Above the Tavern with Parka!

[Parka]

Your idea of an in-ground pond liner pond sounds great. you could hold the liner down with rocks, plant the edges and make it look so natural!

Well it will be a project for another day, or season, I have to get after that next tank build before any other projects. Here's a couple pics of the roadway I built. I'm all tired again! This activity that I've bean performing, even pacing myself, it can be physically taxing! My muscles aren't sore but my gristle and tendons might be sore... Even with all that time off during the rainy days, I was a bit sluggish 'hind the Shovel, today,, On my Silver Power Wheels. Gonna get me some rest, eat some French Toast for breakfast! With Cobby and strawberries....Good Night!

 

[Parka]

Hi, me again! Parka Self Reporting!

1. I still have sore gristle and that's why not so much has been getting done, Gristle Issues! My Inner Junkie has all kinds of different 'remedies', according to him and they all involve a puff of this, a snort of that, but I believe i just need more gristle naps, an outdoor gristle nap, that would be ideal!

2. Anyway, I'm still scratchin away out there, I'm tiering tI removed he sloped ground so that I can hopefully drive the Silver Power Wheels all the way to the stream.

3. I removed all the fish from the Akron and now I'm seeing tiny fry in the Akron... Wow! I'm hoping they might be those Giant Danio fry.

4. The Water Lettuce both in the outdoor pool and in the Chicago, it is growing and trying to spread and it packed tight almost, pretty fun to deal with!

5. I want to Chatter more often! I have plenty to chat about and A Good Time Shan't be Denied under my watch, Good Afternoon!

 

[Sassafras]

I have a 330 gallon tank that is overrun with java moss. I'll probably have to catch everything out (major pain) and bleach the whole tank to get rid of it. However, one of the positives is that I have had all sorts of baby fish show up and grow up with so much cover in which to hide. Corys, several tetra species, angelfish, dwarf cichlids, etc. Pretty cool!

Pond site looks good, lots of work. Have any friends with a backhoe? If you're going the liner construction route, you could have a good, deep pond with ease.

 

[Parka]

I have a 330 gallon tank that is overrun with java moss

I would like to try some Java Moss, I've had a bunch, way too many, different kinds of aquatic plants that just don't take, so I'm happy to find a variety that all do well. After reading your post I removed ALL the Water Lettuce from the left half of Chicago because it was blocking too much light for the Jungle Val, Sword plants and that shorter stuff, maybe Cryptocorn?

Earlier this year, all those same plants were covered in that hair algae and so I turned the lights down, algae left, light increased again and that Jungle Val, i bet it will grow like crazy now that it has unimpeded light.

one of the positives is that I have had all sorts of baby fish show up

Yeah, that is really cool! When I noticed the fry in the Akron, I need to let those small fry grow before I add them to the Mighty Chicago. I have a gang of baby Giant Danios, they don't have the coloring yet but otherwise these fry look like tiny versions of the adult Giant Danio.
I have more Water Lettuce than needed and soon I plan to remove a whole lot more from Chicago, the entire right half of The Chicago is under an extreme Water Lettuce Alert!




Good Night!

 

[Parka]

I was finally getting the Akron more empty, All the fish had been removed except the five Pictus Catfish and I did catch one in the net and it was a disaster. I had to cut the net and the catfish got beat up pretty bad. I did drop him into the very healthy waters of the Mighty Chicago and we are hoping for a full recovery.

To catch the last four Pictus remaining in the Akron, I will try to trap them in a wide mouth container, and move them that way. I used to catch Bullhead cats the exact same way, in the shallow swamp was an old water heater tank and every time, I would drag it on the land and pour it out and every time, a Bullhead would come out! Pictus and Bullheads act very similar...

here are pics of an injured Pictus due to owner issues, I DO have Sore Gristle Issues! It takes a LOT of rest to fix sore gristle...

 

[Parka]

I got the last 4 Pictus cats removed by nearly draining the Akron and I was easily able to scoop up each catfish with my bare hands and move them that way.

Now the one Pictus that has net stuck to his fins, it seems to be okay but it will need to be trapped or caught again and that net material needs be removed.

If I hadn't got the surprise of Giant Danio fry in the Akron, I would be ready to move it in with Cleveland & Chicago. I'm pretty sure the Pictus were eating some of those fry, as soon as they get a little bigger, the fry, they will go in the Mighty Chicago.

And I finally removed ALL the circulation pumps from Chicago. I love what the circulation pumps do, they are very effective, however, certain smaller animals, loaches in particular, these pumps kill too many smaller fish. Water Movement. It is a MUST! We have probably all had a tank at one time or another, with areas of debris sorta collected in a corner. Not only is it unsightly but it is also unhealthy as in Stagnant Water. Water movement will cause the debris to move and move through a filter, another form of water movement.

I plan on trying to use a 40 watt air pump to move the Healthy Waters of the Mighty Chicago and it is penciled in for today!

And lastly, My Silver Power Wheels, it's my Go-To work vehicle, well it has sore gristle too, the batteries are Dead as Dead Ass Donkey!

I can't do my Digging without my Work Vehicle, Errybody knows that!

Good Afternoon, Monsters, Dummies & Friends!

 

[Parka]

Hi! I have a few pics, I have been sorta busy with stuff, we got 2 Mini Schnauzer puppies yesterday and so I have to be ready for some new routines, but I still have to feed my fish!

The first pic is the new air pump for Chicago. This one is 40 watts and it came with an 8-way gang valve and so I have 8 big fat airstones pretty much evenly spaced along the back of Chicago and it creates what seems like an abundance of water movement but w/o any wave action. The top of the water is roiling across the length of the tank and I am very pleased. These pumps, they remind me of small Honda engines, they tend to run hot and it well advised to run a small fan at these pumps. If they get hot, they get loud and by keeping them cool they will last longer too.



Notice the water movement!



The design of my undergravel filters, using a bed of lava rock with reverse flow, and then using pre-filters in front of the pump, the pre-filters do a very good job at mechanical filtration and in use with decent water movement, I get pristine water every time.



And this last picture, This is the Haunted Used Car Dealership! Happy Halloween, Monsters!

 

[Parka]

Hi Monsters! I just have three pics to show off & brag about, nothing you haven't already seen or heard... But I plan to put a new 'spin' on it, to make it seem new & exciting!

I put a plastic pot over the top of the outdoor pool filter because the sprinkler head would spray too much stray water away and that pot very effectively contains the over-spray. And I still have not set up the new pool, I will get after it soon.


This next picture is of the Pictus Cats Patrolling the Mighty Chicago!


And now the Posh Cleveland, I did that thing again where I pulled a bunch of Water Lettuce from the pool, trimmed the roots and put it in the tank with the hopes of the plants using up nitrate so I might not need to water change... as often. It is working BIG TIME in the outdoor pool. The sun is why. My opinion. The Sun makes the plants grow much better than my lights.

It's working in the Chicago also, the nitrate level in Chicago, it looks about 5ppm or so, and the outdoor pool looks like it has ZERO NITRATES! And the fish load is much larger in the pool so yeah, I like it! I got a whole bunch of Java Moss, and I put it in the Cleveland for now. It is a dark green and I like the look of it, the contrasting texture and color of this plant compared to my other plants, I like the look of it.


Okay, see ya later! Good AFTERNOON!

 

[Sassafras]

Looking good. Nothing like sunshine! Too bad you'll run out of "season" soon. But......cold weather may push you over to the New York project!

 

[Parka]

Looking good. Nothing like sunshine! Too bad you'll run out of "season" soon. But......cold weather may push you over to the New York project!

Are you able to use sun light on any of your tanks? Also, that next project, it will take place, the timing keeps get held up, once I get started, I will be almost Finished!

I also have a pair of new puppies to take care of, mini schnauzers, everybody loves puppies!