Tank birthday, 55+ years

[GeoSquid]

I'm pretty handy but I did just order a set of these for the dishwasher. What would you use to replicate a set of these?

 

[Paul B]

I can't believe it. Another very close friend of mine died today. His wife who also went to high school with my wife called to tell us Michael died suddenly. She found him this morning. No warning, he seemed fine.

They were just here a few days ago and he was fine. This is just to much now. This sucks and we are in shock

 

[fishface NJ]

So sorry again...prayers

 

[jgirardnrg]

So sorry Paul... you just can't catch a break.

 

[fishybizzness]

My heart goes out to you Paul. I'm sorry that you are having to cope with such a sad time.

 

[Paul B]

I can't believe this. I have pictures of all of these guys at a party in our house when we first got married in the 70s. They were all friends with each other to. 3 good friends in a little over a year and 2 the same week.

Mike went downstairs to feed their cat and just died right there with no warning.
It is just to much to close together we are still consoling our friend Johns wife

 

[Rybren]

I can't believe this. I have pictures of all of these guys at a party in our house when we first got married in the 70s. They were all friends with each other to. 3 good friends in a little over a year and 2 the same week.

Mike went downstairs to feed their cat and just died right there with no warning.
It is just to much to close together we are still consoling our friend Johns wife

Condolences Paul. I guess we're at that age... I've lost quite a few good friends in the last couple of years. It sucks.

 

[Paul B]

Yes it does. Their wives are all coming here to stay a few days in the future. Tommy's wife is coming this Saturday and our friend John's wife is coming in a few weeks. I am sure Lorraine, Mikes wife will follow. They were planning a wedding for one of their sons, and now in the midst of that, a funeral.

Mike was also a Veteran so I assume he will have a military burial but this happened yesterday so it is to soon to know anything.

 

[Lowell Lemon]

Sorry for the loss of your lifetime friends. Praying for you and the families.

 

[Paul B]

We are trying to get our heads around all of this while trying to get on with life and hoping no one else gets sick or worse.

Life is still good and will go on.

On a lighter note, I lost 24lbs and am down to my fighting weight. Now I have been waiting for a text from Marie Osmond because I am sure she wants to hire me for a spokes model for weight loss.

Forget Jenny Craig. I am on the Linguine and clams diet. :p

 

[jgirardnrg]

Glad you're staying positive Paul. Rub some dirt on that and carry on.

 

[Paul B]

We are trying.

 

[Paul B]

This morning it is pouring rain here but I have rain gear and will walk like usual. After that we are driving the 60 mikes to Queens NY for my friends wake.

While we are there we will also go to my other friends house who also died a few days ago to see his wife so not a pleasant day :(

 

[jgirardnrg]

Safe travels Paul

 

[mmw64]

I can't believe it. Another very close friend of mine died today. His wife who also went to high school with my wife called to tell us Michael died suddenly. She found him this morning. No warning, he seemed fine.

They were just here a few days ago and he was fine. This is just to much now. This sucks and we are in shock

I'm sorry Paul. We just lost a good friend, much younger than us. Such a shock.

 

[MIKE NY]

So sorry to hear Paul

 

[Paul B]

We went to the wake yesterday and seen many people who we have not seen in decades. Unfortunately thats when we see some old friends who we have lost touch with. It was a long day. My friend Mike's wife is still in shock and it didn't sink in yet. He was never sick and in the 40 or so years they were married, I don't think they were ever apart for even a day.

When this sinks in, reality will hit. :(

On a lighter note, I am making a modification on my skimmer. For the 40 or so years it has been running the main problem has been that the water level fluctuates sometimes going so low that it isn't skimming anything. This morning the water level in the thing was about 9" down.

It is controlled by a valve but that is not sensitive enough. The thing is 5' tall so there is a lot of pressure inside and the slightest thing affects the level. I also believe the column is filled with tube worms but I have to remove it to see, and if it is, I need to clean it.

I didn't build it so it can be taken apart so after I remove the reaction tube on top, I will have to stick a broom stick or something similar in there.

Then I will fill it with vinegar.
My modification, which I already built is a device that will sit near the top of the thing and it has an adjustment so I can determine how high the water level is inside it no matter how much water is going through it.

The outflow tube on the skimmer will go up into this container and an adjustable "barrier/bulkhead" will determine the water height.

I used to build all skimmers like this but I guess I figured this skimmer was to big for that so I went for an adjustable valve which is not doing the job well enough.

I need an entire day to do this so I am not sure when I will be able to do it. I will also re-design how I have the thing mounted on the tank because when I moved here, everything was makeshift because of severe time constraints.

This is an old picture from my last house. The brackets are different now.

 

[Paul B]

Is college overrated?
This is what I have always been saying. :p

Anthony TolesThe Real Milwaukee's Street News​

The guy on the left has a Bachelor’s degree & Law degree. He owes over $250,000 in student loans. He works for the Law where he earns $130,000 annually.​

The guy on the right is a high school graduate. He has no college education. He works as an Electric Lineman. He owes zero in student loans, and he earns $160,000 annually.​

Teach your kids about skilled trades and alternative options to make a good income & have low debt. IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT HAVING A DEGREE.​

What this also doesn't say is that the guy on the right gets free medical for the rest of his life, he gets home from work about 3:30 and has a nice pension that his wife will probably get when he dies. He also has a definite retirement day

The guy on the left gets nothing and will probably work until he croaks :rolleyes:

 

[Paul B]

Here is my skimmer now.

That red valve adjusts the water going into it.

This new device will permanently adjust the water level in the skimmer so it is about an inch below the reaction tube. But it is adjustable.

I realize my skimmer is much different from the ones you buy but I wanted something more efficient and I would never buy anything I can build.

This will sit near the top of the skimmer. The outflow from the skimmer will enter the left side of this plastic container.

Water will flow up and over that black barrier which is adjustable by the stainless steel screw about 2". (That screw will be replaced with a PVC screw that I am making now)

Water returns back to the tank, or in my case to the reverse undergravel filter through the tube in the right chamber.

 

[Paul B]

This fish is almost completed.