47 year old tank

[paul b]

Thanks Tom.It needs a lot more work that will have to happen after I get the stitches out. My new tank will be higher than my present 100 gallon so I wanted to raise the rock off of the gravel which this should do. But all my existing rock will go back in here too.

 

Edited May 9, 2018 by paul b

[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

[paul b]

So yesterday for Mothers Day we went to our Daughters house in Manhattan to visit her and the Grand Kids.  We had a nice, but noisy time and came home about 8:00pm.  Before we got to our street we saw that the main road was closed with fire engines and police all over the place.  I also couldn't help notice one of the power poles was on fire so I assumed that was bad.  I am good like that.  As I turned down our block I noticed it was very dark.  We don't live in a cave and have street lights but they were all out.  I got home and of course saw that my house was dark.  The first thing I thought was OMG, my fish must be going crazy.  Actually I didn't think of them at all as they have been through this many times and take care of themselves.  Although I don't think they have their own generator.

I get inside and being I went to high school and everything I knew exactly where the flashlight is which I used to get to the basement and light a propane lantern.
Now I knew my wife was safe inside I walked up the block to check out the fire.  It looked like there was a big short on the pole and the pole was almost burnt in half.  It was also raining so maybe a sweaty squirrel or Eagle reached in between two wires and exploded.  I am not sure. 

I asked the guy on the pole how long until he restored the power and he said 2 hours.   The power was already off for an hour so I figured I would drag the generator out.  No, not for the fish, for the TV. 
My friend was out there also and I asked him why he didn't start his generator and he said it wouldn't start.
He helped me drag out my machine because I have a palm full of stitches and I connected it to my gas pipe and the thing started right up as I knew it would.  Now all my outside lights which I have in all the shrubs and trees lit up so it looked like Christmas in May.

Then I went to help him start his generator and after a few minutes I got it started.  His wife was in the car on her cell phone as she is most of the time.  He told me her biggest worry is if the phone goes out.  I didn't even know where my phone was and if someone wanted to tell me something important, they could write me a letter.  Like how important is a cell phone?  I realize most people need the thing taped to their ear constantly in case they win the lottery, pick five or the Bachelor contest.  I think it's great if the phone goes dead.  For 30 million years we only had wooden cell phones and reception was terrible.  We got along just fine.

Anyway, on my way back home across the street I notice my other neighbor trying to start his generator and he calls me.
I mean, Do I have a big sign on my head that says Home Depot?
Now I had to fix his machine.  I start mine every few months as I do my power washer.  Maybe it's me.  But I told them all "Home Depot" is leaving soon so all you guys have to figure out how to do these simple things for yourself.
They just told me "I can't move"

[paul b]

My house is a maze of boxes.  I filled 7- 50 gallon cans so far with stuff I am throwing out just from my workshop.  I have about 20 boxes of stuff from there that I am keeping.  It's amazing the stuff you can amass in 40 years.
I can't touch the tank stuff yet because my new house is not finished.  I kept my worm culture out as well as my brine shrimp  hatchery because I want to feed the pipes and mandarins for as long as I can.  They may not get live shrimp for a month due to me building stuff out there.  I also have stuff to demolish because i don't like the way the builder designed a few things.  I will move the door into my workshop and may move the furnace and water heater.  I also need to move the washer and drier which means I have to move some gas pipes and exhaust hoses.  I built most of my lights so I told the electrician not to install most of them.  The day I move in I will put up some temporary lights.  The place is mostly glass so I can't walk around in my Speedo until I install something on the windows.  My neighbors may like that, OK, maybe not.
I won't have my RO/DI hooked up for quite some time as there is no water or drain near the tank.  That is not a big priority so I will have to think about something in the mean time. 
My boat is also in the water out there and it needs some attention before I can go out.  Mostly maintenance and cleaning, filling with water, fluids etc.  And I will need to get a GPS card for the Peconic bay as mine doesn't work there.  It is for 60 miles away near Manhattan.

[paul b]

A little while ago my door bell rang and I went upstairs to see who it was.  It was this guy dressed in a bug exterminator uniform with a picture of a bug on it. 
I told him I don't need any bug exterminators and I walked into my back yard.  He follows me explaining how important it is to kill bugs and that his company is the best bug killing company and how they can tell a lady bug from a preying mantis and a moose from a duck billed platypus and I wasn't paying much attention.
So i turned around and this giant carpenter bee lands on his sleeve.  It looked like a Blackhawk helicopter.   The guy went nuts.  He got the horrors and I thought he was going to have a coronary.  Even the bug on his uniform was scared.  I just flicked the thing off his sleeve but as it went away, it hit him in the face.  I thought I was going to have to take him to the emergency room.

I said, " your not the guy who comes and kills the bugs, Are You?" 

[paul b]

I have two big industrial machinists Vises, one on each workbench.   I was going to leave them here for the new people and buy new ones, but I can't.  I can't find an American Vise.  I can't believe it that we don't make an American Vise and I don't buy tools from China,   Well so far Amazon don't have any so I will just remove my old ones which are much better than what I can buy and mine are American. Probably also older then me, much older. :D

[madweazl]

I have two big industrial machinists Vises, one on each workbench.   I was going to leave them here for the new people and buy new ones, but I can't.  I can't find an American Vise.  I can't believe it that we don't make an American Vise and I don't buy tools from China,   Well so far Amazon don't have any so I will just remove my old ones which are much better than what I can buy and mine are American. Probably also older then me, much older. :D

Yost is made in the US but run about $600. 

[paul b]

Thanks, I found one. Some Yost are made in the US and some are made in Usa, which is in Japan.
I don't care about the price, if it's made in China I won't take it for free.
It's the Veteran in me. 

[paul b]

I went to Home Depot for styrofoam to put under my new tank and came out with a gigantic tool box.  My wife and Daughter got it for me for Father's day. It's about 5' long and 6' high so I will be able to put most of my tools in it so I don't have to have tool boxes all over the place.  They had a few of them, different models and sizes and I wasen't even in the market for one.  I got a Husky, they had another one I liked a little better but the Husky was made in American and the other one was from China so that was the end of that.  The thing weighs over 300lbs so I will leave it in the boxes and let the moving company take it to the new house in a week or so.

I forgot the styrofoam.

[paul b]

The time is getting close.  I was putting together my Reverse UG filter tubes a little while today and will have to use my existing manifold for a while until I get time to build a new one.  Way to much stuff to do before then.  Today I also put together a system to pump water into the back of my car from the ocean.  I got a bilge pump and took the brass ends off a 50' hose and still need to take apart an extension cord to run the thing from my car.  I tested it today for about 10 minutes to make sure the cord doesn't get hot.  It gets slightly warm but that is normal and most of it will be under water.
I can back my car up into my garage and pump the seawater into my tank. 

[paul b]

This water collection device is all finished.  I just back my car up to the Ocean.  Any ocean will do.  Then I throw the pump in the sea and plug the power plug into my power outlet in the back of my car or use my portable battery jumper.  The thing pumps 1,100 gph of seawater into the vats in the back of my car.  Then I back the car up to my garage and throw the pump in the vats and pump the water into my tank or buckets.   But when I initially fill the 125 gallon tank, I will pump it right into the tank.

[paul b]

Getting back to fish tanks I went to my LFS on Sunday because I needed food.  Besides clams and worms I use LRS food but I don't like the stuff for spawning because the particles are to small and I can't use the vegetarian food because I have no algae eaters and I can't use Chunky because the pieces are to big.  They are out of the stuff I use, I think it is Reef Frenzy.  So they gave me this stuff that they thought would work.  It is supposed to be Krill but it is compressed into little sticks.

My fish hate it and spit it out in my direction while giving me the evil eye.  Nothing eats it except for maybe the crabs and they will eat "Play Doh."
I have to go out and get more clams now because I have nothing else to feed them and Jenny Craig doesn't deliver here. 
I really need the stuff especially for when I move because it is a ride to get live clams in my new house so I need something easy for a few weeks.

[paul b]

I am really going to hate moving this tank. The corals are reaching for the ceiling, (or they are trying to get out)

 

Everything really looks great and I can't understand it with my parameters. I am even afraid to have them tested. I know the real seawater I am going to use is going to kill these things. It's a shame and I think I will bring most of my scurvy water to put in my new tank and gradually change it to clean sea water. I need to go and collect some soon because when I am taking stuff out of this tank to put in buckets, I have to add more water to the tank for the fish.

 

The fish are also doing very well and you can tell healthy fish by the colorful shimmer you see on their fins. Fish in stores or new fish don't exhibit that kind of coloring and sometimes it is hard to see but all fish in the sea have it. It may take some experience to notice it but it is there and you can't see it much in pictures. But the clear parts of many types of fish get it. I haven't had a fish jump out in probably a year and of course nothing would dare to die.

 

I say one of my porcelain crabs just now and even he is very colorful and he doubled in size. I didn't even know they got this big. I think I have 3 of them in there someplace. The Duncans really love live worms I think because they squirm around when they hit the tentacles and it drives the Duncans nuts. An hour after feeding they seem huge.

 

I still use my baby brine shrimp feeder every day and my mandarin is still smiling. Those shrimp also feed my anthiuses and gorgonians.

 

 

 

 

I just gave my white worms a bath because I have so many that they started to stink. I added more dirt because there seemed to be nothing but worms there are so many of them. Even the baby worms are so thick they look like jelly. They also stay alive in salt water almost 5 days.

 

 

 

 

[paul b]

Today I went out to my new house even though I can't get in yet but I wanted to collect some water for when I move because I am going to bring to the new house my existing water so I needed a lot of new water so when I remove rock and corals I will have water to put back in the tank.  I will probably change my water first with this new water and keep the old water to put back in my tank while I make the move.
My new collection device works great but the place where I collected was full of algae so my water was full of tiny pieces of chopped up seaweed.  I needed to clean that out because as soon as the water warms, that stuff will die and cloud the water.  The only problem was I already packed my diatom filters and powder.
I tried straining the water through some material but it was still green and scurvy looking so I had to dig through my packed boxes and I found some hoses.  Not the right hoses but hoses none the less.  Then I found some diatom powder, not enough but some.  I looked and looked until I found a XL Diatom filter that I know leaks like a sieve and fills with air, but that was the best I could do.  I got the hoses to fit and dumped in the powder and got the thing semi working.  It will work long enough to filter the 35 gallons of water I collected.  When it is finished I will try to pack this stuff back up.  I can hardly move in my house with all the closets, drawers and cabinets emptied and in boxes.

I backed my car up to my workshop window and pumped the water to my workshop with my new water collecting device. 

[YHSublime]

Never fun moving a tank, does the age reset once you move it? I guess it has ta'!

[paul b]

Never fun moving a tank, does the age reset once you move it? I guess it has ta'!

 

That's a good question.  I moved it in 1979 and I just continued with the age but I am not sure.  Some people will say I have to start counting again and some will just roll over and go back to sleep.  I will be using the same rocks, gravel, coral, fish, and water so I assume it will be the same tank, but I will let people count any way they want. 

 

That big blue container has a float switch near the top.  When I make ASW I connect that to my reservoir bucket  near my ceiling and when it gets full, the float makes it stop so I don't flood the house.  It has been working for years but in my new house I plan to use almost nothing but NSW unless it is winter and it gets to rough to collect.  The water I collected yesterday was ice cold, after it warms up I will change water in my tank and take that used water to put back in my tank when I remove the rocks.  Yes I know I said that in my last post which means I am bored and waiting for my wife to get up so we can go to breakfast.

I don't want to wake her because she gets tired during the day.  Yesterday she dropped a tray of fish she was broiling in the oven.  It splashed burning oil on her face and she had 4 or 5 burns that turned red and will probably peel.  One is right on the end of her nose.  It was painful.  Because of the MS she drops a lot of things because she doesn't have a lot of feelings in her fingers.

[paul b]

So with our new house I wanted to get a new car.  Well, another car anyway.  We already have a new Jeep Compass but thats my wife's.  I had a Very Manly, Chic Magnet PT Cruiser but like me it was getting a little long in the tooth so I wanted a newer car and something I can take on the beach near our new home.  I went to a Jeep showroom because I saw on line they had something I liked.   It was an orange and black Jeep Renegade.  I wanted the "TrailBlazer" or "TrailHawk"  Some kind of Trail Something package because I think it sounds very Manly.  It comes with these very Manly red towing hooks on the front bumper for when it falls off a cliff and someone can come with, I guess a helicopter to pull you out.  Anyway I go into the salesroom and pass this big sign that says "We Support Veterans"  and this guy comes out to sell me something.  I tell him I am interested in that orange one.  So he tells me the price and explains it all to me and I ask, what is the price for a Veteran?  He says, it's the same price.  OK, so much for using the Veterans card. 

We sit down to start the contract and he is writing, and writing, and writing and using a calculator to fill out the form.  I said, I thought that was the price which is in huge numbers on the window.  He says, "it is" but there are fees.  I said, "What fees".  Well there is $300.00 for dealers prep.  I used to work for General Motors and I used to do the dealers prep.  That meant I had to put on the license plate and take out the paper on the floor.  I said OK, but $300.00 is ridiculous for dealers prep.  Then he says there is a $50.00 transfer plate charge.  If there is a charge to transfer the plates, what is the dealers prep fee for.  Besides, they were my same plates.  Now there is a $75.00 dealers fee.  I asked, "what is that for?".  Thats for the dealer.  Of course it is!  I assumed that was for the doughnuts and coffee they had there.  Then of course there is tax and odds and ends which come to another $50.00 or so.  And lets not forget a gas fee of $25.00

Now the car cost $500.00 more than the sticker.  What is the sense of me pricing a car if you are going to add another $500.00 to the price.  I was trading in my PT Cruiser and it had a full tank of gas.  Were they going to reimburse me for the gas in it or my time to drive it there or go to the bank and wait in line for the money.  I don't think so.

I liked the car but told him to keep it and wait for some Jiboni who doesn't know when he is getting taken.
So I went back online and saw a nice red one.  I went there and it was essentially the same story.  I said to keep it.  If you show me a price, I won't argue with you, I may not buy the car if I think it's to much, but I like simple things.  Give me the price, include any silly things you like and I will either buy it or walk out, but don't waste my time.

I tried one more time.  I saw this yellow Jeep and it looked nice so I called them.  A very nice young Lady answered the phone and explained the car to me so I figured I would go there to see if it was the same story.
My wife and I drive half an hour to get there and I can't find it so I go into a Lexus dealer to ask for directions.  I was kind of sloppy and disheveled looking so they all gave me dirty looks as I went in.  (Car salesman don't really impress me so I didn't get bothered and a Lexus is a Japanese car and I don't buy Japanese cars) )   The guy said "It's that way, and he pointed.  I found the place and it looked like a huge warehouse and it had 65 fantastic looking cars all lined up with the price on each windshield.

This beautiful young girl comes over and she knew my name, birthday, what sign I was, How I liked my steak cooked and knew what car I was looking for.  She showed me the car and explained all of it to me, very nice.  I looked at the price on the window and I asked, "What is the Veterans Price".  I figured I would ask, it can't hurt.  She says I get $300.00 off.  Sounds good to me so I asked, what do all the extra's and other nonsense come to.  She said "Nothing, thats it".  I asked, what about dealers prep, dealer fee, plate transfer charge, gas, doughnut charge, global warming fee, Prizapro charge, charge to charge charge,  etc.  She said, we have none of that.

Like really!.  This keeps getting better.  Then I ask, how much are you going to give me for that Chick Magnet PT Cruiser with 65,000 miles on it?
They gave me $1,500.00 which it wasn't worth. 
I go to a bank to get a check and the teller looks at my account and calls over the manager who wants to take me to his desk to explain all the things I could do with my money.  Buy CDs and all that.  I told him I have all of Linda Ronstadt's CDs so I am good.  I just sold my house and didn't pay for the new one yet so it looks like I am a bazillionaire, but it is only for a week until I use that money.

I bring the check to the dealer, she shows me the features in the car.  Takes off my old license plates and Washes them,  Then puts them on the new car. 
She takes my picture in front of the car, offers me a cookie and says she is going to send me a gift.
I bought a lot of cars but this was the nicest experience I ever had buying a car.  I was tempted to buy another one just because it was so nice and easy.

[paul b]

That bow was put on by the girl to impress my wife.  Then they took it off and covered the hood in cro bars for me.  I don't need a car to be Manly but you have to be a Real Man to drive a PT Cruiser and get away with it.   I have had Jeeps since they were "real Jeeps" not the sissy cars they are today.  When you couldn't dent them with a hammer and you could drive them completely underwater.  The axels were straight, none of that soft suspension which is made for Girly men and Sissies.   If a snowflake got in there, it would just laugh. My Jeep had cinder blocks for springs so your teeth would shake loose on rough roads and you could drive through a brick wall while drinking a cup of really strong coffee.
This was a Jeep.  It was built totally in America and was a military model which could go anywhere.

[paul b]

The Jeeps you see today with all the fancy lights, huge tires, weird grills and all that are for show. They are really just Girly Dodge Darts with new clothes.  Under the hood all cars are almost the same. The Jeep engine is nothing special, but it used to be totally different from regular cars. I took that Willy's engine apart to replace the pistons because it was a working truck and didn't try to impress anyone. The connecting rods were about a foot long which gives it torque. A car like a Corvette or Ford have connecting rods half the size because they are not made for power, but speed and gas mileage. It's the piston travel that gives the engine torque or power.  The Willy's had what is called an "F" head engine.  The valves were so big they didn't fit in the cylinder head so there was one valve in the head and one in the block.
Almost All cars today have a timing chain or belt to open and close the valves at the right time. The Willy's had a cast iron gear that weighed about 4lbs. And it had a pipe over it to pour oil on to it constantly. It will never wear or break.
The ignition system, wires and cap were encased in plumbing pipe and the distributer cap was steel and was waterproof. You could attach a snorkel and drive it under about 5' of water. Try that with your Camry.
The front axel was straight for strength, no rubber boots to break. The 4 wheel mechanism was encased in a 10" round steel ball impervious to dirt, water and mud and it would never wear out. The clutch was twice the size it needed to be so the thing could climb walls.
I like machinery and was in awe at how they built that beast. But you certainly were not going to impress any girls with it. They were real happy though when I pulled their cars out of the snow or mud sideways.

[madweazl]

Those "Jeeps" were actually produced by Willy's and Ford and were essentially stolen from Bantam by the Government. Willy's had the initial contract but couldnt keep up with demand so Ford produced a bunch as well (design and parts were the same from what I understand). They have one of the "Fords" at the Marine Corps Museum down here in VA (awesome place if you're ever in the area). They have some very cool exhibits and are working on a new section as well but I'm not sure when that is supposed to open up (the section is modern era). 

[paul b]

Cool.  I had one of those Ford "Jeeps" in Viet Nam when I was in a place with a road.  I think Willy's went out of business because they never wore out so you never had to replace anything.  They should have gone into tractor manufacturing because the Willy's was more of a tractor than a car. 

[paul b]

Getting ready.  I removed my skimmer, Ozone, algae scrubber, 5' trough, UG filter pumps and one light.  The tank is running on 2 powerheads and thats about it.  What a mess. :confused:

[madweazl]

Getting ready.  I removed my skimmer, Ozone, algae scrubber, 5' trough, UG filter pumps and one light.  The tank is running on 2 powerheads and thats about it.  What a mess. :confused:

Did you get a move it date yet? 

[paul b]

Yes, I can start bringing stuff there on Saturday and the movers will bring the rest of the stuff next Friday when I have to be out of here.

I am renting a 16' tuck for two days this week to bring out my tools and a lot of the smaller boxes so my wife can start putting things away and I can put up the lights and bring the tank and fill it with NSW.  I will throw some heaters in the tank and some time during the week i will come here to move everything out of my tank.  The new tank will be in the dark for a few days but they will have to deal with it.  I also have no RO/DI there either so tap water it will be.

 

Here is a little stuff from my workshop that is "packed".  My house is normally extremly neat and dust wouldn't dare fall here.  My wife is getting the horrors.
I have 5 piles like this all over the house and the garage is packed up to the ceiling.

 

[madweazl]

Awesome, I didnt realize they had made so much progress. Moving is a pain but it sounds like it will be worth it for the two of you.