Jay And Short Game Competition

Date:  Mar 22, 2015

There is only one medal for this short game competition.

Jay is the one of the youngest in his class.  The rest I think is P4-P6.

So far he has yet to get any medal this year.  The older kids are definitely much better golfer than him.  But he enjoys it.  

Today competition is to hit putting into the hole from all direction (with slopes) and score points.

Not so hard, not so easy either.  The kids needs to learn how to read the green, read the slope and putt so that it goes into the hole.

This is one of the hole that made him proud.  He is the only kid who get the ball in twice in the long putt.  The rest did not get it in.

He still learning how to read the green, so, some holes he is in trouble.

Chip and run.  Not too bad.  And he scores.

He learned the technique and applied it in his golf game.

He has some problem in the sand bunker shots.  He did not score well there.

I think he placed his ball too far right.  That is why the swing did not catch much sands and the ball flies up high.  

Jay likes golf a lot.  Kay expressed his interest in golf too.  So, it will be very happy for us if the whole family can go to Golf Vacation trip together when they gets older.

Next week is a big day for Jay.  he is going to take part in his first every Golf Game Competition.  It will be the monthly Junior Medal game competition with his peers.  Let’s see how it goes.  Anything can happen on the golf course.  HaHaHaHa.  Good luck Jay.

Acid and Base Chemistry of Aquaponics Brief Overview

It’s all about water

Acid and base chemistry has its roots in the actions of water.  Water (H₂O) does not solely exist as H₂O as it sits in a glass on a table, but rather splits into its ionic (charged) parts.  H-OH breaks into H⁺ and OH^-.  H⁺is a hungry proton, looking for another compound to attack to balance its positive charge and become neutral.  This is what makes acid “acidic”, and why hydrochloric acid (HCl) will eat your flesh…it’s all about those hungry H⁺’s looking to balance their “+” charge.  Similarly, OH^- is a hungry hydroxide looking to balance its charge by attacking other compounds.  This is what makes bases “basic”, and why lye will eat your flesh…it’s all about those hungry OH^-‘s looking to balance their “-” charges.

How water is the acid

Let’s say your fish tank is full of water sitting at room temperature.  Some water will remain as H₂O molecules, while some dissociate (split) into H⁺ and OH^-ions.

Let’s add 4 parts hydrochloric acid (HCl) to the water.  Acid will also dissociate into H⁺and Cl^- ions.

The hungry H⁺’s from HCl will attack the OH^-‘s in the water, turning them back into H₂O.

Since 4 OH^-‘s are removed from the solution, we now have an excess of H⁺.  Thus, by HCl making H₂O less basic…it becomes more acidic. Our extra choride ions are just floating around, doing nothing as spectator ions. 

How water is the base

Now, let’s add 4 parts ammonia (NH₃) to the original neutral water in the fish tank.  Ammonia is uncharged, so it dissolves but doesn’t dissociate in water.  However, nitrogen is famous for having an extra pair of electrons (negative charges) that are hungry for positively charged species.

 

The hungry electrons on ammonia (NH3) will steal 4 H+’s from the water, turning it into the positively charged species ammonium ion (NH4+).  Since 4 H’s are removed from solution, we have an excess of OH-‘s.  Thus, by ammonia making H2O less acidic…it becomes more basic.

 

Where does pH come into play?

pH is based on logarithms.  Specifically, it is the negative log of H+ concentration.  The pH scale only goes from 0-14.  There is nothing more or less.

If concentration of H+ is 10^-14 in a solution, that means its concentration is 0.00000000000001.  This is a VERY weak acid.  Calculate -log(10^-14) = pH of 14.  This VERY basic because not much acid.

If concentration of H+ is 10^-7 in a solution, that means its concentration is 0.0000001.  Calculate -log(10^-7) = pH of 7.  This is neutral, like pure water.

If concentration of H+ is 10^-1 in a solution, that means its concentration is 0.1.  Compared to 10^-14, this is a VERY strong acid.  Calculate -log (10^-1) = pH of 1.  This is VERY acidic. 

So why bother using pH at all?  Consider this:  An H+ concentration of 10^-1is 0.1.  An H+ concentration of 10^-7is 0.0000001, which is 1,000,000 times LESS than 10^-1.  Rather than making it difficult for the layman with calculating exponents and logarithms, pH makes things easy by saying pH 1 and pH 7.  Let’s recap:

Acid = LOW pH (below 7)

Base = HIGH pH (above 7)

Kays First Students Recital Performance

Date:  March 22, 2015

This is my younger son, Kay Kay.

Today, he is going to go up stage to perform what he has learned from the Piano class.

Yup, it is his first “100 Stages Students’ Recital” performance.  

I think he started to learn Piano from Cristofori since end of 2014.

It is hard work for parents as we need to pick him up and sent him to class.  So, on Wednesday, he always comes home late at 7:30pm because of the 30 minutes piano class.

Influenced by his brother, Jay Jay.  He started to like Piano.  One day, he come back from school and tell mommy he wanted to learn piano.

That is how he got into this piano.

Take note, still, Mommy and Daddy has not played piano before when we were young.  And I don’t think we have much musical instinct in our cells.

So, the kids have to learn on their own, and pick up piano from the class on their own.

Today will be the Recital performance.  So, he has been practising hard at home.

He actually can perform without the music CD.  Let’s take a look.  This is 10 minutes before the performance.

Very playful.

Because Jay Jay has to go to the Golf School later for Monthly competition.  So, the school have arranged him to be the first one to performance.  No pressure at all.

Since this is his very first performance the teacher insists he follows the music CD.  Teacher says he always practice in school using the CD.  I told the teacher, but he practice at home without the CD.  But then, it was decided to let him follow the CD.

He is pretty serious when he performs.  Don’t you think?  HaHaHaHa… I seldom see that kind of serous face.

And he got a certificate from his teacher Jay.  Yeap, the teacher is the same name as Jay Jay.  That is why he is willing to learn from teacher Jay.  Because of this same name.  HaHaHaHa...

Well done Kay Kay!

So shy.  Receiving his certificate from teacher Jay.

All the students who performed yesterday.

OK.  What a relief.  Drink lots of water.  Eat the sushi.  Well done Kay Kay!

Reef tank part 2

Continuing on with my saltwater reef tank project. Today we went to a store called Bio-reef to check out some of the stock and pickup some supplies for the tank. I got a bag of instant ocean salt to mix up 50 gallons of saltwater and on the way home we stopped at Home Depot to pick up (2) 50lb bags of play sand for the tank substrate.

I got home and cleaned out all of the shells I was storing in the bottom of the tank,


then we poured in one of the 50lb bags of sand. turns out I only needed one bag. oh well it was $3.50 a bag so no great loss there.



I crushed up the shells that i had sitting in the tank and added them to the sand. the shells contain a high amount of calcium which helps to maintain the proper PH levels in the water.

Next came the rock.At one point this rock was loaded with life from the reef in figi, it also cost me about $4.00/lb when I bought it years ago. Sadly, after I tore the tank down and pulled the rock from the water everything died off and now its just base rock. What im going to do is purchase some fresh live rock and add it to the base rock. this will seed the base rock and after a short while you wont even know the difference, the dead rock will be live again.






next steps:
finish the canopy, add the lighting, fill up the tank, drop in a dead shrimp or two to start the cycle, add a few pounds of live rock to the base rock and throw in the cleanup crew. Since I live at the beach Im going to go collect a few dozen red legged hermits if i can find some this time of year.

Reef Tank Part 3

Time to finish up the light canopy. Ill be running 4 florescent VHO lamps with an Icecap 660 ballast for a total of 440 watts of lighting.

I picked up a 4x8 sheet of 1/4" plywood and had it cut to size at Lowes and attached it to the frame with paneling nails.

next I measured for the risers to mount the endcaps for the bulbs, then i remeasured 10 more times and test fit before drilling pilot holes for mounting screws.
then I checked the fit and checked it again just to make sure.

I mounted the remaining lamps the same way and switched it on to test it out. (note:do not look directly at the lamps when you plug them in, i was seeing spots for 30 mins after)

Damn thats bright!

I finished up the top and mounted it to the hinges















Then i placed it on top of the tank and switched it on














perfect, now I have to mount the ballast, clean up the wiring , add the handle to the top ,add molding around the corners and stain it to match the stand.

Todays Project Saltwater Reef Tank

Back a few years ago I had put together a saltwater reef aquarium. Lots of work to get everything going but once I did it was a self sustaining, balanced ecosystem with no mechanical filtration except for a protein skimmer, in simple terms a device that injects air into the water to create bubbles and cause foam which traps organic compounds before they begin to decompose. pretty much the same thing ocean waves do when they create seafoam.

Once its up and going the entire system takes care of itself, nitrifing bacteria colonize calcified coral skeletons AKA live rock. the live rock becomes the natural biofilter in the system. Invertebrates such as snails, small hermit crabs and cleaner shrimp are introduced into the system as cleanup crews. they control unwanted algae and sift through the dirt and rock cleaning up all the debris.

Now that we have a house of our own and arent renting I decided to set up my reef once again. First thing I needed to do was change the color of my tank stand. It was originally pine that was coated with polyurethane clearcoat but because all of the cabinetry in the house is a red mahogany color and I am going to use the tank as a room divider between the dining/kitchen areas I wanted the tank to match the rest of the cabinets.

Stripping clearcoat from wood is not as easy as it may seem. I started out with 80 grit sandpaper and a small electric sander but after about an hour of sanding and getting nowhere fast I decided to go the chemical stripper route. The first chemical stripper i bought was a cheap all purpose stripper, I learned my lesson in a hurry, you get what you pay for.

The stuff was useless and I ended up going back to the store and buying a can of Formsbys wood stripper. Brush it on, wait 30 mins, scrape the finish off. It worked pretty well but still not good enough. In my frustration I looked over at my DA sander and air compressor and decided to give it a shot. It slapped on a disk of 60 grit paper , fired up the DA and it tore through the clearcoat easily, a little to easily actually. The DA left some deep swirls in the wood that werent so noticeable on the bare wood but when I hit it with the stain all of those areas got really dark.

At that point I decided , screw it, its staying that way. Once the stain soaked in i coated the entire thing in polyurethane clear. I also needed to close in the back of the stand since it was going to be seen from all sides, simple fix, some furring strips and a 24"x24" sheet of plywood and the stand looks like it was made that way.

here are some pics of the finished stand











The next thing I had to do was build a canopy to house the VHO (Very High Output) lighting for the tank. My lighting system should put out 440 watts of 10,000k (sunlight spectrum)light. Most types of corals need intense lighting to thrive and this should give me enough to keep almost any type of coral.

for the canopy I used 1x4" lumber with 2"x2" posts in the corners, i made it 14"high with a 2" overlap that will go over the top of the tank.
Im no carpenter so Im pretty happy with how it came out.








heres the tank sitting on the stand with the canopy frame on top. I still need to cover the frame with plywood and build a hinged lid for the top.




thats all for today, ill post updated pics when the stand/canopy are complete and lights have been installed.

Kay Kay First Badminton Class

Date:  March 21, 2015

Kay Kay last week attended one of the “badminton play date” session with his brother Jay, together with Gwen and Colette and Ashlyn.

We have to thank Colette’s mommy, another sport enthusiast who book the court and drive the kids.

Gwen’s daddy is a badminton enthusiast.  He macam like play badminton 5 days a week like that.  

But Gwen’s daddy is good.  He knows how to play and train the kids.

Here, he is training Kay Kay and Colette.  Both kids sure have fun!

This is probably the first time Kay Kay playing badminton “seriously”.  Uncle Rusdi says he has “ball sense”.

So, what happen next is Kay Kay comes to mommy again and requested to join his brother Jay Jay in the badminton school.

So, early in the morning, we fill in the application forms, and prepare the cheques and we enrol him into Singapore Badminton School.  I asked the coach weather a K2 (6 years old) can be in the class.  The coach says as long as he got the heights he can play.  So, today is Kay Kay first lesson taking badminton class.

Here the two young coaches trying to get him up to speed holding the badminton racquet the correct way, etc. 

I sat at the far end and watch how he learned.  And I must say, he is different from Jay Jay.  He really has that “serious face” of learning.  And he is very focus.

Kay learning the foot works.  Got a bit confuse of the direction.  But this is his mommy fault.  I think Kay Kay by nature is left hander.  But his mommy was forcing him to use right hand all the time.  So, that is why I watch his stance, naturally he will do a certain action and then, feel awkward to continue the rest as it is not nature.  But let’s see how it goes.

Learning how to hit the shuttle.  

Here, he puts what he learned into action.

Now the forehand.  His forehand is quite ok.  That is why the coach ask other kids to look at him, as he can hit back the shuttle almost every time.

I guess this is his ball sense.  For this, he is much better than his brother.  The brother Jay has to work very extra hard to build the ball sense.  For Kay, it seems natural.

After the lesson, he wants some more practise.  

This is Jay Jay’s lesson with the coach.  I can see after 2 years of efforts he can hit the shuttle quite confidently already.  This is good fitness for Jay Jay.  :)

Aquaponics Labs

The Lab

Lives are in your hands: the fish, the plants, and the bacteria.  Doctors use lab results and imaging to diagnose pathology in patients, and you will do the same with your system.  Your imaging tools are your eyes...your lab...behold:

Follow me on a description of each lab, what they are, what they mean, and how you can salvage countless hours and dollars with as little stress as possible.  Similar to medicine, in most cases, you will see that HIGH values are the result of too much produced or too little consumed.  Similarly, you will see that LOW values are the result of too little produced or too much consumed.

Nitrates (NO₃^-). There is no concensus on the ideal nitrate level, and many sources provide figures that range from 2-150 ppm. Nitrates are not toxic to fish at comparatively higher levels, and are therefore more of a concern for plant growth than for fish health. Nitrates only come from one source: the bacteria (nitrobacter). Nitrates are removed from the system by one consumer: the plants. (See Aquaponics: The Bacteria post). Use your thinking cap to reason through this one:

• Nitrates too high: Hardly a concern.
• Nitrates too low:  Too little produced or too much consumed.
• Insufficient fish waste to feed bacteria: Not enough fish, not enough food, fish too small, too much water (dilution)
• Insufficient bacteria colonies feeding on nitrites: Immature system, improper dechlorination of municipal water, introduction of antiseptics.
• Insufficient water delivery to growth media:  Pump/valves/tubing too small.
• Excess vegitation consuming all available nitrates:  Lack of pruning, trying to grow more than the system can allow.

Nitrites (NO₂^-).  According to a number of sources, the ideal range of nitrites is 0.25-1.0 ppm.  Nitrites are toxic to fish, and we must be alert to high levels.  Nitrites only come from one source:  the bacteria (nitrosomas).  Nitrites are also removed from the system by one consumer: another bacteria (nitrobacter).

• Nitrites too high: Too much produced or too little consumed.
• Excess fish waste feeding bacteria:  Too many fish, too much feeding, fish too big, too little water (concentration).
• Nitrites too low: Not enough produced or too much consumed.
• Insufficient fish waste to feed bacteria: Not enough fish, not enough food, fish too small, too much water (dilution)
• Insufficient bacteria colonies feeding on nitrites: Immature system, improper dechlorination of municipal water, introduction of antiseptics.
• Insufficient water delivery to growth media: Pump/valves/tubing too small.

*Note:  You will almost NEVER see combinations of "Hi Nitrite/Lo Nitrate" because the nitrobacter almost immediately change nitrite into nitrate.  You will almost ALWAYS see "Low Nitrite/Hi Nitrate" because nitrobacter are eating the nitrite and converting it.

Ammonia (NH₃ / NH₄⁺).  Why are both listed? Check out Acid and Base post.  According to a number of sources, the idea ideal range of ammonia is 0.25-1.0 ppm.  Ammonia is toxic to fish and is their primary waste product.  Ammonia only comes from one source:  the fish.  Ammonia is removed from the system by one consumer:  the bacteria (nitrosomas).

• Ammonia too high:  Too much produced or too little consumed.
• Excess fish waste: Too many fish, too much feeding, fish too big, too little water (concentration).
• Insufficient bacteria colonies feeding on ammonia: Immature system, improper dechlorination of municipal water, introduction of antiseptics
• Fix action:  Remove fish for short-term fix. Add growth media and vegitation for long-term fix.
• Insufficient water delivery to growth media: Pump/valves/tubing too small.
• Ammonia too low:   Not enough produced or too much consumed.
• Insufficient fish waste: Not enough fish, not enough food, fish too small, too much water (dilution)
• Fix action:  Add fish, feed more,

pH. According to MANY sources, the ideal pH for both plant and fish health for any system is 6.5-7.0.  f you havent, read both Bacteria and Acid and Base posts, do so now. The pH for a system is a measure of acid (H+) concentration, and can affect the health of your entire system.  It affects protein structure, enzyme catalysts, toxicity to plants, fish, and bacteria.  If left unchecked, it can sink your entire operation.  The primary source of base in the system is ammonia from fish.  The primary source of acid in the system is H+ from nitrifying bacteria.  For every 1 ammonia shat/pissed out by fish in a mature system, 5 H+s are chemically generated, pushing your system WELL into acidic...and therefore a LOW pH. 

• pH too high:  Too much base or too little acid.
• Excess fish waste: Too many fish, too much feeding, fish too big, too little water (concentration).
• Insufficient bacteria colonies feeding on ammonia: Immature system, improper dechlorination of municipal water, introduction of antiseptics
• Excess addition of commercial base
• pH too low:  System working FINE but not monitored and/or treated.  System is supposed to be acidic due to nitrifying bacteria
• Inappropriate monitoring and/or insufficient use of commercial base.

Thats all for now.  More to follow.

Aquaponics Autotrophs vs Heterotrophs

The Big Picture

All energy for living organisms is ultimately derived from the sun.  Autotrophs using the suns energy create organic molecules through photosynthesis (Calvin Cycle), and do not require exogenous (external) organic compounds.  Our fish food is made by autotrophs...and the produce from our gardens is made by autotrophs.  Heterotrophs derive energy by breaking down organic molecules made by plants (Krebs Cycle).  Humans, our fish, and the bacteria in our systems are heterotrophs...(sadly) we cant use the suns energy and atomospheric gases to generate organic compounds.

Autotrophs

Autotrophs produce macromolecules in the following way:

Specialized plant cells use glucose as energy to convert minerals and other atoms into cellulose, sugars, starches, organic acids, antioxidants, medicines, and plant fats & proteins. Cellulose, sugar, and starches are actually polymers of one chemical....glucose...only chained together differently.  Although any AP system should have basline levels of certain minerals, the types of plants will determine frequency of supplementation.  For example, systems that produce spinach will require more frequent additions of supplemental chelated (Kee-lay-ted) iron.

Mineral supplementation is a hotly debated issue, with some asserting "as needed/symptomatic" dosing, "scheduled" dosing, pre-made commercial mixes, mineral+commercial base dosing, vermicompost "tea", using hydroponics concepts, NOT using hydroponics concepts....Im confident that there is no one method that is perfect.  However, if certain practices provide results Im sure it would be beneficial to learn from the failings/successes of others.  Entire books could be/have been written on this subject.  As I learn more I will add posts regarding mineral supplementation.

Atoms plants need to build macromolecules (protein, fat, carbs) are necessary.  Cellulose = fiber...made from glucose but we cant digest it.  Sugars and starches = digestable forms of glucose.  See the formula above, thats all you need to make it.  Fats contain the same atoms as sugars:  oxygen, carbon, hydrogen.  Nothing extra needs to be added for formation of fats.  Proteins contain the same atoms as glucose, but ALSO need nitrogen and sometimes sulfur (miniscule amounts).  Nitrogen will come from your nitrates, and sulfur can be added directly to the system or via fish food.

Another autotroph (but NOT a plant) evident in your system is algae.  A general rule is that if its green, it uses chlorophyll, and is an autotroph.  Just like grass, if you remove light, it will die/subside.  If  you have alge in your growbed, add more growth media, shorten your stand pipe, or fill you tank under the growth media.  Most fish will eat aglae, so growth in the FT is desireable.  Also, snails eat algae...and fish eat snails, so its a double whammy.  If youre using clear tubing and algae is clogging the tubes, cover it with foam tubing insulation, spray paint tubing, or replace with rigid PVC.

Heterotrophs

Heterotrophs require organic molecules from other animals to power their cells and synthesize their biomass. 

Bacteria. Oddly enough, the bacteria of interest in our AP systems are also heterotrophic. The difference is, rather than consuming the biomass of other lifeforms they consume the waste products of other lifeforms. Of primary concern is fish piss (or ours, for that fact). Primary contents of piss are water and urea, among other electrolytes. Healthy urine is sterile, and is necessary for nitration to occur.

Here is a graphic illustrating how you, me, the worms, and the fish process the products of autotrophs to make ATP, which powers our specialized cells to synthesize muscle, nerve, guts, and/or bone.

Worms.  The next tier of animal complexity is the red worm.  This guy is a major contributor to the system in that he breaks down organic solids, such as insoluble fish waste and vegetation, into soluble matter that the plants can readily absorb. Its important to pay particular attention to these guys because they will actually decrease your need to add much commercial nutrient and supplementation.  In grow beds, they are placed direcly into the growth media, along with vegetation and compost from the kitchen.  Another way of using worms is through vermicomposting.  However, composting requires a higher degree of nutrient, moisture, and temperature control to be optimally effective.

Fish.  The fish are, by far, the most complex heterotrophs in the system. Without the fish, you would have to pour chemicals or piss and crap into the system to get it to work, which is pretty unhealthy for vegetation consumption.  Remember all of the spinach/e. coli recalls in the news? All are the result of using the manure of warm-blooded animals...which is avoided using fish manure.  In an AP system, these animals require oxygenated water, water filtration, fish food, pH control, and temperature control.  Beyond this, they dont require much, and a well-designed system can correct for the almost all of these factors:
- Venturi aeration solves oxygnation.
- Grow beds solve water filtration.
- Inulated tanks and environmental controls solve temperature control.
- Commercial base solves pH.
- Commerical fish pellets solve fish food.

Stay tuned. More to follow.