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Paul B's thread
- Thread starter jamesdong009
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I am having a fish problem. Yesterday I lost two Sunburst Anthius at the exact time. They looked perfect and ate that morning.
I found them just barely alive but everything else in the tank, including the corals seem perfect. No spots, scratching, weird swimming, no fast breathing, nothing. I never lose fish.
Two of these. I had them almost 6 years. Inside their gills was perfect, no irritation or parasites.
I got a new ALK test kit. My old one I think was very off. It read 4 and the pH was very low.
But even if the alk was that low, that means the water would be very acidic and the corals would have croaked. But they all look great.
Now I tested and my alk is to high because I stupidly tried to raise it according to my old kit. But again, that should only affect corals.
I will be busy for a few days and won't have time to do anything on my tank or even see it so I hope it was just a fluke. And I never added any flukes to my tank.
When I have time, probably in 2 weeks I will drive out east on the end of Long Island and collect 50 gallons of NSW in the Atlantic. I have been using this fake water for the last 3 or 4 water changes and I don't like it.
Two other weird things happened recently. While I was on the phone, it looked like something either spawned or exploded in my rock. On one tiny hole in a rock this thick white plume emerged.
I have seen many things spawn but this was different. Much thicker liquid. I immediately sucked it out as much as I could with a baster thing.
I can't see the creature that exuded this stuff but it must have a little size to it. There are many odd things growing in this tank for the last half a century and it never fails to amaze me.
I have been having some problems ever since I eliminated that invasive sponge that took over my tank and I am still dealing with the toxins it spewed all over my tank.
This gobi is resting on the evil stuff.
I found them just barely alive but everything else in the tank, including the corals seem perfect. No spots, scratching, weird swimming, no fast breathing, nothing. I never lose fish.
Two of these. I had them almost 6 years. Inside their gills was perfect, no irritation or parasites.
I got a new ALK test kit. My old one I think was very off. It read 4 and the pH was very low.
But even if the alk was that low, that means the water would be very acidic and the corals would have croaked. But they all look great.
Now I tested and my alk is to high because I stupidly tried to raise it according to my old kit. But again, that should only affect corals.
I will be busy for a few days and won't have time to do anything on my tank or even see it so I hope it was just a fluke. And I never added any flukes to my tank.
When I have time, probably in 2 weeks I will drive out east on the end of Long Island and collect 50 gallons of NSW in the Atlantic. I have been using this fake water for the last 3 or 4 water changes and I don't like it.
Two other weird things happened recently. While I was on the phone, it looked like something either spawned or exploded in my rock. On one tiny hole in a rock this thick white plume emerged.
I have seen many things spawn but this was different. Much thicker liquid. I immediately sucked it out as much as I could with a baster thing.
I can't see the creature that exuded this stuff but it must have a little size to it. There are many odd things growing in this tank for the last half a century and it never fails to amaze me.
I have been having some problems ever since I eliminated that invasive sponge that took over my tank and I am still dealing with the toxins it spewed all over my tank.
This gobi is resting on the evil stuff.
We just came back from an overnight out east at the end of the North Fork of Long Island. It's about 25 miles east of where I live and I assume the water is cleaner as it is right on the Atlantic.
I took my wife there for her birthday but this time of the year it is pretty dead there. We stayed at a really nice Spa Hotel (whatever that is) and this morning when we checked out, it was snowing. This was a cafe in the small hotel.
On our way out there we passed a few beaches so I figured I would collect some sea water. It was about 25 degrees and windy.
I backed up as far as I could to the sea and put on my rubber boots. Too a 5 gallon bucket out of my Jeep and walked into the surf. Immediately the wave crashed over my boot freezing my foot.
I grabbed some water from very shallow water so I got almost as much sand as water. I dumped it into one of the 10 gallon pails in the back or my Jeep.
I took another bucket, then another, then I stopped. I only collected 15 gallons but had capacity for 30 gallons. It will have to do because the water temp was probably 35 degrees and my fingers were about to fall off.
Now I am filtering out some of the sand and the water is kind of green and muddy because of the surf.
This is the beach. Most of the beach was inaccessible because in the winter they bulldoze piles of sand near the high tide mark to keep the sand from washing away in the rough winter but they left this cut in the sand so I could get through.
A cop stopped near me, saw me collecting and just shook his head while driving away.
I took my wife there for her birthday but this time of the year it is pretty dead there. We stayed at a really nice Spa Hotel (whatever that is) and this morning when we checked out, it was snowing. This was a cafe in the small hotel.
On our way out there we passed a few beaches so I figured I would collect some sea water. It was about 25 degrees and windy.
I backed up as far as I could to the sea and put on my rubber boots. Too a 5 gallon bucket out of my Jeep and walked into the surf. Immediately the wave crashed over my boot freezing my foot.
I grabbed some water from very shallow water so I got almost as much sand as water. I dumped it into one of the 10 gallon pails in the back or my Jeep.
I took another bucket, then another, then I stopped. I only collected 15 gallons but had capacity for 30 gallons. It will have to do because the water temp was probably 35 degrees and my fingers were about to fall off.
Now I am filtering out some of the sand and the water is kind of green and muddy because of the surf.
This is the beach. Most of the beach was inaccessible because in the winter they bulldoze piles of sand near the high tide mark to keep the sand from washing away in the rough winter but they left this cut in the sand so I could get through.
A cop stopped near me, saw me collecting and just shook his head while driving away.
We went to Hutchinson Island in Florida. We were gone for a week. This morning I went downstairs to see my fish. As soon as I opened the door to my Man cave I get that horrible smell of dead, rotted fish. OOOOoohhhh NNooo. What could be dead? Could it be everything!. OMG, I rush over to the tank thinking everything would be dead and the corals would be balls of slime.
I opened my eyes to see................................Everything looks great. They are all smiling at me and wagging their tails. Well, they always do that. So I looked around the floor to see if I could find something dead. But no. The floor is clean.
AhHa. I had an automatic frozen fish feeder on the tank and didn't freeze to good so it automatically turned the weeks worth of food in it to snot.
OMG....I got out the bleach and soaked the thing in it.
Luckily, I had the foresight to put pre packaged frozen food in the freezer for my neighbor to use.
Now I am using my diatom filter because although everything looks great, there is seaweed growing on everything and I was thinking of opening a produce stand. While my diatom is trying to suck out algae and detritus, I needed to move my car which is outside in the snow.
It is totally dead. No lights, nothing. This is a new battery so now I need to see what killed the battery. Unfortunately, I think I cracked my hip or something near it so I can't walk to good. I also need a car inspection and the "Check Engine" light is on so I have to replace the thermostat to get the light off so I can get the thing inspected.
With my screwed up hip I need help to remove the battery to get the thermostat out. Of course my wife needs a lot of help so I am having trouble keeping up with my tank.
I opened my eyes to see................................Everything looks great. They are all smiling at me and wagging their tails. Well, they always do that. So I looked around the floor to see if I could find something dead. But no. The floor is clean.
AhHa. I had an automatic frozen fish feeder on the tank and didn't freeze to good so it automatically turned the weeks worth of food in it to snot.
OMG....I got out the bleach and soaked the thing in it.
Luckily, I had the foresight to put pre packaged frozen food in the freezer for my neighbor to use.
Now I am using my diatom filter because although everything looks great, there is seaweed growing on everything and I was thinking of opening a produce stand. While my diatom is trying to suck out algae and detritus, I needed to move my car which is outside in the snow.
It is totally dead. No lights, nothing. This is a new battery so now I need to see what killed the battery. Unfortunately, I think I cracked my hip or something near it so I can't walk to good. I also need a car inspection and the "Check Engine" light is on so I have to replace the thermostat to get the light off so I can get the thing inspected.
With my screwed up hip I need help to remove the battery to get the thermostat out. Of course my wife needs a lot of help so I am having trouble keeping up with my tank.
I donated $500.00 from my reef book to MS in my wife's name. I always post the receipts from my books to prove that all the money from my books go to charity and not for Copperband butterflies or linguine and clams.
My two books made $700.00 so I will donate $500.00 to MS in my wife's name and $200.00 to Tunnels To Towers for disabled Veterans. I can't tell from Amazon's website how much came from the reef book and how much came from my Vietnam book. When I get the receipt from Tunnels to Towers I will post the receipt.
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My two books made $700.00 so I will donate $500.00 to MS in my wife's name and $200.00 to Tunnels To Towers for disabled Veterans. I can't tell from Amazon's website how much came from the reef book and how much came from my Vietnam book. When I get the receipt from Tunnels to Towers I will post the receipt.
View attachment 141327
The Produce farm that has been growing in my tank for a couple of weeks is finally dying, but not fast enough. When this long hair algae dies, you have to suck it out, so I have to use my DIY diatom filter. I will use it about every two days until it's gone. This may take a month but I feel algae is a good thing and will clean or process the water better than anything else, of course I don't need it covering my corals or the pictures of my Grand Kids on my wall.
It has been running an hour here but before this, the glass on the tank looked like sheet metal from all the algae and detritus I stirred up.
I will let this run another 3 or 4 hours and keep stirring it up during the process. If it were not for diatom filters, I would not be in this hobby as I find them indispensable especially if you are using a reverse undergravel filter.
It has been running an hour here but before this, the glass on the tank looked like sheet metal from all the algae and detritus I stirred up.
I will let this run another 3 or 4 hours and keep stirring it up during the process. If it were not for diatom filters, I would not be in this hobby as I find them indispensable especially if you are using a reverse undergravel filter.
As I said, my two books made $700.00 last year and I always donate it to charity. $500.00 went to MS and $200.00 went to Wounded Warriors.
I always post the receipts to prove I don't use that money for Copperband butterflies or some other stupid thing.
I would like to thank everyone who bought one of those books.
I always post the receipts to prove I don't use that money for Copperband butterflies or some other stupid thing.
I would like to thank everyone who bought one of those books.
I just took off the reaction tube on my DIY skimmer to clean it and I decided to look down the thing from the top. Near the top was completely clogged with a thick, black mud/slime.
My skimmer is not built to take apart but the tube comes off so I had to get a brush and bend it a little so I could stick it down the top. Of course, gobs of gunk fell into the skimmer forcing me to drain it. I did put a drain at the bottom. I drained out all the mud so it didn't get back in my tank and I looked down the skimmer from the top and saw the entire thing is filled with tiny, tube worms.
This is not necessarily a bad thing but it will slow the flow of water that is supposed to swirl up the entire five foot height.
I don't have time now but one of these days, I need to remove the thing which is not easy as it is bolted on the stand in the back.
But it is something I need to do soon. The last time I did it, It Hadn't been cleaned in many years, and I needed a broom handle to clear it of tube worms as it was completely full.
My skimmer is not built to take apart but the tube comes off so I had to get a brush and bend it a little so I could stick it down the top. Of course, gobs of gunk fell into the skimmer forcing me to drain it. I did put a drain at the bottom. I drained out all the mud so it didn't get back in my tank and I looked down the skimmer from the top and saw the entire thing is filled with tiny, tube worms.
This is not necessarily a bad thing but it will slow the flow of water that is supposed to swirl up the entire five foot height.
I don't have time now but one of these days, I need to remove the thing which is not easy as it is bolted on the stand in the back.
But it is something I need to do soon. The last time I did it, It Hadn't been cleaned in many years, and I needed a broom handle to clear it of tube worms as it was completely full.
I have been so busy lately with my wife. We go to a doctor, PT, MRI, X Ray, CAT scan or strip club almost every day. OK, maybe we don't go to strip clubs every day. The last time I went to one was when they took me to one for my bachelor party 54 years ago. That girl must be about 80 now so she probably isn't a stripper any more. 
I seem to be in pretty good health and only go to doctors for shots of cortisone or hair transplants. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes: (They don't work)
Speaking about hair. I can't believe the amount of hair algae in my tank. I suck out about a pint of dry algae every day. It's like 2" long. Most people don't stay in the hobby long enough to get these cycles or use New York NSW from next to a farm and golf course. Thank God for my DIY diatom filter.
I have been using this one with the pleated cartridge in it, but I don't use the powder just to eliminate algae. It's a 5MG filter, which is plenty small to remove algae. All the corals (that are not covered in algae) seem very healthy, and the fish are really enjoying it, especially the smaller blennies and gobies, who lay in it like a comforter.
This has happened to this tank a few times since the 70s and it will clear up on it's own without me adding stupid things and the tank will be healthier than it has ever been.
My Hippo tang doesn't seem to like hair algae and I never fed them Nori but he is about the best looking Hippo I have ever seen and his skin looks like velvet. When Hippo Tangs are very healthy they get a reddish tinge on the top of their dorsal fin but I can't get a good picture. Hippo tangs get that in the sea.
My Tomini Tang also looks perfect with bright yellow fins. I can never get a picture of her as I think she doesn't like me and swims to the back when I get near the tank.
This is a very old picture from when she was a baby.
I seem to be in pretty good health and only go to doctors for shots of cortisone or hair transplants. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes: (They don't work)
Speaking about hair. I can't believe the amount of hair algae in my tank. I suck out about a pint of dry algae every day. It's like 2" long. Most people don't stay in the hobby long enough to get these cycles or use New York NSW from next to a farm and golf course. Thank God for my DIY diatom filter.
I have been using this one with the pleated cartridge in it, but I don't use the powder just to eliminate algae. It's a 5MG filter, which is plenty small to remove algae. All the corals (that are not covered in algae) seem very healthy, and the fish are really enjoying it, especially the smaller blennies and gobies, who lay in it like a comforter.
This has happened to this tank a few times since the 70s and it will clear up on it's own without me adding stupid things and the tank will be healthier than it has ever been.
My Hippo tang doesn't seem to like hair algae and I never fed them Nori but he is about the best looking Hippo I have ever seen and his skin looks like velvet. When Hippo Tangs are very healthy they get a reddish tinge on the top of their dorsal fin but I can't get a good picture. Hippo tangs get that in the sea.
My Tomini Tang also looks perfect with bright yellow fins. I can never get a picture of her as I think she doesn't like me and swims to the back when I get near the tank.
This is a very old picture from when she was a baby.
This came about because my last water change that I collected here in the sea in the Long Island Sound was full of fertilizer from all the farms and golf courses here.
I find it fascinating, and it will all disappear in a few weeks leaving the water in fantastic shape.
This is not the first time this has happened to me from using sea water at the wrong time of the year.
I find it fascinating, and it will all disappear in a few weeks leaving the water in fantastic shape.
This is not the first time this has happened to me from using sea water at the wrong time of the year.
My Bangai Cardinals had babies. Spawning Bangai Cardinals is not a big Whoop because they, (and all healthy fish) do this all the time. Bangai Cardinal babies are rather large as compared to most salt water fish but I didn't catch them. I could not catch anything in my tank unless I take the tank apart and that is not going to happen.
After 2 days I don't see any of the babies but I didn't think I would as, just like in the sea, they would have all been eaten.
(I will look close at some floating algae to see if I find any)
This picture is old and not the Cardinals I have now. Bangai's are one of the shortest lifespan fish we normally keep only living 3 4 or so years.
I am actually surprised these spawned because I got them as babies and they are not fully grown.
After 2 days I don't see any of the babies but I didn't think I would as, just like in the sea, they would have all been eaten.
(I will look close at some floating algae to see if I find any)
This picture is old and not the Cardinals I have now. Bangai's are one of the shortest lifespan fish we normally keep only living 3 4 or so years.
I am actually surprised these spawned because I got them as babies and they are not fully grown.
So yesterday was an exciting and expensive day.
Our Daughter graduated college over 20 years ago and a few years ago went back to Fordham Law School and yesterday in Manhattan she was sworn in as a full-fledged lawyer.
That part is great. But we had to go into Manhattan to see this big deal 15-minute ceremony.
We now live on eastern Long Island, about 60 miles from the city. It is impossible to park there, so we take a bus. It's called "The Hampton Jitney" and looks like a Greyhound bus.
It was very cold and pouring rain. My wife is handicapped and uses a walker. I help put her shoes on and she wanted to wear these red shoes which I told her (Repeatedly) were no good for that type of day. Due to her MS her foot doesn't fall flat on the ground and the shoes kept coming off after about every 5 steps forcing her to walk with one shoe and I have to get down and try to put the stupid (Inappropriate) shoe back on.
Anyway, we get on the Jitney which costs about 60 bucks. The thing went fine for about 50 minutes, and it was bumper-to-bumper traffic, so we were not getting very far, but we traveled about 30 miles. We are going slow and through the rain and fog I see smoke. (We are in the last seats of the bus) At first I figured it was from all the rain, but now I smell antifreeze. We pull over to the side of the highway, and the driver gets out, and I hear him open the engine hatch in the back of the bus.
That is never a good sign. He gets back on the bus and informs us that it is stuck. He calls for another bus to pick us up, but it will take over an hour to get to us. GREAT.
We all get out of the bus in the rain and I asked the driver if I could see the problem. I figured with my shoe lace and my wife's shoe I could possibly fix the problem. I looked in, and it was a huge diesel engine. Antifreeze was shooting out of the cylinder block and head, so the thing blew a head gasket, which required the engine to be removed. My shoelaces and my wife's shoes were not enough to do the job, so we called a UBER.
We had to walk off the highway and my wife walks very slow, especially with one shoe. The normally 5 minute walk took about 20 minutes to get to a place we could wait for the UBER and we were cold and soaked
The car comes, $80.00. So we get on the bumper to bumper traffic highway and in an hour make it into the city.
We get to the Courthouse and go through the metal detector etc. And meet our Daughter and our Son N Law.
She is all decked out in her red outfit for the swearing in and looks beautiful. WE are very proud of her.
After the ceremony, we took them out to dinner in a Keens steakhouse on 6th Ave. Which opened in 1885.
I don't hardly eat steak even though this is the most famous steakhouse in Manhattan and looked for fish. They had one fish on the menu. Dover Sole which I like until I saw the price.
$70.00 for a piece of fish that looks like flounder. I thought that was a bit much so I went for the cheaper meal of "Giant" shrimp for $42.00. The 5 Giant shrimp were normal-sized small shrimp and they were almost ten bucks a shrimp.
My Son N Law ordered a $160.00 steak.
So it was a great day (almost) even though I could have bought a but load of Copperband Butterflies for the $700.00 + it cost me. Including the ride there
Our Daughter graduated college over 20 years ago and a few years ago went back to Fordham Law School and yesterday in Manhattan she was sworn in as a full-fledged lawyer.
That part is great. But we had to go into Manhattan to see this big deal 15-minute ceremony.
We now live on eastern Long Island, about 60 miles from the city. It is impossible to park there, so we take a bus. It's called "The Hampton Jitney" and looks like a Greyhound bus.
It was very cold and pouring rain. My wife is handicapped and uses a walker. I help put her shoes on and she wanted to wear these red shoes which I told her (Repeatedly) were no good for that type of day. Due to her MS her foot doesn't fall flat on the ground and the shoes kept coming off after about every 5 steps forcing her to walk with one shoe and I have to get down and try to put the stupid (Inappropriate) shoe back on.
Anyway, we get on the Jitney which costs about 60 bucks. The thing went fine for about 50 minutes, and it was bumper-to-bumper traffic, so we were not getting very far, but we traveled about 30 miles. We are going slow and through the rain and fog I see smoke. (We are in the last seats of the bus) At first I figured it was from all the rain, but now I smell antifreeze. We pull over to the side of the highway, and the driver gets out, and I hear him open the engine hatch in the back of the bus.
That is never a good sign. He gets back on the bus and informs us that it is stuck. He calls for another bus to pick us up, but it will take over an hour to get to us. GREAT.
We all get out of the bus in the rain and I asked the driver if I could see the problem. I figured with my shoe lace and my wife's shoe I could possibly fix the problem. I looked in, and it was a huge diesel engine. Antifreeze was shooting out of the cylinder block and head, so the thing blew a head gasket, which required the engine to be removed. My shoelaces and my wife's shoes were not enough to do the job, so we called a UBER.
We had to walk off the highway and my wife walks very slow, especially with one shoe. The normally 5 minute walk took about 20 minutes to get to a place we could wait for the UBER and we were cold and soaked
The car comes, $80.00. So we get on the bumper to bumper traffic highway and in an hour make it into the city.
We get to the Courthouse and go through the metal detector etc. And meet our Daughter and our Son N Law.
She is all decked out in her red outfit for the swearing in and looks beautiful. WE are very proud of her.
After the ceremony, we took them out to dinner in a Keens steakhouse on 6th Ave. Which opened in 1885.
I don't hardly eat steak even though this is the most famous steakhouse in Manhattan and looked for fish. They had one fish on the menu. Dover Sole which I like until I saw the price.
$70.00 for a piece of fish that looks like flounder. I thought that was a bit much so I went for the cheaper meal of "Giant" shrimp for $42.00. The 5 Giant shrimp were normal-sized small shrimp and they were almost ten bucks a shrimp.
My Son N Law ordered a $160.00 steak.
So it was a great day (almost) even though I could have bought a but load of Copperband Butterflies for the $700.00 + it cost me. Including the ride there
Nice beach walk this morning. It was a dead, moon low tide. But no amphipods. It may be a little early in the season but those dead low tides only happen maybe twice a summer at the time I walk the beach, so I hope the amphipods return soon.
They may be a little to cold or worrying about the tariffs but I want to see millions soon
They may be a little to cold or worrying about the tariffs but I want to see millions soon
Next week I have an appointment with a shoulder surgeon. He replaced my left shoulder but now my right shoulder is jealous so I'm pretty sure I will have to get the right one replaced. I lost count but I think this will be my 38th surgery.
If you get to my age and didn't break or tear most of your bones and tendons, you didn't work hard enough or have enough fun.
I will try to do this soon, in the summer when all my friends are here in case I need help with my wife. (which I know I will). She falls a lot and I have trouble helping her up now, but with two bad shoulders, It will be "interesting" to say the least.
She also can't do almost anything and I will be useless for a while. More useless than I normally am.
If you get to my age and didn't break or tear most of your bones and tendons, you didn't work hard enough or have enough fun.
I will try to do this soon, in the summer when all my friends are here in case I need help with my wife. (which I know I will). She falls a lot and I have trouble helping her up now, but with two bad shoulders, It will be "interesting" to say the least.
She also can't do almost anything and I will be useless for a while. More useless than I normally am.
Best of luck Paul. I finally went under the knife April 14th, got some nice hardware in the old spine, screws, plates, rods etc. feeling decent so far.Next week I have an appointment with a shoulder surgeon. He replaced my left shoulder but now my right shoulder is jealous so I'm pretty sure I will have to get the right one replaced. I lost count but I think this will be my 38th surgery.
If you get to my age and didn't break or tear most of your bones and tendons, you didn't work hard enough or have enough fun.
I will try to do this soon, in the summer when all my friends are here in case I need help with my wife. (which I know I will). She falls a lot and I have trouble helping her up now, but with two bad shoulders, It will be "interesting" to say the least.
She also can't do almost anything and I will be useless for a while. More useless than I normally am.
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