Tank Thread Tank reached 38 years old...in 2009!

[Paul B]

One of my Chinese lights croaked. This is the third one I replaced since I am living here for the last three years. I guess you can only get about two years out of these things.
Now I buy the cheapest ones for like a hundred bucks because no matter what they cost, they only last about two years even though LEDs are advertised to last like 100 years.

I am going to buy a spare because I know I will need another one soon.

 

[Paul B]

If it ever stops raining here I would like to change some water. I don't remember changing any since last summer and I don't want to read back through my posts to figure out when it was. I am not a big water change person and it probably almost never has to be changed but I just feel it should be done eventually.

 

[Paul B]

I just finished a new lamp. This is made out of a solid brass locomotive oiler from the 1850s. It incorporates a firebulb and two ultraviolet, glowing glass tubes.

 

[Timbo]

Nice work as always Paul. Love the different combo of bulbs used.

 

[Paul B]

Beautiful day here in Long Island today so I collected 40 gallons of water behind my house.
The alk was 7 and the temp was 40. I didn't test calcium but the salinity is 1.016.
It is crystal clear so I don't have to do anything to it except warm it up and maybe add some salt.

 

[Paul B]

I am sitting in my workshop/Man cave waiting for my collected water to heat up and I notice the salinity is way to low. I threw in some salt but I don't have enough. Of course I also tested the water in my reef and that is also way to low.

I can probably keep kissing gouramies and catfish in there but I don't want to keep those fish so I am going to go to a local Petco to see if they carry salt. I have never been in there so while I am there, maybe I can pick up a moorish Idol or Achilles tang

To heat my water quickly I fill a 5 gallon water cooler bottle and fill it with hot tap water to float in there. In 15 minutes or so, the water is the right temperature.

 

[Timbo]

Paul, do you change out the media in your white worm cultures? I have two cultures going, the older starting to smell like crap, literally.

 

[Paul B]

Every month or two I flood the entire thing and let the tap water slowly run in it for a while as I keep stirring it up. Keep pouring off the top. It comes out nice and fresh and eliminates those mites because they float. Then I usually add some soil.

It is easier if you pour the entire thing into a higher container.

The worms enjoy the bath and can live underwater for 5 days so don't worry about drowning them.

 

[Paul B]

Today my knee isn't working and I had to many cortizone shots already as it is coming out of my ears. I need another new knee but I can't get one because I can't be laid up that long so I am nursing it as much as I can.

Of course I put that heating salve stuff all over it as everyone does even though we all know that doesn't do anything except make you smell like a forest.
So to save money, I now just hang those little "Christmas Tree" car fresheners all around my knee in the hope that it fools my knee to just do what it is supposed to do.

 

[Paul B]

I think new Steam Punk thing is coming out pretty cool. It needs a lot more work and being I am a lousy computer programmer getting the sand timer to invert every minute was the hardest part. But it works perfectly.

Of course the thing goes into a glass dome.

 

[JR96]

What a nice long lasting hobby! That tank was older than me LOL

 

[Timbo]

I think new Steam Punk thing is coming out pretty cool. It needs a lot more work and being I am a lousy computer programmer getting the sand timer to invert every minute was the hardest part. But it works perfectly.

Of course the thing goes into a glass dome.

View attachment 303093

Your brain is insane Paul. Love this one. Can’t wait to see the finished product.

 

[Paul B]

Cant finish for a while. Fiberglass wont let me

 

[Paul B]

Now this broken wrist thing is kicking in. I don't have any pain (thats for Sissies) but I can't get the thing wet or of course bend my wrist or pick up things because the Jiboni put the cast on so I can't touch my thumb to my fingers.

He must have thought I jumped off a building or wanted to go bungee jumping.
Either that or fiberglass was on sale

Try to do almost anything like that. Simple things like brushing your teeth is an adventure and I may have to grow a beard

Every word I type with my screwed up hand I have to go back and fix or it looks like this:

Hellllo, nize day. Hoyw are u.

Anyway, I am looking at my tank and I need to clean my algae scrubber. That means unscrewing it and bringing it to the sinkand brushing off the algae. Then put it back.

The same thing with the top of my skimmer. Simple things that aint gonna happen.

 

[Paul B]

Unfortunately, I am slowly losing some of my corals. Due to this broken wrist with the full cast on it wyhich I cant get wet, some sponge isgrowing up the bases ofthe corals and I can't get in there to trim the stuff. That is normaly the maintenance I do like weekly. I really need to trim the stuff occasionally but I can't doitnow.
Friday I go back to the surgeon so maybe she will remove this thing, but I doubt it.

I also need to clean my algae scrubber but same problem

 

[Koyfam16]

Sorry to hear Paul. I’m sure everything including yourself will bounce back.

 

[Paul B]

Good Morning Koyfam. It is bouncing back as they gave me a removable cast now so I never wear it.

I am having boat problems and my Grand Daughter is coming over with her friend this weekend and they want to go on the boat so It needs to be fixed and you need your right hand for that. After they leave, I will be sure to put on that cast

 

[Paul B]

• #1,867

On my morning beach walk I noticed something at the surf.

I thought it was two octopuses wrestling, but I was wrong and we don't get many octopus here on Long Island and if we do, they get along and don't fight.

On closer inspection I noticed they were Horse shoe crabs. A common sight here.

They were up side down just relaxing in the morning sun. They must have forgotten that in an hour it was going to be 90 degrees and they would turn into crab cakes which sea gulls love.

Normally horseshoe crabs can turn over but on this rocky shore they were having trouble so I helped them and put them back in the sea.

Then as I walked I noticed why they came out of the water. I stumbled upon their favorite food which horse shoe crabs would do anything for.

Quote Reply

 

[Paul B]

Just finished, kind of proud of this one.

 

[albano]

Just finished, kind of proud of this one.

Very nice… how long does that egg timer take?