New Addition To The Family, WOOHOO!!!

[Coastal Redneck]

HaHa, I'm fairly certain the fish were all stoned... even Nitro the Betta was acting mellow, off in one corner and trippin' hard, LOL. "SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE CHEM-WRECK FRIEND!!!" But in all seriousness, the lack of nitrifying bacteria at the outset was the real problem. You should see the tank now, I put a long air bubbler bar under the gravel at the back of the aquarium, and I added a second (superior) filter, a Fluval number with choice filtration, adjustable too so I can dial it back at feeding time, LOL. The fish are all loving life with the new setup, haven't lost any more of my little finned friends since I lost those first four. Boy, these survivors are lively too, maybe the bubbler ratchets up the activity or something. Whoa, Wheelie the Dalmatian Molly actually likes being where the action is, near the bubbles and the new filter waterfall... like the fish is taking a shower under the outlet fall, LOL.

Ah, here's Stroker, searching for loose flakes o' fish food in the gravel... and the Redline Crew, all swimming together in close formation. I had to disrupt the tank again while making things right, but I fed the fish once the tank settled down a bit. The water looks good now, nice and clear the way it should be. Wow, a lot of these fish seem to like swimming right through the air bubbles along the back wall of the tank. I'm not really sure what that means, but I guess they're okay with the bubbler, LOL. Oh, yeah, I've decided to change the names of the two Plecos: The Muppets are cool, but I feel that the names Bert & Ernie are NOT sufficiently dignified for these two algae eaters. I'm busting out the Norse Mythology: henceforth, the two Plecos shall be called THOR & LOKI, LOL. Of course, Thor is the larger of the two, 10??? Uh-oh, Nitro is chasing the Vegas Hooker... I've never seen all the fish this lively.

Well, anyway, I gotta go pull out the monkeybike and make sure everything is good for tomorrow's ride. It's hard to leave the tank, these little fish are so funny, each has his or her own personality, LOL. Overall, they seem to be doing alright. I can hear Rodney King now: "CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG???" LOL. Reminds me of that old joke about the LAPD... they changed their motto from "To Protect And Serve" to "We'll Treat You Like A King!!!" LOL. Damn. Okay, I guess it's time to get crackin' on the bike, I have dinner to cook later, boneless chicken marinated in pineapple rings & juice all day, going into the oven with the rings and some heller BBQ sauce on top, WOOHOO!!! Should be a good dinner with some flavored rice or shells & cheese and a custom salad on the side. Gotta fortify myself for tomorrow's ride, LOL, it's gonna be a good one. Alright, I'm outta here, color me gone, I'll post up those cat shots later, maybe tomorrow if I get caught up tonight. ADIOS!!!

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Well, Boyz, as usual I have good news and bad news... though some may consider the bad news to be good news, LOL. You see, Paris Hilton didn't make it, I found her stuck in one filter intake in the tank, despite the fact that I checked and adjusted the PH level yesterday. Couldn't give ol' Paris a decent Christian burial in the back yard either, not at zero-dark-freakin'-thirty... so she took an all-expense-paid cruise down the Mexican Riviera (i.e., she got flushed down the porcelain throne). Hard on Paris, but she had her day... "NE-E-E-EXXTT!!!" Damn, I'm beginning to believe I'm no good at this aquarium business, though the remaining fish seem to be doing okay, even Thor the Cowardly Plecostomus exited his hiding place and swam a few laps around the tank. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, I have two filters cranked, an air bubbler bar, I added some material to each filter that supposedly cleans up the tank and eliminates odors, the whole nine yards. One thing I DID do recently, and I reckon it wasn't a good idea---it may in fact be the cause of Paris Hilton's death---I stirred up the gravel at the bottom of the tank to release the food flakes stuck down there, 10??? Maybe I'm also adding too much food to the tank, I don't know. Had I known what a monumental PITA this whole aquarium business would be, I NEVER would've wasted the goddam money, that's for sure. Looks like a Sea World career is out of the question: Shamu would promptly go belly up in his tank, AYE??? Hard to bring in the cash cow visitors when there's a bloated corpse floating in the tank... no tricks either, except perhaps "ROLL OVER!!!" Damn, that's just wrong, LOL. Anyway, here are a few pics of the cat-and-aquarium scene, some of them as murky as the goddam water in the tank, pffffft. Good Lord, I've done everything I can to make things right, but I reckon I just don't have the knack for aquariums, nor the bloody patience. Meh, the good news is that as more fish die, there will be less waste in the aquarium, right? I'm hoping that's how it works, and I'll probably wind up with Nitro and Stroker as the last hardy survivors... they seem to be hanging tough despite every obstacle or setback. Alright, here we go with the pics, it's almost time for this kid to hit the ol' rack again, since I have chauffeur duty today. I only include the dark photos so y'all can see the cats checking out the tank, LOL.



















Alright, I'm outta here, I still hafta get on the iPad for a moment and tell those Crusty Australian Demons O' Dirt that I posted the ride pics here, and that I'll post 'em at their website later, after a big ol' nap, LOL. ADIOS, MUCHACHOS!!!

 

[Adam-NLV]

Cool! That's one of the fun things about having a trop-fish aquarium. I still have my Dragon Castle that was in my tank. It looked cool in the black light :19:
View attachment 26549

Some of my fish would get sucked against the filter too, I put a piece of fine screen plastic mesh around the intake so the smaller fish could swim away from the suction.

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Maybe I should try that, just to prevent the rest of the smaller fish from winding up in the filter intake... perhaps Paris was already toast before she ran up on the filter, but there's no need to let the smaller fish die in the same manner, if the filter is indeed capable of holding them against their will.

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Hmm, the dozen survivors all seem to be lively enough in the aquarium, but the miserable water is now slightly cloudy again, and it has only been two or three days since I changed the water... maybe purified or distilled water is NOT the way to go with this aquarium. I don't get it, I have two filters operating at max settings, the air bubbler bar going off, extra material to treat the water, etc., and the water STILL goes cloudy in record time. I guess my next move is to siphon off about half the tank water, then replace it with treated tap water... I didn't use tap water earlier because the tap water round here is kinda CHUNKY, if ya gets my drift. Probably all that Gubmint KoolAid added by the Obama Administration to keep citizens sedated: "Everything is fine... Obama is the best president ever... your kids and grandkids all have bright futures..." PFFFFFFT. No tellin' what would show up in the water, once the Democrats got wind of Donald Trump's presence in the tank... Republicans too, the sorry-@$$ jackholes, Trump needs to go independent and distance himself from all of those career scumbag politicians and corporate marionettes, that way he'd win in a landslide, and to heck with the party trash. Anyway, here's a list of the dozen survivors, currently nicknamed "THE DIRTY DOZEN" due to the cloudy aspect of the water in the tank:

Donald Trump the Wag-Tailed Platy (?)

Nitro the Betta

Stroker the Bala Shark

The entire Redline Crew (five Neon Tetras)

Thor the Cowardly Plecostomus, hiding in the DinoCroc skull and NOT living up to the storied history of his Viking ancestors

Ratchet the Guppy, hanging tough since his introduction to the tank (renamed, one of The Three Stooges at the outset)

Wheelie the Dalmatian Molly, surprisingly hardy

The Vegas Hooker, a Black-Skirted Tetra, who is also surprisingly tough

These are the twelve survivors of this ridiculous aquatic venture... I should've bought a new aluminum swingarm and pipe for my bike instead of wasting money on this B.S. If this water clarity issue keeps rearing its ugly head, I'll DONATE the tank and all surviving fish to someone who has the patience to deal with this aquarium scene. My friend Tommy, he'll know of some kids (and parents) who'll take the tank off my hands. But first, I'll give the water one more shot, using tap water instead of wasting $1 per gallon on purified or distilled water... maybe that chunky funk will actually work better in this tank, who knows??? The moment I see Clinton posters & banners waving in there, due to the high levels of Gubmint KoolAid, I'll DROP-KICK the tank and its brainwashed occupants like I'm STARRIN' in the NFL, 10-4??? And good riddance, I'm still kicking myself for not buying the swingarm and pipe instead.

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Just an update on the aquarium: the twelve survivors are still alive and doing well, but I've had to change the water every week, if not more often, and I'm wondering if perhaps I'm over-feeding the fish? These filters are pretty cheesy, even this Fluval filter touted by the hand at Petco... maybe I shouldn't place that additional bag of filter material atop the other three Fluval elements? When the water is clear, the aquarium is great, but it seems to go cloudy after a few days, no matter what I add to it. I reckon that Obamanomic Gubmint KoolAid in the tap water is worse than I thought: it clouds everything in record time, LOL. Oh, well, maybe I can visit Sea World and surreptitiously "borrow" a filter from Shamu's tank... the filter will be two hundred times the size of the tank in my room, so large that it'll hafta be trucked in by flatbed, 10-4??? I could probably build a better filter than the two I already have, just by purchasing an industrial water pump and some big marine diesel filters, PFFFFFFT. Fish will get hydroblasted by a jet stronger than a fire hose, LOL. Blow the miserable tank sides clean out like an armor-piercing round... problem solved. :thumb:

Well, Boyz, I was gonna go monkeybiking today, and I might still go, but the goldurned weather is turning hot & humid again. Question is, will I man up and soldier on, or will I take the easy (coward's) way out and simply remain here at the ol' hacienda? Lord knows I have enough to do right here on this property, but it smacks of malingering... in the Infantry, "butter bars" & unmotivated troops get FRAGGED for this sorta thing. A REAL MONKEYBIKER would ride in triple-digit heat with the humidity at 110%, LOL. Then again, some cold beer straight from the fridge doesn't sound bad, especially if I drink that beer while ORDERING A NEW EXHAUST PIPE & BILLET ALUMINUM SWINGARM, WAHOOOO!!! I could order those X Trac tires and a separate set of wheels at the same time, so I'll be ready for the dunes this winter. Does that count as monkeybiking, the ordering of parts which will vastly improve performance??? Damn, I sound like a freakin' Viagra ad, LOL. Meh, maybe I'll just do that, instead of schlepping the bike through all that rising heat & humidity. I could also go sailing, but the crowds here have been utterly ridiculous; I can't wait for Indian Summer, what we call "Locals' Summer" in this overcrowded seaside ghetto. :tsk:

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Whoooowheeeeeee... it is HOT out there!!! I'm ready to crawl into the fish tank to cool off, 10-4??? Maybe get myself one of those floating pool chairs, complete with insulated cup holder for my beer. I can't imagine being over in Phoenix, AZ, right now, or in Las Vegas, NV... must be scorching hot in those areas, if it's this hot down on the coast. East County here in Dago is sweltering in the heat, and the humidity isn't helping, either. Good thing I did NOT go monkeybiking today, it would've been a suicide mission, LOL. Alright, I'm back to my 4-speed industrial fan, maybe a movie and a cold beer (my first, go figure), it's just too darned hot to do anything outside. Got a lot done this morning, so it's all good, I just gotta ride out the hottest part of the day... I must be getting older, because this sort of heat never used to affect me, even with the humidity. Meh, it'll all be the same in a hundred years... HASTA LUEGO, MONKEYBIKING HEROES!!!

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Bad news, Boyz... one of the Redline Crew twisted his last throttle & redlined his final tachometer last night. I found him stuck against the filter intake this morning, the same way Paris Hilton was stuck after she croaked. Poor little Neon Tetra, he only had a few short weeks to live in this aquatic death trap. I'm really beginning to think that I'm no good at this aquarium business, despite taking many precautions and doing my best to offer a comfortable home for these surviving fish... which aren't really surviving, but dying off one by one like characters in a cheap B-grade Sal U. Lloyd horror flick. I wonder if Nitro the Betta did it? If I catch him wearing a freakin' hockey goalie's mask, I'm gonna arrest him for murder, or at least manslaughter (make that fishslaughter, LOL). Meh, I reckon it's about time I ask my friend Tommy if he knows anyone who'd like a fish tank... I'm not really big on watching critters die, and I don't really know what else to do. That Obamanomic Gubmint KoolAid in the tap water is probably the real culprit... hard to digest, 10-4??? Lord help the fish if another Bush or Clinton scumbag gets into the Oval Office, the fish will all be dead within a week, no doubt. The price of fuel will also rise, another useless and expensive foreign war will begin, the overall quality of life will drop even further, etc., etc., but those are merely side issues, of no consequence to the dead fish. With John Q. Public, a.k.a. Mr. Taxpayer, those side issues will be---dare I say it?---a different kettle of fish altogether, LOL. Damn, I need to log out and get some coffee in my system, the clutch in my brain is slipping, AYE??? It's almost feeding time at the zoo anyway, maybe the cats will have a bit o' fresh fish today with their morning meal... maybe I give this Redline Crew member a decent Christian burial out back, he was a good fish while he lasted (sob). I don't think he deserves an all-expense-paid trip down the Mexican Riviera (i.e. to get flushed down the cr@pper), I reckon I'll give him a decent burial, maybe play a little music as I perform this task. What kind of music would be appropriate? Johnny Cash? Willie Nelson? Marty Robbins? Wait, I have it!!! "SHARK ATTACK" by The Surf Punks, LOL. Damn, I'm dating myself by even mentioning that song... gotta quit doing that, there's no future in it. Alright, youse monkeybiking heroes, I'm off to Java (up), gonna be another hot day here according to weather forecasters, gotta drink my coffee early, 10-4??? ADIOS!!!

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Holy Moly, Sweet Cannoli, We Gots Another Addition To The Family, WAHOO!!!

Alright, Boyz, y'all know I've not had much success with this aquarium business, so today, despite the current heat wave which is breaking records across the freakin' county, I decided to man up and take on another animal cohabitant, just to put the fish deaths behind me, 10-4??? Coincidentally, NBC 7 and various animal shelters countywide (and in adjoining counties) were holding a "Clear The Shelters" adoption event, where all adoption fees are waived for the day in an effort to clear the shelters. Well, I visited four different shelters today, all of them jam-packed with good folks looking to adopt a pet (or pets), and I gotta tell ya, it did my heart good to see those folks... blasted all stereotypes too, with people of every color acting in a responsible fashion. These were the hard-working and responsible ethnics, as opposed to the other kind, AYE???

Anyway, I scored a killer dog for home protection on those days when I'm away, monkeybiking or sailing for the duration, and possibly overnight on camping trips to the mountains & desert. I wanted a Dachshund that was in the same shelter, but the little guy had two "holds" on him, so my chances of adopting him were slight, whereas the little guy I ultimately chose was good to go, except for the part where he gets neutered before I bring him home, LOL. The shelters here generally don't release animals to new owners unless the animals are fixed, you understand. A wise policy, I reckon: I'm one of those old school local guys who thinks the breeding of small animals should be outlawed until all shelters are entirely cleared, or said animal breeding limited with steep fees involved for the breeders themselves. That sort of policy would go a long way toward reducing jail sentences for innocent critters.

The dog I chose is a two-year-old Chihuahua in prime health, kind of a desert sand color, a real champion in demeanor, and sweet as horchata in disposition, LOL (I just made up that line). Little dude is super cool, yet he's a firebrand when it comes to defending property, I can already tell. The upcoming surgery shouldn't diminish his defensive qualities too much, and might actually help when he meets the cats for the first time. He might get beaten up by Sage & Wingnut in his first few days here at the ol' hacienda, but I think he'll work out in the long run. His shelter name is PACO, but I'm gonna call him TACO, because that's how much meat he has on his bones, enough to make a taco, LOL. Well, maybe a thin burrito, but "Burrito" doesn't rhyme with "Paco" and I wanna keep things simple, in accordance with the KISS principle: "Keep It Simple, Stupid!!!" :16:

Y'all be good, talk to ya later, I'm outta here, color me gone, ADIOS!!!

 

[Adam-NLV]

Alright, Boyz, y'all know I've not had much success with this aquarium business, so today, despite the current heat wave which is breaking records across the freakin' county, I decided to man up and take on another animal cohabitant, just to put the fish deaths behind me, 10-4??? Coincidentally, NBC 7 and various animal shelters countywide (and in adjoining counties) were holding a "Clear The Shelters" adoption event, where all adoption fees are waived for the day in an effort to clear the shelters. Well, I visited four different shelters today, all of them jam-packed with good folks looking to adopt a pet (or pets), and I gotta tell ya, it did my heart good to see those folks... blasted all stereotypes too, with people of every color acting in a responsible fashion. These were the hard-working and responsible ethnics, as opposed to the other kind, AYE???

Anyway, I scored a killer dog for home protection on those days when I'm away, monkeybiking or sailing for the duration, and possibly overnight on camping trips to the mountains & desert. I wanted a Dachshund that was in the same shelter, but the little guy had two "holds" on him, so my chances of adopting him were slight, whereas the little guy I ultimately chose was good to go, except for the part where he gets neutered before I bring him home, LOL. The shelters here generally don't release animals to new owners unless the animals are fixed, you understand. A wise policy, I reckon: I'm one of those old school local guys who thinks the breeding of small animals should be outlawed until all shelters are entirely cleared, or said animal breeding limited with steep fees involved for the breeders themselves. That sort of policy would go a long way toward reducing jail sentences for innocent critters.

The dog I chose is a two-year-old Chihuahua in prime health, kind of a desert sand color, a real champion in demeanor, and sweet as horchata in disposition, LOL (I just made up that line). Little dude is super cool, yet he's a firebrand when it comes to defending property, I can already tell. The upcoming surgery shouldn't diminish his defensive qualities too much, and might actually help when he meets the cats for the first time. He might get beaten up by Sage & Wingnut in his first few days here at the ol' hacienda, but I think he'll work out in the long run. His shelter name is PACO, but I'm gonna call him TACO, because that's how much meat he has on his bones, enough to make a taco, LOL. Well, maybe a thin burrito, but "Burrito" doesn't rhyme with "Paco" and I wanna keep things simple, in accordance with the KISS principle: "Keep It Simple, Stupid!!!" :16:

Y'all be good, talk to ya later, I'm outta here, color me gone, ADIOS!!!

Awesome & Right-On for adopting a pooch from the shelter! I have a 'chipin'. It's part Chihuahua and part mini Doberman. It's a great watch dog and will let you know if somethings out there. Here's Leo posing in front of my 1975 MG.

BTW: the temp out here will hit 112F today and it feels like it! :19:Got some CT70 parts bakin in the sun, no doubt.

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Ah, what a cool little dog... we only adopt rescue animals here, or adopt 'em off Craigslist, which saves a trip to the pound for the critters. Only way to go, in my estimation, and this "Clear The Shelters" event sponsored by NBC 7 is a good thing, though I'm not big on corporate media. All fees waived, including Taco's upcoming neuter surgery ("Yikes!!!"), which will be performed sometime in the next few days. The shelter folks said I could pick him up Thursday, but I'm hoping that changes and I can pick him up sooner, or one day later, because the Sweetwater Valley game in the Little League World Series is on that very day, at the very hour appointed by shelter staff (1600 hours, Pacific Time). I'd like to watch that game and root for the local team, LOL, those kids played well against the Hawaiians last night.

I wrote a post earlier about the Series, but I guess it didn't make it. Does the kids credit too, because I'm not a big baseball fan... I reckon Little League is the purest form of baseball, and that's all there is to it. The last thing I wanna see is some overpaid Cubans & Puerto Ricans on television, LOL. And look at Rivers, who is set to make a guaranteed $65 MILLION in a 4-year contract, and possibly up to $85 million... he's not worth it either, just one more reason why I never bother to attend games anymore, I'm already payin' for cable anyway, and I can't get into any trouble here at the ol' hacienda, LOL. Last thing I need is more false charges or a DUI, 10-4???

To return to the dog scene, these dog days of summer are really dragging out this time around, eh? The weather maps on TV make it look like the entire West is on fire... and some of it actually is, with poor folks losing their homes in raging wildfires up north. Jeez, this whole climate change deal just gets uglier and uglier... I heard we're in for HEAVY RAINS this winter too, courtesy of El Nino. The darned ocean temp is right around 70 degrees as I key this message, might as well be bathwater. Doesn't bode well for our flat roof sections this winter, if those heavy rains actually materialize; I believe I'll throw down some more elastomeric coating in the interim, that product is excellent, a real lifesaver for owners of flat roofs. What did Mr. C at Truckforum.Org always say?

"YOU DON'T HAFTA BE STUPID TO BUILD A FLAT ROOF, BUT IT HELPS..."

LOL. Funny guy, Mr. C, and a builder too, so he knows the form when it comes to the flat roof scene. Moi, I'll be GLAD to never again live in a house with flat roof sections. They might work in the Sahara Desert, but if you have any rainfall whatsoever, you know those flat roof sections are gonna eventually leak, that's just the way they are. First they get bowed, then water collects or "ponds" (pools) on top, and that water will eventually work its way through the roof if not swept away. That's another job o' mine here at the ol' hacienda, sweeping the flat roof sections in hurricane weather, LOL. The roof isn't worth replacing, since the house will be sold as a teardown anyway... it's all about the DIRT here in Coronado, not the house atop the dirt, and we own this little patch o' dirt, which happens to be in a PRIME LOCATION. I helped pay for it too, so I'll be sure to take my cut once this whole scene folds.

Well, I think I'm ready for another cold shower, I took three yesterday to combat the heat, but this will only be my second today, since I haven't been quite as active as I usually am. I'm tellin' ya, I'll be glad when this miserable summer ends, I never thought I'd hear myself say that, but it has been a real bear. The good news is that me beloved elderly mum is doing well despite the heat, I'm big on seeing that she gets plenty of fluids to drink (lots of water, juice, and lemonade), and a fan to keep her cool during peak hours of the day. Heck, I'm not even drinking beer in this hot weather, though there are PLENTY o' bottles in the fridge: Longneck Buds and Guinness Draught, the latter WAY TOO HEAVY in this sorta heat, though it's LIGHT for Guinness, LOL. Good thing I didn't buy the Extra Stout the other day, 10-4??? The Bud is light enough to drink once it cools down, so I might have one after my cold shower. I think I've taken more cold showers in the past few weeks than I've ever taken before in my entire life, go figure. Alright, I'm outta here, I'll post pics of TACO DE PERRO once he's established himself here at the ol' hacienda... good-looking little dog, this Taco, I reckon he'll work out well in the grand scheme of things.

ADIOS, AMIGO!!! TIME FOR THE "KALTDUSCHEN" SHOWER, NO ZYKLON-B OR ZYKLON-D REQUIRED, 10-4???

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Dang, these fish are so comical... I cleaned the tank today and changed the water, and the little guys are now all lively, putting on a show for me and Dixie, who is sprawled directly in front of the aquarium and taking swipes at passing fish through the glass, LOL. She's a funny tortie cat, Ol' Dixie, usually pretty mellow for her advanced age, but she likes to ogle the fish and dream little cat seafood dreams, LOL. The fish are darting around like nobody's business, but I've noticed one little aquatic conflict going on today: Ratchet the Guppy keeps hounding Donald Trump the Wag-Tailed Platy like a goddam Liberal Democrat & Epic Darwin Failure, not to mention an illegal alien activist & "refugee resettlement" scammer, LOL. "The Donald" is holding his own, no worries, but the conflict is ongoing. If it keeps up, Ratchet may be tossed into the Koi Pond in Balboa Park, to fend for himself as Nature may see fit, AYE??? Gettin' a little tired of HIS kind, don'tcha know??? Along with a whole heap of other citizens & taxpayers, LOL.

Whoa, now Little Wing is lying in front of the fish tank, swatting at the glass as the fish swim past, LOL. He's got a small popcorn nug o' chronic under his head too, I should really take a picture of the little varmint... can't wait to see how he gets along with TACO DE PERRO, that little macho dawg. All in good time, I suppose. Well, time to CRANK the UB40 as I chillax with the critters here at the ol' hacienda... thick pork chops & apple sauce for dinner tonight, with a side dish and perhaps a green salad. Should be pretty tasty, and once TACO is here, he can help me clean the plates, LOL. Nothing like a little Mexican Vulture to help clean plates prior to my doing the dishes... another routine chore here. I do all the cooking & cleaning here, and much more, but at least we mack hard, and we're not in that one-third segment of the American population that is morbidly obese, not with our metabolisms like freakin' F-18s, LOL. Alright, time to visit the other site and see what's happening, I'm outta here, color me gone, ADIOS, MONKEYBIKING HEROES!!!

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Well, more bad news on the aquarium front... all five Neon Tetras in "The Redline Crew" are now officially toast, though a couple showed signs of being nipped or gnawed on by other fish. I suspect Nitro the Betta of this gnawing, but it could've been one or two of the others. Reminds me of that "CLUE" game, where Colonel Mustard whacks the hapless victim with a rope in the library, LOL. On the plus side, I just changed the water and it's nice and clear, I added some "aquarium salt" to the usual list of cr@p I toss into the water with every change... hmm, I wonder if that aquarium salt killed the Neon Tetras? I DID throw a tablespoon of the salt into the freshwater tank as the instructions said, a day or two BEFORE I cleaned the tank and changed the water. I also figured out that the "Water Clarifier" works best right after water changes, instead of later in the cycle when the water starts getting funky. Right now the water looks good, the remaining fish are all lively except for Thor the Cowardly Plecostomus, who is hiding in his usual spot inside the DinoCroc skull... no worries, he looked healthy enough when I rousted him during the water change. Too bad "The Redline Crew" didn't make it, but the tank and its surviving occupants might be better off with less fish in there... I'm beginning to think I put too many fish in the tank at the outset of this venture, these 10-gallon tanks are pretty small when ya get right down to it. Here's a list of the survivors, who all seem to be hanging tough, darting around in lively fashion:

Nitro the Betta

Stroker the Bala Shark

Wheelie the Dalmatian Molly

Donald Trump the Wag-Tailed Platy

Ratchet the Guppy

Vegas Hooker the Black-Skirted Tetra

Thor the Cowardly Plecostomus

Damn, I had 18 fish early on, now I'm down to 7... like I said, a career at Sea World is NOT in the cards. I may wind up donating the tank to an interested youngster & parents, my friend Tommy said he has already asked a few prospective new owners, but I want to make sure the tank goes to somebody really motivated to take care of the fish and the tank itself. Whoa, as I sit here in front of the aquarium, keying this message and watching the fish dart around, I'm seeing a lot of aggression from Wheelie the Dalmatian Molly, the critter is going off like some crackerhead in armed robbery mode, with assault & battery thrown in for good measure. Perhaps Wheelie is the true culprit, not Colonel Mustard... I'll grill the bastard with Gestapo techniques and wring a confession out of him:

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, I KILLED THE NEON TETRAS!!! AND THE OTHER FISH TOO!!! I DID IT FOR THE FISH FLAKES!!!"

Damn. Uh-oh, time to get going, I have a mission to Dago and it's another freakin' scorcher today, I don't really wanna go but it has to be done, LOL. I'm off, HASTA LUEGO, you MONKEYBIKING CABALLEROS!!!

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Well, this electric motor for the Fluval 20 Filter looks as if it's toast... cheap p.o.s., I'll never buy another, what did this one last, a month??? Pffffft... rip-off wanks. I'm actually trying to donate the aquarium to an interested party, and I need to ratchet that whole program up and get rid of this tank, it has NOT been a success and I just can't be bothered with it. I clean the entire aquarium BIG-TIME, it still stinks... f#% this, if I want to smell funk, I'll go down to the bay at low tide, aye??? I like my room to smell sparkling clean and fresh, not all funky like some behind-the-scenes b.s. at Sea World. The idea of keeping an aquarium was attractive, but I didn't have a clue about how much work was involved, and I plan on doing a lot of sailing and monkeybiking here shortly, so something has to give... guess I should ask a few more people if they want the tank, fish, and whatever supplies are left, I'm just not cut out for this program. In the future, I'll buy all my fish from the Seafood Dept. down at the goddam grocery store, 10-4??? Or off the menu at the seafood restaurant of my choice. Meh, like Dirty Harry said, "A GOOD MAN ALWAYS KNOWS HIS LIMITATIONS." One of my limitations is that, no matter how hard I try, I can't keep an aquarium sparkling clean for $h!t. Another one of my limitations is that I'm not the most patient man on earth, LOL. To heck with it, I'll donate the whole works to somebody with the knack, then stick to sailing and monkeybiking. If I ever get hired at Sea World, all the critters in that joint will be dead within a week, floating belly-up in filthy tanks... and that's AFTER I clean the tanks & filters three times a day, pfffffft. Naaaah, I think I'll just embrace the reality and move on, I'm clearly NOT cut out for fish-keeping, and that's all there is to it. I gave it my best shot, now the whole scene has become an additional chore I don't really need, so I'll cut my losses and boost my efforts to donate the tank, fish, etc. Alright, I'm done here, time to get cracking on some other tasks, ADIOS, MONKEYBIKING HEROES!!!

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Okay, youse monkeybiking heroes, I have a confession to make. After my little rant this morning, what did I do? I went out and bought a monster filter for the goddam aquarium, because I'm not about to be defeated by a miserable Chinese Walmart tank, LOL. Too stubborn or too stupid, possibly a bit of both, LOL. I even bought a filter for our tap in the kitchen, but we needed another one of those anyway, they come in handy for the pets, making ice, etc., etc. WTF, when I'm hung over I often drink tap water, and it tastes WAY BETTER after it has been filtered: the tap water here is notoriously CHUNKY, you understand. I reckon the aquarium may stay cleaner longer if I start with filtered tap water, then treat it as I normally do with the requisite chemicals. By God, I'll see this water crystal clear yet, THEN I'll donate the tank, because that's the sort of stubborn b@stard that I am, LOL.

I was gonna toss the F/U Fluval Filter into the recycling bin, but I decided to clean it one last time and save it, just in case I ever meet another aquarium hand who needs it for parts or whatever. I can tell this aquarium business is gonna turn out just like monkeybiking, with a big ol' box or bin of spare parts and accessories in storage on the side, LOL. Meh, the fish are happy, and I even bought a new type of food for 'em, the kind made into floating granules... between the air bubbler and the two filters (huge new filter & original internal tank filter), the granules are really hopping, and the damned fish are chasing those granules all over the tank. I'll probably wind up giving the fish a mix of granules and flakes for food, the finned critters seem to like chasing these granules all over creation. Getting their exercise, no doubt, they sure are lively as I key this message, LOL.

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that several of the fish have shown marked growth since I bought 'em: Wheelie the Dalmatian Molly is twice his/her original size, Nitro the Betta and Stroker the Bala Shark are at least 1 1/2 times their original size, Thor the Cowardly Plecostomus has added at least an inch, maybe more to his length, even Donald Trump the Wag-Tailed Platy and the Vegas Hooker (Black-Skirted Tetra) have grown, the only one who looks the same is Ratchet the Guppy. Maybe Guppies only get so big, and that's it... no more, zip, zero, zilch, nada. Oh, well, looks like I'll be doing the aquarium thing a bit longer, I don't like playing the quitter. In a way, it reminds me of monkeybiking: "BY GOD, I'LL GET THE HANG OF IT YET, EVEN IF I GO BANKRUPT DOING IT!!!" LOL. Alright, Monkeybiking Heroes & Crusty Mini Demons O' Dirt, this is where I sign off and go watch the news, having my wallet emptied today just wasn't enough, I need some more abuse in the form of liberal media, 10-4??? LOL.

 

[Coastal Redneck]

Hmm... water looks crystal clear, fish are lively, I must be doing something right for a change, LOL.