Tank birthday, 47+ years

Paul B · Oct 11, 2023

My 2 waspfish. I love these guys. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

Paul B · Oct 13, 2023

OOOOOhhhhNNNooo, spots on my Hippo Tang. o_O

I had to use copper to eliminate them. I put a little on a rag and cleaned the glass. All gone now. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

atoll · Oct 13, 2023

That was a close call there Paul but the glass cleaning obviously did the trick. Amazing how those itch spots survive even out of water. No wonder people have issues with them returning time and time again. Just be sure to keep your glass spotlessly future

Paul B · Oct 14, 2023

I'm not sure if these "Guys" are spawning or just like to text each other :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

Paul B · Oct 15, 2023

Notice the growth on my rocks. Many people won't like this but it means health. There is no need to feed mandarins and other small fish if the rocks look like this. Pods love living in this mess and look at all the spaghitti worms. They may be linguine worms. I don't know.

Reefer Reboot · Oct 15, 2023

Yep, just like the real ocean.

Cthulukelele · Oct 15, 2023

If there's no algae, everybody's hungry! Fish coral everything!

Paul B · Oct 16, 2023

Reefer Reboot said:
Yep, just like the real ocean.

Thats what I always strive for. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

Paul B · Oct 20, 2023

I have been having some back pain for a number of years, I don't remember the number, but since my replacement shoulder it has gotten much worse. Standing, sitting, laying or breathing is very painful so I have to avoid those things. Maybe when he cut out my old shoulder bone he dropped a hack saw blade in there and it fell down to my back. I don't know. :anguished-face:

But the pain has gotten much worse and I have trouble lifting a very pregnant mandarin out of the tank with a net. If they aren't pregnant, I don't have much of a problem. :)

So my pain management Doctor sent me for an MRI. It didn't come out well and the MRI technician thought she spilled coffee or balsamic vinegar on her screen. :(

I have a bunch of disks that are all screwed up so she thought she was looking at a MRI of a Nautilus shell. One disk is completely missing. I don't remember it falling out and I think I would have heard it hit the ground but it is gone and the spine there is bone on bone and the disk above that slid forward pinching another nerve.
This often happens on studley looking Manly men.

She told me and my wife "This is a very painful condition". I said "Really! I haven't noticed!" :confused-face:

There is no cure except surgery may help for a while or I can just walk like a snail. They can possibly replace the disk. If I have to do this, to save money I will give them a roll of electrical tape to use for the disk. Of course I will give them a "new" roll of tape in the container, I don't want to look cheap.

But before any of that happens, first she will inject some temporary pain meds in my spine for a test. I figure "Prizapro" or "Preparation H."

Then if that allows the pain to subside a little she will go in and do an ablation or burn the nerves. I don't think she uses a propane torch or one of those things you use to light candles with, I think it's more like radiation.

In the meantime she is giving me some pain medication that you stick inside your cheek. (I never heard of this one). They do that because if you swallow it, it will turn your stomach into a jellyfish looking substance and no one wants that. :anxious-face-with-sweat:

So I will see what happens.

7of9 · Oct 20, 2023

Paul B said:
I have been having some back pain for a number of years, I don't remember the number, but since my replacement shoulder it has gotten much worse. Standing, sitting, laying or breathing is very painful so I have to avoid those things. Maybe when he cut out my old shoulder bone he dropped a hack saw blade in there and it fell down to my back. I don't know. :anguished-face:

But the pain has gotten much worse and I have trouble lifting a very pregnant mandarin out of the tank with a net. If they aren't pregnant, I don't have much of a problem. :)

So my pain management Doctor sent me for an MRI. It didn't come out well and the MRI technician thought she spilled coffee or balsamic vinegar on her screen. :(

I have a bunch of disks that are all screwed up so she thought she was looking at a MRI of a Nautilus shell. One disk is completely missing. I don't remember it falling out and I think I would have heard it hit the ground but it is gone and the spine there is bone on bone and the disk above that slid forward pinching another nerve.
This often happens on studley looking Manly men.

She told me and my wife "This is a very painful condition". I said "Really! I haven't noticed!" :confused-face:

There is no cure except surgery may help for a while or I can just walk like a snail. They can possibly replace the disk. If I have to do this, to save money I will give them a roll of electrical tape to use for the disk. Of course I will give them a "new" roll of tape in the container, I don't want to look cheap.

But before any of that happens, first she will inject some temporary pain meds in my spine for a test. I figure "Prizapro" or "Preparation H."

Then if that allows the pain to subside a little she will go in and do an ablation or burn the nerves. I don't think she uses a propane torch or one of those things you use to light candles with, I think it's more like radiation.

In the meantime she is giving me some pain medication that you stick inside your cheek. (I never heard of this one). They do that because if you swallow it, it will turn your stomach into a jellyfish looking substance and no one wants that. :anxious-face-with-sweat:

So I will see what happens.

I know that nerve pain all too well. Really, discs are overrated and my spine is doing much better without several and with some extra titanium instead. Don’t be afraid to join the cyborg spine team!

I hope you find relief from the pain soon!

Paul B · Oct 20, 2023

7of9 I already had I think 33 surgeries so I have a revolving charge card at the hospitals and they just stamp my hand when I go. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

I am also loaded with titanium which makes me scared that while I'm sleeping my wife will send me to a scrap iron yard. :anguished-face:

7of9 · Oct 20, 2023

Paul B said:
7of9 I already had I think 33 surgeries so I have a revolving charge card at the hospitals and they just stamp my hand when I go. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

I am also loaded with titanium which makes me scared that while I'm sleeping my wife will send me to a scrap iron yard. :anguished-face:

I can understand that. I feel like my family should have a family discount at our local hospital system, especially this year!

I do think spinal surgeries/fusions often get a bad rap earned either by older techniques or bad surgeons that leads people to avoid them or delay them long past what would be beneficial. I was in this camp myself until I was in an emergency situation where there was no other option.

I don’t think anyone should rush into a fusion and they aren’t as good as a perfect 20-year-old spine, but they can really help when you get a good surgeon and they’re needed.

Subsea · Oct 20, 2023

Paul,
I can loan you my titanium knees.

For pain management, since abstaining from alcohol, I use ice, cbd, thc and TLC.

Paul B · Oct 20, 2023

Subsea said:
I can loan you my titanium knees

Thanks, but I already have some of those. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

Paul B · Oct 20, 2023

I just fed my fish a magnum load of live whiteworms. For some reason, they bred like crazy and I got millions of them. But I didn't count them. My fish are smiling from gill to gill. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

Reefkeepers Archive · Oct 20, 2023

Paul B said:
I just fed my fish a magnum load of live whiteworms. For some reason, they bred like crazy and I got millions of them. But I didn't count them. My fish are smiling from gill to gill. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

Do you have any full-tank photos? Would love to see what a 50 y.o tank looks like :)

Paul B · Oct 20, 2023

Nano_Man · Oct 20, 2023

Paul B said:

When I look at that picture that’s what you call dedication and knowledge. Great reef

Alpha_and_Gec · Oct 21, 2023

Paul B said:
I have been having some back pain for a number of years, I don't remember the number, but since my replacement shoulder it has gotten much worse. Standing, sitting, laying or breathing is very painful so I have to avoid those things. Maybe when he cut out my old shoulder bone he dropped a hack saw blade in there and it fell down to my back. I don't know. :anguished-face:

But the pain has gotten much worse and I have trouble lifting a very pregnant mandarin out of the tank with a net. If they aren't pregnant, I don't have much of a problem. :)

So my pain management Doctor sent me for an MRI. It didn't come out well and the MRI technician thought she spilled coffee or balsamic vinegar on her screen. :(

I have a bunch of disks that are all screwed up so she thought she was looking at a MRI of a Nautilus shell. One disk is completely missing. I don't remember it falling out and I think I would have heard it hit the ground but it is gone and the spine there is bone on bone and the disk above that slid forward pinching another nerve.
This often happens on studley looking Manly men.

She told me and my wife "This is a very painful condition". I said "Really! I haven't noticed!" :confused-face:

There is no cure except surgery may help for a while or I can just walk like a snail. They can possibly replace the disk. If I have to do this, to save money I will give them a roll of electrical tape to use for the disk. Of course I will give them a "new" roll of tape in the container, I don't want to look cheap.

But before any of that happens, first she will inject some temporary pain meds in my spine for a test. I figure "Prizapro" or "Preparation H."

Then if that allows the pain to subside a little she will go in and do an ablation or burn the nerves. I don't think she uses a propane torch or one of those things you use to light candles with, I think it's more like radiation.

In the meantime she is giving me some pain medication that you stick inside your cheek. (I never heard of this one). They do that because if you swallow it, it will turn your stomach into a jellyfish looking substance and no one wants that. :anxious-face-with-sweat:

So I will see what happens.

Where'd you get the plating sponges? Been looking everywhere for them but only liveaquaria sells. Seems like an easier alternative to montipora to me.

Also - sorry about your spine. I dread the day I turn 18, much less the time when my bones'll first fail me. Salutations to you for making it this far.