Tank birthday and I'm a Geezer

[Paul B]

Nothing exciting on my morning beach walk except this lobster buoy. I did try to rescue 3 horseshoe crabs but they were too dead to be helped.



I left it there but many people hang them on their property.

It's hard to see here because it was very sunny, but I have 4 types of seaweed that I can find here in the surf.

There is bladderwrack, Codium, Ulva or sea lettuce and some other red anBladderwrack and Ulva won't live in a tropical tank but the Codium does for a few months if you don't have urchins who eat it. The codium is the thicker stuff.

 

[Paul B]

I can't believe that at this stage of my life, I live in such a beautiful place. And, it's in New York. New York is about the most populated place in the US, but here, near the eastern end of Long Island on the North Shore. Away from the very rich south shore, I walk on the beach every morning and can look east for 5 or 10 miles and see nothing but sea and beautiful rocky shore. If I look west, I see the same thing as far as I can see. South is an 80 or 100 sand dune with half-fallen trees holding it up, and to the north. If it is a clear day, I can see Connecticut about 25 miles away.

What I hardly ever see is another Human and in New York that is unbelievable. Just the gently sound of small waves and a breeze. I go there every morning (in the summer) about 6:00 to watch the sunrise.

I walk almost an hour and sometimes rescue horseshoe crabs, conch, sting ray or small fish caught in tide pools.

It's very relaxing and zen. And I am not a Zen person, or at least my wife keeps telling me that because I am always ready so no one ever has to wait for me and I hardly sleep as that eludes me.

 

[Paul B]

My morning beach walk started as usual. As I walked along the beach at low tide I came across a horseshoe crab on it's back. I gently kicked it and noticed that it was dead so I couldn't save it as I would normally do.


I resumed my walk not noticing much in front of me because I keep looking at the sand in search for anything interesting.
I walked towards the water over the very slippery algae covered rocks in the hopes that one that I turned over would reward me with a handful of amphipods as they normally did in the past. But there was nothing, not even one amphipod.

I also only found one, invasive Japanese Shore crab. A species that just two years ago used to cover all the spaces under these rocks.
There was nothing alive. No baby eels, worms, crabs, snails or even barnacles.

I heard a woman calling me and I looked up to see an Asian Woman in her 60s pointing at something in the water.

It was this Heron.


Normally they stand in shallow water looking for something to eat. I remarked that it was beautiful and walked towards the woman.
In her broken English, She asked me if I was looking for mussels, clams or oysters. I told her, No, and was trying to think of how I was going to explain "amphipod" to her in her limited understanding of my language.

She seemed to understand and told me she had lived here for 25 years and used to come here to this beach to collect shellfish and swim. She said there used to be many seagulls that would pick up shellfish and drop them on the rocks to crush them so they could eat them.

Now, except for two seagulls, they were all gone along with the shellfish.

WE walked and discussed how dead the sea near here is now. The birds, fish and shellfish are mostly gone to be replaced by seaweed.
This is due to all the farms and golf courses lining the Long Island Sound on eastern Long Island.

We agreed on this and she said, it is a terrible thing that we are doing to the ocean. I agreed with her and we went our separate ways.
I hope to see her again so we can continue our discussion.

 

[MadReefer]

My morning beach walk started as usual. As I walked along the beach at low tide I came across a horseshoe crab on it's back. I gently kicked it and noticed that it was dead so I couldn't save it as I would normally do.

View attachment 58461
I resumed my walk not noticing much in front of me because I keep looking at the sand in search for anything interesting.
I walked towards the water over the very slippery algae covered rocks in the hopes that one that I turned over would reward me with a handful of amphipods as they normally did in the past. But there was nothing, not even one amphipod.

I also only found one, invasive Japanese Shore crab. A species that just two years ago used to cover all the spaces under these rocks.
There was nothing alive. No baby eels, worms, crabs, snails or even barnacles.

I heard a woman calling me and I looked up to see an Asian Woman in her 60s pointing at something in the water.

It was this Heron.
View attachment 58462

Normally they stand in shallow water looking for something to eat. I remarked that it was beautiful and walked towards the woman.
In her broken English, She asked me if I was looking for mussels, clams or oysters. I told her, No, and was trying to think of how I was going to explain "amphipod" to her in her limited understanding of my language.

She seemed to understand and told me she had lived here for 25 years and used to come here to this beach to collect shellfish and swim. She said there used to be many seagulls that would pick up shellfish and drop them on the rocks to crush them so they could eat them.

Now, except for two seagulls, they were all gone along with the shellfish.

WE walked and discussed how dead the sea near here is now. The birds, fish and shellfish are mostly gone to be replaced by seaweed.
This is due to all the farms and golf courses lining the Long Island Sound on eastern Long Island.

We agreed on this and she said, it is a terrible thing that we are doing to the ocean. I agreed with her and we went our separate ways.
I hope to see her again so we can continue our discussion.

Whole heartedly agree. We are destroying our oceans from over building and then with chemical run-off into the water.

 

[Paul B]

Two days ago, my friend came by and said he was in Petco buying dog food, and he said they had these "neon looking" fish.

I knew they were neon gobi's, and I have one. I don't usually buy fish from Petco, not because I think their fish suck, but I just don't think to go there because they normally have the most boring, common fish.

I went there with him, and they had 2 neon gobies for about $18.00 each. So I got them.

As I acclimated them, I tested their water, and my "very modern" swing arm hydrometer wouldn't read any salinity in their water and the thing goes down to 1.012 so pretty low.

The swing arm just sank like a bowling ball, so PETCO could have kept bullfrogs and kissing gouramies in with them to save space.

Anyway, I got them and in half an hour they were happily swimming in my tank, and they met up with my existing one. They stay together and I assume that soon, the two largest ones may spawn. They started eating as soon as I fed them that day.

 

[Paul B]

I am pretty sure these Waspfish spawned in this cave. They have not moved in days and won't eat. I dropped earthworms right in front of them and live whiteworms. Something they never refuse.

I can't see the eggs because they don't really move and the larger one is blocking me from seeing into the cave.

 

[Paul B]

The last time they were out, they were a little chubby

 

[Paul B]

Just playing

 

[reefsandrotts]

Just playing

View attachment 58533

Is that spots on your clown?? Better get it into qt

 

[Paul B]

Those are age spots. He is 35 years old.

Besides, I think they are bubbles or spots on the glass, maybe a little acne.

 

[Paul B]

My grandson Teddy went to camp this week in North Carolina.
It's a real "MAN" camp and I am so glad he went. I think all 11-year-olds should go to one of these.

He took the plane himself. I mean alone without his parents. (the camp people met him there I am sure)

He has to live in a tent, wash in a river, Poop in the woods, forage for dinner and has no electric, plumbing, roof, or mail. He has to eat what they give him and live in the forest. I love it.

 

[MadReefer]

Went camping once and never again. Just not for me...guess im not a real man. Haha

 

[Paul B]

Went camping once and never again. Just not for me...guess im not a real man. Haha

My first camping experience was here in a jungle in Vietnam. Wasn't my first choice.

 

[diana a]

If Teddy liked it, he should try Boy Scouts. My four boys are Eagle Scouts. I'm a Camp Fire Girl (until it went co-ed) and then a GS

 

[Paul B]

Diana, He lives in Manhattan so boy scouts there probably wash taxi's or subway tracks.

Maybe he will join the Marines. I would be very proud.

 

[Paul B]

I walked on the beach and came across this rock that is cleanly broken in half.

That rock is probably 20 tons so I hope I don't come across the guy who broke it, especially if he is carrying the other half..

 

[Paul B]

Eating live whiteworms.

 

[Paul B]

Today I had to go 20 miles near my favorite LFS so I picked up a long spine urchin, blue stripe pipefish, 3 hermit crabs and about 6" X 6" piece of gsp. (Green Star Polyps) to cover some pieces of DIY rock to cover some areas where the cement came off.
$48 bucks for everything. Not bad.

 

[Paul B]

Long Nose butterflies have tiny mouths just like Copperbands so they need tiny food. But they eat a lot. I also feed chopped clams and a few other "natural" foods and that is "one" reason, maybe the main reason I don't have to quarantine.

That small long nose butterfly ate almost 50 whiteworms in that one feeding.

That Hippo tang is the nicest one I have ever seen. Not a mark on him and he never had nori or any other greens. He doesn't know he is a vegan.

 

[Paul B]

On my morning walk this morning I found two things. One was the other side of that boulder that I found last week. Someone must have took it away, then carried it back.

The other thing was this Huge hermit crab. I have been diving and walking the shore here all my life and I never seen one nearly this big.

If I had something to put it in, I would have taken him home for a while to study. Then I would have let him go.