Tank birthday, 47+ years

[Paul B]

Now this broken wrist thing is kicking in. I don't have any pain (thats for Sissies) but I can't get the thing wet or of course bend my wrist or pick up things because the Jiboni put the cast on so I can't touch my thumb to my fingers.

He must have thought I jumped off a building or wanted to go bungee jumping.
Either that or fiberglass was on sale

Try to do almost anything like that. Simple things like brushing your teeth is an adventure and I may have to grow a beard

Every word I type with my screwed up hand I have to go back and fix or it looks like this:

Hellllo, nize day. Hoyw are u.

Anyway, I am looking at my tank and I need to clean my algae scrubber. That means unscrewing it and bringing it to the sinkand brushing off the algae. Then put it back.

The same thing with the top of my skimmer. Simple things that aint gonna happen.

 

[Uncle99]

I have been reading all these sand, bare bottom and DSB threads. I am surprised almost no one runs a reverse undergravel filter like I do. I know it is considered ancient school but it always worked fine for me. ;Bucktooth

My fish are doing great and had a nice Mother's day. I can't believe my Janss pipefish is still alive. The thing must be 8 years old which I thought would be way past it's lifespan. But what do I know. My silly female bluestripe pipefish is also about the same age or older.

Everything else in my tank is growing nicely and I really should test something one of these days. The alk and calcium could be way off the scale which may not be good but I have been very busy lately with other endeavors. My boat went in the water but the Govt, is making up some silly story about a data thing which is supposed to make gas more expensive. In other words, it will cost $500.00 to fill the boat with gas.

Luckily, it is still filled from last year so I can at least get to one pretty far restaurant and we have a lot of boat trips planned for the summer.

I didn't think I was going to keep my tank up and running this year but so far it is still running with no problems even though my wife is demanding more of my time due to her MS.

I give her a lot of credit as she does many things on her own like drive for haircuts and other places. I just don't want her driving on the highway.

She is a good driver. I taught her how to drive stick shift when she was 16 so she better be able to drive.

We are having company for dinner. One of my wife's friends and she is very Italian so I am baking bread and will grill fresh tuna steaks plus make my wife's favorite dish, escarole and beans.

Time to cook.
Have a great night.

I have run a undergravel filter like you for 30 years.
Best filter I’ve ever used.
1” free water, egg crate, screen, 2” sand, screen, 2” sand.
So when I clean the sand, I only clean down to the first screen, the second 2” has never been touched.

 

[Hot2na]

I have run a undergravel filter like you for 30 years.
Best filter I’ve ever used.
1” free water, egg crate, screen, 2” sand, screen, 2” sand.
So when I clean the sand, I only clean down to the first screen, the second 2” has never been touched.

Got a feeling you're using a Jaubert/plenum/NNR system..not a true UGF with lift tubes ....

 

[Jekyl]

Got a feeling you're using a Jaubert/plenum/NNR system..not a true UGF with lift tubes ....

Agreed. I run an RUGF system and it's a different setup.

 

[Reefer Reboot]

Oh the joys of being jacked up. Wait until you try using the algae mag cleaner or worse yet, kneading bread dough!;Inpain

 

[Paul B]

So today I am in my workshop/Man cave and water starts hitting me on the head.
Great. I go upstairs and look under the dishwasher and it's dry. Under the sink I could have bred catfish. Water all over the place.

I see it's the flexible hose that goes into the faucet. We have one of those faucets where you can pull out the end of the thing and spray your feet.

I also installed a sink in sinkerator when I bought the place and it is a big thing and in the way.
This would normally be a simple job. Just crawl under the sink use one hand to push back on the quick lock connector and remove the hose.

Of course my right hand is in a fiberglass cast and I am right handed. I can't get the stupid connector off. I figure I will just remove the entire faucet which is one of those one handle jobs where everything comes through one hole and remove it above the sink.

I get the faucet out and that connector just doesn't make it out of the hole so I figure I will just cut off the hose and buy a new one. I brought the faucet to the plumbing supply not very close to my house and I will let someone there with two working hands remove the fitting and get a new hose.

They don't have it so now I can't use my kitchen sink.
Luckily I am not a jiboni and was able to heat the stupid corrigated hose up and melt a copper tube in it. I sealed it with that UV glue and so far no leaks.

I ordered a new hose so this repair should work until I get it. You really miss the use of your right hand when things break

 

[Paul B]

Unfortunately, I am slowly losing some of my corals. Due to this broken wrist with the full cast on it wyhich I cant get wet, some sponge isgrowing up the bases ofthe corals and I can't get in there to trim the stuff. That is normaly the maintenance I do like weekly. I really need to trim the stuff occasionally but I can't doitnow.
Friday I go back to the surgeon so maybe she will remove this thing, but I doubt it.

I also need to clean my algae scrubber but same problem

 

[Paul B]

Sponge encroaching hammers.

Scrubber in need of cleaning.

 

[WVNed]

Mr Social get someone to help you. Who owes you a favor from a boat ride?

 

[Cigarman]

Sponge encroaching hammers.

Scrubber in need of cleaning.

 

[Cigarman]

I knew a Paul Baldasano while growing up in Coshohocken Pa. a long time ago. Be you him? Reason I ask is the guy I knew had a fish tank in his house and did go to Vietnam.

 

[Paul B]

No, that wasn't me. I was always a New Yorker.
VWNed. Many people owe me favors, but I wouldn't let anyone of them stick their hands near my tank

 

[WVNed]

No, that wasn't me. I was always a New Yorker.
VWNed. Many people owe me favors, but I wouldn't let anyone of them stick their hands near my tank

Make them wash in front of you.

Just their hands though.

Unless it's a supermodel.

 

[Jekyl]

Make them wash in front of you.

Just their hands though.

Unless it's a supermodel.

Supermodels are full of chemicals

 

[Hot2na]

Sponge encroaching hammers.

Scrubber in need of cleaning.

How do you have that scrubber mounted ? above the tank ?? more details & pics there, Paully...

 

[Mical]

Sorry Paul, I think of you everytime I see this ->

Hope your cast comes off soon...

 

[Paul B]

I actually do know some Supermodels from all the places I worked with them. But they are not accepting my calls. Either that, or the Nursing homes where they live took away their phones

Hot2na. The thing is mounted on a PVC pipe over my tank which is behind a sliding wall. There are no sides to it and the water just cascades back into the tank. It comes right off by turning a union. I wash it and put it back. It is fed with the outflow water from my skimmer which is about a foot over my tank

 

[Hot2na]

Very nice idea , Paul, simplifies it and no chance of leaks

 

[Paul B]

I built a long razor thing a foot long and managed to remove "pounds" of sponge and cleaned off these small hammers. Some of my acropora I need to break off the sponge covered parts and re glue them. I will lose a lot but they grow fast and there is no other way to do it because of the branches but that will have to wait as it is a little more delicate.

Here are the small pieces cleaned

after

Before

 

[Hot2na]

Sponges are a problem I wouldn't mind having...some of my best tanks - the dark side of the rockwork was covered in encrusting white or yellow sponge...natural filter , IMO