What are you doing today?

[GaryE]

I finished up my TFF travel journal, and expect to finish resetting the fishroom today. Then it's back into the groove of everyday life. The fish I brought back need to grow before I can work on breeding them, but they'll keep me amused as they go along. It's almost time to start the tomatoes for my summer garden.

 

[Back in the fold]

I guess I just did my good deed for the month. but I lied a bit. A guy in my apartments that I consider to be a friend mentioned the other day that his dinner was a cut up raw potato with salt just to fill his gut. That just does not work for me as I can pretty much afford to buy any food I want.

The lie comes in from my telling him that I messed up on my last Omaha Steaks order and ended up with too much of some items and asked if he could use. I offered him a few items including a nice pork chop, stuffed chicken breast, burger patty and a plain chicken breast and he accepted with a slew of thanks.

I also talked to a couple of other friends in the apartments and the guy now has rides any time needed to go to the food bank and other resources to help him out.

Since this guy is a bit proud I was worried that he might be offended by my offers of help but he took it well and accepted.

It is just not in me to eat well while knowing a neighbor down the hall is going to bed hungry. Just not something I can do.

My food offer is not a solution nor is the transportation I arranged. Still it is a start for a potential solution.

That was beautiful Man ! That’s one of the reasons we’re on this Earth , to help our fellow men . You did what you could and what you did was awesome .

 

[jaylach]

Just an update on my trying to help the hungry neighbor. I can't transport him to resource as I no longer drive but he now has three transportation sources to get to where is needed.

He also now has two others that plan to pick up a few extra items when they shop for groceries to just leave at his door. I could make it three helpers as there is a woman in the apartments that visits all the free food places weekly but won't mention to her the situation. Would be a good resource but she has the bad habit of wanting to control other's lives. Just not going to subject the guy to this ..... female dog ..... Actually this woman tried to tell me how I needed to act and what was acceptable when I moved in over 13 years ago. LOL! I just told her that my life was mine and her life was hers and they had nothing to do with each other. Funny thing is that, after putting down her interference, we actually get along pretty well.

I just follow a few life rules.

• The only person I MUST please is myself. If I can please and like who I am pleasing another is usually easy. If I don't like myself, pleasing another is impossible.
• I will handle my responsibilities in an adult manner and deal with situations as an adult. Yet I refuse to grow up! When you 'grow up' the child within dies. You MUST keep the child within alive and active. It is the child within yourself that fuels the interest and curiosity that is is needed to expand on who you are.
• I could not care less as to what someone says about me. If true it makes me no more or less than I am by being said. If not true it just does not matter and is excluded from how I live.

OK, I live a bit of an unusual life style but I like who I am.

 

[emeraldking]

Just finished labeling for the small fish containers which are needed for this coming Sunday. Then we'll have the Twentse Aqua Terra Beurs. That's an aquaterra fair. So, I only have to worry about catching all those fish on Saturday. It's always a question which fish I'm gonna bring along. It's my policy not to bring specimens of all livebearer species I breed. If I would do bring them, then there's no surprise anymore. And it does trigger the curiosity of people even more if I hold some back.

 

[GaryE]

My trip to the heat and humidity in Benin taught me an important life lesson - age is not just a state of mind. The blazing sun and mugginess absolutely mugged me. I really am questioning my strength and resilience, and I know the answer to that question.
Never surrender.
So I'm taking half hearted measures. I've never been a gym guy - I hate those places. But I have an exercise bike and it's now in the fishroom. I plunk it in front of a tank and I watch the fish for 45 minutes a day. I refuse to be tempted by my usual endless "Hmm, I could adjust that or change this" fishroom thinking. I don't stop, and I've broken through the boredom barrier.
It's actually weirdly enjoyable.
In effect, I'm being chased by death and disability, and they aren't going to catch me yet if I can help it. The bike (leading to real outdoor biking when it warms up), some light weight lifting routines, stretching... I used to keep myself in shape to be able to play my favourite sports, and dropped the ball once I dropped the ball. I lost my motivation. Fear of not being able to do new things is a great push.

All you 25 year olds can cruise along, but the old geezers like me need to get wheezing. I find going to collect not well known fish in not well known to us places very stimulating, but I also know I couldn't do this before I retired. I couldn't retire until I was relatively used up. So I have the free time to collect fish in the wild because I'm old, but because I'm old I have to compensate for age. Makes sense to me, in context.

I'm enjoying the fish watching. I move the bike to a different tank every day. It seems the dwarf Cichlids are once again the most interesting group to observe, while the killies and Characins get the prize for nicest to look at, but not necessarily for 45 minutes...

 

[gwand]

My trip to the heat and humidity in Benin taught me an important life lesson - age is not just a state of mind. The blazing sun and mugginess absolutely mugged me. I really am questioning my strength and resilience, and I know the answer to that question.
Never surrender.
So I'm taking half hearted measures. I've never been a gym guy - I hate those places. But I have an exercise bike and it's now in the fishroom. I plunk it in front of a tank and I watch the fish for 45 minutes a day. I refuse to be tempted by my usual endless "Hmm, I could adjust that or change this" fishroom thinking. I don't stop, and I've broken through the boredom barrier.
It's actually weirdly enjoyable.
In effect, I'm being chased by death and disability, and they aren't going to catch me yet if I can help it. The bike (leading to real outdoor biking when it warms up), some light weight lifting routines, stretching... I used to keep myself in shape to be able to play my favourite sports, and dropped the ball once I dropped the ball. I lost my motivation. Fear of not being able to do new things is a great push.

All you 25 year olds can cruise along, but the old geezers like me need to get wheezing. I find going to collect not well known fish in not well known to us places very stimulating, but I also know I couldn't do this before I retired. I couldn't retire until I was relatively used up. So I have the free time to collect fish in the wild because I'm old, but because I'm old I have to compensate for age. Makes sense to me, in context.

I'm enjoying the fish watching. I move the bike to a different tank every day. It seems the dwarf Cichlids are once again the most interesting group to observe, while the killies and Characins get the prize for nicest to look at, but not necessarily for 45 minutes...

Hook your bike wheel to the air pump and you can pedal in place of electricity.

 

[Back in the fold]

My trip to the heat and humidity in Benin taught me an important life lesson - age is not just a state of mind. The blazing sun and mugginess absolutely mugged me. I really am questioning my strength and resilience, and I know the answer to that question.
Never surrender.
So I'm taking half hearted measures. I've never been a gym guy - I hate those places. But I have an exercise bike and it's now in the fishroom. I plunk it in front of a tank and I watch the fish for 45 minutes a day. I refuse to be tempted by my usual endless "Hmm, I could adjust that or change this" fishroom thinking. I don't stop, and I've broken through the boredom barrier.
It's actually weirdly enjoyable.
In effect, I'm being chased by death and disability, and they aren't going to catch me yet if I can help it. The bike (leading to real outdoor biking when it warms up), some light weight lifting routines, stretching... I used to keep myself in shape to be able to play my favourite sports, and dropped the ball once I dropped the ball. I lost my motivation. Fear of not being able to do new things is a great push.

All you 25 year olds can cruise along, but the old geezers like me need to get wheezing. I find going to collect not well known fish in not well known to us places very stimulating, but I also know I couldn't do this before I retired. I couldn't retire until I was relatively used up. So I have the free time to collect fish in the wild because I'm old, but because I'm old I have to compensate for age. Makes sense to me, in context.

I'm enjoying the fish watching. I move the bike to a different tank every day. It seems the dwarf Cichlids are once again the most interesting group to observe, while the killies and Characins get the prize for nicest to look at, but not necessarily for 45 minutes...

It’s tough getting older . The human organism naturally ages and slowly deteriorates whether we like it or not . I try to stay in shape by running , walking , yoga and riding my bike . Something I’ve realized recently is that all I can do is slightly delay the inevitable deterioration of the organism . It’s going to happen . My runs are good some days and not so great other days . In yoga I have days where I feel like I’m becoming more fluid but most days I feel like a dried up piece of old leather that will crack before it bends . Walking is the most enjoyable thing because I’m going slower and my mind relaxes . That is very important ! A relaxed mind without stress or worry staves off a lot of things . The halcyon days of youth are gone and so is the strength and vigor but if I can still muster up the strength to get out there and do something I think that’s enough . I may not be strong or fast but I’m still out there . A lot of guys aren’t . Last week I saw a woman pushing another woman in a wheelchair out enjoying the day and neither of them looked much older than me . That gave me pause and I count my blessings .

 

[jaylach]

Personally I rather enjoy getting older, I'm 71. When you stop getting older they plant you 6 feet under.

 

[GaryE]

Yeah, getting older is good. Nothing I do will make me 25 again, but one thing we do learn is that just being fit isn't good enough for rougher situations. There, we have to be very fit or at least more fit. Or at the very least we can try... Even Chuck Norris bit the dust, and no one's ever made memes about my physical toughness.
I walk all over the place, am not overweight and have plenty of energy for everyday stuff. But beyond everyday stuff, I'm taking @gwand 's sage advice from a while back to work out. You lose muscle mass as you age, and if you don't use it, you lose it. Fast.

This from a guy who hates gyms and has never really worried about being athletic. That's no longer the goal - being able to do what I want (within reason) is the new goal. Some of us have to fight a "rearguard" battle...

 

[jaylach]

Actually, at 71, I consider myself blessed. While I DO have minor aches and pains now and then it isn't often and I take zero prescription drugs.

 

[MattW]

I'm losing passion with my big tank. I have now lost one of the Giraffe loaches, along with another one that has white marks behind the head and clamped fins (probably not long left). Another Rummynose is showing symptoms of previous fish that have died. I've probably done 50 water changes along with 4 courses of medication in the last month and a half, and clearly it isn't working. I'm thinking of just letting this tank ride out what's to come, and if eventually I end up with no fish, taking it down altogether.

 

[GaryE]

I'm losing passion with my big tank. I have now lost one of the Giraffe loaches, along with another one that has white marks behind the head and clamped fins (probably not long left). Another Rummynose is showing symptoms of previous fish that have died. I've probably done 50 water changes along with 4 courses of medication in the last month and a half, and clearly it isn't working. I'm thinking of just letting this tank ride out what's to come, and if eventually I end up with no fish, taking it down altogether.

Sometimes in a tank relationship, we go through rough patches. It sounds like one of the weird and not so wonderful pathogens that circulate may have gotten in. As usual, if you don't know what it is, it's impossible to treat. That's extremely discouraging. We'd like to be able to blame ourselves as we'd then be able to fix what we did wrong, but all too often the answer lies with not using quarantine procedures. Not everyone is in a situation where quarantine tanks are possible, and we get hit.
I don't know much about Asian fish diseases, but there is another possibility. You may have no disease, but rather a parasite there. Have you tried treating for Oodinium? I doubt that's your attacker, but I'll take a guess it'll be one of that parasite's close relatives. Back of the head, clamped fins...
Many of them photosynthesize, so lights out and meds based on acriflavine or copper can be effective.

 

[MattW]

Sometimes in a tank relationship, we go through rough patches. It sounds like one of the weird and not so wonderful pathogens that circulate may have gotten in. As usual, if you don't know what it is, it's impossible to treat. That's extremely discouraging. We'd like to be able to blame ourselves as we'd then be able to fix what we did wrong, but all too often the answer lies with not using quarantine procedures. Not everyone is in a situation where quarantine tanks are possible, and we get hit.
I don't know much about Asian fish diseases, but there is another possibility. You may have no disease, but rather a parasite there. Have you tried treating for Oodinium? I doubt that's your attacker, but I'll take a guess it'll be one of that parasite's close relatives. Back of the head, clamped fins...
Many of them photosynthesize, so lights out and meds based on acriflavine or copper can be effective.

Thanks for the info

I think the worst part about this tank's current situation is all the money and time I've spent on it and its inhabitants.. Of all the fish I bred myself, only 3 remain, along with the wallet-burning loaches. As for the white marks, do you reckon it could be something similar to Oodinium? There is a medication called Esha Exit that claims to treat it

 

[GaryE]

Turn off the tank lights and shine a strong light behind the head and along the spine. If you see texture, you've got it.

In the pre water change era, meds for 'velvet' were everywhere fish were. It can live in softwater tanks and not cause much trouble, and it used to hit my hardwater fish as the water aged and got dirty. But if it's there, it can thrive in stress. It could have come in from a pet store and taken its time to build up.

I have to be careful with some of my killie species, as it can show up. It's almost as if the hobby has amnesia about this parasite that was once seen to be as common as ich. It has become rarer as we change water more.

About 10 years ago I lost a lot of livebearers to a related parasite that was a different colour than velvet usually is (it stayed white with no rusty tones). It was tougher to handle and quicker to kill, but I eventually eradicated it with darkness and meds. I used a lot of methelyne blue to darken things beyond what common sense would dictate.

 

[MattW]

Welp as I was trying to find the loach in question I found a dead rummynose.. I did eventually find the loach frantically swimming up the back wall with that white mark looking bigger than the other day.