Tank birthday, 47+ years

Paul B · Apr 1, 2019

I built a new Steam Punk Lamp. This one is a floor lamp. My Daughter gave me this for Christmas because she knows I like to build things It's an Autoclave from the turn of the century so dentists can sterilize things. It was all tarnished and rusty.

Now it is re purposed and has flame lamps in it so it looks like there is a fire in the base.

Paul B · Apr 1, 2019

That is a shame about the military. Are we building fighting "people" or Sissy's? For 15,000 years it worked the way it was done, I just hope we don't get into a conflict like Viet Nam again where we have to live in the mud and fight like Men. No beds, no air conditioning, no roof, no hot meals, no clean water, no restrictions on what you can look at, No PC and no nothing.

Sea MunnKey · Apr 1, 2019

Paul B said:
This morning I was in my workshop spit shinning my boots and as I was looking at the tank, I noticed everything was so "up" and colorful. The fish are always up but the corals looked really open and awake so I decided to test my Alk which was like 5 for the last few months. I have a very old test kit but I tested it and saw that it is up to 8 now which is pretty good. Of course I had to add a half gallon of Alk but it worked. The next time I change water from here I will have to check that as we don't have "many" hard corals around New York so I assume our water doesn't need any alk.

Last week I re did both our bathrooms (even though the place was built 7 months ago) I made mine into a Real Man's Bathroom so no one mistakes it for a Girly, Sissy Man bathroom.
Before anyone asks what my wife thinks, she bought me the WW 2 metal posters.
(I bought the diamond plate that goes all the way around, as the posters do.)

Paul ... those are awesome WW2 metal posters. You sure got an awesome wife ...yessirree!! Make sure you tell her that and make her day, afternoon or evening ... alrighty?

Paul B · Apr 1, 2019

I tell her that every day.

Rybren · Apr 1, 2019

Paul B said:
I think it is some sort of chalk bass but I am not sure.

It's a fish.

You're welcome.

I like the lamp.

Paul B · Apr 9, 2019

My Biggest, oldest, coolest coral bit the dust. Or substrate. I don't know why as I didn't play any RAP music and my collection of Nancy Pelosi pictures are not in view of the tank.

I have 3 other corals of the same type that are growing up the walls and reaching into my bathroom. Maybe it just got homesick.

Everything else is doing great and I couldn't be happier. Well, if Christie Brinkley rang my bell and wanted to help me care for my tank, I would probably be happier, but I keep it quite here so I don't miss the bell sound, so far, nothing.

I just made some waffles (yes, of course from scratch,, I don't use Girly Man mixes) and I also made some chopped up, cooked apples with cinnamon, cloves, honey etc to put on them and I am waiting for my wife to get up. (I love to cook)

Anyway I am still looking for more corals and especially gorgonians to put in the tank. I go into all kinds of LFSs with all kinds of money, but no ones got nothing. It is disheartening and I think the hobby is waning, at least here in NY anyway.

I flew over the South Pacific quite a few times and there are so many tiny deserted Islands where I wish someone would start a fish/coral farm. If I were 102 years younger and had all sorts of money, I would look into that. I absolutely love tiny un- inhabited South Pacific Islands anyway.

Yesterday my Viet Nam Buddy and his wife (who I know longer than I know my wife) came over for a visit. I haven't seen him in years. He was a Grunt in Nam and like me has a couple of Bronze Stars, purple heart, PTSD and Agent Orange so we are very much alike, except for the hair of course.
We went to dinner at a really nice place here that gives Veterans half price dinners on Mondays which is really nice, and the food is great. I love it.
My wife and I are very lucky to have so many friends, many from high and even grammar school.

Wow, I was fat then.

Paul B · Apr 10, 2019

My wife and I were cleaning out pictures to give to our Daughter and I found one of my Gangsta pictures probably from 15 years ago. My wife was and still is a Supermodel.

On another note, I had a flood. Luckily it was RO water. The bucket that is hanging from my ceiling that gravity feeds my tank sprung a leak. I built an acrylic sight glass into it so I could tell the water level and the thing cracked. I don't know why, it has worked for 20 years. So I had about 15 gallons of water on my Man Cave floor. Not that much of a big deal because I built the place knowing I will probably have leaks at times.

I plugged the hole where the sight glass used to be and made an internal float so that I can see a rod on a float and a tube coming out of the top of the bucket. When the tube hits the ceiling, the thing is full.

atoll · Apr 10, 2019

Paul B said:
My Biggest, oldest, coolest coral bit the dust. Or substrate. I don't know why as I didn't play any RAP music and my collection of Nancy Pelosi pictures are not in view of the tank.

I have 3 other corals of the same type that are growing up the walls and reaching into my bathroom. Maybe it just got homesick.

Everything else is doing great and I couldn't be happier. Well, if Christie Brinkley rang my bell and wanted to help me care for my tank, I would probably be happier, but I keep it quite here so I don't miss the bell sound, so far, nothing.

I just made some waffles (yes, of course from scratch,, I don't use Girly Man mixes) and I also made some chopped up, cooked apples with cinnamon, cloves, honey etc to put on them and I am waiting for my wife to get up. (I love to cook)

Anyway I am still looking for more corals and especially gorgonians to put in the tank. I go into all kinds of LFSs with all kinds of money, but no ones got nothing. It is disheartening and I think the hobby is waning, at least here in NY anyway.

I flew over the South Pacific quite a few times and there are so many tiny deserted Islands where I wish someone would start a fish/coral farm. If I were 102 years younger and had all sorts of money, I would look into that. I absolutely love tiny un- inhabited South Pacific Islands anyway.

Yesterday my Viet Nam Buddy and his wife (who I know longer than I know my wife) came over for a visit. I haven't seen him in years. He was a Grunt in Nam and like me has a couple of Bronze Stars, purple heart, PTSD and Agent Orange so we are very much alike, except for the hair of course.
We went to dinner at a really nice place here that gives Veterans half price dinners on Mondays which is really nice, and the food is great. I love it.
My wife and I are very lucky to have so many friends, many from high and even grammar school. [emoji14]

Wow, I was fat then.

Gorg I bought last week.

BeejReef · Apr 10, 2019

Paul B said:
My wife and I were cleaning out pictures to give to our Daughter and I found one of my Gangsta pictures probably from 15 years ago. My wife was and still is a Supermodel.

On another note, I had a flood. Luckily it was RO water. The bucket that is hanging from my ceiling that gravity feeds my tank sprung a leak. I built an acrylic sight glass into it so I could tell the water level and the thing cracked. I don't know why, it has worked for 20 years. So I had about 15 gallons of water on my Man Cave floor. Not that much of a big deal because I built the place knowing I will probably have leaks at times.

I plugged the hole where the sight glass used to be and made an internal float so that I can see a rod on a float and a tube coming out of the top of the bucket. When the tube hits the ceiling, the thing is full.

Who has time for fish with a wife like that!

Paul B · Apr 10, 2019

Atoll, I have a bunch of those and I want more. They grow fast and grow on whatever you put them on. Really nice.

William, We are married about 45 years, but she is only my started wife.

I married her when she looked like this. I must have looked like Brad Pitt. I wonder what happened to me!!!!
Now I look like Tim Conway.

I hope nothing ever happens to her and I go first, but if not, I will have to go on one of those dating sites like Get a Geezer.com

atoll · Apr 10, 2019

Most gorgs of the one I have usualy come in a single or perhaps 2 fingers ( my best description [emoji16]) in the UK but this one I bought has 5 snd has spread out on the base. I first cracked propagating them about 30 plus years ago. My "how to" was published in the UK mag Practical Fishkeeping after one of their journalist came to visit me after hearing about the way this crazy guy kept marines with his fish spawning and home made foods etc. No QT home made fr3sh foods.... tank will surely be wiped out by disease. Still waiting so I must be doing something very wrong right. [emoji6]

Paul B · Apr 11, 2019

I have them growing like weeds and I love it. But I want more.

atoll · Apr 11, 2019

Paul B said:
I have them growing like weeds and I love it. But I want more.

Yeah they grow well and fast. When they get too big a propagate them and give away or swap.

Paul B · Apr 12, 2019

I went to an LFS yesterday with a pocket full of money, and I got nothing. No one has anything worth buying, it's all the same boring things. Yellow tangs, copperbands, wrasses, but nothing unusual and almost no corals. I have way more corals than this store has. He told me that on Sunday, he is getting a large bunch of fish with a lot of interesting ones. Probably flounders, but I will try to get there on Monday.

I also need a new plastic box to start a new whiteworm culture. I have so many worms that they have to take turns sitting in the existing box and the rest of the time, they crawl around my Man Cave.

I need to get my car inspected next month. (In New York they still bother you with that nonsense once a year) I think it's just a money making thing for the MVD and the place that inspects it. Now, if you fail the inspection, you are not even allowed to take your car home.

So I just pulled off the front wheels and one brake pad is a little thin so I will put brakes on it this afternoon. Installing brakes is simple (if you are not a Girly Man) but getting down near the floor is hard with a semi new knee so I may have to lay on the floor to do this. I already jacked up the car and am waiting for my wife to get back from the gym so I can use her car to buy the brakes.
I will rotate the tires and wax the car while I am at it .
I didn't keep the red ribbon on it.

atoll · Apr 12, 2019

I was going througuh lots of old stuff as I am moving house (still) binning lots of stuff I simply cant take with me after 37 years in marines. I used to do lots2of talks some of which were videoed and I would get a copy for my help with the clubs. Some of these videos go back to the early 90s. I don't have 7a video recorder anymore but perhaps I will find one discarded by Fred Flintstone.

Paul B · Apr 12, 2019

I threw those out long ago.

atoll · Apr 12, 2019

Paul B said:
I threw those out long ago.

I know, I found them in your trash can and rescued them [emoji6]

atoll · Apr 13, 2019

My new tank is coming along. 8 fish in inc 3 Fiji damsels 2 Royal grammas 2 Sixline wrasse and a Stary blenny. Bought from various LFSs. No QT of course with no issues no disease etc not that I anticipated any of course. Plenty of water flow, Oxydator and skimmer, fresh homemade foods. All good.

Paul B · Apr 13, 2019

I always seem to be dealing with Jibonies. I swear I don't know how some people stay in business. As I said, I needed front brakes so I jacked up the front of the car and took off the wheels. Then I went to "Auto Zone" which is the closest place to me to buy them. In my old neighborhood I was able to go to a wholesaler because a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away I used to be a mechanic for General Motors.

So I go to the store, wait on a long line, (which I normally would not do because if I see more than one person on line, I leave.) The PTSD did that to me as I have no patience for waiting.
I get to the counter and the guy can't find the listing for my car. It's a Jeep, it's not like I got a DeLorian or Excaliber.

So the guy finally says, He has them. Great I pay for them and start walking out when he calls me back and says. "Wait a minute, those are for a Wrangler, I have a Renegade."
He has to order them. I am also not used to that because everyone stocks brakes for everything. (If I knew I had to order then I would have called Amazon)

I go home and figure while I have the front wheels off, I would rotate the tires. I take off the back tires and notice I also need back brakes. I call "Auto Zone" to get the rear brakes and of course they don't have them so they have to order them. They would come in tomorrow. Like the song from Annie, Tomorrow is always a day away.
They call me right back and say they have them. I drive to Auto Zone and tell the guy to get me my brakes. Oh No, we made a mistake, we don't have them. They are on order. ;Woot

I get home and take my wife out for a nice seafood dinner. We had the stuffed grouper. Fantastic, Stuffed with crab meat, lobster and shrimp with a nice glass of Pino Noir.

As we are eating, "Auto Zone" calls me and says we have the brakes. I say, do you have both sets, front and rear. "Yes both sets". We are having guests over for the weekend, which will get her any minute so I rush to Auto Zone to get the brakes figuring after our company leaves on Sunday, I will install them on Monday.

I drive to Auto Zone. Oh no, we just have the front brakes. :mad: Who called you? I don't know, you only have 3 people working here. Ask someone. They have no idea so It must have been in a drunken stupor or maybe I had too much Pino Noir and was in a Coma.

I said, now you guys have to deliver them to my house and install them because you are all Jibonies and I can't believe how you stay in business.

Installing brakes on a car takes about an hour, that includes jacking up the car and having one or two beers and talking with the neighbors. Getting the parts can take forever and I am old so I don't have forever.