treesmcdonald

Hi All,
My 8 month old daughter learned how to crawl over night! Does anyone have any tips on child proofing my 50 gallon? I'm going to put cabinet locks on the doors but that is I have come up with. Should I fasten it to the wall? We live in a small apartment so keeping her out of the room or fencing off the aquarium is not feasible. Any parents out there have any tips for me? This is our first (and only) child so I'm kinda clueless! The tank is on a standard store bought solid wood cabinet with two doors on the front and an open back.
Thanx in advance,
Errin

turbomkt

Errin,
Can she lift 400lbs of water? Your tank is fairly safe. I've got the Tot Locks with the little magnetic "key" for my cabinet doors. They work great and don't leave anything visible for bait

Ajax

I doubt a child would be able to knock over a tank that size. Your talking over 400lbs just for the water.

therizman1

No need to worry about her tipping it over... even a full grown adult would have to really try to get it to tip over. Make sure to get some sort of locks for the cabinets though underneath, I know a lot of the ferts are not safe to drink or anything like that. Also, if you have any power cords within her reach you may want to fasten them with some zip ties or Home Depot has soem pretty cool little cable clamps that work great. Just in case you havent already, you may also want to get those little child plugs to go in any and all electic outlets... small children are interested in everything since it is all new to them and they dont know the dangers. Good luck with everything!

JERP

You already have door locks, which is good. A few more suggestions.

1. Secure the light and hood. You don't want him climbing in or pulling the lid off.
2. Secure any electrical wires and plumbing.
3. Block the sides of the stand or make sure the tank is close enough to the wall that the child can't reach behind the tank.
4. Hide/lock away all chemicals.
5. Wrap the tank in bubble wrap so he can't smack it with a bat.

John N.

All good advice! Congrats on a crawling baby! Before you know it, it'll be talking and asking for the keys to your car.

-John N.

Jimbo205

Wow! That is great! Congratulations!

I am sure you will do a great job with child proofing. By the way, I learned with my kids that child proofing was never 'done'. Continuous process. I also strongly suggest a good sense of humor and a Mom's group for Mom and if possible a Dad's group for Dads. Although I understand that it typically is called 'the Firehouse' but never a 'group' guys just don't like to call it that.

Has anyone ever heard the ad on the radio for booster seats?! It's a riot - it lists absolutely everything we do for our kids - EVERYTHING - and then of course mentions Booster Seats for kids in cars.

When my 2nd boy was made fun of by his classmates in school for still using a booster seat, he literally said to them, "Well that proves my Mom loves me more that your Mom loves you!"

That actually got back to my wife from one of the other Moms. And then 6 months later they changed the law so all his classmates had to start using them!
(I could not BELIEVE that he actually said that!) Kids.

Congratulations Mamma!

treesmcdonald

OK I think this might need to be done immediately! Except she will probably use her head instead of a bat. I'm gonna need to get her a helmet. I closed our bedroom door so she couldn't get to our fan and she tried to open the door by butting it with her head. I don't know whether to be impressed by her determination or worried about her lack of pain.

This is quickly becoming apparent to me. I think I'm going back to work it was MUCH less stressful!
Thank you all for the great advice and for the record no I don't think my child can lift 400lbs of water I'm worried about it tipping over. The floors in our 300 year old house are pretty wonky so everything feels unstable; it’s sort of like living in a fun house lol.

dennis

The footprint of a 50 gallon is very stable though I understand your concerns with wobbly floors. If it would make you more comfortable, I would get a small roll of metal stapping used to hang heating ducts. It already has holes in it so it make syour life easier. You should be able to cut it with heavy scissors and can find it in any reasonable hardware store. Screw one end into a stud in the wall using a 2" or longer drywall screw and screw the other end to some part of the cabinet. It won't take much to make sure the setup is stable. It not like it has to support the weight of the tank. I would not make it super tight in the beginning to allow some room for natural house movements without stressing anything.

Another option if you live over a basement, add a length of 2x4 across the floor joists under the tank and brace everythign up with a screw type floor jack, the kind made for use in basements. Ask your local hardware store about those if its an option for you.

BTW, I moved to Leverett reciently so you're welcome to stop by sometime to see my tanks and my fiance' and I are cool with kids.

Jimbo205

Dennis your group is having its next meeting in the Berkshires right?