Tank birthday, 47+ years

[Mike in CT]

My wife went through this for about 6 months. Luckily it finally went away. She had panic attacks whenever she has jaw pain fearing its coming back.
Hoping your wife had great result!

 

[Paul B]

Thanks Reefwiser, I also hope your wife feels better.
Mike I also hope your wife stays pain free. It has not been a good few years for my wife. The MS which she has for about 18 years complicates things. The trigeminal neuralgia she first got 3 years ago and was hospitalized for a week then because they have to give you so much meds, that your sodium gets to low. I had to call 911 then. Last year she developed two cycts on her spine and I again had to call an ambulance for another week in the hospital to put rods in her back and Thanksgiving the Trigeminal Neuralgia returned with a vengence where the medication no longer works so she had this Gamma Knife and we hope it helps. We are married for 41 years and I can't stand to see her in so much pain.

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

God bless, and we are keeping you in our prayers. My wife and I hope all goes well. Thanks for all your advice and knowledge you have shared over the years. I kept a Moorish Idol for almost 3 years with some of your help 11 years ago (got him to first eat clams and sponge, then anything he could muscle down).

 

[Paul B]

3 years with a moorish Idol is pretty good. Thanks for your prayers

 

[Paul B]

I think I have finally succeeded in this hobby. Fish never die other than old age, corals rarely ever die and if they do, it is from a war with a neighboring coral. My tank is overstocked and I feed the gravel with pellets to feed the pods. I feel that you need as many pods as you can fit because I have so many pod eaters and they don't live on happy meals, you need to feed them. My fish don't eat pellets and wouldn't know what to do with them as they get fresh food every day and always have. Every centimeter of the tank houses some living creature be it a spaghetti worm, amphipod, copepod, tube worm, bristle worm or brittle star. If I lift a rock, it is just like the sea, amphipods and brittle stars dart all over the place. That is what a healthy system is all about. IMO way to many people worry about dirt, detritus, PO4, nitrate etc with out paying enough attention to feeding the creatures and not just the fish but the microscope guys that purify the water all the way up through the food chain just like in the sea. Besides live worms I feed my tank clams almost every day along with the clam juice that exudes from clams. The tank turns a little milky for a while but the corals, especially the SPS need to eat something as do the thousands of tube worms throughout my gravel. In all the years I have been doing this I have no problems growing corals or sponges and I have never tested my PO4 so I assume it is not a problem. I think PO4 and nitrate levels are over rated. If I don't have problems with nitrate of 40, then on one else should either. And NO, I am not lucky and my tank is not Magic. It's the same as any other tank except I don't get crazy with testing and tweeking. The reason I am writing a book is so I don't have to post this all the time. So many people come and go in this hobby but I keep staying and am getting old (er) so I want to stop writing the same stuff all the time. Not that anyone reads it, but sometimes I do just to see if I still agree with my younger self. Now if my wife would be cured, my life would be complete. :becky:

 

[Paul B]

My wife feels much better today which I am thrilled about. But each day is a new story. I hope this keeps getting better.
I am having so much fun writing this book and I am going to have all sorts of extra stuff that I can't fit in my tank like bottles and DIY rock because I am making this stuff again because when I normally built all these things it was for my own tank and I didn't take detailed pictures of the process. I am also drawing sketches for the more complicated things like chillers, shrimp hatcheries and stuff like that. I didn't realize I built so many things because I just feel it is normal stuff but then realize, most people don't do this as I am kind of weird. I am excited as to how it is coming out because it is not anywhere like any book out there as I read them all. I may even read it myself :fear:

 

[maroun.c]

Great to hear that your wife is doing better Paul, hope things will continue to get better till complete recovery very soon.

 

[Paul B]

Thanks, thats what I am also praying for.

 

[NanaReefer]

Excellent news on the wife! You need to start a Book Blog here so we can partake in the adventure-lol. Wishing you and your wife the best Paul :)

 

[Paul B]

I
wouldn't even know what a
book
blog was

 

[Paul B]

 

[TJ's Reef]

Great news on both fronts Paul, hoping for a full recovery for her or will have to send in support to help her 'Boss' you around. Don't want you to get to complacent while she is not firing on all cylinders now do we....
I'm about 3+ chapters in on writing a book as well and probably much more similar to your's in style/make up than any Reef related book already in publication I'm guessing. Very much looking forward to reading your realistic views and opinions on the Hobby even sometimes somewhat sarcastic dialogue which I find most enjoyable my friend.

Cheers, Todd

 

[Paul B]

Todd, thats great you are also writing a book. We do have some of the same Ideas which is scary. I have 30,000 words already and a bunch of pictures but I am re building many of my inventions so I can take pictures of the construction and document it. I am having a lot of fun writing and didn't realize I can go on so long. There is just so much information to cover and being I disagree with a lot of the current practices, I have to explain that so I am not perceived as to far Senile. :madgrin: I am hoping for a Pulitzer but it is somewhere between War and Peace and "Horton Hears a Who"

 

[reefwiser]

Paul more pictures these od eyes need to see things.:nerd:

 

[dricc]

Hi Paul I have been lurking and enjoying your posts (very much!)for a few years.I'm sorry to hear about your wife's health problems. I'm sure everyone and their uncle has given her/you advice. It sounds like she has inflammation in her body.Maybe a holistic doctor in your area could help. They treat the root cause instead of the symptoms.I will keep your wife in my prayers and look forward to your book.

Dave

 

[dricc]

lurking , reading and enjoying your posts even before I joined!!

 

[Paul B]

Dave, thanks, she has MS, Multiple Sclerosis and this is one thing that sometimes occurs with that disease. Only a cure will fix it and that ain't out yet.
Thanks Dricc. The book is more of the same.
Reefwiser. I have thousands of pictures but I think I posted almost al of them already.
Wow, here is one from the 70s I just found

 

[Paul B]

I got to admit (and brag a little) my tank has been around a long time but I think it looks better than it ever has. I really have to many fish and corals but I really like the way everything is and for the first time in, I can't remember. I don't want to stick my hand in there and change anything. I had to remove some rock and bottles to fit the corals, and some of the corals are killing parts of neighboring corals but that is a good thing and supposed to happen. I got another staghorn coral yesterday (not in this picture) so I moved some things around. There isn't a spot on any fish, not even a scale out of place but that is normal and comes from their diet. Jenny Craig. I can't do my normal maintenance of stirring up the gravel because of the pipefish. They don't live through typhoons and I can't catch them so I will see how long I can go with no maintenance. The bluestripe pipefish have a short lifespan of only a few years so I will do the typhoon after they are gone. If I had time I would raise some of the fry as many of the fish are spawning. Of course, I don't know how I would collect the fry but I am sure I would figure out something. My book is coming out well and I am having fun writing it. I need a photographer for the cover so I am working on that.

 

[Eienna]

Unbelievable <3

 

[gettaReef]

Wow, your aquarium is looking extra awesome! Just out of curiosity, and I know you just recently began writing, but do you have an estimate of when your book will be completed? One year, more, less? Sorry I'm just very impatient and am very much looking forward to getting a copy!