LydiaGreen
Aquarium Advice Regular
Okay, I admit it... I have a severe case of MTS.
After a LONG nightshift I have this brainwave (well, it is a good idea and it was well thought out) - I want to start utilizing sand as a substrate because I intend to use it in my dream tank (the 375) and want to actually know what I am doing before I get there. So, I go out and buy 250 pounds of sand (most of it is in storage), a caulking gun (hubby has lots of them but, I want my own that isn't full of a variety of chemicals from his work that might transfer to my aquarium stuff) and 3 tubes of aquarium safe silicone.
I decide to start with my smallest aquarium... the 5.5 with the ADF's. I drain the majority of the water from the top of their tank into one of my "clean water" 5 gallon buckets, add their fake plants and fake log so they won't feel so alienated from their home and cover the bucket with crafter's mesh so noone will escape while I'm playing Little Johnny Do-It-Yourselfer. The silicone is to use for transforming a large collection of polished riverstones into caves that won't fall down on anyone's head in any of the tanks. I filled an old pillow case with sand and stuck in a sink with water running over it to get rid of the dust. That went really well.
THEN, I tried building little stone caves. Remember, I had a two hour nap the day before and then worked 12 hours and came home to do this stuff. I wasn't exactly co-ordinated or thinking very clearly. I had NEVER used a caulking gun before. I cut the little nib off the end (I wasn't thinking clearly but I wasn't brain-dead either) and pumped and pumped and pumped the handle. Nothing came out, at least not the end it was supposed to . Now I have this huge mess in the barrel of the caulking gun and caulking all over my hands trying to clean up the mess! So, I call my hubby on the cellphone and asked him not to laugh at me. Bless his heart, he didn't laugh when I asked how to clean silicone off your hands - I was covered.
Okay, time to start over with tube #2. Same thing happened. By this time my hubby is home with my uncle (who's staying with us for awhile). NOWHERE ON THE TUBE DOES IT SAY THAT YOU HAVE TO PUNCH A NAIL THROUGH AN INNER NIB So, now hubby wants to know why I didn't just wait for him to get home and what am I doing with those GD tanks now!?!
FOOOOOOOOOOOF! Lydia sees red.
Then, he decides to make it worse! He tells my uncle about my 55 arriving on Monday and my dream tank that's in the works and says that it's "crazy" and "stupid" for a person to have that many fish tanks.
OOPS - he didn't just say that. Lydia sees black Full on rage now people! I don't get angry often. I'm one of those people who takes it, and takes it, and takes it. But, when I loose it, you had BETTER watch out!
I managed to reel myself in just a tad though and promptly reminded my husband that my only "thing" is my fish-tanks. I don't have three vehicles in the garage that I'm going "restore" someday (that's him, BTW). I don't go out to the bar every night off like my friends. I don't gamble, I don't drink. IF I ever go anywhere or do anything it is with my family as a family. If my only indulgence in MYSELF is my fishtanks, then he is lucky and better remember it.
He promptly apologized.
Moral of the story - don't attempt ANYTHING with silicone when you are sleep deprived and most importantly, NEVER MESS WITH MY FISH
After a LONG nightshift I have this brainwave (well, it is a good idea and it was well thought out) - I want to start utilizing sand as a substrate because I intend to use it in my dream tank (the 375) and want to actually know what I am doing before I get there. So, I go out and buy 250 pounds of sand (most of it is in storage), a caulking gun (hubby has lots of them but, I want my own that isn't full of a variety of chemicals from his work that might transfer to my aquarium stuff) and 3 tubes of aquarium safe silicone.
I decide to start with my smallest aquarium... the 5.5 with the ADF's. I drain the majority of the water from the top of their tank into one of my "clean water" 5 gallon buckets, add their fake plants and fake log so they won't feel so alienated from their home and cover the bucket with crafter's mesh so noone will escape while I'm playing Little Johnny Do-It-Yourselfer. The silicone is to use for transforming a large collection of polished riverstones into caves that won't fall down on anyone's head in any of the tanks. I filled an old pillow case with sand and stuck in a sink with water running over it to get rid of the dust. That went really well.
THEN, I tried building little stone caves. Remember, I had a two hour nap the day before and then worked 12 hours and came home to do this stuff. I wasn't exactly co-ordinated or thinking very clearly. I had NEVER used a caulking gun before. I cut the little nib off the end (I wasn't thinking clearly but I wasn't brain-dead either) and pumped and pumped and pumped the handle. Nothing came out, at least not the end it was supposed to . Now I have this huge mess in the barrel of the caulking gun and caulking all over my hands trying to clean up the mess! So, I call my hubby on the cellphone and asked him not to laugh at me. Bless his heart, he didn't laugh when I asked how to clean silicone off your hands - I was covered.
Okay, time to start over with tube #2. Same thing happened. By this time my hubby is home with my uncle (who's staying with us for awhile). NOWHERE ON THE TUBE DOES IT SAY THAT YOU HAVE TO PUNCH A NAIL THROUGH AN INNER NIB So, now hubby wants to know why I didn't just wait for him to get home and what am I doing with those GD tanks now!?!
FOOOOOOOOOOOF! Lydia sees red.
Then, he decides to make it worse! He tells my uncle about my 55 arriving on Monday and my dream tank that's in the works and says that it's "crazy" and "stupid" for a person to have that many fish tanks.
OOPS - he didn't just say that. Lydia sees black Full on rage now people! I don't get angry often. I'm one of those people who takes it, and takes it, and takes it. But, when I loose it, you had BETTER watch out!
I managed to reel myself in just a tad though and promptly reminded my husband that my only "thing" is my fish-tanks. I don't have three vehicles in the garage that I'm going "restore" someday (that's him, BTW). I don't go out to the bar every night off like my friends. I don't gamble, I don't drink. IF I ever go anywhere or do anything it is with my family as a family. If my only indulgence in MYSELF is my fishtanks, then he is lucky and better remember it.
He promptly apologized.
Moral of the story - don't attempt ANYTHING with silicone when you are sleep deprived and most importantly, NEVER MESS WITH MY FISH