Tank birthday, 47+ years

[Paul B]

GettaReef, the book is now about 80 pages and I would like it to be at least 200 pages so I have some more to go. The writing is easy and I could finish that today but the pictures are hard as I want to do a little more diving to get some new underwater pictures and I am still building all the things I devised and I need to document that with pictures. Much of that is done but I keep remembering things. I am hoping it is completed before the summer and then it is up to the publisher

 

[gettaReef]

Wow, you work fast! I hope (but am doubtful) that the publishing Co will work as fast! Take your time. A book from a seasoned hobbyist such as yourself, with as much experience you have with diving, diy projects, various tanks, etc.. , is long overdue imo and exactly what I've been looking for. I can wait as long as it takes! Very cool you are taking the time to get the pictures you want and actually rebuilding devices for better descriptions/images. I imagine this will be really popular for many in the hobby.

 

[Paul B]

Just got in from Key Largo early this morning. Our Closest friends bought a home there on the water so we spent much of the time on their boat. I love mangrove islands and they are one of my favorite dive and snorkel spots. I am always surprised at the lack of life in the sand in the tropics as compared to northern waters. If you lift a rock there, you usually find absolutely nothing, not even in a tide pool. But here in New York, even now covered in ice, if I lift a rock, there will be dozens of life forms. Worms, crabs, amphipods, stars, but in the tropics, nothing. That is one reason I put mud in my tank. For the life. I realize many of us view northern waters as polluted but they are not polluted, that is life and life needs something to eat. The reason all the great fisheries in the world are in northern waters is because of the nutrients.


I even brought my swing arm hydrometer out on the sea to calibrate it. I found out that the sea has perfect salinity so we don't have to change it.

 

[NanaReefer]

Always knew those swing arms were reliable-haha!

 

[Paul B]

I love mine and I am glad I didn't have to change the salinity of the ocean. The great thing about colder north diving is the lack of visibility. Yes I know that sounds counter productive for diving but in the Caymans, Bora Bora, the Florida Keys, Fiji and just about any other tropical place, you are not going to find anything, and every thing you see has been seen 500 times already, probably that day. Here in the north, our visibility stinks and is measured in inches, but whatever sunk there, is still there and in most cases, you will be the first one to see it. In my 150 or so dives in New York I came across many wrecks and very few of them are charted. I never found any gold, diamonds or winning lottery tickets, but I do have loads of bottles, dishes and memories from getting stuck in boilers or tangled up in lines. Of course I enjoy tropical diving as all of us divers do. But I don't dive to see the pretty fish, sharks or Supermodels. OK, I do enjoy Supermodels, but I can see fish in my tank and after you have seen 5,000 Moorish Idols, they all look the same. But to dive in water with 2 foot visibility and come across an uncharted wreck is really fascinating. We have a lot of history in New York with sailing ships from Europe and there are 2,000 charted wrecks. Probably another 2,000 that no one knows where or what they are. My dive partner found a 45 caliper pistol with a silencer off New Jersey. We have also found 50mm machine gun shells and many other cool things.
This was taken on the rocks of Execution Lighthouse recently in an episode of Some haunted history show. It was commissioned by George Washington so it has some history to it.




The place is abandoned but my wife and I were invited there as someone wanted to restore the thing and make it into a B&B (ain't going to happen) and I gave my opinion because I am an electrician (and inventor)

 

[swhobbie1]

Looks like you are having too much fun Paul ... good for you!

 

[Paul B]

I am trying as hard as I can. All those years of working was just so stupid. Too bad we need to do that before we can enjoy it all

 

[gettaReef]

Great update! Guess I'll put NY on my diving wish list; sounds very different. And keep enjoying it all!

 

[chefjpaul]

Too Awesome!
Soon to be wifey & I are getting certified in spring. Nessesary for Australia trip.
Let us know if you ever need company in NY waters, I would love to check out the waters here. (From socal). Maybe find me a cold water mermaid.

Soon to be wifey almost had me talked into those da@n pipefish @ aquarium village today.....of course your name came up as we always share a giggle / learn knowledge etc.. From reading your posts.

 

[Paul B]

My first dive in 1970 was in Australia. It was on my bucket list. Have fun

 

[reefwiser]

Paul your wife was feeling well enough to enjoy it. An you where able to get her out in the Sun for a few days always soul restoring.

 

[Paul B]

The pain in her jaw is almost gone. Probably not from the Gamma Knife as it is to soon for that to work, but this affliction does this, it comes for a few months, drives you crazy then gradually leaves to come back in a year or two. She had a great time and got on the boat. (with a lot of help) The neuralgia meds make her MS worse. I got her a wheelchair in the airport or else we would have never been able to walk to the gates. NY airports are big.
We ate there always on a beach (why not?) Here we are with our closest life long friends who own the house there

 

[MrDJeep123]

Glad to hear things are ok with the wife.

 

[maroun.c]

Glad to hear your wife is feeling better Paul.

 

[Paul B]

Thanks guys. We are glad also and hope this lasts a long long time.

 

[Chris Aldrich]

Still bummed we're just missing each other down in the Keys, Paul. I would have loved to take you out for some dives on the mariculture site. You'd get a kick out of it!

Looks like you enjoyed some grub at Morada Bay! Great setting for a meal with friends.

 

[Paul B]

Yes we had a great time. Our best friends have a condo there on the bay side with a dock and a new boat so we spent all our time on the water or in restaurants. We ate there before as we go there almost every year.

 

[MIKE NY]

Paul glad to see your enjoying your life and your wife is healthy enough to enjoy it with you. Stay down there as long as you can your not missing anything here except snow, ice and single digit weather. Execution rocks is a great blackfish spot and I hope your friend turned in that 45 because I'm sure there is a body attached to it....LOL

 

[Paul B]

I have been diving Execution since the early 70s. I love it there but I like Huckleberry Island a little better. It is maybe a mile north of Execution

 

[Paul B]

We came home from Key largo 2 weeks ago and I couldn't find my male blue striped pipefish. They usually don't survive when I go away as I need to feed them every day. Even though I made an automatic brine shrimp hatchery and feeder. I started to doubt my feeder design and figure it really doesn't work while I am away. Then yesterday I saw my pair of pipefish together. The male is pregnant so I assume he likes his privacy in the back of the rocks. So I was happy to see him. My pair of ruby red dragonettes are also hanging out together so I hope they will spawn soon. They seem a little young yet so I am not sure when that will happen but those two are my only paired fish that are not spawning.