Random Questions

[lesliepear]

1. I got a 10 gallon fishtank, filter and hood on freecycle the other day. I've rinsed the fish tank and tossed out the colored gravel (it had some sort of bronwish crystals mixed in it - maybe salt?). I did keep the various decorative things that were in the tank - rocks, fake plants etc. I've refilled the tank partway and left it in my shower to make sure it isn't leaking. I plan to go to the local fish store (not a chain) and show them the filter and hood and see if the filter works - I need a bulb for the hood anyway. Any other advice on cleaning out a fish tank and setting it up? I'm looking for easy to care for fish - now that Alan's older, I doubt he'll dump the whole container of fish food in the tank this time (which did in our first goldfish when he was 3!)

2. Does anyone have a GPS? I'm seriously considering one. I have a good sense of direction but some travels lately have made it desirable to have on-the-fly routing, especially in the dark. I like this one I saw at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Widescreen-Bluetooth-Navigator-Refurbished/dp/B000YE99NQ/ref=br_lf_m_1000284401_1_4_ttl?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=electronics&pf_rd_p=448571201&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_i=1000284401&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0JRHSE1Z211SV95YYZ68

My husband wanted me to check this one out:

http://www.amazon.com/TomTom-ONE-XL-Widescreen-Refurbished/dp/B000XABAG0/ref=br_lf_m_1000284401_1_2_ttl?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=electronics&pf_rd_p=448571201&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_i=1000284401&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1JWKM5T8W7SY7E2FFJX7

I probably will get it at Amazon unless there is a super black Friday deal as I have over 125.00 in gift certificates. I'd really like one with traffic info as one trip we do every year (back and forth to Ithaca) has a section of highway (I-81) perpetually under construction it seems.

Any advice?

Comments

[silent-ic-river.livejournal.com]

If your local fish store is a good one just follow their advise. Don't be surprised if they suggest you spring for a new filter system. Their are cheap enough for a 10 gallon and you don't want to risk getting set up and losing the tank to ick or such. (Ick is a parasite that can survive under extreme conditions).
Before you take the tank and such out of the shower wash everything in the hottest water you can stand, but do not use any chemicals. Then let it dry in full sunshine for a day.
Start your tank with only a few fish. No more than 3 or 4. Neons are a good bet, they are hardy and colorful. Head and tail light are another. You'll need a heater (about $30 for a good one) if you get tropical fish. Your standard comet will not need a heater, but then you are limited to comets.

[lesliepear.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the advice. I'll rinse the tank and put it outside later to dry out. I'm not going to be setting it up immediately, I need to figure out where to put it and I might get gravel at Walmart this weekend if it seems pricey at the fish store.

[luscious-purple.livejournal.com]

I'd suggest getting a book on basic fish care. I know that you're not supposed to put tap water directly into the fish tank without letting it stand a while to get rid of traces of chlorine or whatnot. And I know you're certainly not supposed to dump the whole box of food into the tank at once. But the rest, I don't know.

Can't advise you on the GPS -- I haven't gotten one because I don't want my car broken into.

[lesliepear.livejournal.com]

I have the de-chlorinator left over from Alan's previous fish, so I'm ok with that.

We won't leave our GPS in the car either - just putting it in on trips. I've seen too many police reports in our local paper about stolen GPS's to even think about it.

[mixter11nm.livejournal.com]

I've got the wide screen TomTom and I really like it. The one I bought was somewhere in the $350 range and it has a voice that tells you where to turn, etc. I like the voice because if I'm concentrating on the driving, I don't always have the ability to look at the GPS screen. It's great to have and has come in handy many times already.