This Thread is going to be my documented history of what I am currently designing and building and it's going to take time - lots of time - as you will begin to understand as you read on. No Design Specifications will be provided for anything critical to the aquarium design and likewise, no photographs of anything (except the warm up projects) will be uploaded until such time as patent rights are secured for the DIY Custom Aquarium. My design will be an aquarium industry GAME CHANGER!
Recent and not so recent history:
I survived a massive stroke on Aug 20th, 2015 in Virginia Beach, Va. and was taken to Sentara Leigh Hospital in Norfolk and was left with 60% Left-side paralysis which included no functional use of my left hand and arm and limited use of my left leg with my left ankle acting like little more than a ball joint. Sentara Hospital Corporation responded to the life-threatening emergency with their ambulance and rushed me to the nearest hospital about two miles away and treated me in the ER before moving me to the ICU where I remained for a week before being moved to Sentara's Stroke Rehab Facility where I was told I would remain until I completed the program and could care for myself. All of my fish were being taken care of by a friend who would feed them every few days to keep them alive while I was gone.
I completed the Stroke Rehab program in the first week of October and was then informed by the staff that they weren't going to release me due to liability reasons because I was "living-single". I then asked them a very poignant question, "Are you telling me that charging me $3,315 per week isn't a liability issue when I lost my job and for all intent am unemployable?
Their response was ludicrous considering the chain of events that happened shortly thereafter. " Oh, don't worry about that. Medicare and Medicaid will cover that."
(FLASHBACK) While I was in stroke Rehab, a patient advocacy representative from Chamberlin Edmonds interviewed me while I was sitting in a wheelchair and informed me that they were going to submit appeals to patient charity groups to help cover my medical bills.
I went into desperation mode upon being informed that I would not be released and reached out to all of my brothers and sisters and my sister in Newport, North Carolina answered the call. She was retired after serving 20+ years in the United States Marine Corps and was divorced due to the shenanigans of her Ex which permitted her to receive their 3-BR home under a takeover payments provision. Her son was married and established a home in Raleigh for his family, and her daughter was off to college. One house! One boyfriend! Two Spare Bedrooms! PERFECT!!! What could possibly go wrong?
My Sister had answered the call even knowing how difficult the forthcoming move was going to be because she knew I had fish tanks and lots of fish. She also knew it was my lifelong hobby since I was 11 yrs old. She took a few days off from work since her retirement income left little spending money after the monthly mortgage and bills were paid and her job was a must have if she wanted any real spending money.
(Musical Vehicles) My Sister drove her SUV to Raleigh and picked up her son before continuing the 3 1/2 hour trip to Norfolk. She rented the U-Haul and they drove both vehicles to my apartment and parked the U-Haul. Then they drove to the Stroke Rehab facility to secure my release. Next stop Home Depot for Ten 5-Gallon Buckets with lids. Next stop my apartment where I began breaking down my tanks while they loaded what little furniture I had along with the rest of my belongings into the 19' U-Haul. Thankfully, I already owned a 1200W Inverter, a Whisper 300 Air Pump, a 50' Extension Cord, and had plenty of extra air hose on hand and just about all of it got put to use. The inverter was plugged into the cigarette lighter. The Extension Cord was fed through the passenger window and Duct Taped to the bottom side of the U-Haul and routed into the Storage area and the air pump was plugged in and all airlines were run to their respective air stones in each bucket before turning the inverter on. Then the U-Haul and her SUV go to Newport where her boyfriend is waiting to help unload. The U-Haul gets unloaded and turned in and she drives her son home while her boyfriend and I finish setting up one Std 75-Gallon Tank and one Std 40-Gallon Breeder Tank in my room.
(The actual Breakdown) Two Std 75-Gallon Tanks, One Std 40-Gallon Breeder Tank, One Std 29-Gallon Tank, Two Std 10-Gallon Tanks, Two Std 5-Gallon Tanks, One LARGE Cannister filter with built in UV Sterilization, Sponge filters, Charcoal, Food, Test Kits, Nets, (you know the deal)... everything that was anything fishkeeping wise.
In addition to the tanks that were broken down, Two brand new Std 75-Gallon Tanks, Three brand new Std 40-Gallon Breeder Tanks, and Four brand new 10-Gallon Tanks. I was planning on going into business with my Electric Blue Jack Dempsey and any time Tanks went on sale. I jumped on them, especially the Std 75-Gallon Tanks and Std 40-Gallon Breder Tanks that went on sale at Care-A-Lot Pet Supply on Diamond Springs Road in Virginia Beach when they advertised their once annual A DOLLAR-A-GALLON Sales!
When we arrived at her home in Newport, Her boyfriend was waiting to help unload everything into the two-car garage while still leaving barely enough room for her SUV.
About the third week of November, I received a letter in the mail from the Norfolk Disability Determination Services office informing me that I have to attend a physical IN NORFOLK on December 23rd in order to determine my level of disability after the stroke. I called the number provided and spoke to a Mrs Goodman (in name only!) and asked her if she knew where I was even though I thought it a rather stupid question SINCE SHE MAILED THE LETTER TO ME! She responded, "Yes. You're in North Carolina." I then asked, "Do you know where in North Carolina?" and she said, "Yes. You're in Newport" I then asked, "And do you have any idea where Newport is and she said "No". I then said, "Ma'am, I know North Carolina is only a twenty minute drive from Norfolk, but I'm on the other side of the state almost to the South Carolina border! I don't have a driver's license anymore because the North Carolina DMV took one look at my cane and refused to transfer my Virginia Driver's License and only issued me a State ID. My Sister is barely making ends meet and will not take a day off from work to drive me to Norfolk, wait for me, and then drive me home because it's 3 1/2 hours ONE WAY! My sister will not lend me her car and I cannot rent a car because I don't have a Driver's License!
Her response - "Oh, I'm sorry. I'll contact the local DDS and have your physical scheduled locally and cancel your appointment here." I received a letter from the local DDS in the first week of December and it instructed me to attend a physical in Morehead City on December 28th, but little did I know this had nothing to do with Mrs Goodman. Because my Sister's money was tight, she told me she could put a roof over my head, but that I would have to apply for disability services to support myself as quickly as possible. I was discharged on Saturday, Oct 24th and the first stops on Monday Morning were the SSA office where I applied for both SSA disability and Food Stamps. The letter I received and physical I was scheduled for was in response to these applications!
I missed my physical in Norfolk because it was never cancelled! Because I missed my physical, there was no paperwork submitted to the Norfolk DDS office with the results of the physical. Because there was no paperwork, the Norfolk DDS determined that my level of disability was ZERO PERCENT! Because the recorded level of my disability was ZERO PERCENT; Medicare, Medicaid, and Chamberlin Edmonds determined that I was INELIGIBLE FOR ANY FINANCIAL AID!
I attended the physical in Morehead City on December 28th and was determine to have 60% Left Side paralysis. This determination was sent to the Morehead City DDS office and I was approved for aid with a date of approval listed as January 29th. The most Medicare and Medicaid could backdate it for providing a beginning coverage period was 90 Days, AND 90 DAYS COVERED NOT ONE DAY OF MY REHAB OR ICU OR EMERGENCY ROOM VISIT!
Famous last words! "Don't worry. Medicare and Medicaid will cover it.
My stroke was in August 2015, My release from Stroke Rehab was in October 2015. In March 2016, my brother informed me about a little known safety net that the Veteran's Administration has called a Non-Service-Connected-Disability Retirement Pension and asked if I qualified for it. It requires that the former service member (if under the age of 65) has a disability which prevents them from gainful employment or seeking employment, or earns an annual income below the Federally established poverty level, AND was Honorably Discharged, AND served at least one day of Active Duty during Congressionally recognized Wartime. My answers... Yes, Yes, and Yes! I went to the VA the next day and applied. In June 2016, I was approved and received a sum of money that was backdated to January 31st - the date that my disability level was approved and established for governmental records. I immediately paid my sister back for the nearly $500 she had already spent in helping me and began the process of seeking rental assistance in addition to looking for a place of my own.
In mid 2017, I applied for Housing assistance and four months later was approved by HUD for receipt of aid and a temporary voucher was issued which gave me 90 days to find an apartment before the voucher expired or I would have to reapply for aid and wait up to another six months for approval. I found a place and when I went to the initial meeting, the onsite manager for the apartment complex took one look at me and said, "Ive seen you before. you're the guy that lives across the street from me with Kim. My daughter and her son used to lay out on her driveway on a comforter and watch the stars every summer and I was hoping they'd get married but he fell in love with someone else. The interview went extremely well until she said one thing.
"I talk to Kim from time to time because of the relationship our children had. You have fish tanks, don't you? The limit here is one 2-Gallon tank. Will that be a problem?" I only had three weeks left on my voucher and so I bit the bullet and said, "No"
The small four-room efficiency apartment was unfurnished. My lease was approved with an effective starting date of November 1st, 2017. I purchased a Dining Set from Amazon.com and it was stored at my sister's house until my move in Date of December 3rd which corresponded with the delivery and installation of a Washer & Dryer, a 2 Cubic Ft Microwave with all the bells and whistles, and a Vacuum Cleaner. My lifelong hobby was gone!
Anyway, it's been a few years since then. In the many months (years actually) after my move in, I kept working my way around the apartment with the steady income coming in. I purchased a Leick Furniture 60" wide Cherry Chocolate Corner TV Stand/Entertainment Center and an LG OLED65C9PUA Smart TV, a Hydeline Dual Reclining Loveseat in Burgundy Top-Grain Leather, a Leick Cherry Chocolate Coffee Table, Two End Tables, and a Prevue Hendryx F050 Flight Cage for Java Sparrows to help keep my sanity.
I've been sleeping on a VERY COMFORTABLE Heavy-Duty XL Hunter's Cot with two 4" thick Memory Foam Pads and determined that it was finally time to start thinking about a real Bedroom Set, so I started window shopping and contacting the different manufacturers.
"You can purchase ANY of our product line with ANY wood of your choice, and finished with ANY finish you want."
THEY ALL LIED!!!
The minute I said I wanted (their closest product to this) "a Solid wood (no veneers) Queen-Sized Dark Walnut Bedroom Set with the Bed, Two 7' tall, 12" deep, Bookshelves (one 42" wide and the other 48" wide), A 8-Drawer Dresser with mirror (three top, three middle, two bottom), and two Nightstands ; and said I wanted a Tung Oil finish with 8 to 10 applications, THEY ALL SAID NO! I said I'd pay the extra no matter the cost! THEY ALL STILL SAID NO!
I've been here for over 7 years and not one person has come to actually visit and the birds aren't exactly companions. The Covid Quarantine period had no effect on me! I had Woodshop in 7th grade, 8th grade, 9th grade, and 10th grade. I know how to build things albeit, my skills are rusty. I know what I want in a bedroom set. IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DONE RIGHT, YOU HAVE TO DO IT YOURSELF!
My entryway closet now contains my Compact Efficiency Woodshop! And what doesn't fit there is inthe Water Heater and Circuit Breaker Panel Closet on the far end of my small patio.
One each unless otherwise specified:
Entryway Closet:
x2 WORX Pegasus folding workbenches
WORX Sidekick Table
DeWalt Compact Table Saw
Assortment of blades with differing teeth counts for different materials
Table Saw Feather board
Table Saw thin slat cutting jig with anti kickback bearing wheels (ratcheted - one way) to lock in the T channel
Dremel 4300 64-piece Kit
Dremel Workstation Drill Press - for the little stuff and for precision pilot holes
Rockler Drill Guide - my heavy-duty Drill Press
Palm Router with an assortment of bits
Corded Orbital Sander
Caliper Sets
Carpenter's Square
Levels
Centering Jigs
24", 36", and 52" Edge clamps with built-in measurements (similar to circular saw Clamping Track Guides but much narrower and shorter)
More Clamps than you can shake a stick at! (I need clamps to compensate for only one good hand)
Panel Clamps Kits for making my own panel clamps (just need to attach them to wood or metal Superstruts
Cabinet Clamps for squaring shelves, corners, etc.
Water Heater/Storage Closet:
Vevor Locking Heavy-duty Planer Stand with center storage shelf
Vevor 2500lb capacity Off-feed roller 26"-52" (heavy as "F", but the only one I could find that can be set up, adjusted, and broken down for storage with the use of only one hand)
Oliver 13" Benchtop Planer with the Byrd Shelix Helical Cutterhead (can handle a max stock thicknes of 6" which means it can also be used as a jointer to prep my boards for making panels)
1100lb capacity Electric Hoist which attaches to my 6' tall (when folded) Safety Step-Ladder for lifting my table saw onto the work benches
And MORE CLAMPS!
My bedroom has a stack of unpacked boxes against one wall. I have to build one bookshelf to unpack about half of them. One bookshelf and a storage cabinet with doors (more like a short wide deep wardrobe without a hangar rod) for small bins on shelves to unpack the rest and make room for storing the bed and dresser parts before assembling them
Once I'm done with the bedroom set, I start on my Custom Aquarium Cabinet, but to give you a little head's up and get you thinking. It'll be within the limitations of my lease (BARELY - 19.9 Gallons for just the tank), and I'm calling it a Twenty-Gallon Show-Tank Extreme. It'll have 14.58% more front viewing area than that of a Std 40-Gallon Breeder tank and 58.56% more water surface area (counting the filter) than a Std 90-Gallon Tank.
And these are my intended stocking lists - Inhabitants first, Plants Second, Water parameters amicable to both Third:
FISH & CRUSTACEANS:
6 Threadfin Rainbowfish
6 Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish
2 Hillstream Loaches
2 Golden Bristlenose Pleco (1 Male, 1 Female)
2 Zebra Pleco (1 Male, 1 Female)
3 Albino Corydoras
4 Emperor Gudgeons (2 Male, 2 Female)
4 Peacock Gudgeons (2 Male, 2 Female)
2 Pelvicachromis Pulcher (1 Male, 1 Female)
10 Amano Shrimp (should be safe from over-predation from Kribensis in particular due to extremely dense plantings and especially the surface matt of Riccia)
PLANTS:
H'ra Red Rotala Rrotundifolia
Anubias Barteri
Bucephalandra Kedagang Red
Anubias Nana Petite
Eleocharis Parvula Dwarf Hairgrass
Java Moss
Micranthemum Monte Carlo
Spiky Moss Taxiphyllum
Staurogyne Repens
Microsorum Java Fern
Tiger Lotus Lily Nymphae Lotus
Riccia Fluitans
Lobelia Cardinalis
Cabomba Caroliniana
Madagascar Aponogeton
Aponogeton Crispus
Micro Sword Lilaeopsis Novaezelandiae
REQUIRED WATER PARAMETERS TO MEET ALL NEEDS (Fish vs Plants):
Temperature: F = 75-79°F vs P = 72-82°F
pH: F = 6.5-7.5 vs P = 6.5 to 7.5
Hardness: F = 5-12 dKH vs P = 2-12 dKH
GH: 6-15
Slight adjustments will be made to trigger selected species for breeding purposes while staying within tolerable limits for all.
I will answer some questions but will not disclose anything that could interfere withmy intelectual property rights for filing the patents, but I have one question for you!
Recent and not so recent history:
I survived a massive stroke on Aug 20th, 2015 in Virginia Beach, Va. and was taken to Sentara Leigh Hospital in Norfolk and was left with 60% Left-side paralysis which included no functional use of my left hand and arm and limited use of my left leg with my left ankle acting like little more than a ball joint. Sentara Hospital Corporation responded to the life-threatening emergency with their ambulance and rushed me to the nearest hospital about two miles away and treated me in the ER before moving me to the ICU where I remained for a week before being moved to Sentara's Stroke Rehab Facility where I was told I would remain until I completed the program and could care for myself. All of my fish were being taken care of by a friend who would feed them every few days to keep them alive while I was gone.
I completed the Stroke Rehab program in the first week of October and was then informed by the staff that they weren't going to release me due to liability reasons because I was "living-single". I then asked them a very poignant question, "Are you telling me that charging me $3,315 per week isn't a liability issue when I lost my job and for all intent am unemployable?
Their response was ludicrous considering the chain of events that happened shortly thereafter. " Oh, don't worry about that. Medicare and Medicaid will cover that."
(FLASHBACK) While I was in stroke Rehab, a patient advocacy representative from Chamberlin Edmonds interviewed me while I was sitting in a wheelchair and informed me that they were going to submit appeals to patient charity groups to help cover my medical bills.
I went into desperation mode upon being informed that I would not be released and reached out to all of my brothers and sisters and my sister in Newport, North Carolina answered the call. She was retired after serving 20+ years in the United States Marine Corps and was divorced due to the shenanigans of her Ex which permitted her to receive their 3-BR home under a takeover payments provision. Her son was married and established a home in Raleigh for his family, and her daughter was off to college. One house! One boyfriend! Two Spare Bedrooms! PERFECT!!! What could possibly go wrong?
My Sister had answered the call even knowing how difficult the forthcoming move was going to be because she knew I had fish tanks and lots of fish. She also knew it was my lifelong hobby since I was 11 yrs old. She took a few days off from work since her retirement income left little spending money after the monthly mortgage and bills were paid and her job was a must have if she wanted any real spending money.
(Musical Vehicles) My Sister drove her SUV to Raleigh and picked up her son before continuing the 3 1/2 hour trip to Norfolk. She rented the U-Haul and they drove both vehicles to my apartment and parked the U-Haul. Then they drove to the Stroke Rehab facility to secure my release. Next stop Home Depot for Ten 5-Gallon Buckets with lids. Next stop my apartment where I began breaking down my tanks while they loaded what little furniture I had along with the rest of my belongings into the 19' U-Haul. Thankfully, I already owned a 1200W Inverter, a Whisper 300 Air Pump, a 50' Extension Cord, and had plenty of extra air hose on hand and just about all of it got put to use. The inverter was plugged into the cigarette lighter. The Extension Cord was fed through the passenger window and Duct Taped to the bottom side of the U-Haul and routed into the Storage area and the air pump was plugged in and all airlines were run to their respective air stones in each bucket before turning the inverter on. Then the U-Haul and her SUV go to Newport where her boyfriend is waiting to help unload. The U-Haul gets unloaded and turned in and she drives her son home while her boyfriend and I finish setting up one Std 75-Gallon Tank and one Std 40-Gallon Breeder Tank in my room.
(The actual Breakdown) Two Std 75-Gallon Tanks, One Std 40-Gallon Breeder Tank, One Std 29-Gallon Tank, Two Std 10-Gallon Tanks, Two Std 5-Gallon Tanks, One LARGE Cannister filter with built in UV Sterilization, Sponge filters, Charcoal, Food, Test Kits, Nets, (you know the deal)... everything that was anything fishkeeping wise.
In addition to the tanks that were broken down, Two brand new Std 75-Gallon Tanks, Three brand new Std 40-Gallon Breeder Tanks, and Four brand new 10-Gallon Tanks. I was planning on going into business with my Electric Blue Jack Dempsey and any time Tanks went on sale. I jumped on them, especially the Std 75-Gallon Tanks and Std 40-Gallon Breder Tanks that went on sale at Care-A-Lot Pet Supply on Diamond Springs Road in Virginia Beach when they advertised their once annual A DOLLAR-A-GALLON Sales!
When we arrived at her home in Newport, Her boyfriend was waiting to help unload everything into the two-car garage while still leaving barely enough room for her SUV.
About the third week of November, I received a letter in the mail from the Norfolk Disability Determination Services office informing me that I have to attend a physical IN NORFOLK on December 23rd in order to determine my level of disability after the stroke. I called the number provided and spoke to a Mrs Goodman (in name only!) and asked her if she knew where I was even though I thought it a rather stupid question SINCE SHE MAILED THE LETTER TO ME! She responded, "Yes. You're in North Carolina." I then asked, "Do you know where in North Carolina?" and she said, "Yes. You're in Newport" I then asked, "And do you have any idea where Newport is and she said "No". I then said, "Ma'am, I know North Carolina is only a twenty minute drive from Norfolk, but I'm on the other side of the state almost to the South Carolina border! I don't have a driver's license anymore because the North Carolina DMV took one look at my cane and refused to transfer my Virginia Driver's License and only issued me a State ID. My Sister is barely making ends meet and will not take a day off from work to drive me to Norfolk, wait for me, and then drive me home because it's 3 1/2 hours ONE WAY! My sister will not lend me her car and I cannot rent a car because I don't have a Driver's License!
Her response - "Oh, I'm sorry. I'll contact the local DDS and have your physical scheduled locally and cancel your appointment here." I received a letter from the local DDS in the first week of December and it instructed me to attend a physical in Morehead City on December 28th, but little did I know this had nothing to do with Mrs Goodman. Because my Sister's money was tight, she told me she could put a roof over my head, but that I would have to apply for disability services to support myself as quickly as possible. I was discharged on Saturday, Oct 24th and the first stops on Monday Morning were the SSA office where I applied for both SSA disability and Food Stamps. The letter I received and physical I was scheduled for was in response to these applications!
I missed my physical in Norfolk because it was never cancelled! Because I missed my physical, there was no paperwork submitted to the Norfolk DDS office with the results of the physical. Because there was no paperwork, the Norfolk DDS determined that my level of disability was ZERO PERCENT! Because the recorded level of my disability was ZERO PERCENT; Medicare, Medicaid, and Chamberlin Edmonds determined that I was INELIGIBLE FOR ANY FINANCIAL AID!
I attended the physical in Morehead City on December 28th and was determine to have 60% Left Side paralysis. This determination was sent to the Morehead City DDS office and I was approved for aid with a date of approval listed as January 29th. The most Medicare and Medicaid could backdate it for providing a beginning coverage period was 90 Days, AND 90 DAYS COVERED NOT ONE DAY OF MY REHAB OR ICU OR EMERGENCY ROOM VISIT!
Famous last words! "Don't worry. Medicare and Medicaid will cover it.
My stroke was in August 2015, My release from Stroke Rehab was in October 2015. In March 2016, my brother informed me about a little known safety net that the Veteran's Administration has called a Non-Service-Connected-Disability Retirement Pension and asked if I qualified for it. It requires that the former service member (if under the age of 65) has a disability which prevents them from gainful employment or seeking employment, or earns an annual income below the Federally established poverty level, AND was Honorably Discharged, AND served at least one day of Active Duty during Congressionally recognized Wartime. My answers... Yes, Yes, and Yes! I went to the VA the next day and applied. In June 2016, I was approved and received a sum of money that was backdated to January 31st - the date that my disability level was approved and established for governmental records. I immediately paid my sister back for the nearly $500 she had already spent in helping me and began the process of seeking rental assistance in addition to looking for a place of my own.
In mid 2017, I applied for Housing assistance and four months later was approved by HUD for receipt of aid and a temporary voucher was issued which gave me 90 days to find an apartment before the voucher expired or I would have to reapply for aid and wait up to another six months for approval. I found a place and when I went to the initial meeting, the onsite manager for the apartment complex took one look at me and said, "Ive seen you before. you're the guy that lives across the street from me with Kim. My daughter and her son used to lay out on her driveway on a comforter and watch the stars every summer and I was hoping they'd get married but he fell in love with someone else. The interview went extremely well until she said one thing.
"I talk to Kim from time to time because of the relationship our children had. You have fish tanks, don't you? The limit here is one 2-Gallon tank. Will that be a problem?" I only had three weeks left on my voucher and so I bit the bullet and said, "No"
The small four-room efficiency apartment was unfurnished. My lease was approved with an effective starting date of November 1st, 2017. I purchased a Dining Set from Amazon.com and it was stored at my sister's house until my move in Date of December 3rd which corresponded with the delivery and installation of a Washer & Dryer, a 2 Cubic Ft Microwave with all the bells and whistles, and a Vacuum Cleaner. My lifelong hobby was gone!
Anyway, it's been a few years since then. In the many months (years actually) after my move in, I kept working my way around the apartment with the steady income coming in. I purchased a Leick Furniture 60" wide Cherry Chocolate Corner TV Stand/Entertainment Center and an LG OLED65C9PUA Smart TV, a Hydeline Dual Reclining Loveseat in Burgundy Top-Grain Leather, a Leick Cherry Chocolate Coffee Table, Two End Tables, and a Prevue Hendryx F050 Flight Cage for Java Sparrows to help keep my sanity.
I've been sleeping on a VERY COMFORTABLE Heavy-Duty XL Hunter's Cot with two 4" thick Memory Foam Pads and determined that it was finally time to start thinking about a real Bedroom Set, so I started window shopping and contacting the different manufacturers.
"You can purchase ANY of our product line with ANY wood of your choice, and finished with ANY finish you want."
THEY ALL LIED!!!
The minute I said I wanted (their closest product to this) "a Solid wood (no veneers) Queen-Sized Dark Walnut Bedroom Set with the Bed, Two 7' tall, 12" deep, Bookshelves (one 42" wide and the other 48" wide), A 8-Drawer Dresser with mirror (three top, three middle, two bottom), and two Nightstands ; and said I wanted a Tung Oil finish with 8 to 10 applications, THEY ALL SAID NO! I said I'd pay the extra no matter the cost! THEY ALL STILL SAID NO!
I've been here for over 7 years and not one person has come to actually visit and the birds aren't exactly companions. The Covid Quarantine period had no effect on me! I had Woodshop in 7th grade, 8th grade, 9th grade, and 10th grade. I know how to build things albeit, my skills are rusty. I know what I want in a bedroom set. IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DONE RIGHT, YOU HAVE TO DO IT YOURSELF!
My entryway closet now contains my Compact Efficiency Woodshop! And what doesn't fit there is inthe Water Heater and Circuit Breaker Panel Closet on the far end of my small patio.
One each unless otherwise specified:
Entryway Closet:
x2 WORX Pegasus folding workbenches
WORX Sidekick Table
DeWalt Compact Table Saw
Assortment of blades with differing teeth counts for different materials
Table Saw Feather board
Table Saw thin slat cutting jig with anti kickback bearing wheels (ratcheted - one way) to lock in the T channel
Dremel 4300 64-piece Kit
Dremel Workstation Drill Press - for the little stuff and for precision pilot holes
Rockler Drill Guide - my heavy-duty Drill Press
Palm Router with an assortment of bits
Corded Orbital Sander
Caliper Sets
Carpenter's Square
Levels
Centering Jigs
24", 36", and 52" Edge clamps with built-in measurements (similar to circular saw Clamping Track Guides but much narrower and shorter)
More Clamps than you can shake a stick at! (I need clamps to compensate for only one good hand)
Panel Clamps Kits for making my own panel clamps (just need to attach them to wood or metal Superstruts
Cabinet Clamps for squaring shelves, corners, etc.
Water Heater/Storage Closet:
Vevor Locking Heavy-duty Planer Stand with center storage shelf
Vevor 2500lb capacity Off-feed roller 26"-52" (heavy as "F", but the only one I could find that can be set up, adjusted, and broken down for storage with the use of only one hand)
Oliver 13" Benchtop Planer with the Byrd Shelix Helical Cutterhead (can handle a max stock thicknes of 6" which means it can also be used as a jointer to prep my boards for making panels)
1100lb capacity Electric Hoist which attaches to my 6' tall (when folded) Safety Step-Ladder for lifting my table saw onto the work benches
And MORE CLAMPS!
My bedroom has a stack of unpacked boxes against one wall. I have to build one bookshelf to unpack about half of them. One bookshelf and a storage cabinet with doors (more like a short wide deep wardrobe without a hangar rod) for small bins on shelves to unpack the rest and make room for storing the bed and dresser parts before assembling them
Once I'm done with the bedroom set, I start on my Custom Aquarium Cabinet, but to give you a little head's up and get you thinking. It'll be within the limitations of my lease (BARELY - 19.9 Gallons for just the tank), and I'm calling it a Twenty-Gallon Show-Tank Extreme. It'll have 14.58% more front viewing area than that of a Std 40-Gallon Breeder tank and 58.56% more water surface area (counting the filter) than a Std 90-Gallon Tank.
And these are my intended stocking lists - Inhabitants first, Plants Second, Water parameters amicable to both Third:
FISH & CRUSTACEANS:
6 Threadfin Rainbowfish
6 Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish
2 Hillstream Loaches
2 Golden Bristlenose Pleco (1 Male, 1 Female)
2 Zebra Pleco (1 Male, 1 Female)
3 Albino Corydoras
4 Emperor Gudgeons (2 Male, 2 Female)
4 Peacock Gudgeons (2 Male, 2 Female)
2 Pelvicachromis Pulcher (1 Male, 1 Female)
10 Amano Shrimp (should be safe from over-predation from Kribensis in particular due to extremely dense plantings and especially the surface matt of Riccia)
PLANTS:
H'ra Red Rotala Rrotundifolia
Anubias Barteri
Bucephalandra Kedagang Red
Anubias Nana Petite
Eleocharis Parvula Dwarf Hairgrass
Java Moss
Micranthemum Monte Carlo
Spiky Moss Taxiphyllum
Staurogyne Repens
Microsorum Java Fern
Tiger Lotus Lily Nymphae Lotus
Riccia Fluitans
Lobelia Cardinalis
Cabomba Caroliniana
Madagascar Aponogeton
Aponogeton Crispus
Micro Sword Lilaeopsis Novaezelandiae
REQUIRED WATER PARAMETERS TO MEET ALL NEEDS (Fish vs Plants):
Temperature: F = 75-79°F vs P = 72-82°F
pH: F = 6.5-7.5 vs P = 6.5 to 7.5
Hardness: F = 5-12 dKH vs P = 2-12 dKH
GH: 6-15
Slight adjustments will be made to trigger selected species for breeding purposes while staying within tolerable limits for all.
I will answer some questions but will not disclose anything that could interfere withmy intelectual property rights for filing the patents, but I have one question for you!
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