Journey from dining room to fish room.

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From current temperature to the choice of slippers you are going to use when sitting down and look at your completed project.

The mods... They are also watching their fish

MaloK said:

You can log anything you want in your Journal.

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Provided it doesn't break the rules - no swearing, no links to dodgy sites etc. Anything else is fine

After examining Linda's used 29 gallon tank it does not seem to be a big deal to assemble my own. However a quick look at pricing makes it a silly proposition except perhaps for something especially sized for a particular spot. I do not believe that is the case though at this point.

Saturday the tree fella began knocking down trees. Had to let him have two oaks, a maple and two ash from the back of the property to get a no money exchanged deal. Will not miss the trees as they are out of sightlines. Bonus is he agreed to leave me a minimum of a cord of wood cut into useable lengths for my firepit.

Saturday was spent at the fish store about 40 miles to our south. This store is much larger than the local fella. We were mesmerized by the selection of fresh, salt, and pond fish he has available. Went to a fles market afterwards and scooped up a 20-gallon tank complete with metal stand. Filled it as a test when we got home, and it is holding water. It is now stored in the basement and might be used with the used 29 in our bedroom at a later time. Sunday was all rain here so to the basement I went. Moved the dining soon to be fish room about 1/8" and will do the final 1/8 as soon as I finish this. No wall cracks so far. Rain in the forcast Wednesday and Thursday so the new supports should get done. Monday was vet day for Patches, our cat and both Linda and I fed the vampire at the local lab for upcoming doctor appointments.

OK, now for the good stuff. Sunday Linda went to the LFS, (see I am getting the lingo down), and came home with two Koi Angelfish. They are doing well in the 37. Better yet she also came home with a Seapora 44-gallon tank that is perfectly suited for the pass through between the kitchen and new fish room. Measures 36" x 12" x 24" and is stunningly clear. She said it was just sitting there and had our names written all over it. It has joined the 29 and 20 in the basement storage room.

Well to work. Can't do the fun stuff till the grunt work is finished.

Time to chip in as a mod. Your wife went out and brought home a tank??? Remarry her. Repeatedly.Get up an hour before her and make her breakfast.

Floor is about near perfect. Using my transit level, it is 1/32 inch off in the 16-foot direction and 1/16 inch off in the 14-foot section. I doubt I can do any better nor is it necessary. Next up the permanent support system.

Yep, Linda is a gem, but if she is truthful, she would admit to being just as enamored with these finned creatures as I am. She already has one of the mollies eating from her fingertip.

No construction work today which is a shame because we have another day of rain on tap, plus another tomorrow. I was kind of counting on rain days to move the fish room basics along. My back said no this morning. I have delt with disc issues since 1976 when I was a much younger fella. Pulling old locust fence posts by hand is not something I recommend to anyone. Back then I was immortal, invulnerable, and frankly did not have the financial resources to buy the necessary tools. Now I pay the price on and off.

So today the recliner, a backbrace, and the article 2tank recommended. Linda is currently boiling about 10 gallons of rainwater from the catchment system to be used to temper our well water for WC's. This "hobby" is much more involved than we anticipated, but we do not mind. The goal is attractive tanks, an attractive fish room, and healthy, happy pets. We have a long way to go.

Todays big job is a 10 gallon tank. Aquascape, add water, pey an HOB filter on it that has been running for two weeks in another tank and starting a cycle. The idea is to move the Neons and Cory to it ASAP. What I learned yesterday is that our ignorance can make for uncomfortable fish at best and fatality at worst. Just no excuse for that.

Linda is actually furious with the fella at the LFS. We have stocked the 20-gallon tank largely at his direction and he was fully aware of all water parameters. They tested the water with their computer at each phase as we purchased fish. Linda went through the copies last night and it was obvious our water did not meet the conditions for Neon and Cory. Linda no longer has confidence in that store which is a shame because the next closest LFS is about 40 miles away. However, if Linda says no then no it will be. When she calms herself, I will talk to her about going to the place and having a calm discussion with the fella about the why and wherefore of his "help" later this week. Linda is passionate about critters, so I understand her chagrin. The one time she is a bit tough to deal with is when an animal is involved. It is sometimes hard to believe she was able to deal with the raising of our food from beginning to end when this homestead was fully in operation.

Anyway, as I told her, we are responsible for those in our care, no one else. It is our job to understand what we do before we do it. That is why I am currently spending so much time on this site. Fifteen years ago, preretirement, I would never have had the time to embrace this endeavor properly. Today I do.

One of the most important lessons in fish keeping is don't believe anything a store worker says. So many workers haven't a clue and will make something up to get a sale. Always research yourself before going shopping.
For fish in general, use Seriously Fish; for catfish of all types Planet Catfish; for cories Corydodas World (though you do have to register with this site); for loaches Loaches Online. Fish Base is useful for hardness and pH but that's all, nothing about how to keep them.

Friday after two days of taking advantage of my back injury, meals at my easy chair served up by Linda, I decided enough. It was a lovely day, full sun, low 50's, and gentle wind. Took up the cane a proceeded to go to work on the pond. The bog was uncovered, and it has composted nicely. Took a hay rake and did some turning. When the ache approached my pain limit, I started up the firepit and relaxed a bit. Also boiled some sap down to syrup. After sitting a bit I hobbled over to the steep bank to look at the Snookill, the brook that goes across our property. My gawd, not sure it has ever been this high. The rough road that Linda and I built many years ago is pretty well submerged. The brook has broken a leavy we built when the chitlins were young to give them a wading spot is largely gone. Since they have left the nest that hole has provided more than one meal of trout. This will be a large labor-intensive job of repair when the water subsides. There are also a couple of toppled trees across the brook. The tree guy will have some extra firewood.

Picture of overrun road and broken levee. The water has formed a triangular island.

Picture of roaring brook. The brook is normally about 12-15" deep at this spot. I estimate it at 3 maybe 4 feet and twice as broad in this photo.


Picture of part of bog


So anyway, another chore, tedious put necessary added to spring clean-up. I am thankful for the small stash of equipment we have. At one time this was all hand labor. Now it is simply time though that is less abundant than it once was.

Rain today so back to the basement. My brother will be here this morning and together we should finish up the basement support system, some sisters and permanent posts. If my back allows, I will also start cutting and drilling for the rough plumbing. I am not optimistic about that though.

Linda went to the LFS with the angel carcass and a water sample. I tested it at 0 - 0 - 5. She got a bit of a hard time about the water. They tested it at fish fatal. Linda asked why they did not use the computer for the test, and they replied we do not do that for this as there is a 5-dollar charge. Linda said that is fine I will pay for it. Sorry, not enough water left. Sure there is, here is another tube. She went prepared because she no longer trusts the help. To shorten the story she received a replacement Angel, and they did not run a computer test. I did another water test when she got home and our water is fine. Linda is livid, me, I am a cynic and disappointed rather than surprised. We would have purchased all tanks, equipment and stock for the dining room, soon to be fish room, from them so their shortsightedness is their loss. The store will remain unamed because perhaps we were just unlucky with the random employee. The owner is on premises in a few days and I will talk to him on the chance he is unaware. Perhaps the clerk is a commission employee. I can think of no other explanation. NOTE: We did not expect a replacement. We only wanted them to be aware. The money was negligible.

Anyway, we are trying to take advantage of the bad weather by working hard on the new room. When the weather actually changes our time will be taken with pond and its accoutrements. We have done many large projects on the homestead but never implemented two at the same time before. The advantages of retirement come into play here.

I don't want to make excuses, but you can find many people here who believe the fish sold in the hobby are fine in any water. I have read that here many times, from people who have nothing to gain financially from saying it. It's one of those forever repeated and really convenient pieces of fish lore. We are suckers for ideas we want to be true.
The store guy may just be short on curiosity and only listening to what he wants to hear. He isn't necessarily after a quick buck or uncaring about the fish. A lot of hobbyists just don't want to dig deeper.
That work shoring up your floor - most wood is pretty heavy to work with. Have you tried using balsa wood? It's so lightweight! Yeah, we get that kind of advice in pet stores. The guy may know a lot about dog food though.

I like those pictures. It's a beautiful place. I also like the name of the stream. "Kill" as in killifish comes from the names of those old New Amsterdam streams.

GaryE said:

I don't want to make excuses, but you can find many people here who believe the fish sold in the hobby are fine in any water. I have read that here many times, from people who have nothing to gain financially from saying it. It's one of those forever repeated and really convenient pieces of fish lore. We are suckers for ideas we want to be true.
The store guy may just be short on curiosity and only listening to what he wants to hear. He isn't necessarily after a quick buck or uncaring about the fish. A lot of hobbyists just don't want to dig deeper.
That work shoring up your floor - most wood is pretty heavy to work with. Have you tried using balsa wood? It's so lightweight! Yeah, we get that kind of advice in pet stores. The guy may know a lot about dog food though.

I like those pictures. It's a beautiful place. I also like the name of the stream. "Kill" as in killifish comes from the names of those old New Amsterdam streams.

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New York was originally settled by the Dutch. The capitol, Albany, was originally Fort Orange. Saratoga, where we are, was settled by the Schler family. A good many streams are something Kill, often preceded by an Iroquois name. Many others were renamed River, or brook in the past.

I do not believe Balsa is available to me in other than craft size pieces. I have used it for whittling in the past. It would likely not offer much reinforcement. The Hemlock is not really heavy, it is just my back is now "light". The heaviest piece will be a 4 by 6 that is somewhat less than 16 feet long. Two of us will be able to bull it up. Was a time I could do so alone.

Yes the land is pretty. Thirty seven acres in total, the majority is well cared for woodland. Having a major cut done this year to open the canopy and clear wind damage. The past few years have seen a way heavier wind and rain than what was the norm. I think it is a new norm.

Anyway, I agree, many retail people are way to cavalier about what they sell. It is a shame, and that fact will not be a salve for Linda's anger. These are living creatures and should be respected as such. When they are "farmed" and used as livestock there should be a certain respect involved. I guess I would call it responsibility. If an animal is not to be cared for correctly the person involved should refrain from being involved.

We raised literally 1000's of critters, from poultry, to hogs, veal, and beef. Each was always given their best life regardless of the intended result. It was always a sad day when it came time for them to feed us.

Sorry, I rambled, but the subject is a sore one at this house.

Mission accomplished, well mostly. Support beams are in place and sisters installed. Still have to bolt the beams to eliminate movement and spot weld the screw jacks we used for final adjustments. Not today though. I believe I could park a truck in that room without worry.

When we took a beer break, I saw Linda setting up the 29. STOP!!! I explained to her that every tank would need to be drained and moved when the construction began. They cannot be moved otherwise and if they are not removed the room cannot transform from dining room to fish room. Whoops, she had not thought that far ahead and of course it was my fault.

Anyway, another wet day. Up toa foot of snow less than 50 miles to our north but we got all rain. Today no real work but at some point, I will shop and order the rest of the electric supplies.

This morning found fry in the tank. Called to Linda and she immediately set to work with the fry basket and a net. Frantic I might add at the thought of them being devoured. She managed to scoop 14 into the basket and they hang safely on the tanks side. I ground some shrimp and flakes really fine and they appear to eat. Anyway 10 hours later and no mortality yet. Linda has a 10-gallon tank ready for them. They could be either molly or guppies, we will see.

Two more Molly are with child and have rounded out. Not certain what Linda thinks we are going to do with all these fry but my best option is to stand back and let her work it out.

Tree fellas came and started to cut. They damaged a large, 20", cherry tree when an Ash bounced off another tree unexpectadly. Jerry was very apolgetic and although I was not too happy shrugged it off. I did tell him to cut it into two logs and set them aside. No way I am giving up future cherry lumber. Other than that they are progressing.

The sap is really running. We have boiled about 40 - 50 gallons thus far and have 1.5 gallon of syrup. Sugar content seems to be running about 2.75%. Cannot be precise, well I could I suppose, but we just dump. Next batch we will boil down to maple candy.

I realized yesterday, when there was a major spill, I am going to need to do something waterproof but attractive in the dining room soon to be fishroom. Leaning toward stone with an inconspicious floor drain. Linda is not thrilled but when she goes to the floor place she will likely get excited. Me not so much. I am getting long of tooth for tile work.

We have come a long way in planning the room. The tanks have been selected, not all purchased, but chosen. The cabinetry style has been chosen, Shaker is simple yet elegant to my way of thinking. Now I have begun to study the systems, filtration and such. Some of what I planned is not workable, some was overkill, and some simply too much money. Compromises always compromises.

Was looking at FB feeds Friday morning. I do not usually look at FB because it is mostly nonsense but Friday I got a note from some friends in Florida about their 50th wedding anniversary. I was their long-ago best man, so I thought I better look. Anyway, I got pulled into FB and while there noticed someone nearby was giving away marble. No real information but I took a flyer and sent them a message and promptly received directions. Linda and I hopped into the truck and took a ride. What we found was amazing.

Two large piles of 1 1/2 - 2 inch thick marble slabs. They are the cuts from a countertop business where the sing would go. Most are about 21 inches wide by various lengths up to 3 feet. We made two trips and I now have about 70 pieces that will be used around the pond and its future gazebo and pergola. Some are oval, perhaps 18 inches by 12 or so inches. We pretty much cleared the pile out. Or so I thought. The lady called us last night and asked if we wanted more. Sain there is another pile of larger pieces that are about 4 feet long by 18 - 24 inches and yet another pile similar to what we had already picked up. We will be goig to day to get at least some of the larger pieces.

I am thinking about tearing down the current water fall set-up and then rebuilding it using these flat stones to create a step effect into the pond. Not sure until I look it over later today.

This weekend is supposed to bring good working weather, cool but not cold, and perfect for digging, depending on if the ground is frozen. I do not think it is, If lucky I will be able to use the tiller to loosen up pathway areas around the pond, level them and set these marble rocks into place. If all goes well we can get this done over the weekend and Monday get a load of stone dust to fill in the spaces. Will mix the stone dust with loam and plant creeping myrtle between the stones later in the spring.

This week is supposed to be decent according to the weather gurus so I will be concentrating on the pond area. Plan on pulling the aeration system and packing it away till next winter and hooking up the filtration system, waterfall and water feature pumps. Do not need aeration when the pumps are operating as they oxygenate very well.

Will post some photos of the marble stones over the weekend once they are roughly laid out. Hoping it is as outstanding as we are imagining it.

Things to consider using marble in a pond.

It can leach Calcium Carbonate, depending on the PH of your water it can be a good thing or not.

Smooth surface will become extremely slippery and even dangerous for your pond "users" animal or human.

Weathering will also discolor it and it will become etched.

Be sure to research the specific type of marble you're have and its potential impact on your pond.

MaloK said:

Things to consider using marble in a pond.

It can leach Calcium Carbonate, depending on the PH of your water it can be a good thing or not.

Smooth surface will become extremely slippery and even dangerous for your pond "users" animal or human.

Weathering will also discolor it and it will become etched.

Be sure to research the specific type of marble you're have and its potential impact on your pond.

Click to expand...

Hi, thanks for the heads up.

The marble will be outside the pond used as walkways, a seating area under the pergola at the fire pit and a landing area for the gazebo. The marble (if) used at the waterfall would be under the liner which would be topped with cobble. Not certain about the waterfall rebuild yet as it will be a very labor-intensive job with that famous banjo called a shovel. In the end though, if Linda wants it, she will have it. My back is secondary to her happiness.

Polished marble used as flooring is indeed very slippery. These pieces are not polished and are not any more slippery than slate. The surface is slightly rough and should not present an inordinate slip and slide danger. I have a friend with similar walkways in a formal garden and the stones offer good footing.

The discoloration should present a nice, aged patina that will go well with the farm rustic nature of the property.

Do not misunderstand, I appreciate the input.