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.

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.

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.