Re: Kitty Castings

["Chuck Lawson" <lawson at junglenet_com>]

>TomWood3 at aol_com writes
>
>Well I give up too.  I've tried everything to get my cat to go in the tank
and
>nothing works. I can't hold it down long enough.  The darn animal gets
>slippery when wet too.  And mad, real mad.  Maybe lead weights?


Having the dubious pleasure of being kept by both cats AND fish, I can
suggest that:

1) Your substrate is incorrect and your water level is too high
or
2) Your fish load is too small

It's been my observation that cats will be happy to go in the tank if the
proper substrate is there and the water level does not exceed the height of
the substrate...  I've also found that an adequate fish load will make going
in the tank (if not well, GOING in the tank...) an almost foregone
conclusion for the cats...

:-)

ObSemiSeriousNote:

I ended up shutting down my first planted tank for a year and a half after
the cats became a thing around here...  I had been running it open-topped
with a MH pendant.  On the cats' arrival, I added a heavy metal grate on the
top, with openings about 1.5" square, figuring that'd keep the cats out of
the water (silly me -- I figured they'd drown).  Since the very top of the
water was 6" below the grate, I never worried about the fish...  Until one
got determined enough to figure it out and managed to remove the small
population (a couple of cories and mollies) quietly over the course of a
week.

On setting it back up (heavy wood hinged cover with a lexan panel for the
light to shine through) I discovered something else interesting -- a fish
tank that cats CAN'T get into is the world's most entertaining cat toy.
Keeps them occupied for HOURS, and is fun to sit and watch.

We just completed our second planted tank, designed to accomodate the
plants, the fish AND the cats -- it's a nine foot "whole wall" display.
There is an open area 2 foot high between the surface and the lamps (3 250
watt MH) with plexiglass "windows" to let us observe the plants growing out
above the water line (as well as a variety of potted plants arranged around
the tops of the tanks), and a third plexiglassed area above that filled with
silk plants and a 20" TV set built into the cabinet.  The cabinet also has
provisions to enclose from the cats and hide from view a CO2 tank, an
overflow system and a trickle filter.  Last but not least, there is a 6"
wide "catwalk" mounted on the front below the glass so that the cats can sit
and observe the fish (and vice versa -- we have angels whose joy in life
appears to be to tease the cats enough to get them swatting at the glass
:-).  There is no place for the cats to get into the water, get at the fish,
nibble the plants, burn themselves on the lights, or disrupt a siphon (all
but the burn themselves part being things we've had happen before).

The whole effect is rather striking -- an entire wall floor to ceiling with
plants (albeit silk ones on top) with a group of fascinated cats sitting and
watching...

- Chuck

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