I gave my external Fluval 205 Filter a partial clean for the First Time after that had been going for about 1 Month, I did this at the same time a did a Small water change,  so  I could Clean it with water which I gotten out of Tank, I only Cleaned half of the Sponge (leaving the other half for a couple of more weeks) the reason for this is, if I was to Clean all the Filter at once, I would lose all the valuable Bacteria, I had built up over the previous few weeks!


At the same time, I had a little change around in tank  (as previously explained why!) I decided to move to Large Air Stone to the other side of the Tank, to accommodate the Plastic log where the large plec, lays around!


After I sorted this out, I decided to turn back on the External filter, this was the first time this had been turned off, since I started the Tank, so I was a bit worried about turning it on, as i didn’t know what was going to happen when I pushed them 2 switches back down!

What a gush there was for about 10 seconds while the Filter fills back up again (with water from the tank), then silence, it was all O.K!


After about a minute or so , I had a funny noise coming from the Filter, like a whooshing/gurgling sound, I tried everything to sort it out, it sounded like an Air lock or similar.


After going through the Manual & looking on the Internet, I decided to write on one of the Forums, I got plenty of replies, mostly saying I should give the Canister a good Shake, I did this, but still the same noise!

Then it dawned on me, as I sat there looking in the Tank, the Air Curtain Bubbles were being sucked into the Intake Pipe and down into the Filter, the second I moved the Air Curtain, the Noise Stopped, what a relief , that was sorted! 

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After about 1 week with the Tank Running with about 14 Fishes, you need to start cleaning up after the Fish, as I said previously, I brought a gravel Cleaner which you worked by hand, this turned out to be no Good, so I brought a Battery Operated one, this was much Better, most of my Muck comes from the Large Plec I have, so a Good Tip, if you don’t want loads of Fish Mess don’t get a large Plec!


By now I was also Changing about 10% / 15% of the Tank Water at least twice a Week, this is a Vital part of keeping your Tank and Fishes Healthy, the easiest way to do this, I have found is to buy a couple of Large Buckets and a Large Measuring Jug, I did use a Piece of tank Tubing, to siphon the Water out, but this takes too long! 

When I put the Water back into tank, I use a Mix of Hot and Cold Tap Water and not Forgetting some “Aqua Plus” for the Chlorine and Metals in the water and I also use some “Cycle” for the Ammonia and Nitrite.


I also on a Weekly Basis do a few Tank Water Tests, I purchased a API Freshwater Master Test kit from Ebay, these are Expensive, around £25, some places £30!  but if you look you can find a Bargain, I got mine for about £16, it had been used a couple of times, but as I use the High PH test (for Cichlids) and not the Low PH (what had been used), I would say I had about 95% of the tests left in the Kit!

This kit tests for Ph, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate in the Water, they are very Accurate, unlike my Original Test Kit I got from Nutrafin, see Here for details! 


Another thing I do on a Weekly Basis is change the Tank Decor around, some Fish tend to stay/defend in the same Places or Hideaways, by having a change around, this prevents this and also stops the Tank Boss chasing every other Fish about, if they go into his territory! 


I am now seeing a Couple of Catfish around the Tank, as I moved some bog Wood around, what they used to hide under all the time! 

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After a Week of the Tank running, I had used both Nutrafin Aqua Plus and Cycle Medications, I thought I would buy  my First Fish, it was a Large Plec!
It was a bit Bigger than the one I thought I had brought, but he was the First Fish, so I always make sure he has plenty of clear places in the Tank and places to hide!

He hardly ever moves though, its a different story at Night times though, many a Day we have got up, to plenty of things Knocked about in the Tank!


And he probably makes more Mess than all the other Fish put together!


I Purchased a Tank Gravel Cleaner, the one you have to get working by Hand, I used this a couple of times, it was a bit of a Pain to get going so I then brought a Battery Powered one, these are much Better and easier to use!


I also Purchased a Tank Thermometer that actually goes directly into the Tank, I had been using on of them Strip Ones that stick to the side of the Tank, but these are quite hard to work out the temperature and take too long as well, so for Quickness I brought a Digital Thermometer which is much better and easier to read!

After the Tank was running for about 20 Days I brought 4 little Cory’s (Catfish), 2 x Albino and 2 x Bronze, these are Great little Fish and always on to go! Whenever they see trouble, they stop and just go the other way! They say that these Fish do not clean up any other Fishes Mess, well I think they must do, because whenever I think “I must give the Tank a Clean tomorrow” by the next day it always seems Cleaner, could be the Filter’s I suppose!

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The Day after I started putting the Fish Tank Unit together, I finished it off, it took about another half an hour, but then I had to Mend the Broken Plastic Lug.


How I did this was, I made the hole a bit bigger where the Plastic Lug went, and put in a Plastic Wall Plug, upside down, so about a quarter of an inch of the Wall Plug protruded, and I gently hammered the Plug in Place, on the Cabinet Unit Door, What a Great Job, that did, no trouble with the Door since!

I put the Tank and Unit in its place in the Corner of the Room, and all I could do now was wait for the Coral Sand to Arrive! I was told it would be here in a Couple of Days.


On the Following Monday (10/01/11) we went to see another Chap and his Cichlid Tanks, I met Him through “Aquarist Classifieds” his name was Danny, he lived near a place called “Holt” about 40 miles from where we lived!


He had some Lovely Cichlids, in about 4/5 different Tanks (photos to follow), he also Bred some different fish, i.e Cichlids, Plecs and Catfish.


I got some Great Advice from “Danny” concerning Fish and Fish Keeping, as I had from “Gypsy” a couple of days previously. I also arranged to Buy some Cichlids from Danny in a few weeks time, when Tank was ready!


All the Rocks, Bog Wood, Plastic Plants and Ornaments, I had gotten from “Gypsy”  had washed and again in Boiling Water, then I soaked them all in Buckets for about a Week, this may be going over the Top a bit, but since I didn’t have the Coral Sand yet, I couldn’t fill the Tank with Water, so I was in no hurry for the Rocks etc!

Va escoltar l’eco de les cançons que havia sentit, l’aire lleuger de Domenico Modugno, la força gràcil de Mina, la reiteració patètica de Nicola di Bari, l’enginy vocal de Lucio Dalla, la tendresa esberladissa de Lucio Battisti i, fins i tot, el ritme ensucrat d’Umberto Tozzi, la falsa llàstima de Sandro Giacobbe i l’arrogància inexperta d’Eros Ramazzotti.

Pel lector que desconeguidel tot això que s’ha anomenat la cançó melòdica italiana, vet aquí unes quantes pistes que poden ajudar a dibuixar el personatge.

Modugno

Mina (amb Celentano)

Tozzi

Dalla

Giacobbe

Hi ha hagut aquí altres mencions de la cançó italiana. No n’hi hauria d’haver més.

És una de les situacions que destaca el blog ‘el llibreter’ al seu comentari extens sobre la novel·la.

Al llibre no s’explica com es fa, perquè no cal.

Però si algú en vol saber més detalls, vet aquí un diagrama necessari per posar-s’hi, un vídeo en anglès, un vídeo en castellà i tants vídeos com calgui per escollir l’ajuda més encertada.

També és fàcil veure’n moltes fotografies.

Emma Tysoe

La que es presenta aquí l’ha feta Emma Tysoe, de la Gran Bretanya. Qualsevol aficionat hi reconeixerà un pom exquisit.

A la novel·la s’esmenta l’anècdota coneguda entre els aficionats a l’il·lusionisme sobre el dia en què Dai Vernon va humiliar el vanitós Houdini. Fins i tot, aquesta menció dóna títol a un dels capítols.

Qui tingui curiositat per saber alguna més d’aquest moment, potser trobarà d’interès aquest vídeo.

]]> http://homeorigamic.wordpress.com/2009/03/12/anche-per-te/ Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:43:32 +0000 homedorigami http://homeorigamic.wordpress.com/2009/03/12/anche-per-te/ A la pàgina 157, es pot llegir:

“Quan es fiquen al cotxe patrulla, l’home cantusseja en veu baixa, imita sense gaire encert la manera com defalleix Lucio Battisti: «Anche per te, vorrei morir ed io morir non so, anche per te darei qualcosa che non ho…»

Qui no hagi sentit mai aquesta cançó la pot descobrir en aquest vídeo muntatge d’un seguidor del cantant italià Lucio Battisti (a qui no veiem).

El vídeo té imatges molt poc interessants (estil retro de karaoke) però l’àudio és original d’un enregistrament oficial.

Si algú prefereix veure’l, Battisti apareix en aquest altre document videogràfic en un duet televisiu amb Mina.

I, encara, una proposta per rematar l’apunt. Un vídeo especial. Wilson Pickett canta un tema de Battisti.

“Anche per te” vol dir “també per tu”.

Aquest apunt, per a tu, lector de la novel·la.

Per ensenyar les figures més principals que s’hi pleguen o, també, per entretenir els que s’hi vulguin aficionar, com en aquest altre apunt. 

Aquesta vegada, es presenten unes peces com a mínim estranyes, com una prova de l’abast del plegatge de paper.

Bijuteria de paper plegat

El diagrama d’una figura que no havia vist a cap llibre d’origami 

Un retallable inesperat 

I aquest vídeo on l’autor d’una figura preciosa i delicada creu que ha trobat el final més adequat per a un tresor tan fràgil.

És aquí on l’il•lusionisme obté una presència més destacada, a través d’un personatge que hi té afició.

En aquestes pàgines hi ha uns quants jocs de cartomàgia i, entre altres detalls, descobrim l’origen de les cartes Bicycle.

Com es pot veure, al dors hi ha, en efecte, uns àngels que van amb bicicleta.

Andrés Cornejo

Aquesta l’ha feta Andrés Cornejo.

Però a la xarxa es poden trobar més fotos.

“Sense voler fa girar la rosca del volum i a la cuina hi ressona una veu italiana: «Che colpa ne ho se il cuore è uno zingaro…» No reconeix la cançó però al policia li deu sonar perquè taral·leja com si la seguís”.

Al llibre no s’explica, perquè no cal, però potser algú n’ha tingut prou amb aquestes paraules per recordar-se d’una peça de Nicola di Bari que ja té més de trenta anys (Sanremo, 1971).

És aquesta:

També es pot sentir la versió en castellà o llegir-la.

De moment, tres vies possibles.

- Una col·lecció de fotografies, com aquest pom de flors.

Amanda Kay

- Tres blogs de tres aficionats de l’Uruguai, Xile i Veneçuela.

- I aquest vídeo, que demana una mica de paciència però que mostra una selecció de figures molt impressionants.

Earl Fredrick

A la pàgina 29, dos personatges comenten que la tomba del pintor Gauguin es troba en una illa del Pacífic.

Qui tingui curiositat, pot veure més fotografies d’aquest lloc clicant aquí.

Una prova que l’indret convoca el turisme, amb la moderació que la distància força, pot ser aquest vídeo.

]]> http://homeorigamic.wordpress.com/2009/02/17/dos-quadros-pero-nomes-un/ Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:04:58 +0000 homedorigami http://homeorigamic.wordpress.com/2009/02/17/dos-quadros-pero-nomes-un/ A la pàgina 26, dos personatges es fixen en una làmina que reprodueix un quadro de Paul Gauguin: Genets a la platja.

N’hi ha dues versions. Una es troba en un museu d’Essen.

Paul Gauguin

L’altra pertany a una col·lecció privada, la Stavros Niarchos.

Paul Gauguin

Al final del llibre, si has vist les dues, s’entén quina reprodueix la làmina.

Però aquest detall no és rellevant per a la novel·la. Per això al llibre no li cal aquesta informació.

Com que al blog s’ha dit que hi hauria anotacions a peu de pàgina, aquesta en pot ser una.