Tank birthday, 47+ years

Paul B · Aug 16, 2019

I also hope you get there.

Talking about things to do, once our crowd got together and rented tree houses on a tiny Island in a river. We had to drive through a shallow part of the river to get there.

We slept in the tree houses about 15' up in the trees. There was a storm and we had to drive off the island through torrential floods. It was great and a lot of memories. I don't think my Grand kids ever saw a tree.

Paul B · Aug 16, 2019

Chas, that is what I do. I also "powerwash" the rocks where I can to get out the gunk. I have always done this and it seems to refresh everything just as typhoons do in the South Pacific.

GBRsouth · Aug 16, 2019

Paul B said:
If I didn't have a boat, what would I do with all that "extra" money? I go into LFSs all the time with money and they got nothing. I can't buy an interesting fish no matter how much money I throw at them. They got tangs and angelfish and I find them very boring. Nothing unusual. Corals, forgetaboutit. They got tiny frags and at my age, I don't do tiny anything. I probably couldn't see them or my hermit crabs would carry them away.

To add any corals I would have to cut away a lot of blue green sponge that covers most of my tank. But it cuts easy with a razor blade.

We are supposed to take some trips, but again, at my age, I already went to everyplace I want to go. Except the Galapagos. I haven't been there but my wife hates lizzards.

I also didn't go to Easter Island but my birthday is on Christmas so that is a different holiday and I don't know if I can mix holidays like that.

If I decided to go hang gliding or bungee jumping my insurance company would disown me because I already broke or tore everything that is breakable . ;Wideyed

I still dive (very occasionally) but from spending so much time underwater, the fish find me boring as they all saw me already.

WE are having people over (again) for the weekend and I know there is a big pool party. Then we will go on my boat to waste some gas and hopefully not get stuck and have to come back on one engine. But that sometimes happens in boating. Boating is fun. Young people today IMO don't know how to have fun.

Definitely keep doing things you enjoy in life Paul. Heaven knows, after some of the things you've been through, you deserve to enjoy life!

Paul B · Aug 16, 2019

One of the things I was through was staying in Sydney for a week and I loved it. I started SCUBA diving there.

Paul B · Aug 19, 2019

Yesterday I took my Main Squeeze out to a nice dinner in a marina out east on Long Island. More east that we live. In the summer we take advantage of all the restaurants on the water as it will be a long winter.
We did some boating and then went in the pool, Life is hard but someone has to do it.

We worked many years and try hard to do all the things we can. My wife isn't walking to good so I try to make her as happy as I could. I'm not walking to good either but still much better than her. My "good" knee is croaking, or creeking (as I knew it would) and I think there is another knee surgery on the horizon. Maybe near Christmas like when I had the other one done. I don't relish that but pain makes a Man out of you because I never want to be called a Girly, Sissy Man. ;Smuggrin

But knees are just part of life and if you didn't wear out your joints, you didn't work hard enough. ;Blackeye
Luckily, I never had any internal issues and it is all bones and ligaments which can all be fixed.
Unfortunately, I can't fix my wife.

Here is a picture of the marina my boat is in. Yesterday it was a foggy morning and I took this through a window in a ballroom. My boat is the one with the green mooring cover right in the center.

Mortie31 · Aug 19, 2019

Paul B said:
But knees are just part of life and if you didn't wear out your joints, you didn't work hard enough. ;Blackeye

My philosophy as well... you know you have lived and gone for it with sore joints, and broken bones... I managed to break my right leg 4 times.. funnily that never hurts now but my left knee kills me lol... go figure...

Paul B · Aug 19, 2019

HaHa. I only broke my leg once, but I broke it in 3 places. ;Blackeye

That was from a really great ski trip.

I also broke my shoulder surfing in a storm. As long as you are having fun, it's worth it and if you never broke anything or did anything, we would have nothing to post about. I mean, I guess if a Supermodel Alien landed in my yard, I could write about that, but if she fell out of her ship and broke one of her four elbows, that would fill up an entire thread. ;Joyful
Of course I am not sure how many elbows Supermodel Aliens have or if they have any Supermodel Aliens so I am guessing. Maybe Aliens all look like Marty Feldman. (Google him) ;Wideyed

I was at my marina yesterday and it was foggy, but I thought I saw a Supermodel. On closer inspection, it was a fishing pole leaning against the ice cream shack.

Lowell Lemon · Aug 19, 2019

After being inspired by your boat I went looking for a bigger boat we could sleep in. Found one but I need a one ton 4 wheel drive to get it in and out of the water! Not going to happen. Instead took my son's new family to be out fishing yesterday in the old boat. Still lots of fun! Steelhead season is on but I have lots of work to keep me busy so I might miss another season. Wishing you and your bride many more sunset dinners! All I can offer is prayer for healing for both of you! Have a great day Paul!

Paul B · Aug 19, 2019

I am not sure what I would need to trailer my boat because I never had it on a trailer.

Brew12 · Aug 19, 2019

Paul B said:
I am not sure what I would need to trailer my boat because I never had it on a trailer.

I'd suggest starting with a trailer if you ever want to trailer your boat.

Paul B · Aug 19, 2019

OOOHHHH NNNOOOOO. Disaster. No Really!!.
I looked at my tank and it was all foggy. OK, maybe smoky. A combination of foggy and smoky. My friend was here and he said, "That coral looks like it is dead!!!"

I said, "Can't be" It was fine a few hours ago. Then I noticed my skimmer wasn't working as there is a crack in the plastic and not enough water is going into the skimmer.

AAAAHHHHHHHhhhh.'

I found that one coral was just about all croaked and another one is almost all croaked.
AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!! Oh Noooo.

I got the skimmer working and it overflowed about a gallon of water on the floor. It kept foaming out like when you put 15 times too much soap in a washing machine.

OOOHHHH NOOOO.

The effluent from the skimmer was much too much to go down the tube to the drain so we found a big PVC elbow and stuck it on the top of the tube so it at least went into a bucket. It was overflowing all over me.
NNNNNoooooo!!

Then I got my diatom filter and after spilling a couple of gallons of water on my feet and the floor I got the thing running.

The skimmer was still going nuts so I knew there was something in the water.... But What!!!!!

As I was fixing the skimmer I kept getting stung by the long spine urchin. Then I noticed.
Why is his spines sticking out of the water like 4"

Then I remembered. Years ago I had an urchin business and I would SCUBA for urchins and sell them. Once they all spawned at the same time. I think I walked in front of the tank wearing my Speedo which caused that to happen.

But when they spawn, they go to the top of the water and stick their spines out, then spawn. And sea urchins have a LOT of spawn. I mean a LOT. And this is a ten year old very large urchin.

He was still spawning and turned the water into "Half and Half". Normally that is not a problem and the skimmer removes it right away. But if the skimmer isn't working, the stuff rots and the corals frown on that and croak.

Now I have the diatom running and the overflowing is almost managable but still happening. I have to let this keep overflowing for a few hours to get those poisons out of the water so maybe my other corals won't croak.

PanchoG · Aug 19, 2019

I hope the corals hold on Paul, I didn’t know urchins would stick our their spines.

Paul B · Aug 19, 2019

They practically get their entire body out of the water. All seems well now as it is an hour and a half later and the skimmer stopped foaming. I removed the diatom filter and I will see tomorrow if anything else dies.

Paul B · Aug 21, 2019

I walked down to the beach this morning and it was so foggy that many of the amphipods were walking into things like tree stumps. And it was late. The fog already lifted. So they said. This was after 8:00am and the sun is somewhere up there.