frrok's ADA MINI-M - A Slice of Nature --What has a Begininning must Have an End.

[frrok]

Originally Posted by greenman857

Peat Moss should be easy to find. You want pure sphagnum peat. Usually/ possibly always compressed which means even the smallest bag/bale will probably be overkill or enough for a lifetime of Wabi's!
I mix peat and compost 3 to 1 get it pretty wet, then squeeze the water out and it holds it's shape quite well. A layer of moss around the ball (to help hold it together) with plants and additional moss here and there works nicely.

Cool! Thanks for the info. Any particular brand of sphagnum moss?

[greenman857]

Not sure but peat moss, not milled sphagnum. I guess and pure peat sphagnum, with no additives. Obviously the more basic the better, no additives, for instance Pro-Mix looks like peat but has fertilizer and other stuff added.

[frrok]

Journal is on hold due to the storm. Lost all 6 Pygmy cories. Trying to keep the fish alive on my half moon currently . No power and not sure when it will be back on.

[Tedd4u]

Sorry to hear about your fish frrok. Hope the people in your life are okay. As you in a hard hit area?

[frrok]

It is with a heavy heart that I am writing this update today. As I will soon have to break this tank down. As some of you may or may not know. I live the Rockaways in NYC. We were hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. People have lost homes and possessions and the community is struggling to clean up and rebuild. my girlfriend and I own a Condo(just purchased in late June) on the shore in Rockaway. We were fortunate enough to still have a home left standing but it has sustained severe damage. My basement was flooded to the point that it filled with water all the way to the first floor. We actually had a few inches of water in the first level from water coming in from the basement. No water ever came in from anywhere else luckily. So, our furniture from the first floor was spared. I did lose a washer/dryer, futon, 20L emmersed setup, DVDs and some other random stuff. Luckily we brought the important stuff like our TV and some clothes up to the main level. I also had my surfboard quiver down there but that was ok. the water rose very slowly I'm assuming. In the process I lost most of my fish. I did have battery operated pumps for the power outage but I assumed that I would not last long. Well a week went by and still no power and temps were dropping! Fish were fine so I didn't think to move them yet. Still holding out hope for the power to come back on. Well temps dropped even further. I lost all my pygmy cories(6), my family of endlers about 5-6 and an otto. I was able to save some fish from my other tank, 3 platys, a betta, an amano and my remaining male cherry shrimp. I was shocked that the fish survived in below 50 degree water temps! by the way, I didn not have access to a generator. so heaters were not an option. All the power was being used to pump out our basement.

Anyway, Rockaway is still without power and I have been staying with Family in nearby Brooklyn. Traveling everyday back and forth cleaning out what I could. We've gutted the entire basement and part of the first floor, with the help of volunteers from the Rockaway Beach Surf Club and OccupySandy. Found out a few days ago that our wood floors will have to be replaced as well. Which means that all our stuff will have to go in storage while they re-do the flooring. So, my tanks will have to be broken down because I will not have room where I'm staying to run the tanks. Im really sad..... BUT

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. I titled this as "What has a beginning must have and end" But it is also true that a begining must have and end...must also have a NEW BEGINNING! We will rebuild, not just me but the rockaway peninsula! And I will have tanks again. I was already planning a big tank, most likely a 120p. So when I come back, I will be more inspired than ever to create something awesome. Im really stoked on that end. So thanks for following me. I will most likely not be on much, because I have so much going on. thank you tpt!

pic below is whats left of the boardwalk. just a skeleton now.

[Hayden]

Stories like this really put things in perspective.
I wish you the best of luck with your recovery and future setups!

[acitydweller]

At our last meet, it was suggested that we pool together some plants to help you guys rebuild. Mike also went through something similar so we wanted to help.

The hobby will still be around when you are ready and have more time to enjoy. It would be an otherwise up hill battle now with everything else happening in your life. Just let us know when you are ready as we are all friends now.

[Bluek24a4]

Albert, I appreciate the thought, but I didn't sustain nearly the losses that Joe did, so anything we pool together should go to him when hes ready and any other members who sustained heavy losses.

Joe, what happened in our area was awful. My area got hit pretty bad, and then I saw Broad Channel, Rockaways, and Breezy Point and it was somehow even worse. Im sorry to hear about your condo. I didnt get my power/heat back until Friday. I don't know if you guys have hot water down there, and I dont think you do, but doing water changes with hot water can help keep the temps up. Thats what I did for two weeks with my community tank.

[fplata]

Hey man my heart is with you and your family. Pm me once you are ready to setup your tank again and I will send you some plants.

[frrok]

Originally Posted by fplata

Hey man my heart is with you and your family. Pm me once you are ready to setup your tank again and I will send you some plants.

Thanks man. That is really nice of you.

[frrok]

Originally Posted by Bluek24a4

Albert, I appreciate the thought, but I didn't sustain nearly the losses that Joe did, so anything we pool together should go to him when hes ready and any other members who sustained heavy losses.

Joe, what happened in our area was awful. My area got hit pretty bad, and then I saw Broad Channel, Rockaways, and Breezy Point and it was somehow even worse. Im sorry to hear about your condo. I didnt get my power/heat back until Friday. I don't know if you guys have hot water down there, and I dont think you do, but doing water changes with hot water can help keep the temps up. Thats what I did for two weeks with my community tank.

Thanks mike. For a little bit I was going to my neighbors, they had gas, heating some water and adding it to the tank in water bottles. But I wasn't staying home at night so the temp would just drop super low anyway. Anyway, I have some ideas on how to keep my tanks and other things running in event of a disaster. This thing taught me a huge lesson that's for sure.

[Couesfanatic]

What lily pipes are those? tank looks good.

[frrok]

Originally Posted by Couesfanatic

What lily pipes are those? tank looks good.

Thanks. They are Aquatic magic. Look for the redux on this tank in the near future.

[frrok]

Originally Posted by Hayden

Stories like this really put things in perspective.
I wish you the best of luck with your recovery and future setups!

Thx for the kind words.

[@marko@]

im very sorry for all this damage sandy caused you.
hope you not only recover, but are reinvigorated to do more and do better.

your beginning -> end -> beginning statement is a very ancient ideology. and one i, personally, am drawn to. even got a tattoo of an ouroboros. i think its a very healthy way to look at damage.