srusso
Active member
Yes I used to feed them a long time ago, so your getting live black worms from a LFS then?
How this Geezer did it in the beginning
- Thread starter Paul B
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Yes I used to feed them a long time ago, so your getting live black worms from a LFS then?
srusso
Active member
Can I ask what your paying? How much do you buy? How do you keep alive? I understand I could google these but wanted hear your method.
Paul B
Premium Member
They cost about $1.50 for a cup which is like a couple of tablespoons. That lasts me a week but I buy two or three portions at a time. I kep them in a DIY wormkeeper where they live forever and eat paper towels. It is basically just a tray or trough that water flows on. They like to be oxygenated in moving water. The small pump is in a container with holes near the top because worms sink to the bottom of the tank and don't get sucked into the pump.
Paul B
Premium Member
I don't know if any of you guys did this but many times when I wanted to keep something incompatable with everything else or breed something I would put a partition in the tank. I had other tanks but they were all full of either fiddler crabs, eels, flounders, snails, etc so I had to use my reef. It was a pain adding a partition because I had to move the rocks but it worked out well.
I collected these seahorses here in NY and spawned them, you can see them here transfering the eggs from the female to the male. I also raised the babies in there. Many times I would add the partition 6" from one end of the tank to breed bangai cardinals or something else. I also used to do that in my freshwater days when I used to breed everything. I liked to breed tilipia, now I just eat them.
Once I had a 7" mantis shrimp in there that I collected here at night using SCUBA. Good thing he never got out. :crazy1:
I collected these seahorses here in NY and spawned them, you can see them here transfering the eggs from the female to the male. I also raised the babies in there. Many times I would add the partition 6" from one end of the tank to breed bangai cardinals or something else. I also used to do that in my freshwater days when I used to breed everything. I liked to breed tilipia, now I just eat them.
Once I had a 7" mantis shrimp in there that I collected here at night using SCUBA. Good thing he never got out. :crazy1:
srusso
Active member
They cost about $1.50 for a cup which is like a couple of tablespoons. That lasts me a week but I buy two or three portions at a time. I kep them in a DIY wormkeeper where they live forever and eat paper towels. It is basically just a tray or trough that water flows on. They like to be oxygenated in moving water. The small pump is in a container with holes near the top because worms sink to the bottom of the tank and don't get sucked into the pump.
Paper towels! Wow seems cheap enough even for me to try! I will have to ask my LFS if they will start stocking them.
Can you get the worms to breed/reproduce? Like building a system large enough to keep a self sustaining supply? Possibly feed my DT once or twice a week...
No heater in the DIY system right?
Fresh water?
srusso
Active member
I am thinking I could make a system similar to your chiller which could have troughs stacked back and forth with just enough room to get my hand in to harvest some out.
How do you maintain it? Water changes? When do you add more paper towel? I guess when they run out...
Still can't believe they eat paper towel... I understand it's just "wood" but... Paper towel...
srusso
Active member
you think they would eat algae from your algae trough?
Alex T.
Active member
You know something? I just spent the last 45 minutes perusing through this thread and it's not so much the ingenuity, nostalgia or stories that jumped off the screen, but the spelling!
I just rolled the big 4-0 :rollface
n my odometer a few weeks back, so I'm not necessarily the youngest kid on the block anymore. Anyway, before I get sidetracked on one of my tangents, I'd like to bring to everyone's attention that this has got to be one of the easiest threads to read without having to decipher what people are trying to spell or say. Does age have something to do with the posters in this thread?
I was born in this country but English was a second language to me because my parents spoke Greek at home. I find it absolutely appalling how many people nowadays can't even convey a cohesive thought in written form, let alone spell it correctly when the damn computer can do it for them if they just took the time to check. I'm not speaking to those from other countries that do their best, and sadly sometimes make more sense than those from the US of A. Pretty soon, I think we'll be dumbed down to the point where acronyms like LOL, SMH and all that other junk is good enough. I think it harkens back to what Paul said earlier in the thread about everything just being too darn easy for people. I'm fairly certain that some of the "older" guys' success is much more about patience than anything else. I'm a child of the 70's and remember when we all walked to school unless we lived far enough to be bussed. I live 3 blocks from my kids' middle school and my wife drives them to school everyday. It drives me up a wall but I've already left for the day so there's not much I can do. My kids' bicycles are something they do with mom and dad. Children today spend a lot less time planning things, finishing tasks, finding creative ways to entertain themselves (without electronics), or solve problems on their own. Is it any wonder that these boards are filled with people that learn about their livestock purchases' needs only after they've killed it, and sometimes twice before they learned why they shouldn't have bought it in the first place!
This is a disposable, throw away society where if things don't work out, you just toss it out and start over until something works for you. The problem with that mentality is "If you do what you did then you'll get what you got
And for those young-ins keeping tabs on acronyms, I'll give you one that my High School Physics teacher embedded into everyone that complained about their test grade when they clearly didn't study enough:
GIGO...garbage in, garbage out Nowadays, teachers have to worry about every word they say for fear of what the backlash from parents might be at the next PTA meeting because Johnny's feelings were hurt. Guess what Mrs. Johnson? Johnny's a wuss, and he doesn't study enough to get good grades. I'm failing him now before he finds out that being coddled his whole life by the system is leaving him dependent and too sensitive to make it on his own.
Ahhh. But I digress.
Loving it all Paul...keep it going!:thumbsup:
I just rolled the big 4-0 :rollface
n my odometer a few weeks back, so I'm not necessarily the youngest kid on the block anymore. Anyway, before I get sidetracked on one of my tangents, I'd like to bring to everyone's attention that this has got to be one of the easiest threads to read without having to decipher what people are trying to spell or say. Does age have something to do with the posters in this thread? I was born in this country but English was a second language to me because my parents spoke Greek at home. I find it absolutely appalling how many people nowadays can't even convey a cohesive thought in written form, let alone spell it correctly when the damn computer can do it for them if they just took the time to check. I'm not speaking to those from other countries that do their best, and sadly sometimes make more sense than those from the US of A. Pretty soon, I think we'll be dumbed down to the point where acronyms like LOL, SMH and all that other junk is good enough. I think it harkens back to what Paul said earlier in the thread about everything just being too darn easy for people. I'm fairly certain that some of the "older" guys' success is much more about patience than anything else. I'm a child of the 70's and remember when we all walked to school unless we lived far enough to be bussed. I live 3 blocks from my kids' middle school and my wife drives them to school everyday. It drives me up a wall but I've already left for the day so there's not much I can do. My kids' bicycles are something they do with mom and dad. Children today spend a lot less time planning things, finishing tasks, finding creative ways to entertain themselves (without electronics), or solve problems on their own. Is it any wonder that these boards are filled with people that learn about their livestock purchases' needs only after they've killed it, and sometimes twice before they learned why they shouldn't have bought it in the first place!
This is a disposable, throw away society where if things don't work out, you just toss it out and start over until something works for you. The problem with that mentality is "If you do what you did then you'll get what you got
And for those young-ins keeping tabs on acronyms, I'll give you one that my High School Physics teacher embedded into everyone that complained about their test grade when they clearly didn't study enough:
GIGO...garbage in, garbage out Nowadays, teachers have to worry about every word they say for fear of what the backlash from parents might be at the next PTA meeting because Johnny's feelings were hurt. Guess what Mrs. Johnson? Johnny's a wuss, and he doesn't study enough to get good grades. I'm failing him now before he finds out that being coddled his whole life by the system is leaving him dependent and too sensitive to make it on his own.
Ahhh. But I digress.
Loving it all Paul...keep it going!:thumbsup:
Paul B
Premium Member
you think they would eat algae from your algae trough?.
Only if you could get the salt out of it. Blackworms are freshwater creatures and salt kills them in seconds.
"ROTFL" I agree.
In school I had to learn how to print and then to write script. I read they they are going to stop teaching script, unless they already have. I myself only print and have not written in script for longer than I can remember. I know how to write in script but I like to print better. I am actually printing this now with a pencil and scanning it to my desktop and posting it here. :dance:
Only if you could get the salt out of it. Blackworms are freshwater creatures and salt kills them in seconds.
"ROTFL" I agree.
In school I had to learn how to print and then to write script. I read they they are going to stop teaching script, unless they already have. I myself only print and have not written in script for longer than I can remember. I know how to write in script but I like to print better. I am actually printing this now with a pencil and scanning it to my desktop and posting it here. :dance:
Paul B
Premium Member
This is true, I fix everything even if it is not made to be fixed. Many electric appliances today are glued together so they can't be fixed. I break them open and fix them anyway just to spite them. I would much rather have a good designed and built item from many years ago then a new piece of junk made in God knows where.
Thats why my snow blower is 38 years old. I just keep fixing the thing and making it better. I could buy a new one, but why should I? I have an American made one and I probably can't find one any more.
I also have a small outboard motor for my Dinghy which is almost 50 years old.
I fix my cars and so far, no one has ever touched my car for anything except sometimes in the winter I take it to a place to change the oil (I am too old to crawl under there much in the snow any more) But I still do it in the summer. I was never a lazy person and I want things done correctly. I have a gardiner to cut my grass but I won't let them trim any shrubs or plant anything. The only reason I let them cut the grass is because in my town I am not allowed to make noise early in the morning and I get up very early. When I first moved here I bought a lawnmower and cut the grass on a Sunday morning about 8:00 am. I found out, you can't do that. You can't make any noise here on a Sunday, so I hired a gardiner and he does it during the week when I am on my boat.
Lazyness bothers me even though most people don't admit they are lazy. With computers and cell phones today life is extreamly easy for most people.
Most things don't require maintenance any longer, even cars don't have to be greased and spark plugs last 60-70,000 miles. We had to change them every year. When was the last time you heard of any one changing ball joints? Now they last forever. I helped pay for my house by doing brake jobs and ball joints. Radial tires made buying tires obsolete. The older bias ply tires used to last about 30,000 miles or two years. Now they go 50,000 miles or longer. Exaust pipes used to last maybe 5 years. I have not heard of anyone changing one now unless the car is in an accident, they last forever.
So with all these things lasting forever, we have much more time. Unfortunately many people use that time to text someone about how busy they are because they have to spend so much time texting each other to tell them how busy they are.
In my neighborhood there are nail salon's on every block. How lazy do you have to be to have someone cut and paint your nails, as if they need to be painted anyway but it is all part of being busy I guess. :sad2:
Alex mentioned that his Daughter gets a ride to school 3 blocks away. We also live 3 blocks from the school and when my Daughter got her lisense she drove to school but she could not park there so she had to park 6 blocks from the school. I guess thats not lazy, just trying to look cool.
I walked to my Jr. High school which was about 2 miles away. Today I don't think kids know what 2 miles are and if they had to walk they would be texting the entire time so they would most likely get lost, then when they got to school they would see the same person they were texting and they may still continue to text each other even though they are standing face to face because they may not recognize each other, only their reflection on the phone.:sad2:
Paul B
Premium Member
Speaking of badly designed things, the old powerheads lasted forever and I am still using them from 20 years ago, they have been working 24/7 since then with no problems except for one of them that croaked.
I remember when I was in Viet Nam, we used M-16 rifles. Beautiful weapon with no problems. To clean them we would just swish them in a river. Then some genius in Washington decided they were too heavy, so they removed the cast iron bolt and replaced them with an aluminum one. That must have saved a half an ounce.
(the bolt looks like a C battery and goes back and forth to make the thing work fully automatic)
The iron bolts were great but the new aluminum bolts would jam sometimes causing the rifle to blow up in your face, like you didn't have enough to worry about especially in a situation when you are firing the thing because, oh I don't know, you were maybe having a bad day.
So instead of giving us back the iron bolt, they re build the weapon and instead of fixing the problem, the new ones came with a little handle on the side that you would push if it jammed. Now it was named the M-16 A 1. So when it jammed, you pushed the handle, if you had time of course.
The M-16 comes with a magazine that can hold 18 rounds, the AK 47 that our enemy had came with a magazine that could hold much more ammo. I never figured out why they would give you a rifle that could fire like a machine gun but only load it with 18 rounds that last about 4 seconds.
I, of course built my own magazine that held about 32 rounds. You could see it in this picture.
(well you could almost see it, I don't know how to enlarge the picture)
You could also see the bolt assist handle near my thumb.
I only had tape and bamboo and I was in the middle of the jungle in a clearing so I don't remember how I built it but it worked beautifully.
It never caught on with the Army and I think they still use a 18 round magazine but I an not sure.
I also noticed that today's army dresses better then we did.
I remember when I was in Viet Nam, we used M-16 rifles. Beautiful weapon with no problems. To clean them we would just swish them in a river. Then some genius in Washington decided they were too heavy, so they removed the cast iron bolt and replaced them with an aluminum one. That must have saved a half an ounce.
(the bolt looks like a C battery and goes back and forth to make the thing work fully automatic)
The iron bolts were great but the new aluminum bolts would jam sometimes causing the rifle to blow up in your face, like you didn't have enough to worry about especially in a situation when you are firing the thing because, oh I don't know, you were maybe having a bad day.
So instead of giving us back the iron bolt, they re build the weapon and instead of fixing the problem, the new ones came with a little handle on the side that you would push if it jammed. Now it was named the M-16 A 1. So when it jammed, you pushed the handle, if you had time of course.
The M-16 comes with a magazine that can hold 18 rounds, the AK 47 that our enemy had came with a magazine that could hold much more ammo. I never figured out why they would give you a rifle that could fire like a machine gun but only load it with 18 rounds that last about 4 seconds.
I, of course built my own magazine that held about 32 rounds. You could see it in this picture.
(well you could almost see it, I don't know how to enlarge the picture)
You could also see the bolt assist handle near my thumb.
I only had tape and bamboo and I was in the middle of the jungle in a clearing so I don't remember how I built it but it worked beautifully.
It never caught on with the Army and I think they still use a 18 round magazine but I an not sure.
I also noticed that today's army dresses better then we did.
Last edited:
You know something? I just spent the last 45 minutes perusing through this thread and it's not so much the ingenuity, nostalgia or stories that jumped off the screen, but the spelling!
I just rolled the big 4-0 :rollface
I was born in this country but English was a second language to me because my parents spoke Greek at home. I find it absolutely appalling how many people nowadays can't even convey a cohesive thought in written form, let alone spell it correctly when the damn computer can do it for them if they just took the time to check. I'm not speaking to those from other countries that do their best, and sadly sometimes make more sense than those from the US of A. Pretty soon, I think we'll be dumbed down to the point where acronyms like LOL, SMH and all that other junk is good enough. I think it harkens back to what Paul said earlier in the thread about everything just being too darn easy for people. I'm fairly certain that some of the "older" guys' success is much more about patience than anything else. I'm a child of the 70's and remember when we all walked to school unless we lived far enough to be bussed. I live 3 blocks from my kids' middle school and my wife drives them to school everyday. It drives me up a wall but I've already left for the day so there's not much I can do. My kids' bicycles are something they do with mom and dad. Children today spend a lot less time planning things, finishing tasks, finding creative ways to entertain themselves (without electronics), or solve problems on their own. Is it any wonder that these boards are filled with people that learn about their livestock purchases' needs only after they've killed it, and sometimes twice before they learned why they shouldn't have bought it in the first place!
This is a disposable, throw away society where if things don't work out, you just toss it out and start over until something works for you. The problem with that mentality is "If you do what you did then you'll get what you got
And for those young-ins keeping tabs on acronyms, I'll give you one that my High School Physics teacher embedded into everyone that complained about their test grade when they clearly didn't study enough:
GIGO...garbage in, garbage out Nowadays, teachers have to worry about every word they say for fear of what the backlash from parents might be at the next PTA meeting because Johnny's feelings were hurt. Guess what Mrs. Johnson? Johnny's a wuss, and he doesn't study enough to get good grades. I'm failing him now before he finds out that being coddled his whole life by the system is leaving him dependent and too sensitive to make it on his own.
Ahhh. But I digress.
Loving it all Paul...keep it going!:thumbsup:
Very true! The world is changing rapidly.
That small handle you push on the M16A1 is called a forward assist. The M16 has evolved quite a bit since Vietnam. You should see the current version! Great post, and for what it's worth, thank you for your service. I myself am an Army veteran of 24 years (Retired).
skidoctor
New member
It is very sad. I'm only 38, but I remember playing outside, looking for adventures in the woods, ice skating on ponds, and walking to school- even in the rain. I have a ten year old son who lives with his mom. Of course she got him a cell phone, every video game the japanese can mass produce, etc. It's so far from the way I was raised and I fear that he will become one of the spoiled, unappreciative children of generation x or y or whatever letter they want to label them.
Weekends must be a culture shock to him, but he takes it in stride. I have a physically demanding job that doesn't pay much, but I've brought him to work for years now to show him what honest work is all about. We work on the tanks for hours, go hiking and camping (the real kind with tents and log fires as opposed to rv's and plugin fireplaces), ride our bikes to the lake... essentially live the humble lifestyle that has proven to raise well adjusted children.
The future is scary, and the constant coddling of the youth can not lead to much good. I love learning, and that is the main reason wh I entered this hobby. I try to instill that in my son and the friends he has (but I can't parent the whole neighborhood). I'm inspired by people like Paul, and hopefully my son is inspired by me. Let's just hope that the schools and governments and overbearing parents and the technologies to simplify everything don't completely take away all of the the basic human natures- learning, experiencing, self-sustaining, morals, etc.
BTW- you said PTA
Weekends must be a culture shock to him, but he takes it in stride. I have a physically demanding job that doesn't pay much, but I've brought him to work for years now to show him what honest work is all about. We work on the tanks for hours, go hiking and camping (the real kind with tents and log fires as opposed to rv's and plugin fireplaces), ride our bikes to the lake... essentially live the humble lifestyle that has proven to raise well adjusted children.
The future is scary, and the constant coddling of the youth can not lead to much good. I love learning, and that is the main reason wh I entered this hobby. I try to instill that in my son and the friends he has (but I can't parent the whole neighborhood). I'm inspired by people like Paul, and hopefully my son is inspired by me. Let's just hope that the schools and governments and overbearing parents and the technologies to simplify everything don't completely take away all of the the basic human natures- learning, experiencing, self-sustaining, morals, etc.
BTW- you said PTA
rogermccray
Active member
Now not to say kids today are not spoiled today and things are a bit scary, but I imagine "geezers" have been saying the same things about kids for centuries...
Paul B
Premium Member
CSM47, I actually remembered the name of the handle. I still think the thing worked better with the original parts. And thank you for your service too.
The only other problem we had with it was it got too hot and you had to wrap an empty sandbag around it to hold it. Especially if you fired a couple of magazines on fully automatic.
I don't know about centuries but at least since electricity was invented.
I didn't work as hard as my parents and my Daughter will never work as hard as I did but before that, in the 1800s I think work for everyone was the same because there were not too many time saving gadgets and everyone had to pull their weight.
In those days most of the work was physical, not many software or office jobs. You were either a farmer, coal miner, carpenter, fisherman, rail road man or ballet dancer. Well I am not sure about that last one but I know they had those guys also. I am not sure where they bought those tights. :worried:
I never had an office job but I used to build office buildings, after we were done building it they would turn on the air conditioning for the office workers so they could complain that it was too cold or too hot. :headwally:
We were allowed to work when it was almost 100 degrees and down to I think 6 degrees. Thats why they called it work and not vacation.
I want to have a government job and be suspended with pay. :celeb1:
Paul B
Premium Member
I remember a day in the 80s or 90s when I was riding to work on the Long Island Railroad and I usually knew a number of people on the train. I was reading FAMMA magazine
(or it could have been Marine Fish Monthly) and as I was reading this article I couldn't believe how much this guy's tank was like mine. Then I realized I wrote the thing and this picture of my tank was on the same page.
I wrote the article a year before I submitted it and forgot about it. I was so excited that I wanted to tell someone, but I didn't recognize one person on the train. This was before cell phones so I couldn't even call anyone. I think I showed the conductor who couldn't care less. It was the first thing I published.
(or it could have been Marine Fish Monthly) and as I was reading this article I couldn't believe how much this guy's tank was like mine. Then I realized I wrote the thing and this picture of my tank was on the same page.
I wrote the article a year before I submitted it and forgot about it. I was so excited that I wanted to tell someone, but I didn't recognize one person on the train. This was before cell phones so I couldn't even call anyone. I think I showed the conductor who couldn't care less. It was the first thing I published.
SushiGirl
Premium Member
I think they already have. My mom works with a 22 or 23 year old woman from NY who brought her something written in script the other day because she couldn't read script. Had never seen it before.
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