Tank birthday, 47+ years

[Paul B]

My best friend is a Geek. The problem is he moves to the Florida Keys for 6 months in the winter. Those 6 months is when the thing crashes. ;Bucktooth

 

[Paul B]

My Grand Daughter Greta is visiting us for a few days and showed me how to take this picture from my computer because I had no idea even though I have this lap top for 3 years.

 

[snorklr]

glad she got there safe...is she looking forward to trimming sponges?

 

[Subsea]

2 new additions today. Love common firefish esp in a true pair
Fingers crossed as I bought one bigger than the other which the only way I know of trying to pair them. They are swimming together but we will.see.

Paul,
A few months ago, I purchased a blue photosynthetic sponge, I think aquacultured by ORA in Florida. Where did you get your blue sponges from? Any special care required?

Grandkids are such a blessing. I live 10 minutes from my two teenage grandkids.

 

[Paul B]

Any special care required?

Yes, take it outside and throw gas all over it. Not to much because gas is like five bucks a gallon so use regular gas. Throw a match on it and run. That stuff will take over your tank and neighborhood. Did you ever see the movie from the fifties "The Blob"? Run ;Woot

 

[Paul B]

I just went to my marina to check on my boat. I need about 4 or 5 thousand dollars worth of work. This is after the 4 or 5 thousand I put into it last year and not counting the seven thousand dollars it costs to park it in the marina.

Boating is so much fun. But no one can complain about boat costs because no one needs a boat. Or a reef tank. :D

This work, a few years ago I would have done myself and it would cost me maybe $800.00 in parts. But I got old. :rolleyes:

I can't lift the outdrives any more and I certainly can't lift them high enough to install them so I have to let the marina do it. To fill the tank with gas today is just over $500.00 so I may use Vodka instead. American Vodka.







Those two 150 lb white things (outdrives) need to come off and behind them is a rubber bellows that doesn't last forever. If it breaks, the boat sinks and I frown on that. It's mostly barnacles that cut into the thing. Cute little devils that they are.

Behind the bellows are bearings. Very expensive bearings and if they get salt water in them, I can add another thousand dollars each. ;Woot I won't know that until the outdrives come off.

This does not mean that something broke. This is normal maintenance on a boat with outdrives. This work should be done every 4 or 5 years but it has been at least 8 years since I did it myself.

This is like brakes on a car, you need to replace them occasionally. But if you don't, you car won't sink. :(

I used to enjoy doing this kind of work. But now, especially with my arm in a sling, I just can't do it myself which is a downer. :oops:

 

[WVNed]

I am somewhat busted up all over myself. There are mechanical things that will lift stuff for you if you still wanted to do the work. I bought a 350 pound fish tank. I got it out of the car, brought it in the house and set it on the stand. By myself with help from some jacks and dollies and a lift table.
Some men will never able to lift 150 pounds.

Of course your arm would have to heal first. Hire someone to assist and you could be the skilled boat surgeon.

Ah yes, the glory days when Clyde Bradley and I went to a yard and brought home a long block Dodge 360 in his pickup we lifted in and out. No parts sprang out of place on our bodies. Then we put it in my dads Ramcharger.

Edit
I have always thought vodka was best used as a motor fuel.

 

[Paul B]

WVNed. Do you see the four foot wide swim platform just over the outdrives? That engine lift is hard to get in there. Taking them off is fairly easy but wrestling them back in place while lining up the spline and bearing is tough as I used to do it myself. I was a lot stronger then. :oops:

 

[Paul B]

Some birds I hear on my morning walk. Turn up the volume as some birds are not that noisy and my I Phone 4 isn't that sensitive.

 

[WVNed]

WVNed. Do you see the four foot wide swim platform just over the outdrives? That engine lift is hard to get in there. Taking them off is fairly easy but wrestling them back in place while lining up the spline and bearing is tough as I used to do it myself. I was a lot stronger then. :oops:

I just had this conversation with myself. About doing hard things. I have always done hard things.
Before Christmas when my back was really bad and I had no idea why yet Jeanna and I put down a new floor upstairs.
Then I bought the fish tank in another state and brought it home in my tiny hatchback and got it out,
Then I built a stand and took it in the house. Took the tank in and set it.
The I got this stupid Idea about a sump. But I made it work and the water is heating right now.

But today I was telling myself no more hard things. I don't know anyone else that does them. Crawling around on a cold concrete floor really brings the pain in my legs. After making the sump work I can barely walk up the stairs. I don't know anyone else that knows how to do anything anymore. If someone offers to help I have to tell them pick that up and put it there. Screw those together, turn it the other way. They are really no help because I have to watch them and tell them exactly what to do.

I completely understand what you are saying and I am there too.
I really hope this feeling goes away.

Where you expecting a pep talk?

 

[Reefer Reboot]

and from my build thread post #16....
Installing tank on stand during the middle of yet another one of the wife's home remodeling job. (Happy wife, happy life, or so I've heard;Playful. Luv ya babe!) Freshly laid tiles, kitchen completely gutted, I'm stuck at home alone with my arm in a sling (shoulder surgery), not too good at just sitting still. So yeah, sounds like a perfect time to move the 325lb. tank onto the stand by myself. I mean really, what could possibly go wrong?! (This was definitely the pain killers talking.;Wacky)

A little ingenuity, a lot of blocks to slowly raise the tank up and most of the day later, the stand is under the tank.
Isn't getting old just grand?;Oldman;Inpain;Hilarious

 

[Paul B]

I am actually very good at moving things. I once had to get a 37,000 lb generator into the 20th floor of an office building in Manhattan. That isn't to hard but the 20th floor is set back 19' and it sets out again 2 floors above.



It's the building in the foreground on the far right of the picture. That black band about a third up is where I had to set the generator which was the size of a city bus.

I did it in 3 lifts using the largest mobile crane at the time in the world. We had to close the Lincoln Tunnel to get the thing there and put it together using 3 other smaller cranes.

We also had to insure the subway under the street. I designed the way we did it and today my design is used to lift similar things all over the city.

At the time, 45 or so years ago we paid $73,000.00 for each of the 3 lifts. Then we had to put the thing together. The generator, engine and radiator.

We got a price of $17,000.00 a day to bring up a gantry lift and it was going to take a few days. I asked my boss, what do I get if I put it together myself, with an apprentice in one night?

He said, Anything I want. I did it and he was very happy as I was. :D

I have pictures of the lift, generator and crane someplace.

 

[Reefer Reboot]

Now that's what I would call a "BIG LEVER"!

 

[Jekyl]

Getting old sure is as amazing as I imagined while growing up. Once put my back out for 2 weeks while putting sheets on my bed.

 

[WVNed]

I woke up with it in October of last year and went to the emergency room. I thought I had a DVT. I am going to PT now.
I am trying to avoid surgery on the lumbar region.
At this point the control board in my head is lit up with red lights all over the place except for the part of it that went dead in 2014.

I will stick to a 2-ton jack and wood blocks to lift things.

 

[Rybren]

I hurt myself yawning this morning. I'm still sore :mad:

 

[Paul B]

I am going to my shoulder surgeon this morning. This is the first time I am seeing him since the surgery a month ago. I hope he doesn't want to take it out and do it over again.

Now my other arm hurts more and I fear he will have to fix the rotator cuff there also. This last one was my 7th rotator cuff repair.

You would think they would install grease fittings on these things if they know they don't work very well.
I am sure I could have designed a better shoulder. Maybe use some aluminum. Anodized aluminum, not that cheap Home Depot stuff.

Speaking of Home Depot. The one here almost burnt down yesterday. There was a big fire there and the store is now closed.

 

[Subsea]

Yes, take it outside and throw gas all over it. Not to much because gas is like five bucks a gallon so use regular gas. Throw a match on it and run. That stuff will take over your tank and neighborhood. Did you ever see the movie from the fifties "The Blob"? Run ;Woot

I remember The Blob and the audience chanted,
”It’s only a movie”.

Is the blue sponge you have photosynthetic?

 

[Subsea]

I am going to my shoulder surgeon this morning. This is the first time I am seeing him since the surgery a month ago. I hope he doesn't want to take it out and do it over again.

Now my other arm hurts more and I fear he will have to fix the rotator cuff there also. This last one was my 7th rotator cuff repair.

You would think they would install grease fittings on these things if they know they don't work very well.
I am sure I could have designed a better shoulder. Maybe use some aluminum. Anodized aluminum, not that cheap Home Depot stuff.

Speaking of Home Depot. The one here almost burnt down yesterday. There was a big fire there and the store is now closed.

Only one rotator cuff surgery ten years ago. The orthopedic surgeons name was Joel Hurt. He had replaced my right knee 100% a year earlier. The VA replaced my left knee 5 years ago. Arthritis has set in on my right rotator cuff and I am presently involved with rehabilitation of muscles not used due to discomfort, I think they call that atrophy.

I saw your post on upcoming maintenance for boating season. Boat maintenance in a marine environment is extensive. Is August good boating season in Long Island Sound. I will be in Patchogue during the last week in August. Hope to see you then with a good shoulder.

 

[Paul B]

Is the blue sponge you have photosynthetic?

Yes it is, but it will live with the flame from a candle.

Patchogue is about 20 minutes from me. I am going there tomorrow and every week because I take my wife there for PT for her MS.
August is the peak boating season. My boat is no longer in the Long Island Sound. Now I am in Peconic bay which is the water in between the north fork and the south fork of long Island. It's about a 20 mile stretch of salt water that connects to the Atlantic. It is also much shallower than the Sound.

Why are you coming here?