out and everyone is happy.
If the store ends up with more money than they are supposed to get, they give it to the girl at the door.
This solves a multitude of problems and there are no lines in a Mens store.

I sometimes go food shopping with my wife and it is painful. It takes hours because she has to read every ingredient. Then she puts it in the carriage and in 5 minutes finds something better so she makes me put that first thing back.

Men have a different way of shopping. The first rule is never let the cart stop. If it stops you are finished.
Go in the store and head straight for whatever you want. Don't look at the colored donuts near the door or the paper towels on sale. Just head for the hamburgers, beer or whatever it is.

As you approach the item, raise your arm and in one quick movement grab the item and keep going. Then head to the next item. If you accidentally skip something, forget about it as you probably don't need it. Never go back.
Then search for the aisle that is the least crowded. Put the stuff on the belt as quickly as you can and estimate how much the stuff will cost. As soon as she scans everything put down a few bucks more than it is worth and run out without looking back.
Thats the way a Man shops.

Ladies should also have their own stores where no men are allowed. (Except the one at the door) They could have chairs, benches, tables with caramel lattes or anything else to make them comfortable. Then they could talk and show pictures of their kids or dogs. Everyone is happy and if the man is waiting home he makes dinner.

 

[Paul B]

My reef slightly overflowed yesterday. I knew because I put in my magnet glass cleaner and water overflowed down the front glass.

I quickly removed 5 gallons of water. I tested the salinity and it was so low that I could keep bullfrogs or Duck Billed Platypuses. It was my fault because I cleaned the strainer on my skimmer intake (I don't use a sump so everything is in my tank)

When I did that, I moved the ATO gravity fed fill valve.

Luckily, when I designed this thing I made it so if the valve sticks, very little water will go into the tank because only a few drops more than what the tank needs due to evaporation gets in.

The water was up to the brim, but didn't go over.

I added some salt and now it is to salty. My corals like this variation because they are all reaching for the stars and never looked better. The fish are also mostly spawning.