This is something that I have done since before I can remember. When going through the junk mail that shows up at my door every day, I pick out letters that have no writing or print on the back, and stockpile those onto a clipboard. I then use that clipboard as a re-filling notepad. I call it: “Giving the junk mail a second chance.” I have not bought a notepad in years.
Recycling my junkmail
July 31st, 2010…
July 30th, 2010You can get anything you want, if you help enough people get what they want.
3 Ingredients for Passion
July 30th, 2010Strengths – do what you’re innately born to do.
Values – find the things that light you up.
Skills – identify the abilities that you have acquired.
I don’t remember where I read these “definitions”. I just think that in order to build a successful business, I have to focus on some sort of a hobby, something that I would still enjoy doing throughout my whole life. And I have to be Passionate about it.
words of wisdom
July 29th, 2010In the words of Katt Williams: I think Pimp, therefore I am.
I decided to add another category to my post selection. I named it “Words of Wisdom”. I will try to fill those pages with words to live by. I hope that this little collection will help guide some poor souls on the road of life.
When to buy your junk for less…
July 24th, 2010I saw this article on yahoo.com, and it was originally posted on allyou.com
I think that if I shop smarter, and try to get the best deals on all the depreciating items, I might be able to save more money and invest it. I am 30 years old, and I have 0 (zero) net worth. That is pretty scary. Anyway, I will try to collect some useful info on the subject, and hopefully, someone will benefit from it.
January: Best month to buy
White sales: Hit stores and online to find the largest savings of the year on table linens, bedding and towels.
HDTVs: Watch for deep discounts just before the Super Bowl. Not in the budget now? They also go on sale in March and December.
Fitness equipment: Retailers are cashing in on New Year’s resolutions—take advantage of huge price cuts to jump on a new treadmill or a set of light weights.
Holiday leftovers: Wrapping paper and ornaments are slashed by up to 75 percent—be ready for next year.
BARGAIN TIP: The bigger the chain, the bigger the savings. Department stores such as Macy’s and JCPenney have been known to discount their linens up to 60 percent during white sales.
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February: Best month to buy
Fragrances: Get your favorites for less during Valentine’s Day promotions.
Electronics: New models of MP3 players, DVD players and digital cameras are announced at the annual International Consumer Electronics Show in January. Take advantage of this moment to grab last year’s models at a huge discount.
Humidifiers: If you’re suffering from a lingering cold or the drying effects of indoor heat, humidifiers are marked down this month and next.
BARGAIN TIP: Look for Presidents’ Day sales! Compare and track discounts in your area at presidentsdaysales.com.
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March: Best month to buy
Winter gear: Coats, skis and boots are moving out to make way for spring items—shop now for a major discount.
A freezer full of meals: Look for a special coupon insert promoting Frozen Food Month in Sunday circulars, then stock up. Visit nfraweb.org for more details.
BARGAIN TIP: Whenever a new product is released, look for the old model on sale. Afraid you’re buying second best? Ask the sales rep to explain the new model’s upgrades—you may never need or use them anyway.
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April: Best month to buy
Digital cameras: They go on sale again for families taking off for spring break.
Warm-weather clothes: Browse now for spring fashions as they begin to move to sale racks this month. If you wear a common size, hit the stores early.
BARGAIN TIP: When buying online, try to get free shipping. Before you check out, visit freeshipping.org and search by store for coupons and codes.
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May: Best month to buy
Picnic supplies, outdoor furniture and pantry staples: It’s National Barbecue Month! Watch for discounts to get you eating outdoors.
Athletic apparel: Save on last year’s sneakers before next season’s models roll in.
Cookware: Ditch your dingy pots and pans and take advantage of sales wooing Mother’s Day and wedding shoppers.
BARGAIN TIP: In the market for a big-ticket item? Some stores, such as Sears, have reinstated interest-free layaway policies. So if you want it, buy now and pay later!
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June: Best month to buy
Swimsuits and summer wear: Cash in as prices drop.
Lingerie: Look for the semi-annual sale at Victoria’s Secret.
Tools: Drills, saws and tech products (like GPS units) have deep discounts aimed at dads and grads.
Dairy days: It’s Dairy Month—time to serve up milk shakes, sundaes and cheese platters. Get details at nationaldairycouncil.org and plan a school’s-out ice cream social on the cheap!
BARGAIN TIP: You’ve spotted a sale item with an unbeatable price, but the store’s across town. Find out if your preferred store has an ad match policy and will match any local price (such as Walmart does).
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July: Best month to buy
Furniture: Deals abound as stores make room for new lines, according to the American Home Furnishings Alliance.
Month-to-month gym memberships: Negotiate now, as health clubs try to keep up quotas throughout the summer.
BARGAIN TIP: Take a break from bargain hunting and let someone else do the work. Probargainhunter.com lists deals and coupons, and posts news about discounts.
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August: Best month to buy
Fall fashions, school supplies and computers: Get major price breaks for back-to-school shopping. Save even more by buying a refurbished computer at dell.com/outlet.
Air conditioners, lawn mowers and yard equipment: As the heat index drops, prices do, too, so stores can clear shelves for incoming fall items.
Camping equipment: Get the year’s best prices on tents and other outdoor gear, just in time to put together a memorable Labor Day weekend under the stars.
BARGAIN TIP: Look for back-to-school sales! Buy basics like pencils and paper in advance, but wait to purchase pricier items until teachers send out their list of required supplies.
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September: Best month to buy
Cars: As new models hit the showroom floor, older vehicles are the ones to buy. Before you shop, visit edmunds.com to find out the market value of different types of cars.
Perennials, shrubs and trees: Keep your thumb green for less during fall. According to Consumer Reports, prices on greenery at this time of year can’t be beat.
Bikes: Reduce your carbon footprint with a new two-wheeler. Deals on bikes begin now and continue through autumn.
BARGAIN TIP: Look for Labor Day sales! Also, before you finish a purchase online, visit retailmenot.com, a free coupon Web site that publishes coupon codes for more than 20,000 online retailers.
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October: Best month to buy
Grills: Prices drop as dinner moves indoors.
Auto supplies: It’s Fall Car Care Month—you’ll see discounts on tires and car supplies.
Appliances and vacuums: Look for sales on last year’s kitchen and other appliances, including washers and dryers, as new models begin to arrive in stores.
Winter gear: Take advantage of early discounts on coats, hats and scarves.
BARGAIN TIP: Look for Columbus Day sales! Also, know your discount lingo. A “sale” item can return to full price; “clearance” is the lowest it will go and is often a final sale—no refunds.
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November: Best month to buy
Stereos, TVs and clothing: These and other major items can be found for a steal on Black Friday. Get a head start on bargain hunting at bfads.net, which has Black Friday circulars from most major retailers.
Wedding dresses: Look for a gown between now and Christmas, when boutiques are empty and clearing out inventory. Salespeople are hungry!
BARGAIN TIP: Look for Black Friday sales! Not up for the post-turkey stampede? Take advantage of Cyber Monday, three days later. Finish up your holiday shopping online—in your jammies. Visit cybermonday.com for more info.
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December: Best month to buy
Toys, electronics and more: ‘Tis the season to save.
New-model cars: Dealerships want to meet year-end goals—haggle.
BARGAIN TIP: Look for pre- and post-Christmas sales! Note price adjustment policies. At Target, if you buy something (excluding clearance items) that costs less the following week, you’ll get the difference back.
Tank Downgrade
July 24th, 2010I am sorry to report that I downgraded my tank. I am not sure why my tank crashed, I am thinking something to do with the flatworm outbreak, or my weak lights, but most of my corals have died. I have placed a few surviving colonies into Dan’s 75 gallon, in hopes of keeping them alive. After taking out all the live corals, I have also removed the lights and the powerhead. I have a filter and a heater running. My two fish are still in there.
30 gal. cleanup and waterchange
February 18th, 2010So I finally got around to doing a water change in my 30 gallon tall. I used the occasion to pluck some hair algae, and scrub some rocks with a toothbrush. I also siphoned some flat worms and sand out of my tank. I also cleaned out the filter and the Tunze powerhead. After adding freshly made saltwater, I also put some coralline algae accelerator in the tank (it helps with the calcium and other trace elements). I’m gonna wait a few hours before feeding.
Black Clowns Reefkeeping
January 25th, 2010I would like to ask everyone who takes something useful from my pages, to donate a little something to help me with the bills. I’m trying out this PayPal Donate button. Let me know if it works or not.
Its Blasting Blasto in my tank
January 24th, 2010I visited Coral Pets today, to pick up my order of the cleanup crew, and I bought a nice frag of Blastomussa Wellsi (you can find the information on it here ). Its currently residing in my 30 gallon tall. I will post some pictures up sometime this week.
I also dumped 10 Margarita snails and 10 Red legged Hermits in there to help with the algae cleanup.
Cleanup Crew Reinforcements
January 23rd, 2010Today I will be picking up some clean up crew that we ordered through my local reefkeeping club. I am getting some Astrea Snails, Margarita Snails and some Hermit Crabs. I will also ask about purchasing 5 Sexy Dancing Shrimp.
I also added a page for the Scooter Blenny. Check it out, I will have some photos up shortly.
my flatworm story
January 22nd, 2010Ok, here it goes… I have flatworms in my BioCube. Big, FAT, RED ones. I don’t know where they came from. This tank has been up for over two years, and this is my first encounter with these little buggers. All of the sudden they appeared EVERYWHERE, probably within a couple of weeks. At first I thought they were the babies of my Hawaiian Strombus Grazers (tiny snails), but after I posted a picture to my local club forum someone identified them. Apparently they are bad. I can’t say that I disagree, but they do not bother my coral. I did some research, and decided to get rid of them.
As some of you know, I am a big fan of the “natural” or at least “non-chemical” approach. So the first thing I did was look into the alternative to the Flatworm Exit. Apparently there are a bunch of different crabs, shrimp and fish that will eat the flatworms or their offspring. Unfortunately, that will only happen if there is no other food supply, and most of the time they will find something better to munch on. Anyway… I was not in a hurry, so I decided to get some expert opinion. While at a local fish store, the owner shared his own experience with the flatworms. He said that you can’t completely rid your tank of them, you can keep them under control though. He also stated that any popular chemical treatment will only help build the immunity of the flatworms, especially if you do several treatments. He also prefers the “Natural” approach, so he suggested I get a carnivorous fish. $12 later, I have a beautiful Scooter Blenny !! I named him Ashton. You know… Ashton Scooter. 
After only 4 days in my cube, I noticed a drastic change in my flatworm population. They were changing color, from brownish red to ash grey. All my rock and even coral were covered in what looked like ASH. I did a thorough cleaning, took every piece of coral out, and rinsed it under a faucet (flatworms hate freshwater, and wash off in thousands). After placing all the “washed” coral into a bucket with some fresh saltwater, I repeated the “wash” with all the rocks in the tank. After the wash, I siphoned as many of the flatworms out of my Cube as possible. I ended up taking out about half of the water, which was replaced with fresh made saltwater. It looks much better, there are still a couple of worms that I noticed, but just a couple. We will see how it goes. I will keep you posted.
Library additions
January 6th, 2010Well, I have been spending some time on the restoration of the library, and I am happy to announce the addition of the Coral Banded Shrimp, Branching Hammer and Blastomussa Merletti pages. I plan on expanding the library to include all the live things in my tanks, but I will do it piece by piece.
black clowns
January 2nd, 2010
Magellan and Missy, my black onyx clowns, and Ka-Luchi, my yellow-tail damsel.
I love this photo. It is set as my desktop, right now.
New arrivals: locally aquacultured frags
January 2nd, 2010Yay !!! I just got some new frags. I recently visited a local, amateur aquaqulturist, and bought a couple of frags. I only spent $20, you know how it is, the first transaction, but picked up a very nice frag of Red Goniopora (red ball coral) and a Metallic Finger Leather. They are both in my 30″ tall right now, recovering. I will post some pictures as soon as my lights go on.
I am not really sure if they will do well in my tank. My current lighting setup is on the LOW end. (i’m running 2x65w power compacts over my 30″ tall) Hopefully, they will adapt.
dim light
December 30th, 2009I wanted to call this post “Hedgehog in the fog”, but I don’t think many people would understand that reference to the classic soviet cartoons. So, anyway, I decided to fix my light fixture. What I have is a 4x65w pc setup, out of which only 3 bulbs worked. I took it apart, and after about an hour only 2 bulbs were in the working condition. I am not sure if its the ballasts that crapped out on me, or there is a loose connection somwhere, but I’m currently running on 50% of my light….. 
I am not sure how this will affect my coral. And yes, I’m already looking into a new fixture.
Hello world! – I’m back, Baby !!
December 15th, 2009Welcome to BlackClowns! I want each and every one of you to enjoy my blog, and hopefully, obtain something useful from it. If you’re really feeling generous, I wish you dedicate a moment of your precious time to add or correct some of the content.
I know its ironic, but in addition to being a fish lover, I am also a fisherman…..
В дельфинарии скончался любимец детей - Тимошка. В настощее время администрация дельфинария подыскивает нового сторожа.