Thoughts of ZeeZ

I'm going to use this thread to post my thoughts of the day... when I feel like it.

So today I find myself in a quandary. If you don't know what that is, you should go look it up. It's a very useful word to know. Anyway, back to my quandary. Yes, I used it again. See, it's useful!

Back on topic to my quandary. There it is again. You really should know that word. Okay, back to the quandary. For real. Seriously, you should know...

I will be getting my baby back in a couple of days, and by baby, I mean my car. This car has been sitting for 9 months getting body work done to the chassis and to the timing belt. Mainly because I didn't have enough cash for months until I finally could get it out of the shop. My car needs a TON done to it. I don't have enough money to do it all at once, but I can within a couple of months but only if I put my plans for my 40 gallon breeder community tank on hold.

However, I feel that I need to go ahead and set the 40 up because I have 6 Ghost Catfish in my 10 gallon tank right now and frankly, the tank is overcrowded. At least I have a few snails in there doing cleanup work for what little the ghosts don't eat, but these guys really should be in a bigger tank. They've been in there for a couple of weeks and seem to be doing great. Absolutely no signs of stress as far as I can tell, I know they're loving the dI'm lighting that tank has. So I'm not sure what exactly to do... if I could somehow find a good deal on the filter, heater, and lighting/lid for it, I would be tempted to get it and go ahead and set it up for the ghosts. I already have a 10 gallon filter cartridge seeded in my 20 gallon ready to go into the filter for the 40 to speed up cycling.

As for my car, it's almost 20 years old so it needs a lot of parts replaced as well as fluids replaced since it's been sitting for so long. Things I need to do:

1. New battery. Current battery is dead from not being used in 9 months.
2. Oil change with new oil and new oil filter.
3. Transmission flush with new trans. pan gasket, trans. filter, trans. fluid.
4. Tension rod bushings are shot, so need new bushings.
5. Sway bar endlinks are shot (creaking and popping), so need new endlinks.
6. Front ball joints on the lower control arms are bad, need new ball joints.
7. Tie rods needs new boots.
8. Rear endlink bushings need replacing soon but not priority ATM.
9. New (By new, I mean used) tires
10. Would be a good idea to replace brake pads soon.
11. Turn in tags for 30 days because of no insurance (pointless while not driving)
12. Find good, cheap insurance with full coverage... good luck with that.
13. Pay property tax on it
14. Inspection was done last June but tags says to do it at the same time with tags, so may need yet another inspection...
15. Renew tags and registration.

Since the car cannot be driven for 30 days after turning in the tags, I do have some time, but I would like to get at least the most serious items checked off this list ASAP. Getting new insurance will NOT be cheap, especially when I have none at the moment.

So therein lies my problem... what would you do if you were in my position?

 

take care of the car, you have more uses for it

 

I agree with Maxima, take care of your car

 

I know what a quandary is....but I don't see one....

Car comes before fish tanks.....

 

I was joking about that part.

The car will most definitely be worked on. The nice thing is I have friends who are willing to work on it with me for free or for a case of beer. I only have to pay for the parts.

If the Ghost Catfish are doing fine in the 10 gallon, then I guess they can wait until the car is done. Hate putting the 40 on hold, though.

 

yea, we all hate putting tanks on hold, I put my 55 gallon tank on hold for atleast 4-5months, mainly because I was focusing on school and wanted to do it during vacation time =]

 

What kind of car are we talking? Most of those parts you need are very easy to do yourself. Get yourself a Chilton's or Haynes book and start learning how to repair your car. My husband is a motor head and always has a project in the yard. He learned by himself using books and hanging out with car guys. Too bad you didn't live closer, you'd be hanging in our yard. Everything you listed is doable in your yard and not very hard, depending on car. Old cars are much easier to work on and can get great parts at junkyard cheap.

 

You might try a rate quote from Geico... I switched from State Farm after finding out that I would save nearly $800 a year. I have never had insurance lapse though so I don't know what that does to your rates. I'm also a good bit older than you are I think (31). LOL.

 

I'm married... I think that's good for your rates. My rate was pretty crappy when I was 27, lol. Anyway, they are worth a shot!

 

That explains why you saved so much. I'm currently shopping around, it's interesting to compare companies but at the same time aggravating because I can't make a decision.

With other things, I went to Petsmart to try and get a few more Otos for my 20 since they're cheap and my 20 looks bare with just 3 Otos and snails. They were out but I finally saw black KuhlI loaches in person. These guys are TINY! Very skittish as well. I was expecting something more... thicker. Like a finger. Now I'm not sure if I want them for my 40...

 

Kuhlis are usually very tiny when you buy them. They never get as thick as your finger. My fattys are about the size of earthworms but that's big for them.

Their very interesting and active little fish that need lots of hiding/sleeping places.
carol

 

I suppose I should give an update.

In any case, the Kuhlis won't be in my tank anytime soon. Especially since I've spent my money on the car on new parts for it. All suspension parts to hopefully stop it from creaking and popping (dry ball joints). My plate has been turned in.

Next month will go towards the DMV, property tax ($35. Take that, suckers.), and an inspection. Sigh. At least my inspection won't be expensive as my car will only require a visual inspection instead of plugging up to a computer since my car is OBD1, not OBD2. OBD2 started in 1996 til now. One of the advantages to having an older car.

In other news, I ordered some RCS, two Horned Nerites, an Orange-Spotted Tylomelania baby snail, and Java Moss from Harpua. The little guys should get here Thursday. Hopefully the third time will be the charm for the RCS shrimp since my last two attempts didn't go so well. I've also started a small 1 gallon, or close to 1 gallon, algae tank. I placed it right besides my 20 gallon so it would get some light from the tank's light, added dechlorinator, a couple of drops of plant ferts, and a small amount of fish flake food to help get the ammonia going. It has a couple of aquarium decorations in it that I hope will become covered with algae and I can cycle one in and out every few days to keep the Nerites and shrimp happy since my Otos and other snails have done a fantastic job keeping my tank SPOTLESS. I've been told the Nerites are picky and prefer algae above algae wafers or other food, so that's one of the reasons why I'm trying to cultivate algae.

 

^Aww!! I can't wait to see pictures!

And nice care. My sister has a 2008 car thingy. I don't know the name of it though.

 

Thanks!

I'll post up some pics as soon as I can get halfway decent ones of the Nerites and the Orange Spotted Tylomelania snails. The Tylo and one Nerite won't come out of hiding.

The new MTS seem to love their new home as do the new shrimp. It's been almost 24 hours since they went in. The baby shrimp have disappeared but I've seen four sub-adults and juvenile shrimp out and about patrolling the tank. I have a ton of Java Moss and plenty of hiding spots with other plants. I assume that's where the babies are. I was surprised at how TINY the babies were. No wonder they're at risk with things like Hydra. Even a KuhlI loach would've been able to eat them.

I'm enjoying.watching the tank and hoping to catch a glimpse of a baby RCS. The bigger ones retained their red color so I'm hoping that's a good sign for their future. I have high hopes for them actually living past a week but my hopes aren't too high because I've had bad luck the last two times.

A baby MTS snail also somehow managed to attach itself to the little riccia that's free floating in the filter's cascade. The riccia came with the shrimp so the MTS wasn't in it before. Snails are amazingly maneuverable in the water.

 

I FINALLY got some halfway decent photos of the new guys with my Droid X's camera.

 

Doesn't it drive you crazy when you have no money, yet you're constantly thinking about new ideas and new tanks. For example, I'm still waiting on sufficient funds to get a new filter and new heater for my 40B after I've dealt with my car next month.

Anyway, I've been considering not going with the planned KuhlI loaches and going with a couple of Banjo cats instead. It would make an unique tank, Banjo cats with a trio of Apistogramma Trifasticas with a school of about 10 Ghost Catfish with a Dwarf Gourami. Of course, this would omit the Otocinclus catfish since the Banjos would probably consider them dinner but that's perfectly fine because the Otos are perfectly happy in their current 20 gallon with the shrimp and snails. Thoughts on this stock?

I've also been wanting to add a betta to the current 10 gallon with the 6 Ghost Catfish but I don't think it would be too happy with the Ghosts since they're skittish plus it would overcrowd the tank. The Ghosts are so fast at feeding time that a betta wouldn't stand a chance against them, so I'm holding off on one. Still, I'm always tempted every time I see one mentioned on here. Once the Ghosts are out of there, it's going to be divided and two cool dudes will be going in there. I want to move my bedside table to the other side of my bed by the dog crate and put a 10 gallon double tank stand there. I don't know what the second 10 gallon would hold, though.

Another idea: I've been wanting to get a 20 gallon High tank stand that can hold double tanks. The bottom one would be my RCS/Oto/Snail tank while the top one would have about 4-5 Fire Belly Newts with a school of Celestial Pearl Danios along with some snails and a sponge filter. The water would be about 75% full. I've already made a DIY project to provide the newts some land mass. If more mass is needed, a floating corkboard would suffice. I have enough Java Moss to put in there and still have some left over in the RCS tank to make everybody happy.

Finally, I've been wanting to set up a 55g, maybe a bit bigger tank with a stand in the space where a former roommate's couch will leave empty once he gets it out. The space would maybe have enough for a 75g... This would be my native species tank. I'm still doing research on what would go in there.

My biggest concern with all that is it may be too much for me since I rent the house and I'm afraid of the electrical bill if I did all of that... plus my roommates might be annoyed with me. It wouldn't be fair to pay equal parts of the bill since my tanks would count for a pretty good portion of it, am I right?

 

I've been on NANFA.org and I'm coming up with some terrific ideas. I've changed my idea of a native fish tank from a 55 to a 75g. I would go out and catch the fish myself with barbless hooks. It's going to be glorious and a ton of fun once I have it going by summer...

I love fishkeeping!

 

Very cool car!, Especially for a first car!... Have always liked 300z's. Like the even older ones even more. But that 91 is very sharp looking... Maybe I'll get one eventually when my kids are grown and gone. As it is I may have to get rid of my fun little nissian sentra type R for something larger. Although I'm looking to keep it. If me and my wife can find a second larger car or truck for the family. For the right price.

Wish you good luck, Keep us updated.

 

Haha, my Z isn't my first car. It's actually the fourth car... technically. I've owned two cars before this one but I wrecked 3 cars, all within the span of one year for each car. I've owned my Z for 5 years come May, so needless to say, it's a good car for me.

If you do get one, let me know. I know a lot about these cars, and the engine bay is pretty tight so it has a reputation with mechanics. A Nissan Maxima sounds like what you're looking for. Bigger than the Sentra and still has decent power for a family car. A V6 compared to the 4 banger the Sentra is.

 

sorry my bad, was under the imperision this was your first... Maximas are nice no doubt. But I still don't want to give up my go-cart. Love the way this thing handles and for a 4banger it does pretty well. Think I could give a maxima a run for it's money.. Don't know if your familar with the type R sentra, but it's not like the regular sentra's with 1.8ltr. It has a 2.5 ltr. Not to mention a lot of other cool additions. Stablizer bar, leather seats, and quality sound system with a sub and amp included.


Sounds like your hard on cars... Reminds me of me when I was younger... Would do anything to have back my S.S. Monte Carlo back. Which was my first car I owned and totaled... So don't have to much fun with that thing.

 

Oh, I know Sentra Type-Rs can be quick, and I have respect for them.

As for being hard on cars, I respect my Z a **** lot more than I did my old cars. The last three cars were front wheel drives and my Z is rear wheel drive. The first time I tried to drive it like it was a front wheel drive, it quickly taught me the lesson that the two are polar opposites and it should not be driven in the same fashion as you would drive a FWD. It was a fairly steep learning curve for me. It's also faster than my previous 3 cars, which makes me respect it even more, if that makes sense.

 

Well that's good you have a healthy respect for the Z. That thing is far to sharp looking to wreck, that's for sure... Totally agree frnt wheel drive and rear whell drive are like night and day. Even though I drive a frnt wheel at moment. Think I will always prefer rear wheel drive. Just doesn't feel 100% right being pulled though a curve... Besides donuts are much easier if you have rear wheel drive.... There I go being a kid again... Sorry bad idea... but they sure are fun aren't they.

 

Agreed, I've done plenty of donuts with this car, trust me... Even had a cop come out and not write me up for it because I was "practicing for a drift event". I counted how many I'd done that night, 32... The cop shined his flashlight over the parking lot and gave me a look. But I was super nice and cooperative, which has gotten me out of some trouble.

I have a bit of a driving history...

Anyway, I've got tons of plans for this summer, depending on if I can get a job to carry these plans out. For one plan, I have two tattoos, and they both need touching up and one needs some additions to it. Then I want another new tattoo. You know what they say, once you start, you can't stop... kind of like fishkeeping.

 

So I did a big water change for my Ghost Catfish 10 gallon (Nitrates got high. Need to cut down on my feeding a bit.) while making sure that they were fine. I checked and checked the pitcher and 5 gallon tank that I use for switching out water (temporary until I can get a 5 gallon bucket) to make sure there was nothing in there. Yet after I was done, I counted the Ghosts and there were only 5... whereas there was 6 before.

I counted again, checked the 5g, pitcher, and also checked the 20 gallon since I did a 25% water change there, looked all around the dresser that the 10 gallon is on thinking maybe one had jumped out but there was NOTHING. My dog was with me watching everything I did and I'm very certain if one had ended up on the floor, she would've let me know. So the only thing I can think of is that one somehow mysteriously got into my pitcher and got poured down the bathtub drain with the old tank water. I'm bummed about it...

I've also been thinking about getting 5 more and rounding it up to 10 Ghost Catfish in the 10g. They seem to have a low bioload as their stomachs are tiny. Would this be overcrowding?

 

Apparently nobody reads this blog. Awesome.

Anyway, I've had a less-than-1-gallon tank running for about two weeks and a half filled with half dechlorinated tap water and half old tank water with a few drops of plant ferts and plenty of ammonia from fish food along with a small airstone powered by a 10 gallon air pump. I've been trying to grow algae as a dietary supplement for my otos, snails, and shrimp. It's in front of a window with the blinds opened slightly downwards since I live in the city and I don't want anyone peering in but it still provides privacy and light for the tank. It gets direct sunlight in the mornings and indirect sunlight for the rest of the day.

I THINK I see small spots of green algae starting to grow on the car, but I'm not sure since that car has been in my tanks before and had a lot of algae growing on it so I may just be seeing the remnants of what I couldn't clean off. Still, the color seems to be a light green instead of dark green like you see with dried algae. Everything feels slimy, which has me wondering just when the heck it's going to grow...

 

I think I'll give up on this thread and just wait until I start setting up my future tanks as progress threads.