Blue Diamond

The hood does not come off. Just opens up in the middle where the light fits on. Tried the Top Fin 1-10 gal vac. Water siphoned out half the water before 1/4 was cleaned. Would something smaller work better? I'm looking to clean the gravel but not remove as much water. It's tricky to get the gravel out frequently for cleanings without scratching the acrylic sides of the tank, thus I was looking at vacuums. I have a single betta fish with a Whisper 3i filter. Fish is active and seems happy. Yes, I still do partial water changes even with the filter.

I've had my betta fish for about a month now. He normally comes to the glass and stares back at us and is active. Always glad to see us. Last week, the power was out. We had a generator, but then we had a problem with the furnace. Not knowing how cold it would get and no way to keep him warm, I put him in a fish bowl with his own tank water and took him to my parents' home to keep him warm. Brought him back the next day. Ever since that (Thursday), he's completely different. He seems scared and often stays to the back of his aquarium. He isn't staying at the bottom of the tank anymore, but the slightest sound seems to scare him. He doesn't seem interested in eating either. It's like he's in a daze and not very responsive. Normally, he's very excited to eat.

Has anyone had any experience with situations like this?? Will it pass? Did the fish make it?? I called an aquarium professional and breeder and both said to just wait and see. Please be kind with your comments - I'm trying to take careful care of him and doing the best I can to help the little guy. I'm looking for encouragement and help.

Other notes:

Changed his water carefully, so his water should be fine. (He was more active for a while after changing it.)

2.5 gal tank w/out filter or heater

pH level is ok.

***I've checked with several breeders and aquarium experts and they assure me that this set-up is fine. Please don't comment about this.

I've had fish before, but this is my first betta. I've done some research on the internet on their care so I'm hoping I'm doing ok. I'd appreciate any words of encouragement or kind advice. Please be kind as I really am doing my best.

Franklin lives in a roomy aquarium with several plastic plants (wanted to make sure he has lots of swim room). I feed him Omega One buffet flakes (I have mini pellets too, but they are still too big for him to eat), and blood worms (about 1-2x week). His water is kept about 72 degrees. He seems quite healthy and lazily swims around. My question is this..... he is still quite small. His main body (not including tail) is about 3/4 of an inch. How fast do they grow? Is he growing enough? At what age do they get their full size? And how big is full size? I guess I'm trying to determine if what is normal growth and if his diet is ok.

I have two cats and a betta fish. One cat doesn't care and the other, 10 mos, is curious. Betta is in a fish bowl right now, and the kitten has been caught splashing in the water (she LOVES water). I have them separated right now. So I plan to get a different container with a lid. Anyone out there have a cat and a betta at peace with each other? Should a lid solve the problem? And please - please be kind in your answers and no sarcasm.

Note: This is my first Betta, but I've done a lot of reading on their care.

I'm not a stranger to cats - I've had them all of my life.

Kelsie is a very healthy 18 yrs but does have arthritis quite badly. We are having litter pan issues with her. There are no medical problems according to the vet. She is having trouble getting in the higher sided litter pan (there's also a step for her in front of it). The problem is that she sometimes will poop on the floor because of trouble getting in and out. So, I put a low side box in for her to use. That seemed to stop the pooping problem. She gets in it and uses it fine, but NOW there's another problem. She gets in the pan and pees but the pee lands outside the box because she can't squat as much because of the arthritis. But she is IN the pan at the time so she's not being bad. I'm looking for people who have had a problem with arthritic cats and litter box issues like this. How did you solve it? Please - no sacastic or rude answers. I honestly care about my pet and am looking for solutions/ideas.

My husband and I are moving. While I'm far from a cat novice, I'm looking to make things as easy on them as I can manage. I have 2 cats. Kelsie is 18 yrs old, and she has been with me since she was born. She has now moved 3 times with me, this will be four. She tends to be somewhat high strung. Simon is four yrs old. He was abused as a kitten prior to us adopting him. He is very skittish and afraid of strangers and loud sounds. I plan to give them Pet Calm and to let them visit and explore a couple of times before the actual move (about a half hour drive to new house). Kelsie and my now deceased cat went for visits each time we moved and it seemed to help. But now, with her being 18, I'm trying to use care. Any other suggestions to ease the stress of moving for them? And while it's not perfect, the litter box will need to be in the utility room in the new home.

And please - only serious and kind answers.

There used to be a tab under the game that I could click. It's not there now. I've even tried installing the Game Bar - that's where the tab was. Is there a way to get a Game Feed?

I was given a tropical hibiscus last summer as a gift. It's so beautiful! It did beautifully all summer, and I moved it to my parents home for the winter so that it could have full sun. It's done great - it's never stopped blooming. Now, it is looking quite leggy and I'm thinking it should be pruned. How do I do this? How do I get a nice rounded shape and encourage branching and blooming? Can I take several inches off (like up to 6)? And the big question - will this stop it from blooming for long? My dad loves it and doesn't want to lose the blooms but Mom and I think it's just getting an overgrown or leggy/spindly look. We are also considering keeping the cuttings and trying to propagate them into new plants. I would appreciate any advice from those who HAVE HAD EXPERIENCE with these plants.

It has been an indoor plant since last September.

I put together a database for a local cemetery association for genealogy purposes. It is saved in Excel. They want to be able to protect it so that information cannot be changed, but it can be sorted. How can this be done? I use Excel very little, so am not sure how to help them.....

I've started to exercise in order to lose weight. I'm considering joining a exercise group (Latin Fit Fiesta it's called - think it's a local thing) She said it's a cross between Zumba and aerobics. I tried Curves, but got bored quickly and didn't get much results. The Latin fit thing ran a trial the other day. I did find that I worked up quite a sweat. A friend and I have been walking every day after work, but with winter snow and ice walking inside is likely to get boring easily. I would also like to encourage my friend to keep exercising too as she is heavier than I (and more limited range of movement), but I'm not sure she'll join the group. And yes, I get easily bored and need something to keep me going. I'm not the most coordinated as far as intricate foot work, but am willing to try. So....would it be good to join the group (2 days a week), or just work out with videos at home? Or both? At the same time, I don't want to spend a lot of money. What videos are good? Any suggestions? Any advice from those who have had experience in this area is appreciated.

I saved my Persian's hair for 15-18 yrs with the plan to have it spun into yarn. I have found out that this process will be very expensive. So, I am looking for alternate ideas of using the hair. I am considering felting it into "fabric". But am also wondering about other ideas. Does anyone have any cool ideas? (No jokes - this cat was very dear to me and I would find "jokes" to be offensive since I miss him terribly.) I have about 1.25 pounds saved.

My tomatoes are starting to show signs of blight, as they have the last few years. I haven't moved them because I've been told that it is air-bourne, and most people in our area have it. Has anyone tried anything to control it and have it actually work???? Please - only things that HAVE BEEN TRIED SUCCESSFULLY ONLY. Plants are getting sick - don't have time to try and fail.

Can't pull out the diseased ones - would be almost all of the crop. (20 plants total)

I've heard that the chemical used in Swiffer mops can kill a cat if a cat gets it on its feet and then licks its feet. I've avoided using Swiffer because of this. Does anyone know if this is true? Is it a risk to my cats? The Swiffer looks convenient but I definitely won't use one if it could poison my cat.

well, for lack of better term, rather stupid when it comes to basic cat care? Some of the care for a cat is simply common sense. Other things really are learned, I realize that. I don't mean to sound nasty, but some times I wonder about some of the questions posted......

I have a stubborn stain. I've tried Lestoil (wonderful product) and Shout - set in stains. The stains are lighter, but not gone. I'm not ready to give up yet, but I don't want to spend a fortune on trying different cleaners. Suggestions? What are your favorite stain removers? Tell me a bit about them and how they work. Are they easy to find and purchase?

I had asked about VOIP before but here are a couple more questions. How would it be for someone in this situation? I live in a rural area of Michigan, seldom make non-Michigan or international calls. Would I need a special kind of phone for it? Any idea of how much it costs per month or year? Cost of the equipment? Clarity of the voice on either end? Do I need a specific internet speed in order to do this? I have no particular provider in mind - still doing research on the idea. Thanks everyone.

I'm thinking of using VOIP to replace my existing landline phone because of the savings. Does anyone have any experience with it? I don't know tons about it (just started researching it), so any observations and opinions, etc are appreciated.

I've only had a pre-pay phone thus far with only core basic features. I'm looking at the following phones: LG Script (which I've heard are heavy), Samsung My Shot r430, and the Samsung Freeform. Suggestions of which are best?

Just found a cool tip that may help you. The tip is that if two cats are fighting that previously had gotten along, the problem is likely a foreign smell. For example, one cat is suddenly not accepting a cat that has just come back from the vet. The suggestion is to put a drop of vanilla extract on top of each of their heads. They will then have the same scent, which should help ease things. I thought that this sounded like a cool idea for those struggling with this and is certainly worth a try.

Does anyone know of another option to feed a cat with a history of UTI as a maintanence diet other than Hills' CD? My Simon had a uti at 11 mos. He is now 2.5 yrs old. I would love to get him onto another food that isn't as expensive and higher quality and still provide the maintenance necessary. If necessary, I'll leave him on CD, but..... Does anyone have any experience with this? And switching to another food from CD?