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

[Paul B]

So I fired my elevator contractor because he was a Jiboni and I don't think he knew an elevator from a lighted refugium.
I hired a new one yesterday and will see how that goes.
I also called a builder today because I need a licensed carpenter to build a shaft inside the original shaft which is much too big.

I really hate this because I have never hired anyone in my life except on my job. Everyone seems like Jibonies to me as this stuff is so simple I could build this shaft in a few days if they would let me. But of course you need to be licensed, insured and good looking.
It takes 6 weeks to get the prints which I could draw myself in a couple of hours. The elevator car takes over 3 months to build, another thing that probably takes 6 hours. Everything is a big deal. How do people live that have to hire people for everything? I would blow my brains out after I blew their brains out. Like OMG just do something! even if it's wrong, thats better than nothing.

 

[Paul B]

I just remembered this story, but I am sure I posted it on here somewhere so if you read it go and watch Oprah give houses to homeless cats with Alzheimer disease.

I had a guy on the job who we called Speedy. This was the remodel of the New York City Playboy Club (where I would have worked for free but they insisted on paying me)

I never saw someone as incompetent as Speedy. I don't know how he got dressed in the morning.
For instance. I told him to install the little grills on the stairs in the night club so the light shines on the steps. Night clubs are purposely dark so you just want to light up the step. He installed all them up side down. He said you couldn't see the light if they shined on the steps. I told him: You don't want to see the light, just the step.

Then around the perimeter there was cove lighting at the ceiling with a little flood light every 6". There were hundreds of them. We had to install these metal plates that were 6" X 6" in between every light. Simple because there was a screw sticking out for each one and all he had to do was put a nut on each one.
We turned the lights on and I said Wow, he really did it good. Then the steel plates, which would give you a nice gash if it hit you started to fall down.

I looked and they were all taped up with electrical tape so when the lights heated the tape, they all fell down. He said he couldn't get the nut on.

I had him install a baffle over the lights on the bar. He slipped and pulled the entire fixture down and broke it.

Going to lunch as we walked down the stairs I told him to straighten the switch plate. (we didn't want him come to lunch with us)
He hit the plate with a pliers and broke the plate and switch.

I told him to gather all the tools and put them in the gang box (big tool box) on the sidewalk and wait for the truck to pick them up.

I went outside (on Fifth Ave, and 59th st Manhattan) and thousands of dollars worth of tools were scattered all over the sidewalk and the box was locked. No sign of Speedy.

So I knew we couldn't get him to do the simplest thing so I had him sit in a chair in the middle of the showroom and I took two dead wires out of the ceiling and told him to sit there and don't move. Just keep putting these wires together every second and I am going on the roof to test for them.

After a few hours i forgot about Speedy and was going home. I came to the place where he was, and he was still sitting there putting those two wires together.

My Union had us keep him working no matter what because he was some important guys son and he needed a couple of weeks working to get his card and no one else could take him because he was too stupid. Then they wanted to make him an office worker probably throwing out the garbage but I doubt he could do that as he was under qualified.
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[Paul B]

I just cleaned my algae scrubber and I noticed in my UG filter manifold that one tube was clogged wit tube worms. I made a hook on some wire and lifted some out then I had to chop the rest of them up to restore movement. In doing that a tube that feeds the left UG plate came apart. It is right in the middle of the tank behind the reef structure so it will have to remain disconnected until I move in just over a month.
The fish will just have to get over it.

 

[Paul B]

I never hired anyone in my life for anything and can't stand the fact that I now have to hire someone to build my elevator shaft in my new home for the handicapped elevator for my wife.
I can do this with no problem for about a grand but you have to be licensed and insured for that town.
I am getting bids but it breaks my heart to do this.
I built my second floor installed my solar panels and wired and plumbed the house. I have been doing this all my life and it's easy but I am not allowed to do it there until I own the place.

Next week i am having surgery on my right hand and I won't be able to use it for a month so moving everything in my tank is going to be fun using only my left hand. I wanted to build some rock but i don't think I can do it in a few days although I may try.

 

[Paul B]

I just got my undergravel filter and I am all Goo Goo over it. OK not really. It is extremely cheaply made compared to my old one and I hope my rocks don't crush the thing. It is one step above that plastic packaging that roast chicken comes in. It also has some very thin tubes that I will throw out and put in real tubes, not Sissy, Girly Man tubing. Then I have to bend them near the gravel and bring them up into a manifold that I will start designing now as my old one has seen better days although it works well. I am not sure if I will plumb my algae scrubber into it like I have now or make it so my algae scrubber feeds my skimmer and that feeds the UG filter. I have not thought about it yet.
Right now there is a 5' trough that sits near the back of my tank where the skimmer dumps on to, then it goes back into the tank, but if I could eliminate one pump, that would make it a little simpler as I decided not to add a sump. I may in the future, but I don't have time for Girly frivialities yet.

My algae scrubber flows into a PVC pipe then down into the UG filter manifold.
I realize all you Noobs don't do it this way, (or have any Idea what I am talking about) but I like to be different.

 

[Paul B]

We have a closing date of the 21st of this month but I will still live here for a few weeks and pay rent. This may work out very well because if my house ever gets finished I will be able to move my fish there while I still live here. Thats the new plan. I wanted to build a large rock to support my reef on but I am having hand surgery Monday so I won't be able to use it or wave to anyone for a couple of weeks.
One more thing, I may keep my nitrates up high as my gorgonians, sponges, fish and most of the rest of my corals including three SPS corals are thriving fantastically. They are practically growing out of the tank. I am interested to see what else will live so nice with 160 nitrates.

Is this thing on? Is anyone here?

 

[Paul B]

The new place is just about finished but it will take a few weeks to inspect it, I am guessing we will move the second week in June.
My boat just got out to the new marina today and should be in the water Monday. I will go out there (using my good left hand) and clean the thing and possibly take a ride to check out the Peconic which I only boated on once.

My Daughter sent me this old picture of when my friends and me used to fix old cars and sell them. This Simca we got for $10.00 but I forgot what we sold it for. This was about 1966.

I am the good looking one with the hair on the roof.

 

[Paul B]

I was going to give this Power Monitor away here but I think I will keep it for a few weeks to see if I could use it in my new home. It's cool, the remote goes in your house and it tells you exactly how much power you are using and what it is costing you at that moment. When you shut a light you see it get cheaper. I used to sell these for I think $150.00 but when I put solar power on my roof, the power company changed my meter to an electronic one and it won't work. It only works on those meters that have the disc that goes around. This one is new, sealed in the box and if I don't need it, I will give it to the first person who wants it, "Then". Not now.
Just send a stamped, self addressed letter to me and I will steam off the stamp and ignore the letter.

 

[Paul B]

I put some new rocks together today but couldn't finish the thing. It should be almost 3' long and will support my entire reef structure, or 3' of it anyway. I couldn't build the entire thing the way I wanted so i am just putting some large rocks together with stainless steel screws, epoxy and cement. I know a lot of people are afraid of stainless steel but those people are Sissy Snowflake Girly Men or maybe Ladies or little girls. I love stainless steel and wish I could get all my rocks made out of the stuff.
I will have to try to finish it using only my left hand but I didn't figure out yet how I will drill the rocks with my feet or my left hand. I won't be able to use my right hand for 3 weeks but I need to get the thing done so I can soak it for a week or two before I move. I really want to get this thing done but I can't see how that will happen. Maybe i will just rubber band all the rocks together.

I am trying to get all the use out of my hand now before they operate so i am sitting near my window waving at all the people walking by.

 

[Paul B]

Being I will only
Have my left hand
to type, i will only
be able to type
on the left side of the page

 

[Paul B]

OK Surgery over. All seems well and I can use one finger on my right hand because he put in a nerve block. But he put it in one hour and 59 minutes ago and it only lasts 2 hours so i may not be able to finish.

Uh UH, it is wearing off. OUCH %$#&(@##$^ OUCH Thats all Folks.

 

[Paul B]

Hand surgery is really Sissy Girly Man surgery and I am almost embarassed that I had it. Man surgery is when they tear off your hand and send it out for repairs. :p

Grand Marnier and a Pain pill works wonders :bigeyes2:

 

[Paul B]

The Dr. told me I can't lift anything heavier than a tea cup for 3 weeks due to the stitches going across my palm. But I don't drink tea so I assume that doesn't apply to me. I tried to do some work on the rock structure I am building for the new tank and I mixed the cement with my left hand but had some trouble putting the cement on the rocks.. The rocks are heavy and to try to put them in position to be cemented is not easy with my right hand all bandaged up. I pre drilled the rocks and epoxied in stainless steel threaded rods before the surgery so I need to put cement on the parts that touch, then push the rocks together and smear more cement on. But this thing weighs about 10lbs now and I can't seem to get them to stay in position because I need to lift the entire thing, both parts and put bricks under it for support until the cement dries.

My foot doesn't quite reach up to the top of my garage workbench and I tasted the cement and it doesn't taste to good so I can't use my tongue. :scratch:

 

[Paul B]

So far I have this. Built it out of 8 smaller rocks held together with stainless steel threaded rod, epoxy and cement. The right end I built with my left hand and knee.

 

[Koyfam16]

That looks really good Paul. Wishing you a speedy recovery. If I can be of any help let me know

I don?t mind learning a thing or two from the veterans in this hobby.


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[Paul B]

Thanks, I will probably need help when I try to catch everything in my tank and remove all the rocks and gravel to transport. Where do you live? :biggrin:

 

[Koyfam16]

I?m in Hicksville.


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[greenstreet.1]

That one hand is working I see


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[Paul B]

Yes it is. Now I can use all my fingers but I only need two to type. The big bandage comes off Saturday and the stitches come out the next week. Then I could again bungee jump :biggrin:

 

[Paul B]

It seems that some corals actually like nitrates of 160 and Phosphates of 2.0.
I have 2 duncans for quite some time and they both are smiling so much if they tilted their head, their brains would fall out. I tell that to my Grand Daughter, Greta and she slowly says "I am tilting my head".
They also eat live worms a couple of times a week.


I don't know exactly what this is but it seems to be some sort of gorgonian. It also seems very happy.



This is some sort of hard coral and grew in 6 months from a tiny frag. (thanks Andy, get me more)


I look for opportunities to put her picture up