Tank birthday, 47+ years

Paul B · Nov 1, 2017

Thank you Sparta. I will try to keep all my livestock alive but it all depends on if the date they finish my Condo is near my moving out date because if my fish have to stay in a spare tank in an LFS for more than a few days, they will most likely die. No LFS would know how or would have the time to feed properly.

Chasmodes · Nov 1, 2017

Paul B said:
My wife is in a lot of pain which is almost unbearable and I am trying to help her as much as I can but there is nothing I can do. She may have to go again for Gamma Knife surgery to treat Trigeminal Neuralgia due to the MS.
This is making me very sad as I can't help her.

Sorry to hear that Paul. It stinks when there is nothing to do. Your love and support for her will help her very much, but hopefully the surgery can get rid of the pain. Best wishes for the both of you.

Reef Able · Nov 1, 2017

Good luck Paul best wishes. Hopefully she will recover soon.

Reef Able · Nov 1, 2017

Paul B said:
Yesterday I was invited with my Daughter to tour this project they are trying to build under New York City right where the Williamsburg Bridge reaches Manhattan. I have been driving over that bridge all my life and never realized the ground under there is hollow. The space was built in 1903 as a turning around spot for the trolleys that went over the bridge. Now a subway line runs right past it but the trolley tracks are still there and the space which is about as large as a football field has not been used since 1948 so it is a little dusty. They are trying to put in a park sort of thing where trees and produce will be grown. Sunlight will be "piped" in from above using some type of new technology from Japan. There will be large sunlight collectors on the sidewalks above. A smaller prototype was built a few years ago and is growing produce. This will be a much larger experiment and if all goes well, it will serve as a model for many more places as New York City has many un-used subway tunnels as do other cities. Those areas are normally filthy, asbestos and steel dust ridden very dark rat infested locations so it will be a challenge.
The train tracks and trains that run right next to it will be partitioned off with glass so you can see (and hear) the trains go by.
The area may also be available to rent for parties. It will be very New Yorkish.

Wow tht project sounds very amazing

Reef Able · Nov 1, 2017

Paul B said:
I remember once with my last boat (I just remembered this story and posted it on my immunity thread but I am waiting for my wife to get up so read it again) I had to do some work on my propeller and I didn't want to get into my scurvy marina water and I had my street clothes on. The boat had a sloping back and it was an I/O (inboard/outboard). I tied a rope around my feet and the other end around the steering wheel so I could reach the prop without sliding into the water. My spot in the marina was right in front of the marina bar where there were probably 100 people drinking, dancing and many of them were most likely looking at me thinking I was trying to hang myself.

I get my wrench and inch myself over the back of the boat, Inch by inch I can finally reach the prop. I pull on the wrench,,,, and the rope slips off the steering wheel and I go head first into the water, clothes and all. I stayed under the water as long as I could figuring the people on the dock are all hysterical laughing and I wanted to give them time to stop. I couldn't really swim under the dock and come up someplace else because my feet were tied together and I can't swim real good like that as I am not a manatee.

I imagined I started to turn blue so I had to pull myself up. The water wasn't too deep so I could put my feet down into the ooze at the bottom where they sunk in up to my knees.
I climbed up, not looking at the marina bar and I casually walked over to the hose so I could wash off the black mud because I am sure I looked like the Monster from the Black Lagoon.
Then I looked at the bar like I had that planned and I really wanted to go for a swim with my clothes on.

Paul your thread is so amazing each of your post is a story...keep sharing your memories they are awesome [emoji122]

Rybren · Nov 2, 2017

Paul, I'm sorry to hear about Mrs B's latest issue. I can certainly sympathize with your feelings of helplessness.
If you find yourself needing a hand, don't hesitate to let me know. I don't need much of an excuse to hit the road; especially if supermodels are involved

Paul B · Nov 3, 2017

Thanks guys, nothing anyone can do. We spent the morning at a Neuologists office, now going back for blood tests and MRI. She goes through this all the time but this time it is about as bad as it can get. Gamma knife helped last time but it is very expensive ($125,000.00) so they won't do it to often.

Brew12 · Nov 3, 2017

Paul B said:
it is very expensive ($125,000.00) so they won't do it to often.

But... if she has put up with you all these years she has to be worth it!

Paul B · Nov 3, 2017

Brew12 said:
But... if she has put up with you all these years she has to be worth it!

Paul B · Nov 3, 2017

After we came back from DR I put her in bed and noticed my skimmer was just making large bubbles. I actually noticed this 2 weeks ago but I have been busy so I couldn't mess with it. I just took apart the venturi valve and it was filled with tube worm shells so I cleaned it out. I don't know if they grew there or got sucked up in the intake but it was completely clogged. I run ozone which it seems bristle worms enjoy because there is a tiny one doing the Macarana in my skimmer.

nfrench2100 · Nov 3, 2017

Paul B said:
After we came back from DR I put her in bed and noticed my skimmer was just making large bubbles. I actually noticed this 2 weeks ago but I have been busy so I couldn't mess with it. I just took apart the venturi valve and it was filled with tube worm shells so I cleaned it out. I don't know if they grew there or got sucked up in the intake but it was completely clogged. I run ozone which it seems bristle worms enjoy because there is a tiny one doing the Macarana in my skimmer.

It seems like a lot of your critters/fish do the Macarena quite often there Paul. What’s the trick man?

Brew12 · Nov 3, 2017

nfrench2100 said:
It seems like a lot of your critters/fish do the Macarena quite often there Paul. What’s the trick man?

He bans rap music from anywhere near his tank!

Paul B · Nov 3, 2017

They used to do the Freddie and Mashed potatoes but those older worms died off.

Paul B · Nov 4, 2017

Yesterday I fed my tank as usual. Clams, mysis, new born brine shrimp and live worms. Of course all the fish, especially the copperband rushed out and try to eat everything before the next fish gets it. My Janss pipefish also but he has a tiny mouth and can't eat much food unless it is very tiny, but the competition was fierce and I guess he was hungry so he darted through the hoard of fish like a javelin almost spearing the copperband to grab a mysis shrimp. I watched in horror because I knew that mysis was to large for him. I was right, he started to choke. If he had hands he would have put them on his throat, the international symbol for choking. He was in trouble and I could see the tail of the mysis sticking out his gill. He was trying to gag, but fish don't gag well and they don't have a tongue to push the food out. I rolled up my sleeves, ready to go in to give him the Heimlich maneuver, or worse, a tracheotomy. But I was to slow, he made his way behind the rocks. I crawled around the back of the tank with a flashlight only to see him twisting and gagging. The eyes on the bristle worms were wide open in anticipation of a long skinny meal. I couldn't watch any longer so I had a glass of Grand Marnier and watched a re run of Star Trek.
This morning I fully expected to see him in pieces sticking out from under a hermit crab shell.
The lights came on and there he was. Smiling and looking for more mysis.

You could see the Janss in this Video.

Scubabeth · Nov 4, 2017

Paul B said:
Yesterday I fed my tank as usual. Clams, mysis, new born brine shrimp and live worms. Of course all the fish, especially the copperband rushed out and try to eat everything before the next fish gets it. My Janss pipefish also but he has a tiny mouth and can't eat much food unless it is very tiny, but the competition was fierce and I guess he was hungry so he darted through the hoard of fish like a javelin almost spearing the copperband to grab a mysis shrimp. I watched in horror because I knew that mysis was to large for him. I was right, he started to choke. If he had hands he would have put them on his throat, the international symbol for choking. He was in trouble and I could see the tail of the mysis sticking out his gill. He was trying to gag, but fish don't gag well and they don't have a tongue to push the food out. I rolled up my sleeves, ready to go in to give him the Heimlich maneuver, or worse, a tracheotomy. But I was to slow, he made his way behind the rocks. I crawled around the back of the tank with a flashlight only to see him twisting and gagging. The eyes on the bristle worms were wide open in anticipation of a long skinny meal. I couldn't watch any longer so I had a glass of Grand Marnier and watched a re run of Star Trek.
This morning I fully expected to see him in pieces sticking out from under a hermit crab shell.
The lights came on and there he was. Smiling and looking for more mysis.

You could see the Janss in this Video.

Wow! That was quite the story! So glad he's OK!

Paul B · Nov 4, 2017

Hes fine, couldn't be better.

mcarroll · Nov 4, 2017

Paul B said:
This morning I fully expected to see him in pieces sticking out from under a hermit crab shell.
The lights came on and there he was. Smiling and looking for more mysis.

That's great!

So small; so much gusto!