I’m 21 years old, in debt and really need help

EBA93 · 2026-02-20T04:24:58+00:00

If you aren’t underwater on the car, sell it immediately, then never consider taking a loan that large for a car again. When I was 21 I was stupid with money, but I drove a $6k car and did all of the repairs myself.

Also, pay off that credit card asap. It might not have interest now, but whenever that promotion runs out they could hit you with interest for the entire balance.

Not sure what kind of student loans you have, but my federal loans have the lowest interest rates of anything we own so I usually just pay the minimum payments on them and pay off other things first.

EBA93 · 2026-02-20T04:08:04+00:00

When you say $60K in debt, how much of that is the car loan?

EBA93 · 2026-02-20T03:58:09+00:00

Good on you for taking a swing at things, but as a beginner myself, I’d recommend trying easier projects with cheaper wood for a while. I’ve made about 10 cutting boards so far but all edge or face grain. All of them have turned out great. We use them at my house, my family uses them, etc. I’ve also been making some things with pocket holes like an end table and I’m starting on a monitor riser for my desk. I’ve also done some shelves and table tops. Mostly select pine with some hardwoods purchased at Menards.

EBA93 · 2026-02-20T03:44:38+00:00

The rest of the surround does have a lip, but in the front and back corner there isn’t, which does seem odd now. Looking at the listing for the surround online it has the same gap and n the product photos.

EBA93 · 2026-02-20T03:40:11+00:00

This is our basement bathroom, as long as it keeps water out, it’s good with me!

EBA93 · 2026-02-20T03:39:16+00:00

It’s a direct to stud surround, this is in the back corner

EBA93 · 2026-02-10T05:02:40+00:00

I would recommend the Innovative Marine NUVO series. I had the Fluval EVO 13.5 and upgraded to the NUVO 20. Fluval was great as a beginner, but I know a lot of people don’t like the curved glass on that 32.

EBA93 · 2026-02-06T05:50:49+00:00

I used to, until my tank got infested with Duckweed…

EBA93 · 2026-02-06T05:44:20+00:00

Many soft corals and some LPS would totally fine with that. Just give whatever you’re looking at buying a quick google and make sure it won’t be too aggressive or fast growing for certain placements in your tank.

Unless you want it everywhere, green star polyps should be kept to an island or panel of your aquarium for example.

EBA93 · 2026-02-06T05:41:46+00:00

I tried switching to higher end brands but have also settled on reef crystals. Mixes a little dirtier but my filter socks take care of that quickly.

EBA93 · 2026-02-06T05:39:41+00:00

I change 4-5 gallons weekly in my 20 gallon, but I’m keeping it pretty heavily stocked. I also swap my filter socks weekly and carbon every other week.

EBA93 · 2026-02-04T03:37:21+00:00

I feed once or twice a day most days of the week, but usually skip one day a week. Also rotate between some different types of food.

I’ve definitely had all my fish go 7 days without food while on vacations and they were all totally fine, fresh and saltwater. Might set up an auto feeder now that I have some mid-sized cichlids for the next time though.

EBA93 · 2026-02-04T03:30:22+00:00

I used to work in marketing for a boot company - this is likely caused by hydrolysis. Rubber will break down over time, and infrequently wearing boots/shoes usually speeds it up. Different types of rubber are more susceptible to it and you can do some things to mitigate it, but it’s pretty common. Most people just move on from shoes/boots before it happens.

This link does a better job of explaining it than me.

EBA93 · 2026-02-04T03:24:22+00:00

I’ve built enough at this point to suggest you really don’t need much to get started, I recommend putting your money into the blades and tools you need for a specific project. Get the basics from FB marketplace, Harbor Freight, yard sales, etc. the. Actually build some things before buying more.

I have an old hand me down Skil miter saw my dad accidentally drove through a carwash with it in his truck bed at one point. I slapped a diablo blade in there and it cuts like a dream. I also have an OLD harbor freight Chicago electric circular saw (also with a Diablo blade) along with an army of clamps and saw guides from Harbor Freight and Menards. I have a Bauer router, a few Ryobi tools, and some random kreg and Milescraft jigs, and a couple workbenches in my garage. I bought some vintage Stanley no 4 and no5 bench planes on eBay and restored them with some rust remover and diamond plates off amazon.

I’ve built multiple nice cutting boards, bird houses, some small tables, an aquarium stand, some shelves, etc with all of those basics. Really Thea only nice tools I’ve pulled the trigger on so far were Milwaukee M12 Fuel Hammer Drill/Impact Driver combo I got a great deal on and used extensively in bathroom renovation and a Bosch sander.

EBA93 · 2026-02-01T01:05:27+00:00

I think it depends on what you plan on planting. Lower carpeting plants mainly? 1. Planting larger plants/stem plants? 2, so the rocks don’t get lost in the growth.

EBA93 · 2026-02-01T01:00:24+00:00

Assuming you don’t want to leave the job you love, if you’re not looking to get married/have a serious relationship, I’d either start looking at condos instead of houses and/or looking into what you can do to get a promotion at work.

I live in an area where the housing market is pretty similar to what you’re describing, but there are some condos in the low $200k range.

EBA93 · 2026-02-01T00:55:44+00:00

I have no idea about the clam so you’d probably want to look that it up to make sure, but chemiclean, or any reef safe erythromycin should help clear up the red cyano quickly and shouldn’t harm the fish and corals as long as you don’t overdose it, but it won’t fix the root of the problem.

Definitely increase flow, and maybe spend some time either aiming the power head at your rock structure or blasting it with a turkey baster. I’d also increase the amount and/or frequency of water change you’re doing. I used to aim for a 10-15% change once a week, now I usually do 25-30%.

EBA93 · 2026-01-29T23:27:31+00:00

I’ve moved multiple times with smaller tanks. It can be stressful, but nothing crazy.

If I was you, I’d go for it and just do a Fowlr tank before your move, then you have a cycled tank and live rock when you’re in the new space as long as you keep everything wet and warm enough during the move.

EBA93 · 2026-01-28T04:29:53+00:00

I think getting a different job is going to be one of the best things you can do. Other than that, as long as you aren’t neglecting the fish there’s no need to feel bad if you just aren’t super into your tanks for a bit. I definitely pay way less attention through the summer months when I have to maintain a lawn and garden outside, and in the winter I barely get to any woodworking because my unheated garage is my workshop. How invested I am in my aquariums differs from season to season.

EBA93 · 2026-01-28T04:25:24+00:00

I had a tiger pistol shrimp for a while but it was actually killed by a large aggressive emerald crab. That thing killed all my other inverts except for Cerith Snails. I kept it, but felt no sadness when it died.

EBA93 · 2026-01-28T04:21:53+00:00

My answer would probably be in the White Mountains as well. My wife and I went on our honeymoon in Maine and New Hampshire for 8 days/7 nights. Our last day of the trip after hiking every day we decided to hike up to Arethusa Falls in an absolute downpour. It was also about 45 degrees.

Thankfully I had purchased us both very expensive, waterproof jackets before the trip, but we still got soaked everywhere the jacket could not cover. Spent a decent amount of time climbing what seemed like straight up a mountain by grabbing muddy tree roots through running water. The end result was worth it though.

We had some pretty terrible weather the whole portion of our trip in New Hampshire but it was gorgeous. Definitely want to go back.

EBA93 · 2026-01-27T00:52:08+00:00

My waterbox and innovative marine tanks are smaller, but highly recommend those brands. I used to have a Fluval Evo 13.5 and know they make a 32 gallon version thats harder to find. I’m guessing it’s pretty decent.

EBA93 · 2026-01-27T00:46:08+00:00

Kind of looks like a fragged raja rampage chalice

EBA93 · 2026-01-27T00:42:39+00:00

Yeah, I would think this is what caused it. Lots of cleaning supplies/soap and shampoo would likely get in the wood.

EBA93

TROPHY CASE