Aquarium Tips

I've had aquariums for years, and trust me I've made all the mistakes. I've been a student of the hobby and I've tried my best to help others learn from my mistakes. I've studied as much as I could to keep from making more mistakes but things happen.

The one thing I've learned most is that SO OFTEN people refuse to listen to advice. "Oh well I've been keeping a tank with no water changes and it does fine." Then when the tank crashes they refuse to believe it's because they wouldn't clean it. Or the people who clean the ENTIRE tank out EVERYTIME and then don't understand why they can't keep fish alive for more than a few weeks.

Here's what I've learned and you can take it or leave it.

FRESHWATER TANKS ONLY

*Aquariums need to CYCLE.( see cycle info here http://www.whichfishtank.com/FishAquariumCycle.html) It takes anywhere from 6-10 weeks for a tank to cycle depending. You can't add all your fish as soon as you set the aquarium up. You have to CYCLE the tank FIRST. Also, CHLORINE must be removed from water every time water is added. 

* If you take all the water out of your tank and refill it you RESTART the cycle. 25-30% at a time is recommended unless there are serious problems. My rule of thumb: I change 1/3 of my tanks. 10g tanks I change once a week, 20g tanks every two weeks, 30 tanks every three weeks  so forth.  I add AQUARIUM salt to my tanks with each change.

* There is usually a BIO FILTER in your filter. Some have a sponge like part in front of the replaceable filters or a wheel. The bacterial colony lives in that and you should NEVER clean that with chlorine water. IF it needs to be cleared up a bit use water from the tank to clean it.

* Take care in adding things to your tank. When adding new fish quarantine them in a separate tank first. Do NOT add water from other tanks to your tank. Pour the bagged fish out over a net into a bowl so that the fish is in the net and the fish store water is in the bowl NOT your tank.

Quarantine any new live plants as well. 

Adding too many fish to your aquarium at once will cause a spike in ammonia/waste. It is recommended to add fish in small amounts over time. Rule of thumb they say is 1 inch of fish per gallon but some fish create more waste than others. Goldfish should have a MINIMUM of 5 g per fish. Preferably 10g per goldfish. Also take into consideration the ADULT size of the fish. Many fish you see in the store are juveniles and have yet to reach their full size. So that cute little one inch fish could grow to be over a foot long! Research a fish before adding it to your tank. I had one small fish ( less than two inches) that could kill fish 3 times its size. 

I'm sure there's plenty more I could add but at this time I seem to have run dry on ideas :) More later!

Cleaning around here is a full time job with my small zoo. I don't like to use weird chemicals if I can keep from it because I: 1.) don't want to use chemicals and 2.) have a lot of animals to keep safe. SO getting "green" cleaning techniques has been a collectors hobby of mine recently. Here are a few of my favorites. Enjoy!

  Baking Soda as Tub Scrubber Rub tub stains away. 
Create a paste mad up of equal parts baking soda and cream of tartar and a little lemon juice. Let sit for 30 minutes, then rinse.

Salt as Homemade Drain Cleaner

 Get a slow-moving drain flowing again and pour a solution of ½ cup of salt for every quart of hot water down the pipe.

Clean silver without a store bought solution 

 1) 1 cup of boiling water

 2) 1 tablespoon baking soda

 3) 1 tablespoon white salt 

4) 1/2 cup white vinegar

 5) 1 sheet of tinfoil, shiny side up 

6) bowl 

 7) Polishing cloth

 Boil the water. While it’s simmering up, line the bottom of the bowl with the tinfoil, shiny side up. Then, add the salt and baking soda to the bottom of the bowl. Add the vinegar slowly (it will fizz) and mix everything together to dissolve the salt and baking soda. You want all the granules to dissolve. Add the boiling water to your bowl and then gently drop each piece of silver in the bowl. Just let it sit, the chemical reaction does all the work for you. If you wish, you can flip them over , just to ensure that both sides get exposure to the tinfoil. Take each piece out carefully and buff it gently with your polishing cloth. You should start to see all the tarnish come off.

Baby Oil as Paint Remover

 Dab some baby oil on splatters to remove latex paint from skin.

 Baby Oil as Chrome Polish

 Baby oil also polishes chrome. Apply a dab to a cotton cloth and use it to shine everything from faucets to hubcaps.

Safe weed killer

 2 c vinegar, 1T liquid soap, 1Tsalt....will kill any plant.

 Keep neighboring plants safe using a cut off two liter or milk jug around the plant.

Tub Cleaner Vinegar And Dish Soap, No Scrubbing.

 Heat 1/2 Cups White Vinegar In Microwave For 90 Seconds, Pour Into Spray Bottle. Add 1/2 Cups Blue Dawn Dish Soap. Shake Gently To Mix. Spray On Surface, Let It Sit 1-2 Hours. Just Wipe It Away, Then Rinse With Water. Should Also Take Soap Scum Off Shower Doors.

Green Phone Sense

You know you grew to hate your old phone and now you have a new one with all the bells and whistles...

WAIT!! Don't just throw your old phone out!

Cell phones contain enough lead to qualify as hazardous waste and even lead-free phones are hazardous because of the high amounts of copper, nickel, antimony and zinc that can leach into landfills.Besides there are so many people who need a cell phone. Many battered womens shelters would be so happy to have your old phone.

Check these out for recycling your phone:

http://www.epa.gov/waste

www.haveurebooted.com

www.cellphonerecycling

www.charitablerecycling.com

cellphonesforsoldiers.com

Recycle My Cell Phone

For more green tips check out my fave place www.thedailygreen.com

Grey water for a green earth

Ever heard of "greywater"?
I had not until about a year ago. Greywater is non-industrial wastewater generated from domestic processes such as dish washing, laundry and bathing. Greywater comprises 50-80% of residential wastewater. NOTE this is NOT water from toilet waste. Toilet waste water is called blackwater.




I like the idea of it I simply don't have the means at hand to build a system myself.
But its a good green topic to have a look at. Reusing greywater serves two purposes: it reduces the amount of freshwater needed to supply a household, and reduces the amount of waste water entering sewer or septic systems. In some states it is necessary to obtain permits before installing a greywater system.

Grey water can be used to water lawns and gardens. There are even some ways to reuse greywater to flush the toilet rather than using perfectly good fresh drinking water to do so but that takes some serious setup to be sure the greywater doesnt backsiphon into the freshwater lines.
Below are some links to more info on greywater and the ways to setup treatment and irrigation systems using it.

http://www.greywateralliance.org/
http://www.greywater.com/
http://www.oasisdesign.net/greywater/
http://greywaterfacts.com/index.html

Doggy Dangers

Last week I wrote about taking care to keep kitty from getting poisoned.
This week its alllll about the pooch!

PLANTS
Now my dog seems more interested in digging up the plants in the yard than eating them, but you can never really tell whats going through that head of his. Some dogs who stay indoors all the time may take an interest in the houseplants. The interest they take is rarely
one that we, the pet/plant owner, appreciate.
Lets just make sure that they aren't going to make each other sick.

A great place to start is at the ASPCA website. They have a great listing of plants that are poisonous to your pets HERE, and a 24 hour emergency poison hot line to call is listed on that same page. This is a great source to be sure that your plants, both indoors and outdoors, aren't going to cause Fido any problems.




FOODS
Oh boy, my hound is a WORLD CLASS beggar.
I think its a born talent. Really, he's had no formal training, but I'm sure he could win a trophy for it, if there were such a thing. He can stare quietly at your food going from plate to mouth and give you the most pitiful "you ARE gonna save me a bite right? " look.
But we all know that human food isn't good for the pooch. Most of the time the stuff we eat isn't good for us either but that's a whoooole other topic.

Some foods are VERY dangerous for you dog. Lets look at those.

ALCOHOL
well duh! really this is mostly for you fellas out there. MEN it is not funny for your dog to get drunk. They can fall into a coma and die. Grow up, don't give your dog booze, its stupid. Same goes for marijuana. Dangerous for your dog any way you look at it, if inhaled or ingested. Seriously. Your dog is not your frat brother.

CHOCOLATE/COFFEE/TEA
anything else with caffeine in it is a BIG NONO. chocolate/caffeine toxicity

Onions, garlic (raw, cooked, or powder): causes anemia

Fish or poultry bones: Can splinter causing tears or obstructions internally.

Cat food: too high in protein and fats.

Grapes and raisins:damages the kidneys

Citrus/citrus oils: can cause vomiting

Yeast dough:expand and produce gas , causes pain and could cause internal injuries by rupturing the intestines or stomach.

Also:
Avocados, mushrooms, macadamia nuts, spoiled foods ( EWW, WHY?)

MEDICATIONS/CLEANSERS
Keep any home cleansers and personal medications out of your pets reach the same way you would for your kids.


NEVER give your pet human medications without consulting your vet FIRST!
THIS is a list of the top ten meds that can cause pets problems.

Cleansers, antifreeze and any other household chemical needs should be kept in a locked cabinet, preferably one high from the ground that is less likely for a pet or child to get into.





EVERYTHING ELSE
Dogs can find the strangest things to eat and they will. Not only do you have to be concerned with them eating something poisonous, but because of their predisposition to chew on things they may ingest things that will harm them in other ways. Dogs can and will eat things you would never imagine and this could cause a blockage that could potentially be fatal.
Keep in mind anything left within reach of the dog , especially if the dog is a puppy that is teething, they consider theirs' to munch on. Its like having a two year old, if they can get to it, then its going in the mouth.

Signs to look for if your dog may have an obstruction from eating something like the kids homework or worse..

partial blockage:
intermittent vomiting
diarrhea
cramping

complete blockage:
severe and sudden abdominal pain
projectile vomiting/violent vomiting
distention of the abdomen

If your dog shows any of these signs get them to the vet! If the blockage interferes with the flow of blood to the bowel, the bowel itself can start to rot within a few hours. X-rays are needed to properly diagnose the cause and location.




Hope these tips help you keep your dog happy and healthy. Sometimes the smallest things make a world of difference. I hope my lil blog does just that, in making pets safer in even the slightest way :D




I leave you with a picture of my dog after he happily dug a nice mud hole in my backyard. He hates a bath,but loves a mud hole. Go figure :D





For the record, his head is solid black.
He sure looks happy though, huh?