Devon

WOW. I love that fish!! I need more oddballs. How much do those guys retail for?

I would like to make a shelf out of 2x4's or plywood planks, and cinderblocks, to hold 1 30 gallon per shelf, with three shelves. Is it possible? If so, how would I go about doing it?

They get huge, and eat a lot. They can eat ducklings, garter snakes, and could fit every native amphibian into their mouths. I am a huge tree hugging environmentalist though, the last thing I would do is release him into our ecosystem. I got him as a tadpole, he came into the fish store I work at with our feeder fish. It was an innocent mistake. The rats I rescued in BC and brought back not knowing they were illegal, and kept them secret when we found out they were. Again, I would never release them, and two were hairless and could never survive anyways. The toad in question was for sale at Petsmart, so now the store has to find all of the paperwork for it. As well as the paperwork reguarding the shipment the bullfrog came in... I found out though, that it wasn't someone who read this post. It was someone on another forum, Nexopia, that has a grudge against me. He gathered all of the information, found out that I work at Petsmart, went to the different petsmarts on a day he knew I worked, found me at my store, and reported my animals, and where they could find me, to the cops. He really needs to get a life. I mean, pardon me for blowing my own horn here for a second, but with all of the good I do, the sacrafices I make, to rescue, care for, and rehome these animals with my own money....how dare he go out of his way to report me, knowing that my rats were old (now dead), the bullfrog was being shipped away, and the toad was a mistaken idenity, and risk my entire dream of starting a large animal sanctuary. Knowing full well the fines involved, the fact that it would completely devestate my family and our life, our goals, and the lives of my animals. I just think that there are better things that he could be doing with his time, other then attempting to bring down a 17 year old girl and her animal rescue, over a few animals and some mistakes.

Nothing like a visit from the cops to end this arguement! You were right, I was wrong, the cops have to much time on their hands. They were waiting at my work to arrest me at five...but, I have yet to talk to them, as I was sick and didn't go in, and they didn't come to my house. My boss told me that they were asking him about me having illegal species, asked if I brought them to work and sold them out of the backroom (wtf? Where did they get THAT idea?) and various other questions. Two cops and two fish and wildlife officers. Unfortunatley for them, they should really get online more often, my bullfrog is long gone. They can feel free to come search my basement, but it's in their better interest not to, as I have an attack lovebird. And she takes her job seriously! :P I wonder if they'll be waiting for me tomorrow at work. I wonder if I'll get to wear handcuffs! -roll- But, I have a few species that Im not sure about. One toad that I've just put the label "American Toad" to, only because that's what he looks most like...but I think he's a hybrid. I adopted him from Petsmart because he had a growth on his nose. I guess I shouldn't have put that label to him...it was out of convenience, it sounded better to say "American toad" then "Fat brown toad with no real name". I had no idea american toads were illegal until lately, but they can check him out and ask petsmart about him, I'm pretty sure he's not. Also, I have a lizard...a Calote. I don't know much about them, or whether they are legal or not. It was a recent rescue.

Don't worry, I'm always looking for sales.

I could have sworn that the ESU 3 outlet model was good for 1875 watts (15 amps). I don't have one anymore so I can't check. Maybe what Tortis suggested with the mecury switch (just a standard home thermostat) then. A furnace guy or HVAC tech could tell youhow to set it up, I have no idea. Well my new peice of crap heater isn't working anymore, I press power and the digital numbers show up really faint, the light blinks, and it turns off. I guess that's what I get for buying the display model of a discontinued model.....but it seemed perfect! And it's honeywell, and that brand gets good reviews so I took the chance. I guess I'll return it tomorrow. How much do those small oil heated convection radiators go for, usually? I'm going to take back this 50 dollar peice of crap and go to walmart and get one of those.

I looked at both the ESU and the Zoomed thermostats and they only handle 1000 watts, this heater is 1500. :S

Usually these comon names are applied to the same same fish, Panaque maccus. There can be a pretty huge difference in the colour and shape of the markings. link: http://www.planetcatfish.com/cotm/2001_11.PHP That looks like it might be him...how much do they usuallly retail for?

I'm not usually one to ask for an ID without a picture, but my sister is in BC and she took my camera, so it will have to wait.... It does look a bit fuzzy.....I'm thinking a clown pleco, or a candy striped...?

Due to a thermostat-failure on an expensive ceramic space heater about 4 years ago, I lost about $18,000 in reptiles....believe you me, I know. You guys are scaring me! What should I do to ensure this doesn't happen?

Now that I think about it, my Mom had one of these the last time I went to visit. I liked it. I'm still of the opinion that anything like this should be mated to a second rheostat. Just grab a Zoo Med or ESU one, set it for 90 and plug the heater into it. You would probably never need it but if something ever did happen it could save your animals. I'm thinking that $40 is cheap insurance in this case. Tortis will probably point out that I am still bitter and paranoid after the great cuttlefish massacre of '04 (perpetrated by my tronic heater) and he'd be right. Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get me though. I'd go with the constant temp for all involved, set it for 80. If you need to provide more warmth in specific cages then use smaller bulbs or heat pads. I don't know what kind of collection you have but you might find that once you get it all in one room you won't need much, or any, supplemental heat. I have a beardie, 2 gecko cages and a couple PCs in my extra bedroom. That was enough heat that the small reef tank in there does not need a heater and I keep the window cracked a bit all year round. I bought a Honeywell Oscillating heater with a digital thermostat today...I have it set at 80, but when it turns off my thermometer says 77....

I have a little pleco that I've had for a year...he's about 2 inches, and looks like a short, stout little baby common pleco...except for his colour. He's brown with an orange tinge, with yellow stripes with a brown tinge. He's very small...he eats driftwood at an irritating rate. Great algae eater though! Any ideas what he is?

Thanks, yeah, I was at home depot today and saw some space heaters with thermostats. I just hate the ones that aren't specific, it's hard to regulate them...I saw one that was perfect for me, one with a digital thermostat that you could set the temperature on, and set it to raise and cool the room at different times. So, I could do a small drop in temperature at night...although, would that be safe for the fish? Or should I just keep the room temperature constant.

Insulating the room and installing a small natural-gas heater would probably be the most sensible way. Do you really have enough tanks to make it viable though? I can't see it being particularly advantageous unless you're running at least 1000 gallons. If you’re looking to conserve electricity a better method might be to invest in a small linear-piston pump and move your tanks to sponges and eliminate the power filters. No, it's worth it, it will also be a reptile room so I won't have to use as much water to keep humidity up in cages , won't need near as many heat lamps/heating pads/etc. Sorry, I forgot to mention that it won't be just a fish room!

I work at Petsmart and we have some red devils that look quite midas looking to me 0_o Nobody will buy them. I've seen muppies, and then "cotton Candy" parrots, dyed blood parrots. And the Jellybeans, which are smaller? I think that some of the "mixed" african cichlids we get in at Petsmart are hybrids too. I disagree with breeding them for all of the regular reasons, though I have three blood parrot cast offs from the southside A&B Sound, and even though they can't close their mouths all the way, the big one can still break the skin. 0_o

I am moving all of my tanks into one small room, so that I can heat it to the proper temperature, and take out the tank heaters. What's the best way to keep a room at a constant temperature, seperate from the rest of the house? Preferably the cheapest, most energy efficient way.

That's fine, just let them visit my stingrays for a little while. No fuss, no muss! :P Think the rays could manage an 8" parrot? I have a special dislike for the 'sweetheart' parrots that have been bred for no tail. Woah, haven't seen those. Don't they have trouble swimming? Poor things. I don't hate the fish, I hate the people that breed them. My parrots may be "ugly" but they make up for it in attitude. The big one has actually broken the skin.

That's not very nice, they can't help that they're Blood Parrots! People should just stop breeding them, I wouldn't kill mine just because they're blood parrots.

hehehe...well, rats, for one.

Ah, but it is not...lok at the big picture. The fact that they are fine selling some live animals as feeders, but not others...if they wish to take the moral high-road, they should do so indiscriminately. Why? They choose to sell live fish as feeders, but not mammals. I don't have a problem with that. People can buy their mammals elsewhere. During my six months of working at the store, I have only had two people request feeder mice, and I directed them to the Petcetera a few blocks away.

Umm??? You were the one that chose to announce that bullfrogs were illegal and that you had one, not me: "I've recently found out that bullfrogs are illegal in alberta...which sucks, because I have one." Could have PMed him, as I did you, non? Feel free....but perhaps instaed of erasing posts later, choose more carefully what you put in them before hitting the 'submit' button. I just didn't think it was that big of a deal. I knew what I was typing when I hit the submit button. But you have already told me all of what you just said via PM. Seeing as the frog is leaving, I didn't think it was that big of a deal to mention it.

I am not surprised...most people would not either. Incidentally, it is not what I was referring to. Apparently the fact that you entered a debate without being prepared to be in a debate.....its not an arguement (as per the typical North American meaning), but a debate...you are taking this far too personally. No, I'm not, you're just pursuing somthing that is totally offtopic. And if that wasn't what you were reffering to, could you tell me what you WERE reffering to?

Fine. Whatever. Thanks for making a big deal about it. I was just trying to warn him. Now what, I should go erase my posts? Doesn't matter anyways, seeing as you went on about it just as much.

Well I just personally don't feel the need to ask the corporation why they don't sell feeder rodents, I could care less. I wouldn't buy feeders from them anyways, and people can buy their feeders elsewhere as well. Sure they have some inconsistencies, but so does everybody, and I don't see anything that goes way against my values. I wasn't "waving the petsmart flag", this question was addressed to fish store employees, I work at Petsmart, and I used the name and referenced my expereinces with the company. What's the problem?!

Perhaps, but like most police, they are not known for giving you a 'freebie' just because you didn't know. Okay okay, but whatever, I have posted the fact that I have a bullfrog even on the ERAS forums. Nothing has happened. The frog is leaving within 48 hours. Even sooner if the cops call. He was supposed to leave last week but something came up. And, I have had experience with cops and most of them have been pretty nice to me. I'll accept the consequences if some cop happens to read this post and gets to my house beforehand. I have seen people make posts on other alberta forums regaurding much more illegal stuff then my accidental bullfrog that I now realize is illegal, and am ammending the situation. These people haven't been busted and I highly doubt I will. And yes, I fully realize that I might, but I reeeally doubt it. Like I said. I am a 17 year old petstore employee that found a tadpole in the tank, raised it, realized what it was and that it was illegal, and now am sending it away. Situation solved. No need for police.