I'm not that clumsy!

[Parka]

Hi and Good Morning! I just want to touch base and let you Monsters know that I care! I might talk about my 'Problem' too... it ain't that bad!

First though, I LOVE my goldfish, one never knows when Love comes calling but I took the call!


A little bit of Kitsch goes a long way...


And more Kitsch goes even farther!

And now about my 'Problem' of being wheelchair bound. As a footnote, it would be a bigger problem if I dint have no wheelchair! My wheelchair is named, "Working Man's Friend"!

What happint was I broke me neck from a spill on a bicycle almost 21 years ago. But it's the date that's so significant... August 19, 2002

It was only THREE DAYS after Madonna's 44th birthday and 13 days past my own 44th year on Planet Earth, how very interesting!

 

[Parka]

More kitsch farther!

 

[Parka]

Hi Monster Community! I'm knee deep getting Chicago set up permanent style! It's very exciting and I would like to share the details. Let me add that basically I am a rookie fish keeper however I have always had green thumbs and I even got me a Green Aqualung too!

Furthermore it is my feeling that I owe an apology to some of you for my earlier actions. I will speak on that topic later, sooner than later.

 

[Parka]

It's that apology thing I gotta talk about before I can talk about Chicago or Akron the City Series Of Aquariums. My Karma Keeps eating my Lunch. It causes me mental discomfort to be rude and for that I apologize in general to the board. And in particular I want tell jjohnwm that I'm sorry I acted so poorly. It's not a defense but I had NO idea that you built more than a dozen plywood aquariums. I'm changing my tune here and now.

 

[Parka]

Things aren't going good in Chicago. I keep having problems with the main pump. I had to drain it twice now. The first time was because the pre-filter rig separated and gravel got in the manifold and then yesterday the pump intake took one of my favorite Goldfish and just held it there and it died. So I have to re-work that pump connection again. The under gravel filter is fine, I just need to make some adjustments with the pump intake or pre-filter set up. I like to use a pre filter on the under gravel pump because it's a good mechanical filter, even a water polisher. The problem is the intake is not threaded and I can't find anything to fit tight enough.

And I went ahead and ordered the next smallest size Pond Boss pump. The current one pushes 3750 GPH and is 170 watts and the smaller one is 130 watts, rated at 2300 GPH. Is it true that 170 watt submersible pump produces the same amount of heat as a 170 heater? Somebody told me that.

I would like to skim the water too, maybe with a separate filter system? The tank is so long that I was wondering about some sort of filter above the tank, like a shallow stream and a bog filter really excites me but there is only 2' above the tank and it would also need artificial lighting. If anybody has any DIY ideas how they build such a thing, I would like to hear it!

 

[Parka]

I'd like to talk more about Chicago and the filtration. Right now it's empty of water and I will be replacing that Pond Boss pump with Vivosun branded pump, the main reason is the Vivosun pump has a threaded intake which will make for a secure hook up to the pre-filters. I'm using the rule of turning the tank over 4 times per hour and my new pump is rated at 2,700 GPH and so I decided to add a yet to be designed trickle tower, stream and waterfall using a separate pump 500 to 700 gph. And I would like to include a skimmer too. I'm also using a pair of double headed circulation pumps and 4 fat air stones using an 18 watt air pump.

Here's some pics to get a look at the under gravel set up.

 

[Parka]

I also wanted to mention that shortly, a few weeks maybe, I will be starting the Cleveland build. It will be 511 gallons and it will eventually be my Goldfish tank, NO KOI! Eventually I'd like to get predator fish in Chicago. I like Bowfin!

 

[Parka]

I think I had another lucky mistake because the water in Chicago is becoming very clear much faster than I expected. About 1/3 of the lava rock that I used for the under gravel filter was already bio active! It was because I used the lava rock that was being used in my outside pool-pond which was sitting idle over the winter and earlier in the year I took that pool down and put the lava rock, rinsed off, in a plastic bin and sorta had no idea it could still possibly be bio active.

Anyway, here's three pics. I'm just getting started with decor. I like scenery too but for now alls I got are those 4 cooling towers. And my Pump is Boss! For real, the name is Pond Boss, look at it!

 

[celebrist]

I'm glad you are having success with your build

 

[Parka]

I'm glad you are having success with your build

Thank you! Except my Land Lady is mad about the water bill! And it turned out there was a leak on the outside of the house. I have a bunch of water movement with a pair of double head circulation pumps. 12 watts x 4 = 48 watts. And the Pond Boss main pump is 170 watts and my air pump (too loud!) is supposedly 18 watts but It gets so hot, I think it's more than 18! I'm replacing that noisy thing with a nice quiet air pump, 10 watts. And for lighting I'm using four 24 watt LED = 96 watts, 24" like tube like thing and it lights up the tank almost perfectly for viewing. I also have four lights, one each in what I call the 'Cooling Towers' 2.5 x 4 = 10

For plant growth much more light would be needed but I learned a fast lesson with keeping Koi for only a year now. I read and read how destructive Koi can be to plantings but until it's actually experienced... I was like, my baby Koi ain't gonna do all that right away! Well, they are HOGS! For that reason I will avoid plants in the substrate and opt for a bit of almost a bog filter maybe. My plan is to use one of my powerful plate LED lights on the ceiling and grow some plants above the tank and let their roots go in the tank.

And I got another smallish pump to run another filter system as a skimmer and trickle tower stream out water fall, SO Fun to be so involved, omg!

But all those watts, I have concern it's making the water warm up too fast, it's already 80 degrees F in Chicago! Goldfish don't like it too warm is my understanding.

Yesterday was the FIRST day since my efforts to really enjoy watching my Swimmers since they all left Akron for Chicago.