Paul B's thread
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Paul B
paul b
Today and tomorrow I will have the kids and Grand Kids here so I can't do anything except pick up things and clean. They are slobs. 
WEll,,,messy anyway.
WE also have a lot of dinner invites and friends coming over to stay overnight so it has been very busy. In between I work on this pretty big project I am building in the Master Bath and working on removing sponge encrusted sponge from my tank.
My latest idea on that is I will try to remove as much of that rock as I can and cut the corals off. Then put it all in vats outside where it is 30 degrees. That should kill the sponge (I hope) but it will also kill most other things but not the bacteria. (I also hope) I will supply tiny down coats for the pods.
Yesterday I bought another 40 gallon vat (I have 3) but I need one more to hold all the rock, corals, fish and water, old and new. I would love to remove all the rock and fish to stir up the gravel, then remove all that filthy water and immediately add new ASW.
This is going to be a huge job for one old Geezer because I also have to keep that water warm and aerated while I do all the cleaning and filtering.
If all that goes well I will put back all the clean rock and fish, then glue back the corals but I will lose quite a few of them along with anemones.
Hopefully I will find all the fish but that is a concern because some of them hide in small holes in the rock and some are under the gravel. I also hope to remove any bristle worms especially large Godzilla ones.
WEll,,,messy anyway.
WE also have a lot of dinner invites and friends coming over to stay overnight so it has been very busy. In between I work on this pretty big project I am building in the Master Bath and working on removing sponge encrusted sponge from my tank.
My latest idea on that is I will try to remove as much of that rock as I can and cut the corals off. Then put it all in vats outside where it is 30 degrees. That should kill the sponge (I hope) but it will also kill most other things but not the bacteria. (I also hope) I will supply tiny down coats for the pods.
Yesterday I bought another 40 gallon vat (I have 3) but I need one more to hold all the rock, corals, fish and water, old and new. I would love to remove all the rock and fish to stir up the gravel, then remove all that filthy water and immediately add new ASW.
This is going to be a huge job for one old Geezer because I also have to keep that water warm and aerated while I do all the cleaning and filtering.
If all that goes well I will put back all the clean rock and fish, then glue back the corals but I will lose quite a few of them along with anemones.
Hopefully I will find all the fish but that is a concern because some of them hide in small holes in the rock and some are under the gravel. I also hope to remove any bristle worms especially large Godzilla ones.
Paul B
paul b
Good Morning. On my walk in the cold and dark this morning I was thinking about passwords.
I hate anything with passwords because they never work for old people and are just made for Millennials or pre schoolers. My Grand Daughter who is 10 has no problems.
And has anyone noticed that they have to keep getting more complicated and longer. For instance. Lets say my password for something was "duh". Simple and it worked great.
Then my bank, AOL account, Google, Amazon or one of my Geezer apps tells me my password is to short. So I made it "duhh".
After a few weeks they say it needs to have at least one number in it. OK "duhh1". Now it needs at least one capital letter.
OK "Duhh1". A little while later it needs to have at least eight characters. So I change it to "Duhh1234". Of course I have to write this all down because I barely remembered the original "duh".
This was fine for a year or so but now it needs to also have at least one symbol. Ok "Duhh1234&". Now no one will steal that. But it still isn't good enough. In 2021 they told me it also has to have at least one "Native American letter". Now the Native Americans didn't have a written language so after you type in Duhh1234&" you have to say out loud a Native American word. Something like Kemosabe, which meant friend to the Lone Ranger.
If you are under 60, Google him.
So for a few months I type in "Duhh1234& and yell out the word Kemosabe". Now in 2023 it still isn't safe enough and I had to add two Egyption Hieroglyphs and the Latin word for Platypus.
Yesterday I get an E mail from my bank saying my password has been compromised.
It's totally ridiculous. I get a 10% military discount from Home Depot but I never get it because you have to download their app
(which you need a password for and they know if you used that password before). If they know all your old passwords, why don't they just pick one of those to use?
I can never use the app for the discount because every time I try, they tell me I need to change the password but I ran out of letters and combinations in the English and Native American language.
I need a long complicated password to access my electric bill account. Why! If someone wants to pay my bill, go ahead. Who cares if someone knows how much your electric bill is. Can they kidnap me and hold me for ransom until someone tells them how much my bill is?
Like Really!!!
I hate anything with passwords because they never work for old people and are just made for Millennials or pre schoolers. My Grand Daughter who is 10 has no problems.
And has anyone noticed that they have to keep getting more complicated and longer. For instance. Lets say my password for something was "duh". Simple and it worked great.
Then my bank, AOL account, Google, Amazon or one of my Geezer apps tells me my password is to short. So I made it "duhh".
After a few weeks they say it needs to have at least one number in it. OK "duhh1". Now it needs at least one capital letter.
OK "Duhh1". A little while later it needs to have at least eight characters. So I change it to "Duhh1234". Of course I have to write this all down because I barely remembered the original "duh".
This was fine for a year or so but now it needs to also have at least one symbol. Ok "Duhh1234&". Now no one will steal that. But it still isn't good enough. In 2021 they told me it also has to have at least one "Native American letter". Now the Native Americans didn't have a written language so after you type in Duhh1234&" you have to say out loud a Native American word. Something like Kemosabe, which meant friend to the Lone Ranger.
If you are under 60, Google him.
So for a few months I type in "Duhh1234& and yell out the word Kemosabe". Now in 2023 it still isn't safe enough and I had to add two Egyption Hieroglyphs and the Latin word for Platypus.
Yesterday I get an E mail from my bank saying my password has been compromised.
It's totally ridiculous. I get a 10% military discount from Home Depot but I never get it because you have to download their app
(which you need a password for and they know if you used that password before). If they know all your old passwords, why don't they just pick one of those to use?
I can never use the app for the discount because every time I try, they tell me I need to change the password but I ran out of letters and combinations in the English and Native American language.
I need a long complicated password to access my electric bill account. Why! If someone wants to pay my bill, go ahead. Who cares if someone knows how much your electric bill is. Can they kidnap me and hold me for ransom until someone tells them how much my bill is?
Like Really!!!
Last edited:
Joe Rice
Well-Known Member
I divide my online world into accounts I really don't want anyone to break into (bank accounts, Paypal, etc.) and accounts I really don't care much about (newspaper subscriptions, electric company, etc). For the latter I let the Chrome browser suggest and remember my passwords. It does a great job. When I go to one of those sites, it just fills in my username and password automatically.
But for important sites I'm careful to use a complicated password that would be really hard to guess and that isn't stored anywhere except in my brain and one other place that you'd have to torture me to find out about.
Joe Rice
Well-Known Member
When you're all done, if you find a few spots of sponge that survived, I'd suggest F-Aiptasia for covering them. I've used it to get rid of bits of stuff like that and it works really well.
Paul B
paul b
I am going to fill the tank completely with ASW for a while as I don't think that sponge will live in it. I hope not anyway. The NSW I collect is loaded with silicates and that feeds the stuff.
When I am certain no sponge is alive, I may switch back to NSW or at least 50% NSW. I really don't like ASW but for this case, I need it and am using it as a "treatment".
I have this all planned out and am just waiting for all my fresh water to be made so I can start this long, tedious process. I am also hoping I can give away my large very nice Koran Angel as it is to large for me. Anyone want it? Free
When I am certain no sponge is alive, I may switch back to NSW or at least 50% NSW. I really don't like ASW but for this case, I need it and am using it as a "treatment".
I have this all planned out and am just waiting for all my fresh water to be made so I can start this long, tedious process. I am also hoping I can give away my large very nice Koran Angel as it is to large for me. Anyone want it? Free
Paul B
paul b
This year will be our 50th Wedding anniversary so we were going to take one of those Mississippi Riverboat cruises. Just the two of us. I don't want to go to Europe with all their problems. We have been to about all the Caribbean, Tahitian, and Hawaiian Islands and there isn't really many places I want to go to.
Flying now is a real horror and my wife has to go in a wheelchair in an airport. They get you through customs faster but for her on the plane is difficult so we don't want to go on a commercial airliner now.
So she tells our Daughter and after they went through all kinds of "litigation" about where to go we are now taking the kids and Grand Kids on a cruise to Bermuda. We have been on that cruise and I really don't like big cruise ships but this one is not that huge. It leaves from New Jersey and we can drive to the ship.
We have been on 4 or 5 of those huge ships and the last time we went on a really big cruise ship I was praying for a torpedo to sink us. Those floating cities with 6000 people on them are horrible. There is a reason they are so cheap. Coming from New York I don't like crowds and go on vacation to get away from them. I also don't need a midnight buffet or join a beer belly contest.
Now we are spoiled and will only go on the Windstar Cruise which has about 100 people and it also has sails.
But getting back to Bermuda, last night my wife gets another idea.
Now we are also going to renew our Wedding Vows. We need a church, priest and all that. Or the Captain can do it.
(I am also a Licensed Captain but it would be silly and awkward for me to do it)
Our 10 year old Grand Daughter will be the Maid of Honor. Our 9 year old Grand Son will be the ring bearer and he will also give my wife to me and my Son N Law is my Best man.
This should be fun, and interesting.
Flying now is a real horror and my wife has to go in a wheelchair in an airport. They get you through customs faster but for her on the plane is difficult so we don't want to go on a commercial airliner now.
So she tells our Daughter and after they went through all kinds of "litigation" about where to go we are now taking the kids and Grand Kids on a cruise to Bermuda. We have been on that cruise and I really don't like big cruise ships but this one is not that huge. It leaves from New Jersey and we can drive to the ship.
We have been on 4 or 5 of those huge ships and the last time we went on a really big cruise ship I was praying for a torpedo to sink us.
Those floating cities with 6000 people on them are horrible. There is a reason they are so cheap. Coming from New York I don't like crowds and go on vacation to get away from them. I also don't need a midnight buffet or join a beer belly contest.Now we are spoiled and will only go on the Windstar Cruise which has about 100 people and it also has sails.
But getting back to Bermuda, last night my wife gets another idea.
Now we are also going to renew our Wedding Vows. We need a church, priest and all that. Or the Captain can do it.
(I am also a Licensed Captain but it would be silly and awkward for me to do it)
Our 10 year old Grand Daughter will be the Maid of Honor. Our 9 year old Grand Son will be the ring bearer and he will also give my wife to me and my Son N Law is my Best man.
This should be fun, and interesting.
Paul B
paul b
I removed about a quarter of the rock on one side of my tank to try to remove as much sponge as I can
I cut the corals off the rocks and put them back in the tank. The rocks I removed, about 10lbs I scraped as much sponge off as I could and used a stainless steel brush on the really encrusted stuff. I didn't use fresh water so I didn't kill any microscope life. This is one piece.
That skinny piece is a DIY piece and I will have to bleach that as it was completely covered in sponge and it needs a bunch of repair anyway. Some of the cement fell off exposing the PVC and it bothers me so I will repair that.
All the "cleaned" rock I removed I have outside in a closed vat in the dark and cold. It will get into the 30s tonight so I hope that will kill most of the sponge. If that works, I will do it to all the sponge covered rock.
Now I will suck out the detritus in the gravel on that side of the tank using a diatom filter. I will try to do this a quarter of the tank at a time. Then when it is all finished, I will remove all the rock into big vats and immediately put it back in with a new aquascape because that can't be done piecemeal. Then I will glue back all the corals that are left as they will be removed and put temporarily held in a bucket.
Then I will change the water with mostly ASW to see if any of the remaining sponge spores die. Wish me luck.
In 3 weeks the tank will have lasted for 52 years. I am not 100% sure it will make it but this cleaning needs to be done.
Even if the tank didn't have an encrusting sponge problem I like to do this about every 5 years anyway just to re aquascape and clean out the gravel over the UG filter which I will not be removing...Hopefully.
I cut the corals off the rocks and put them back in the tank. The rocks I removed, about 10lbs I scraped as much sponge off as I could and used a stainless steel brush on the really encrusted stuff. I didn't use fresh water so I didn't kill any microscope life. This is one piece.
That skinny piece is a DIY piece and I will have to bleach that as it was completely covered in sponge and it needs a bunch of repair anyway. Some of the cement fell off exposing the PVC and it bothers me so I will repair that.
All the "cleaned" rock I removed I have outside in a closed vat in the dark and cold. It will get into the 30s tonight so I hope that will kill most of the sponge. If that works, I will do it to all the sponge covered rock.
Now I will suck out the detritus in the gravel on that side of the tank using a diatom filter. I will try to do this a quarter of the tank at a time. Then when it is all finished, I will remove all the rock into big vats and immediately put it back in with a new aquascape because that can't be done piecemeal. Then I will glue back all the corals that are left as they will be removed and put temporarily held in a bucket.
Then I will change the water with mostly ASW to see if any of the remaining sponge spores die. Wish me luck.
In 3 weeks the tank will have lasted for 52 years. I am not 100% sure it will make it but this cleaning needs to be done.
Even if the tank didn't have an encrusting sponge problem I like to do this about every 5 years anyway just to re aquascape and clean out the gravel over the UG filter which I will not be removing...Hopefully.
Paul B
paul b
This is getting to be a lot of work. I have to get a 10 gallon tank for some of my corals that are encrusted with sponge because I can't get the corals off without killing them. I can remove as much visible sponge as I can and put it with the corals in a small tank with ASW in the hope that the ASW kills the sponge for lack of nutrients especially silicates.
If that doesn't kill the sponges in a week or two, I will have to cut those corals off and hope for the best.
If that doesn't kill the sponges in a week or two, I will have to cut those corals off and hope for the best.
Paul B
paul b
I now have about half of the rock out of my tank so I have vats all over the place. My fish are all looking for new homes and they are giving me dirty looks. The rock I cleaned pretty good will be going outside in sea water. It is very cold and dark in the hopes the sponge will die but not any of the other livestock in the rock.
Rocks with no sponge will just stay in my tank and I am not sure yet how I will deal with those.
The biggest piece of rock
This one as I was building it 5 years ago is covered in corals which I will have to "rip" off will be a problem because I can't lift it by myself so I am going to have to look for some help. That one will also go in the dark outside in seawater.
A weird thing about this is that this tank used to be loaded with bristle worms, especially under the sponge. With all this cleaning/scraping I have not found even one bristle worm. They are gone as are the snails and hermit crabs.
That sponge toxin is very selective in that it killed those things along with the SPS but the brittle stars, anemones, leather corals and fish are thriving like they like the stuff. Maybe it's like hot pepper to them and they like it.
One of my bottles. I think I have 9 of them in my tank.
Rocks with no sponge will just stay in my tank and I am not sure yet how I will deal with those.
The biggest piece of rock
This one as I was building it 5 years ago is covered in corals which I will have to "rip" off will be a problem because I can't lift it by myself so I am going to have to look for some help. That one will also go in the dark outside in seawater.
A weird thing about this is that this tank used to be loaded with bristle worms, especially under the sponge. With all this cleaning/scraping I have not found even one bristle worm. They are gone as are the snails and hermit crabs.
That sponge toxin is very selective in that it killed those things along with the SPS but the brittle stars, anemones, leather corals and fish are thriving like they like the stuff. Maybe it's like hot pepper to them and they like it.
One of my bottles. I think I have 9 of them in my tank.
Paul B
paul b
So far I have about 80 gallons of ASW mixed and I found and bought more large vats to hold water, fish, corals and rocks.
When I mix up about 50 more gallons of water and heat it up, I will remove about 20 gallons of water from my tank to put the fish in and remove another 20 gallons of water to rinse off my gravel. When there is about 8" of water left in the tank, I will stir it up vigorously turning the tank into essentially mud and siphon it out. Then I will use that 20 gallons I removed and dump it in there 5 gallons at a time and siphon that out.
I don't want to clean it to good because I have a pair of mandarins, 3 ruby red dragonettes, 2 bluestripe pipefish and 2 dragon faced pipes that all depend on pods..
I also won't clean all the algae off the back glass because thats where they hunt and I am not going to lift the UG filter plates. I am sure they will be hungry but I hope there is enough pods left for them. I am not cleaning the rocks with no sponge so they should be fine.
Then I will put most of the rock back in and the fish. Talk about stress.
When I mix up about 50 more gallons of water and heat it up, I will remove about 20 gallons of water from my tank to put the fish in and remove another 20 gallons of water to rinse off my gravel. When there is about 8" of water left in the tank, I will stir it up vigorously turning the tank into essentially mud and siphon it out. Then I will use that 20 gallons I removed and dump it in there 5 gallons at a time and siphon that out.
I don't want to clean it to good because I have a pair of mandarins, 3 ruby red dragonettes, 2 bluestripe pipefish and 2 dragon faced pipes that all depend on pods..
I also won't clean all the algae off the back glass because thats where they hunt and I am not going to lift the UG filter plates. I am sure they will be hungry but I hope there is enough pods left for them. I am not cleaning the rocks with no sponge so they should be fine.
Then I will put most of the rock back in and the fish. Talk about stress.
Paul B
paul b
So far I collected from my RO/DI almost 100 gallons of ASW. I got to say, collecting real water is so much easier.
To do that I get in my Jeep and back up to an ocean, In my case, the Atlantic.
I sit in my car and enjoy the sounds of the seagulls as I watch the fish jump.
I stroll to the back of my car and open the hatch, remove a bilge pump on the end of a 50' hose and throw it into the water.
I take the plug and insert it into my car's power outlet and gaze at the water going into one of the 10 gallon buckets I have.
After about 2 minutes, the water stops and I pull back the pump to clear the bowling ball size of ulva seaweed that is clogging the thing.
Throw it back into a different spot and look up and down the beach as I wait.
Off in the distance I see three beautiful Ladies walking in my direction. I live near the end of Long Island where a few Supermodels live so I figure one, or all of them are some of those wanting to come up to me to learn about reef tank husbandry, how I go about changing water, asking about quarantining, medicating or what is my favorite dance move.
As they get closer I notice they are elderly (but classy looking) Ladies who just want to know what kind of toxic waste I am dumping into the sea.
I explain my water change method and how natural sea water, IMO is better than ASW. How I go about cleaning it, heating it, and transferring it to my tank all the while as one of the Ladies, the least classy looking one is calling 911 to report a "Deviant" dumping used oil into the Atlantic.
To do that I get in my Jeep and back up to an ocean, In my case, the Atlantic.
I sit in my car and enjoy the sounds of the seagulls as I watch the fish jump.
I stroll to the back of my car and open the hatch, remove a bilge pump on the end of a 50' hose and throw it into the water.
I take the plug and insert it into my car's power outlet and gaze at the water going into one of the 10 gallon buckets I have.
After about 2 minutes, the water stops and I pull back the pump to clear the bowling ball size of ulva seaweed that is clogging the thing.
Throw it back into a different spot and look up and down the beach as I wait.
Off in the distance I see three beautiful Ladies walking in my direction. I live near the end of Long Island where a few Supermodels live so I figure one, or all of them are some of those wanting to come up to me to learn about reef tank husbandry, how I go about changing water, asking about quarantining, medicating or what is my favorite dance move.
As they get closer I notice they are elderly (but classy looking) Ladies who just want to know what kind of toxic waste I am dumping into the sea.
I explain my water change method and how natural sea water, IMO is better than ASW. How I go about cleaning it, heating it, and transferring it to my tank all the while as one of the Ladies, the least classy looking one is calling 911 to report a "Deviant" dumping used oil into the Atlantic.
Paul B
paul b
No one is crazy about paying taxes and I will also have to pay this year. I have no mortgage, no kids in school and no guardian angel that works for the IRS.
What I did in my last house to lessen my taxes was how I built my home. They charge you real estate taxes for anything "permanent" you add or put on your house. I installed a huge driveway using paver bricks but I put them on "tamped down" sand. If they are not cemented, they don't charge you because theoretically, if I move, I can take them with me as they are not a permanent part of the property.
I finished my basement and added another kitchen for parties and things. They charge you for extra kitchens and you also also not allowed to have a kitchen in the basement. Not in New York anyway so to get around that, I installed all the cabinets with sheets of velcro.
I also put on the countertop with that so none of it was permanent.
I had to get an inspection because I converted my furnace from oil to gas and the inspector noticed my kitchen. He said that is illegal.
I grabbed the counter top and pulled it off, then pulled a cabinet away from the wall.
He was amazed and said it was a great idea so I had no problem. Of course I disconnected the stove. But as long as it was disconnected while he was there, it was legal.
I also build a shed in my back yard adjacent to the house. If it is connected to the house or on a concrete slab they tax it. I built it on pavers and had it an inch from my brick house so it was not connected to the house. I never got taxed for it.
What I did in my last house to lessen my taxes was how I built my home. They charge you real estate taxes for anything "permanent" you add or put on your house. I installed a huge driveway using paver bricks but I put them on "tamped down" sand. If they are not cemented, they don't charge you because theoretically, if I move, I can take them with me as they are not a permanent part of the property.
I finished my basement and added another kitchen for parties and things. They charge you for extra kitchens and you also also not allowed to have a kitchen in the basement. Not in New York anyway so to get around that, I installed all the cabinets with sheets of velcro.
I also put on the countertop with that so none of it was permanent.
I had to get an inspection because I converted my furnace from oil to gas and the inspector noticed my kitchen. He said that is illegal.
I grabbed the counter top and pulled it off, then pulled a cabinet away from the wall.
He was amazed and said it was a great idea so I had no problem. Of course I disconnected the stove. But as long as it was disconnected while he was there, it was legal.
I also build a shed in my back yard adjacent to the house. If it is connected to the house or on a concrete slab they tax it. I built it on pavers and had it an inch from my brick house so it was not connected to the house. I never got taxed for it.
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