Feeding and Nutrition :: Am I being mean?

[TheComputerGremlin]

Why did you have to move there, if I may ask? I know a lot of people move around for jobs or spouses having jobs elsewhere ...

And honestly, I think it would be awesome to have drawers in the walls, esp if the space was utilized correctly, like having closets built into the walls and whatnot. Cuz if you don't have dresser edges, you don't get stubbed toes!!

And depending on your tub size, that could be a temporary tank situation, if needed. I don't know what the size of most tubs are, but I'd imagine they are bigger than a small tank.

[snazzy]

Hubby's job - but we wanted to move overseas for personal reasons so he searched for the job that could do it. Expand your horizons and all that. Here my kids go to a good school with an entire rainbow of children from all over the planet as compared to where they went in the US which was a bit..er... monochrome in our last city. I moved a lot overseas as a kid too, I think it changes the way you view the world and increases your tolerance of differences amongst people, be that color or culture or religion. I hope my kids learn that while we are away.

As far as the setup of the homes. There are no closets here - just drawers and cabinets built into the wall for clothes and such so there is less wasted square footage. I think that is because this is the way the British do things too and the British were the primary expat population here for the longest time. This works fine for the most part, but becomes a problem when you need to store away something larger, like suitcases. You have to be a bit creative with that but on the whole it works fine.

I thought about the tub as a tank - it works great as a feeding tank but as a permanent tank there is a problem in that there is no electricity near it. I don't know why they don't put plugs in the bathrooms here, probably a safety factor. The result is though that it would be necessary to run an extension cord into the bathroom to run a filter. I might consider that - but would have to find a way so that my kids can't trip on the cord. Also, I think a canister filter would work there right? How much below the tank does it have to be for it to work? The tub is elevated maybe 4-6 inches - is that enough? The tub is only 63 gallons though - still a 'free' solution perhaps until I can figure something else.

[Stalfos]

I have an awful filter, too,; every two weeks the tank is so clouded with algae, visibility is at best five inches.

I was wondering, will a better filter really curb the algae problem? It's always been a problem even though it's never been near a window.

I've found that a better filter does cut down on algae growth - alot. I had a Zoo Med 501 and there would be enough algae build-up within a week and a half of cleaning that it would look like the tank glass was made out of moss. I bought an XP3 half a year ago and now there's maybe a smidgen of algae in a corner of the tank after a month or two.

What filter do you have now?

[Nettle]

Thanks! I feel better about getting one now.

It's this generic Wal-Mart brand that came with my tank kit called aqua-tech. It's rated for up to a 60 gallon, but I know it's not good enough. I'm currently trying to get a job so that I can get a XP3 or XP4, but the job market in Ohio is awful and my age isn't helping.