Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with tank

Multimedia-filter: Looking for help from all you Network and digital media Gurus in making my first house totally awesome. Movies, Televsion, Music, Wifi, Streaming Content and 50mgbt broadband within.

Cogentesque — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:03:13 -0800

Multimedia-filter: Looking for help from HDTV, NAS, Media Servers and Network Gurus' in making my first house totaly awesome. Movies, Televsion, Music, Wifi, Streaming Content and 50mgbt broadband within. Ok guys, this is my first new message on metafilter, so thanks for everything thus far - to business.

The Premise:
In two weekends time, my girlfriend and I are moving into our first house together in Southampton (UK).

Thankfully she is very accomadating and shares the same views with me reguarding the wonder of technology and allure of gadgetry and thus: we have decided to go down the "cyberhouse" network route - all be it slowly.

What we currently have
50mgbt line and a Television package from Virgin.
2 relatively high-spec PCs downstairs (in the lounge) (XP/Vista soon upgrading to Windows 7 im sure)
A new TV - to be bought - (http://www.ebuyer.com/product/154997/show_product_reviews?offset=10&review_type=both&review_order_by=RLF - ebuyer's own)
1 ipod touch
Host of parts to make a low spec PC.

What I would like in my cyber house
DVD's playable on the TV
Normal channels (Virgin package) playable on the TV
Video (films, episodes) from PC's playable on the TV
Music, both downstairs and upstairs: DAB radio/Cd's/Downloaded Music/Online Radio (last.fm etc would be great)
The ability to change the music remotely (ideally, different sources for different rooms)

Some ideas I've been looking at so far
KVM Switch and a long HDMI cable for my computer to use TV as alternative screen - enabling videos from pc to be played
NAT Storage hiding somewhere in the network
Popcorn Hour to play video from PC
Sonos music system to play upstairs and downstairs
Media pc configured to do the job of sonos and popcorn hour (apparantly this is very tricky?)

What do you think metafilter? Remember that we are definately "on a budget" but I much more trust your collective ideas and conceptions than my own - so what would you reccomend should be my immediate course of action?

Home repair referrals in Minneapolis please.

Juicylicious — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:56:53 -0800

I need a referral to a plumber in Minneapolis who can do a good job replacing my 1930 toilet. Also need a roof repair, sidewalk, and tree removal. I'm home on leave and as usual I find my home in disrepair after two years away.

I own a 1930 tudor duplex with the original bathroom fixtures and tile (both wall and floor). It has the old wall-mounted toilet tank, which has a hairline crack and is leaking. I am going to look for a replacement tank tomorrow. If I cannot find one, I will have to replace the entire toilet. After doing some preliminary internet research it appears that plumbing has changed quite a bit in the last 80 years and any replacing can damage walls, floors and aesthetics.

I need a recommendation for an experienced Minneapolis/St. Paul plumber who can either replace the tank or install a new toilet and not turn my bathroom into a disaster zone.

My roof also sustained some damage due from the recent tornadoes. The insurer says the damage is not enough to exceed the deductible. Still it has to be repaired in spots. I need an honest roof person.

I have to put in a sidewalk around my house, going from the front steps around through the backyard to the garage. I was thinking of those poured concrete pieces that look like stones. It is a job that I am not prepared to do on my own.

And lastly, there is a large tree on the property line in front of my house that is beginning to grow into my wrought iron fence. It must be removed. I hold no hope of the owner of the other property taking care of the problem.

All of this has to be done in the next four weeks before I deploy once again for another year.

Quant Skills And Think Tank Jobs

Spurious — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 10:39:20 -0800

How important are quantitative research skills for getting a job at a DC think tank? I am a phd student at a top 25 social science department, but I am not planning on going to into academia. Instead, I am hoping to get a job at a DC based public policy thinktank.

My department is highly focused on research using quantitative methods. While I am decent at quantitative methods, I am certainly not a natural. Put differently, I am good at statistics, but I am great at writing and have extensive substantive knowledge.

I am trying to decide if I should just accept my mere adequacy at quant methods (and focus instead on improving other areas) or if I should focus on ramping up my skill in quant methods.

How important are quantitative research skills for getting a job at a DC think tank?

How do tanks turn efficiently?

Mike1024 — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 05:36:52 -0800

Tanks have long, high-friction tracks - good for going forwards, not so good for turning as the tracks would have to skid. What do tanks do to overcome this problem? It's reasonable to speculate that they have high-power engines, that they have a selection of low gears, and that they try to avoid making too many sharp turns, but are there any other design features that overcome this problem?

how much for this tank?

tylerfulltilt — Fri, 08 May 2009 09:21:52 -0800

How much should I charge for a 57 year old 1,000 gallon propane tank in perfect working condition, but poor cosmetic condition? At the full tilt household we just switched over to natural gas. So we now have a 57 year 1,000 gallon propane tank sitting in our backyard that we'd like to unload.

It's in excellent working condition, all seals, gauges, and regulators work great. The tank has been re-certified in the last ten years, and our propane provider filled it up with 200 gallons about three months ago so it's obviously in good shape.

I've looked around and seen that a brand new 1,000 gallon tank sells for about $1000-1300, so I figure that $550 is a fair price.

Am I wrong? How much is this thing worth?

Refill compressed natural gas tanks? Santa Cruz

Ekidnagrrl17 — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 21:59:28 -0800

Where can I refill compressed natural gas tanks? My partner and I are tying to find a place which allows civilians to refill compressed natural gas tanks in the Santa Cruz area.

What is this from?

codswallop — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:05:53 -0800

I found this picture while looking at recent bookmarks on Delicious. Anyone know where it's from? Some sort of game? I googled the URL and the only reference was a Right-wing website. I don't think it depicts what they say it does. Oh, it's a suicide bombing alright but it sure it doesn't look like the Middle East.

Unusual Israeli tank proctection?

Shakes the Clown — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 08:50:24 -0800

I would like to know if anyone has any clue as to what is on top of this Israeli tank . . . some type of protection against something, but what?

One fish, two fish

Bakuun — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 21:42:41 -0800

I've finally equipped and decorated my new 55 gallon aquarium - and yet, I still don't know what kind of freshwater fish to populate it with. This was an awesome impulsive buy, without any sort of fish in mind. Now I'm thinking that I'd like to make it a community tank, with fish occupying as many levels of the water as possible. Having something moving along the bottom, middle, and top sounds very interesting, but I'm clueless when it comes to which species can make this possible.

What would you recommend, keeping in mind I'm a relative beginner?

Web Marketing/Usability Think Tank Exercises

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:12:07 -0800

What are some good “think tank” exercises for my team to get them to brainstorm a bit on some new initiatives for our major retail website? Hi everyone,

I was tasked today to come up with a “think tank” exercise for my small team of 5 front-end facing project managers to help come up with some ideas for new projects and initiatives for the next few years for our retail website. These initiatives can range from a complete site overhaul to a simple feature enhancement that improves the experience of our users.

At past jobs, for similar exercises, I’ve asked people to submit to me any URLs that they currently visit that they think are “cool” or that they couldn’t live without. I’d then facilitate a meeting where as a group we would view the sites and discuss why we liked them, etc. I plan on asking this same question to this new team just to get people started, but I’d also like some ideas for additional exercises to get the ‘creative juices flowing’. It would be great to get them to articulate what it is that makes a website something they check every day. For example, is it the features, the content, the interactivity, the design? I plan on asking these as direct questions, as well.

Essentially, our website, while clean and relatively user friendly, has historically been a slow adopter of web usability trends. In the future, however, we’d like to be more current with our site in regards to these trends, as long as they benefit our users and enhance profitability. For example, we’re just now adopting user interface functionality that has been common on other sites for years. We’d like to be more of a driver or at least an earlier adopter of trends in our marketplace.

So my questions are as follows:
1.What are some good “think tank” exercises for my team to get them to brainstorm a bit on some new initiatives for our major retail website?

2. What are ways that you use to inspire people to brainstorm, particularly around web usability and driving conversion rates?

The caveat here is that my team is not the marketing department. We already have a great marketing department that drives a lot of the strategy for our site. The leadership at my company, however, would like everyone in the pipeline of our projects to take a more active role in our strategic direction and planning, rather than just being purely executional. My direct management has requested that I spearhead this initiative for my direct peers.

Thanks, and I look forward to your responses!

Pro-ana car

speef — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:23:50 -0800

Car help: why can't i fill up my tank? (hint: it has nothing to do with the economy) I just got a 2002 Hyundai accent. I am enjoying the car very much, except one minor detail: I can't fill it up with gas.

When I try, the pump will say it's already full and stop literally every 1 or 2 seconds. I have tried not putting the nozzle in as far, not pressing the handle as hard, tilting it sideways, turning it upside-down, standing on 1 foot, etc. Sometimes my creative positioning results in a continuous stream of gas for as long as 3 seconds, but otherwise I just have to keep starting over and over. The end result is that I get 1/3 of a tank after 10 minutes of trying and then give up, crestfallen.

This is not a big enough issue for me to want to spend money on a mechanic (I'm poor and cheap), as, technically, I can fill it up with gas, it just takes 25 minutes each time. What I want to know is how I can diagnose/fix/improve this problem. (please keep in mind that I know nothing about cars; simple clear explanations with pictures are preferred)

What is the desert warfare definition of a 'box'?

felix — Fri, 23 May 2008 07:12:19 -0800

In the terminology of armored desert warfare, what is a 'box'? In Mellenthin's Panzer Battles, there are many descriptions of the form:

"[Strictly speaking there was no such thing as an "Alamein Line," although the gap between the Qattara Depression and the sea was filled by a number of boxes.]

He decided that the Afrika Korps should make a feint in the direction of the Qattara Depression, but should move on the night 30 June/1 July to a position about ten miles southwest of El Alamein station. We believed that the British 10th Corps, with the 50th Division and the 10th Indian Brigade, was holding the Alamein Box and a position to the southwest of it at Deir el Abyad. We thought that the 13th Corps with the 1st Armored Division, the 2nd N.Z. Division, and the 5th Indian Division was holding the southern sector of the line, between the Qaret el Abd Box and the Qattara Depression. Rommel decided to repeat the tactics which had served him so well at Matruh; under cover of the darkness the Afrika Korps was to penetrate between the boxes at Alamein and Deir el Abyad and get in rear of the 13th Corps. Ninetieth Light Division was to swing south of the Alamein Box and cut the coast road to the east of it—exactly the same orders as at Mersa Matruh. If we could once get our troops in rear of the British, Rommel was convinced that their defense would collapse."

A 'box' appears to be a defensive emplacement of some kind, but given the fluid nature of the Africa campaign it doesn't appear to be a minefield per se (minefields are separately mentioned in addition to boxes). Given its fixed nature, perhaps it has something to do with sighted-in artillery sections?

How much medicine do I need to give my fish tank?

aqueousdan — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:12:11 -0800

Any fishkeepers able to give me a definitive answer to how much formalin I need to put in my fish tank to try and cure a case of white spot (Ich)? I have a small fish tank (biorb) that holds 30 litres. I recently bought some new fish but noticed white spot on one of them and borrowed some formalin from my mother. Unfortunately there aren't any instructions with it. I looked on various websites but I keep seeing various ranges and dont want to kill my fish!

The formalin I have is "pure" i.e. it is 37% formaldehyde mixed with methanol and doesnt have any other ingredients with it.

The fish are 6 small platys in a tropical set up.

My car says it has gas but I don't think it does. It won't let me put more in. What to do?

FortyT-wo — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 19:36:12 -0800

My car, which is rarely driven, is unexpectedly acting like it's full of gas and will not accept more. I have no recollection of filling it with gas, though I do recall that the last time I drove it, it was hope-i-make-it-home almost empty. Am I just super forgetful? Or is there another explanation? I don't drive my car on a regular basis. Maybe once per week or once every two weeks. About three weeks ago, I was driving the car quite a bit, to work, to a home, to another home, back to work, every day, for about a week and a half. At the end of that time, I was running really low on gas, and the last day, I made it home but felt I was really pushing it. I made a mental note that I *really needed* to fill the car with gas next time I drove it.

The car then sat for about two weeks undriven. In the ensuing time, it did snow quite a bit (between 6-12 inches) and I never even bothered to clean the car off. No other interesting events.

The next time I wanted to drive it, I took it to the pump (about 5 city blocks away), went to fill it. It wouldn't accept more gas (the pump turned off immediately). I thought the pump was broken, went to a different pump, tried more, and ended up with the gas spilling out all over the ground. Not knowing what to do, I drove the car back home, and at that time I noticed that the needle was past the F.

Still, I have absolutely no recollection of filling my car with gas. I do not remember driving it or any car since the day I made a note to fill it next time I drove it. My fiance also says he didn't do it (and he wouldn't have access to the keys, nor does he ever want to drive it). I don't know what's going on.

Is it possible that the gas gauge is wrong? And is it possible this might cause the car not to accept more gas? The car is somewhat old ('95 Corsica) and not in really the greatest shape. I personally wouldn't rule out multiple things going wrong with it at once.

The alternative is that I took the car out and filled it with gas and can't remember it at all. Honestly that would be pretty weird. I'd never take the car out *just to* put gas in it (I'm too lazy!), so that means I went somewhere and fogot that, too. Also, I don't drive another car, I simply don't drive very often. So it'd mean I forgot driving, forgot going somewhere, forgot why I went there, forgot stopping at the gas pump and putting gas in it while I was out.

Anyhow, hoping for an explanation that doesn't involve my idiocy.

Also, is there any way to figure out how much gas is in the car besides the fuel indicator on the gas? I don't want deal with siphoning it, I tried pushing on the back end and couldn't hear any sloshing. Any other way?

I'm really nervous to drive it, I am afraid it's totally out of gas and I'll end up stranded someplace.

Help me take my tropical freshwater fish to the next level.

letsgomendel — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 13:18:30 -0800

Help me take my tropical freshwater fish to the next level. I've kept fish on and off since I was young but haven't really taken it very far. I love getting new fish and seeing them swim around, but my interest fades after a while, the fish get a little neglected and the tank just meanders along with a daily feed and the occasional clean. I'm at this stage now.

I have a small corner tank full of pretty mollies, some harlequins and some neons. The tank is overrun with snails and the vegetation slowly rotting away or being eaten.

After seeing a beautiful, verdant tank at a friends, and another one on some aquarist's website, I feel it is either time to stop keeping fish altogether, or to take it a step up.

Can any of you budding enthusiasts out there show me the way, be it books, advice, areas to improve - anything that will pique my interest in this hobby. I'm based in London if any geographic-based recommendations turn up.

What do I do with a 240 gallon fish tank?

yehaskel — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 19:14:23 -0800

What do I do with a 240 gallon saltwater aquarium? My wife and I will be moving to a new house in a month. Said house looks great, and there's a massive 240 gallon fish tank in the living room wall. It actually looks really nice, but it's pretty dirty and gross so we asked the current owners to empty it and have it professionally cleaned.

Questions arise in trying to plan for the future of this thing. I have no idea what realistic options for us look like.

A little about us: neither of us really care enough to put much into tank maintenance. We just want it to look pretty and have swimming things in it. Yes, we will love the fish.

So I have a few questions that I'm hoping some of you know the answers to:

1. Once professionally cleaned, can the tank be used for freshwater fish?
2. Freshwater vs. saltwater - overall, which is the easiest to maintain? By easy I mean not having to do a lot of stuff and still pass inspection.
3. How much do you think the fish people charge to come out to your house, clean up the fish poo, and do their thing with the fish tank?
4. How often do they need to come?
5. Starting with an empty240 gallon tank, how much should I expect to put into it just to get it fish-ready (gravel, plants, the little treasure chests that blow bubbles, etc.? Just ballpark.

Thanks in advance for any advice to help us through this fish situation.

Details of the German Tank Counting Method.

tehgeekmeister — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 21:38:26 -0800

Details of the German tank counting method (as seen on reddit)? I'm interested in knowing more about the statistics (or at least the history) behind the story of the german tank counting method. More information (and a citation that is useless to me, as I don't have access to the journal) here.

Pressurized Air tank - bag

tallpaul — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 10:33:59 -0800

I want to put tennis balls in a tank/bag that I can pressurize to about ~20-30 psi (perhaps more). Do you know where I can find such a tank(or what it would be called) for a reasonable price (less than $50) ? It should be able to hold at least 30 balls. Used would be fine.

The grass is always greener over the leach field

MtDewd — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 11:29:07 -0800

How do I find my septic tank? Right before we bought the property, the previous owner had to put in a new septic system, which included a pumping station to the (uphill) leach field. That was 5-6 years ago, and we want to get it pumped, but where is it? The pump location is known. There's a concrete pad with a removable lid at ground level. The exit from the house is less known. I assume the tank is between the two.
We have a hand-drawn triangulation map, so I dug there with no success. Tried other possible locations from the vague map- still can't find it. Only going down a foot or two, but still digging up the whole yard will take a while.
How deep do they put these things? How deep should I have to dig to hit the top of it? Will a metal detector find it?

Does a tank of helium weigh more or less when empty?

perpetualstroll — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 18:43:17 -0800

Does a helium tank weigh more or less after it is empty? I've been turning this over in my head all day and short of buying a helium tank to test this out, haven't really found any satisfactory answers online either. Would a tank of helium weigh more or less when it is empty?

How to refill a BBQ propane tank

_sirmissalot_ — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 15:03:57 -0800

When refilling a typical 20-pound propane tank (for an outdoor BBQ grill, if it matters), does it need to be completely empty before disconnecting from the grill and taking it to the gas station? If the answer is "no," do they purge the tank when you take it to the station, or do they just top it off on top of whatever you've left in the tank?

Help me feed by acquarium obsession!

gilsonal — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 07:43:57 -0800

Acquarium hobbyist looking for suggestions on her new-found obsession. I've had a freshwater tank for years and just now really got into having it heavily planted and aquascaped. Now I'm really wanting to expand and possibly develop a cichlid or saltwater tank. There's just a few problems, (and lots of questions) I'm a graduate student at the moment, and this poses a few financial problems. So I'd love any info on ways to keep the hobby affordable.

Speaking of cost, how much do your acquariums cost? Is it feasible to think of doing a small scale salt tank on a budget? Or is this something that will have to wait til I get my PhD? It doesn't have to be huge or happen all at once. I'd love to just slowly start out and add a bit at a time.

Any links to sites and articles that youve found helpful would be great as well. I'm familiar with a few but I find forums are often to disjointed for somebody who really wants to learn the basics rather than somebody who is looking to have a specific question answered. Especially with regards to saltwater tanks, what sites or sources would you suggest I check out before I take the plunge? I'd like to try the DIY approach but I'm kind of inexperieced and dont even know what half the stuff is yet.

Also: moving tanks. I currently have 29 gal and 12 gal freshwater tanks. They were easy enough to move this last time, but if I get a larger tank (I'm thinking 55 or 75gallon) would this make moving feasible? I've moved about once a year or two years for affordable housing in a college town and I know I'll be wanting to move within the year.

Also, any suggestions on ways to make the freshwater planted tank more enjoyable? I really do love my tank, but Now that its fairly well stocked, I find myself looking to do more. Is there anything people can suggest without me adding more tanks to the collection? My friends already think I'm mad :)

And finally, DIY lighting for tanks. How does one who is inexperienced with wiring and general handy-ness go about building their own hood or lighting setup? I think that my tank would definitely do better with a setup that would allow me to use more than one t5 light.

So yeah. I realize this is a ton of related questions. Any suggestions, help or reality checks will be well appreicated.

Types propane tank gages

retro88 — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 13:41:41 -0800

What is a good option for an after market gas grill propane tank gage? I hate to run out of propane in the middle of a BBQ, and don't have a grill with a built in propane level gage. Now I have used the heat sensitve stickers before that can help you determine the level of your propane, but in my own experience i think they are somewhat sub par, and require you to pour hot water on the tank anytime you want to check it. Call me lazy, but is there an more permanent solution to this? So I'd like to know if there is a in-line pressure gage of sorts that you could pick up at a hardware store for under $20 and if so, how do you use it and how accurate is it?

Please help me stabilize and clarify my fish tank.

odinsdream — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 08:33:43 -0800

I cannot stop my fish tank from turning cloudy. Please help, I've included some pictures inside. Here's what my fish tank looks like a week or so after cleaning it with a gravel vaccum, changing 80% of the water, and installing a new filter (click each image for a larger copy):

I have a 20 gallon freshwater tropical tank, with a heater keeping the water between 78-80°F. I've had the tank for several months, but have always had this problem with cloudy water. It's gotten much worse lately, though.

I've got five little blue fish, two silver-dollar-like ones, one orange guy, a clown loach, and three little yellow guys. I used to have two snails, but they died. Perhaps relevant to the issue, the snail shells seemed to deteroirate over time in an unhealthy way. All of the plants are live, but I've gone through several. They seem to slowly turn translucent. The latest is that large plant - which is showing black splotches on its leaves now.

I've got an ammonia detector tag inside, which has never indicated a problem. I've got test strips for various stuff, and only ever see the nitrate go up a little, never to a dangerous amount. The pH is a little low, and I've never been able to get it up to 7.0 and have it stay there. For awhile I used pH adjustment drops, but lately have been trying this white buffer powder solution stuff. Still doesn't seem to help.

Please help me stabilize and clarify my fish tank. I'm not averse to paying for, let's say, a new type of filter (currently using the standard 4x3 carbon bag things), but I want to know what I need first. The local pet stores haven't been very helpful.

Any advice for a SS/Inv. soloing Tanker in CoH?

TrueVox — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 10:57:41 -0800

MMORPG Filter: Is there anyone who can give me advice on a good build to Solo in City of Heroes? I have a 17th level Super Strenth/ Invounrable Tanker named Brigs who has a respec. I need to make him a good solo'er (Work and family make me too unreliable to team with, sadly), adn I don't want to waste my one free respec. Any suggestions from past tankers?