"Perfect" Aquarium Filter with a Fishy Translation

A little while back I got a new filter for my aquarium. I always get a kick out of funny translations. This one gave me a huge source of entertainment. This "Perfect" brand filter had far from a perfect translation. Introducing the new Perfect Outside Filter:

MULTI-LAYER FULL OF VARIOUS FILTER MATERIALS
HIGH EFFICIENCY OF BREEDING NITRO BACTERIA
PERFECT FILTRATION CAPABILITY
Touch the perfection

This gets better. Look at the parts diagram:

1. INPUT AND OUTPUT DISCRETENESS
2. BARRELHEAD
3. MAIN BODY
4. DRAINING SKEP COVER
5. DRAINING SKEP
6. OUTPUT CURVY BAR
7. CONNECTED BAR
8. SPRAY BAR
9. SPRAY BAR COVER
10. DIRTINESS ENTRANCE
11. CONNECTED BAR
12. INPUT CURVY BAR
13. JOINT OF DIRTINESS ENTRANCE
14 INPUT BAR
15. INPUT COVER
16. SUCKING DISC FOR FIX
17. PIPE

Now if that didn't confuse you, the "Operation Guide" most certainly will:

1. According to the diagrammatic representation, the buckle (1) and (2) should be unfolded at first, which will separate the main body and barrel head.

2. Putting the draining skeps with filter medium into the main body in turn. And pressing the barrelhead with your hands to combine the main body and the barrelhead. Then you should fasten the buckle (1) and (2).

3. Pulling the securing buckle to take out the input and output discreteness .After this, the input and output pipes should be installed and they will be fastened by nuts. Later, putting the input and output discreteness to the former place and press the securing buckle to fix the input and output discreteness.

4. According to the diagrammatic representation, installing the input and output curvy bar in the aquarium. (Notice! The curvy bar with spray head is output curvy bar, and the curvy bar with dirtiness entrance is input curvy bar.)

5. According to the diagrammatic representation, pressing the blue buckle forcibly and leave it immediately. The blue buckle will rebound. And the input bar absorb water into main body at the same time which compel the air out of main body through output bar. When the level of water in output bar is equal to the level of aquarium, you may electrify the equipment to make it work.

Without the "diagrammatic representation" I don't know if I would have even figured out how to install the silly thing! By the way, it is a very nice filter and my turtles (and I) have really enjoyed it. :)

Installing the Toe Skin

I guess you're probably thinking, 'So, what exactly IS a toe skin?' I wondered that too the first time I heard it. A toe skin is a little decorative piece of wood or laminate that covers the bare wood on the bottom of your kitchen cupboard; at least that's what I've been led to believe it is. I had a cabinet built to replace an old broken down dishwasher and they make them to have flooring installed over that place. Well, since this was a renovation or remodel situation and I had no desire to redo my flooring just for that, I asked them what could be done. They supplied me with the toe skin to glue on. That was almost a year ago. Here's what the cabinet looked like this morning (and for nearly a whole year) before I decided to spend 5 minutes doing this:

Yes, that's red food coloring from when we made humming bird food. Oops. :) Here's the toe skin picture:

Pretty, isn't it? So, I got some wood glue and scribbled some on the back:


I guess I probably would have done it more gracefully, but I was trying to do it one handed and take the pictures left handed. Next I stuck it onto the bottom of the cabinet:

It wanted to slide down to the floor past the bottom of the wood so I propped it up with wadded up napkins:

Now doesn't that look better?

Don't ask why it took me nearly a year to decide to do that. It's taken me MUCH longer to post this blog about it than it did to glue it on. :D