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Tank birthday and I'm a Geezer

MadReefer

Vice President
Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
Played pickleball 10 years ago when not popular. Now I cannot believe the popularity; even people that made fun of me playing are addicted now.
 

Paul B

NJRC Member
I know, we have 4 courts here and people play every day, even in the rain. A few years ago, I just thought pickles were in a jar. :biggrin:
 

Paul B

NJRC Member
I have this Hippo a few years and he is one of the nicest Hippo's I have ever seen. Not a mark on him and he has never had nori. I never feed that to any of my fish because I never feed any dry foods to my fish. They eat live worms and LRS foods which is just a mix of seafoods.

I also sometimes feed clams, mussels and earthworms. Because of these foods that have living gut bacteria in them, I never get a sick fish or have to quarantine or medicate anything which is good because I haven't had any medications since Carter was President.
Hippo.jpg
 

Paul B

NJRC Member
Unfortunately, I have a big problem today. No, not my tank, that has an undergravel filter so nothing can go wrong. It's me. I have been kind of sick for the past week. I don't think it's anything important but I am coughing my brains out and can barely stand up. I also think I have a slight fever.

I'm not sure if I have diphtheria, black ich or Brooklynella and I am all out of Prizapro.

The main issue is I can't take care of my wife. She needs help even getting dressed and putting on her shoes. But when I bend down, I start coughing.

I have to take her to her doctor today which is going to be interesting but when she is done, I am taking myself to a "Doc in The Box". I need to get over this so I can take care of her and do things like throw out the garbage. I also have been kind of lax feeding my fish but they will have to get over it. :(
 

MadReefer

Vice President
Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
Unfortunately, I have a big problem today. No, not my tank, that has an undergravel filter so nothing can go wrong. It's me. I have been kind of sick for the past week. I don't think it's anything important but I am coughing my brains out and can barely stand up. I also think I have a slight fever.

I'm not sure if I have diphtheria, black ich or Brooklynella and I am all out of Prizapro.

The main issue is I can't take care of my wife. She needs help even getting dressed and putting on her shoes. But when I bend down, I start coughing.

I have to take her to her doctor today which is going to be interesting but when she is done, I am taking myself to a "Doc in The Box". I need to get over this so I can take care of her and do things like throw out the garbage. I also have been kind of lax feeding my fish but they will have to get over it. :(
Don't drive; take a cab.
 
Unfortunately, I have a big problem today. ...:(
Hi Paul, Sorry to hear your feeling quite ill. If it's any small consolations, I spent most of last week ill, although I seem to be better now.

From what your describing, I think you might have dropsy, or maybe consumption.

I hope you can find someone to help take care of your wife. My dad was in a similar position with my mom. It's a lot of stress.

As for my own tank, or perhaps I should say "algae farm" the algae production is way up and I'm getting a fantastic yield (grin)

Take care, DaveK
 

Paul B

NJRC Member
I went to a Doc in the Box yesterday and saw a "Doctor". At least the "Nurse" introduced him as a doctor but he was about as old as my Grand Son who is 11. He was wearing an "Osh Gosh Be Gosh" shirt and drinking his coffee from a "drinky cup" with a straw.

He looked in my mouth and nose and listened to my lungs for about 15 seconds and without even taking my temperature or blood pressure gave me a prescription for a nasal spray and some pills.

(He also gave me a script for a chest X Ray)

The nasal spray makes my nose run uncontrollable, so I have to wear a bib, and the pills have an antihistamine in them which he said is supposed to numb my lungs and throat, so I won't cough as much.

It did. I managed to walk this morning, which was a mistake because halfway through my walk I discovered that those pills also numb your brain, legs, arms, eyes and everything else you may need for daily things like living.

My wife will get up soon and I hope I can even see her through this stupor.
By the way, I'm still coughing, only now, I can't feel it. :confused:
 

MadReefer

Vice President
Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
Hope you feel better Paul. I have bad allergies in the Spring and Fall seasons. I cannot take Zyrtec because I will be a zombie for the next 24 to 48 hours. Anything else doesn't help quickly so I need to start taking non-drowsy pills a week before; like I know when I will feel sick.
 

Paul B

NJRC Member
I should have figured this doctor was a little too young when he wrote on my chart, which was an Etch a Sketch with a purple crayon.

All medications, no matter what they are for, make you drowsy. They do that because the doctors know the meds won't work so if you are asleep, you won't care. :biggrin:
 

Paul B

NJRC Member
It has been hot here and this week it is supposed to break some heat records. It has never reached 100 degrees in Montauk, Long Island, but it may in a few days.

I have been looking but have not collected one amphipod this year. Now with the heat, I am hoping they arrive. This Thursday, it will be low tide at 6:30 AM when I walk, so I am bringing a bucket in the hopes the amphipods are here. They are still multiplying in my tank because my algae scrubber is loaded with them, but I need more. Thousands more.



 

Paul B

NJRC Member
I think I am going to change some water today. I haven't changed it in some months to eliminate a massive algae growth but it is almost gone now so I think it's time.

I wrote to the EPA today because as I was trying to collect amphipods I have been noticing that there is absolutely no life under the rocks at low tide and there should be an abundance of life.

Nothing, no worms, snails, crabs amphipods, Godzilla Larvae. Nothing. And last week I found a dead sea lion.
Big beach rock.jpg
 

Paul B

NJRC Member
I just changed some water because I haven't done it in some months and fron eliminating algae I was waiting for all ther nutrients to ebb.

I checked the salinity in my tank to match what I was changing and noticed that my salinity was so low that I could have kept kissing gouramies, Koi and bullfrogs.

I have been busy with my wife and didn't take the time to check the water. :oops:

 
I just changed some water because I haven't done it in some months and fron eliminating algae I was waiting for all ther nutrients to ebb.

I checked the salinity in my tank to match what I was changing and noticed that my salinity was so low that I could have kept kissing gouramies, Koi and bullfrogs.

I have been busy with my wife and didn't take the time to check the water. :oops:

Perhaps you should consider building a koi pond. It would be something completely different from a SW reef system.
 

Paul B

NJRC Member
Dave, I had one in my last house.
I even built a copper fountain for it. The copper didn't seem to bother the fish but I liked the sound. :biggrin:

 

Paul B

NJRC Member
6:00 this morning on the beach I made an amazing discovery that will change history.

Beach.jpg



As I walked looking for sea lions or horseshoe crabs in distress something rusty caught my eye.

It was an oarlock most definitely from one of Columbus lifeboats. I realize history tells us that Columbus never made it to Long Island New York but this proves that there was a glitch in his GPS and he landed here behind my house.

Oarlock.jpg



This is Earthshattering news. :rolleyes:
 

Paul B

NJRC Member
These beach walks early in the morning are my life. I go there just about every day in the summer and can look 5 miles east and west and almost never see another Human. Not that I have anything against Humans, but I worked in Manhattan most of my life and now I like the peace and solitude.

It gives me time to think and reflect on my past life and ponder the future.

I check out the horseshoe crabs and wonder what they are thinking, especially when they are up side down and have hungry seagulls checking them out. Sometimes I see deer and wonder how they climb the sheer cliff of loose sand when even beetles roll over backwards.

I see birds there that I don't see other places, sometimes tiny bright yellow birds but more often cormorants who dive down in the sea and emerge with a fish.



This morning on the wooden walkway to the beach steps there was a huge Osprey, or sea eagle eating a fairly large fish. I'm not sure if it had ich but I know if it was in some aquarist tanks, they would douse it with Prizapro. :biggrin:

Sunrise Sept 2.jpg
 
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Paul B

NJRC Member
I want to give away my Watchman Gobi. He has gotten a little larger than I like in my tank and I think he ate all my yellow clown gobies as I am missing about 5 of them. I still have blue ones, black ones, green ones and a gray one but the yellows, which were smaller, are gone and he smiles a lot.
He's a lot younger here and now is brown.



There is no way I could catch him with a net so I will have to use a hook and fish for him.
 
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