Above the Tavern with Parka!

[Parka]

Good afternoon, I have NOT Self Reported in a while and today will be no exception, I'm gonna Self Report myself when the time is right, Good Afternoon!

Today I will speak about algae. For example, almost every surface on the Posh Cleveland is quickly getting blanketed by the fuzzy green, EXCEPT the gravel, so therefore, I can NOT speak to that! Hey Sassafras , can you speak to that? And don't fret, I won't sing no more Love Songs to ya, darn it!

About that, it was YOU that sang the first line, all's I did was sing the second line, no biggie!
(sung to the tune of Paul Anka's, 'Having My Baby')

Here's my pictures, see for yourself! It seems like absolutely people serious in the hobby rave about sump filters more than other type. That fact alone keeps me interested but there is no way I could work one from underneath my tank, I just got my Clumsy Card renewed anyway. The idea of a big garbage can filter interests me too, but I have so much to figure out and learn, it feels almost overwhelming but in a welcome way... Kinda like, ah crap oh goody at the same time.



One friendly question: is algae growing inside the tank an option to keeping nitrate levels in check? I have 100 watts of LED grow lights above the tank. 12 hour light on, 12 off, It has been 3 weeks and one day since the Cleveland was stocked.


A few more





Good Afternoon, Monsters!

 

[Sassafras]

Sadly, I'm no algae expert. That does really does seem weird, not a speck of algae on the gravel, but on most everything else. It's definitely an algae that love high light. The top of Stonehenge looks thick! I know goldfish are constantly giving the substrate a going over looking for food, could they be keeping the algae off the gravel just by constantly turning it?

I've tried, but just can't think of a pop tune past or present with algae as the subject matter to keep our musical dialogue going. Found one song named "Algae Algae", but I can't understand a word.

 

[Parka]

"ALGAE ALGAE".... Sung to Tommy James and the Shondells, 'MONY MONY" Good Gall Dang thing I got me Juke Box up here Above the Tavern.

I made a delayed realization yesterday, I got WAY too many Koi and Goldfish for my system unless I'm okay doing 50% water changes maybe bi-weekly because it had been only 3 weeks and a couple days and I tested for nitrates and it looked to be in the 40 to 80 ppm range. However, I am not discouraged at all because I'm gonna start Copy Cattin some of the ideas of others and make them work for me, ALL MINE! (rotten snicker!)

Because me and Frass Sassington, Sassafras , he will keep me in the know with valuable info & advice, mostly because I need this advise, My Needs WILL be met in a timely manner!

I have a few more pics but still not worthy of a Self Report, one moment please. I also wanted to mention that Hill Billy Idol does a crappy cover of Alg, er um Mony Mony.

 

[Parka]

This is the danio that doesn't match the Giant Danios, can anybody ID it? I can't!




Here is my largest pictus catfish,



I think I need a refugium type filter, not a complete sump.

 

[deeda]

Parka , it looks like some species of Rainbowfish.

 

[Parka]

Parka , it looks like some species of Rainbowfish.

Thank you! The poor guy always hangs around with the Giant Danios but they all act like he doesn't even exist, he's kinda lonesome.

 

[Parka]

Good Evening Fine Monster People! I wanted to show off again, I took pics of the Posh Cleveland after its very first water change. I did the Heavy Duty Two Day water change though. Day 1, drain 70% out of Posh C, that same evening add 25% fresh new tap water, treated with de-chlor, Day 2, drain back down to 30% and fill. I was able to get the nitrates down to 10 to 20 ppm.

All my Koi and most of my goldfish are two years old now and 4 of my Koi are getting sizable! I'm concerned that I'm beginning to see health problems on about 3 of my smaller goldies, and they are all feeders. I will be separating the Koi and Goldfish this summer, after NYC is built, it won't be much longer until I start lopping lumber again, TIMBER!

Showing Off, Bragging and Boasting, while all similar, they are THREE different things! And the Humble Brag, while I respect the Humble Brag, It's just not for me. When I Brag, I prefer to go full-on Braggart with Vigor & Gusto. The Boaster, nobody likes a Boaster! Boasting is when the Braggart Brags the same three or four Brags each and every time at any occasion, I don't have anything to Boast about any ole way!



Pics with words:


This first pic, at the top with white tipped tail is Prince and he's just a feeder, one year old and he was a brown goldfish when I bought him. He also happens to be one of those few feeder Goldies that has that lump disease.

Now however, all of the Koi look like a million bucks, they grow fast and at the bottom center is Tammy Fae Baker, kinda charming with that smeared mascara!

That orange an white mottled Goldie to the right of Tammy, That's Easter Candy a Shebunkin and she is also about one year old.





The lil guy center right with the white head orange body, Topcat another 1 year old feeder. At the very bottom with mouth open, that is a two year old feeder named, Christmas Candy. He has three nice red spots on a white body.





When I bought Decoy, I thought I was buying a Shebunkin, hence the name! Decoy is the center near the top.



And the last pic is a look at Pi Rock at the Trunk!

 

[Sassafras]

Frass Sassington, Sassafras , he will keep me in the know with valuable info & advice,

Man! I only wish I was that good. Ya know, the only way to learn is to ask questions, but I sometimes feel sorry for people asking questions here, so many experts (genuine) and so many opinions, preferences and experiences. Makes sorting it all out tough.

Parka, you crack me up with your names, Tammy Fae Baker, Easter Candy, Decoy. Are you a Far Side / Gary Larson fan? Just askin, 'cause of the sense of humor that shows through.

 

[Parka]

Man! I only wish I was that good.

Well I got the basics understood and beyond that, you built your own sump, is this correct? Anybody with a sump filter is an expert to me, ESPECIALLY if they built it up themselves. To build one is to learn one inside out. All's I want is big refugium to grow plants and I guess all kinds of different very tiny critters. I'm all about the refugium now, but it has been hard to put a plan in action, mostly because I don't quite know exactly how to proceed. I have a 20 gallon long, and I have poor plumbing abilities... it's too frustrating and then My Inner Junkie shows up, things can Cray up on me!

The best way to count all my Swimmers is to name them! I have at least ten still unnamed, however, I have two main family Surnames, The Candy Family and The Milk Family, With all the typical names, John Candy, Cotton Candy, Candy Corn, Candice Corn, the Corn Family are first cousins, Goldie Hahn of course,

The Milk Family,
Whole, Half & Half, Skim, Sour and Butter, Milk Money, Milk Weed, Milky Way, Milk Dud, One Percent, just to name a few. For me it is nearly impossible for me NOT to name my Goldfish, they are Living Art to me, and I have pics with which to convince! About Gary Larson, I'm not particularly Well Read with the classics like, The Far Side, Dilbert and the like... I was more into the Beetle Bailey and Hi & Lois scene. Plus, Larson's drawings always kinda depressed me a tiny bit, all gloomy and grey... and so I wouldn't even look!


Look at the view of Posh C!


A bit closer for another look.



We are getting closer.


Up Close, Good Night!

 

[Sassafras]

That is a LOT of fish! Well, I missed badly on the Far Side guess. I still say your sense of humor comes from somewhere in the Side family. Side Kick, Back Side, Side Swipe or maybe Side Ways.

I'm thinking that the easiest bio, plant, refugium-type filter from a plumbing standpoint would be an overhead job. Basically a tray or shallow tank mounted just above the tank with part, or all, of it planted, maybe in some hydroponic expanded clay pellets, seed it with some critters, shrimp maybe. Those plants would suck up the nitrates like crazy. All you would need plumbing-wise would be a submersible pump in the tank pumping water up into the filter. The water would flow through to the other end and gravity flow out an exit hole or pipe back into the tank. This would present very little risk of overflow since any overflow would go back into the tank. Plumbing would be a hose or PVC pipe from the pump to the filter. Of course, you'd need a good plant light mounted over the filter. Whatcha think?