koi_pond_girl

i got a much nicer programmable thermostat to replace the old one early this summer, and have had zero problems with it since then. recently, though, i've switched over from cool to heat, and something's definitely not right. when the heater cycles on, it triggers the a/c unit outside to fire up as well - necessary during the "cool" function, but not so much when the heater is going. in general, turning the thermostat to "off" for a second until the unit stops running, then flicking back to "heat" temporarily corrects the issue...until the heater next cycles back on.

any idea what's wrong and how i could fix it?

for a while now, i've kept an axolotl in my 10gal at work as the office pet. he was very unique, and started a lot of conversations with visitors...but he died last week (yes, cause diagnosed, aquarium thoroughly disinfected).

now i need new ideas as to what i can keep in the office; while the axolotl was so neat, i don't want to just "replace" him. your whole vision will have to be in that 10gal (bigger tank won't fit), and can't be something that requires *daily* attention (i'm not in on the weekends). ideally, we're talking about something more "cool" than just plain ol goldfish, and hey, if you have clever non-animal terrarium ideas for a 10gal, throw those in too.

things that are right out:

poison dart frogs - no place to keep fruit fly cultures in the office

saltwater fish - require too much monitoring

other than that, get creative, share your wisdom!