Paul B

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Awilda, here is me doing a water change, I just open the front and back doors
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Paul B

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I think I will get another 5 bumblebee gobies. I miss them. They are nice and colorful and of course odd. And most of all $2.99 each. I am just concerned that my watchmans which are huge now will like them also. The four watchmans that I have are all spawning. Actually I think I have five of them but they hide a lot especially when spawning so I really don't know how many there are. They also always lay their eggs in the most un opportune places where I can't see them or even feed them. I just shoot worms back terer and hope they are finding some. They never come to the front of the tank anymore. Too bad I can't fool them and turn the tank around.
I also need another male blue stripped pipefish as I don't see him any more either. They only last about two years and I think the cute little female worked him to death if you know what I mean. The males carry the eggs and it does look un comfortable.
I have been "feeding" my gonopora with oyster eggs. I know that is considered the best food for them, especially the large tentacled white ones but I really don't think they eat them. I know they look like they are eating them but even when I squirt dirt on them, I get the same response. I would like to have one to disect and see under a microscope but I don't want to cut the thing up, not yet anyway.
The gorgonians I know like to eat oyster eggs and that is also what I give them.
I also think I am going to give away a couple of butterflies, wrasses and that burrfish. When I go away, I can't get someone to feed them as well as my reef. I used to use my Mother N Law for that but she is old now and has been in the hospital for the last month.
Maybe I could set up the tank next to her in the hospital. I wonder if medicaid would cover the food. :rolleyes:
 

Paul B

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To update the algae trough, it is now full of hair algae looking stuff and is practically clogged. I need to clean out some of it so it does not overflow.
There is not a bit of this sticky looking algae growing in my reef so I am happy that the thing is doing it's job so well.
I want the benefits of the algae in my water because algae is one of the best water purification plants but I would rather not see too much of it in my reef.
 

Paul B

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How cute is this guy? He is the one I collected in the summer and doubled his size already.
This is of course my local animal tank and not my reef

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The rest of the collected stuff is all also well. These two butterflies and two wrasses are looking good as well as all of the local hermit crabs and local snails.
I have to step on stuff in this tank to kill anything and it is practically un lit, un filtered and un heated. There is a small HOB filter which is really clogged.
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Paul B

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This last live blackworm keeper so far is working great. I never have a dead worm and they are even multiplying. This is my third model as the first two were too small for the amount of worms I need to keep.
The secret to these things is they have to age for a couple of weeks to build up some bacteria. I have some eggcrate in there for that purpose. The shallow water flows over the worms and into the tank below. Some of the worms manage to get into the tank but they ball up and I suck them out and put them back on top in the trough. There is a very small powerhead in the tank that is suspended off the bottom. The worms don't swim so they don't get sucked into the pump.
This model has been running for a few months and I am very happy with it.
I feed the worms pieces of paper towels and some occasional flakes.
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Paul B

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I had some free time so I thought I would annoy my mojanos.
I like to inject them with different things, just because. Well just because I can.
Today's mixture was calcium and straight Lugols Iodine.
They hate it when I do that. You should see what they write about me on the inside of the glass.
I doubt it kills them but I bet it really upsets their stomach :idea:

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These here are not speaking to me anymore since I injected them with iron, vinegar and calcium.
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Paul B

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I need to replace 2 legs on my tank stand which I built 30 years ago. Here is one of the legs, it is made of Kindorf which is what we use in construction to build almost everything. It is 1 1/2" square and is heavy galvanized steel but even heavy galvanized steel is no match for 30 years of saltwater. This particular leg is near the skimmer and auto tank fill. It is also under where the skimmer fills the algae trough and where I siphon water from when I do water changes.
I will add a leg on both sides of that leg, a few inches away from it and bolt them in place.
THat is a galvanized plate under the rusted leg which is almost gone so I will also add two more galvanized plates under the new legs.
I am 61 years old so I am figuring the new support legs will stay here at least until I croak, after that, I don't care :rolleye1:
There is another leg almost as bad which I will do the same thing to. The stand itself is built out of the same stuff but twice as thick. It is 3" by 1 1/2" and is in much better shape.
I don't think I can even get the tank out if wanted to as I built the wall and finished the basement around it.
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