# A different way to enjoy an aquarium



## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

Well, after bumming around the boards for a couple years I've decided to finally try posting a picture. If this works and I don't blow up the forum I'll have no excuse not to start showing my tanks. Well, there's always my rotten photography and procrastination . . .

Anyhoo, this is the 29 gallon tank I have in my bedroom. The big gray cat is Daniel (a solid 15 lbs) and the dainty girl is Miriam (barely 8 lbs). Miriam loves to stretch out on the light and toast which doesn't bother me because she's so petite. She was a feral kitten and is still rather reserved, but she loves attention when she's somewhere up high so this works.  Daniel being up there gives me an attack of nerves (he's going to break my light!). The both of them up there together (over 20 lbs of cat!!!) managed to propel me out of bed right after I took the picture. I promptly scooped Daniel off the light and told him he'd have breakfast in just a minute. He gave me a patented cat glare, How dare I try to sleep in on a Sunday morning? 

Once when I was cleaning the tank, I had of course taken the light and glass cover off. Went to dump the bucket of water and came back less than 30 seconds later to return a hatchet fish I'd inadvertently caught scooping out floaters and there was water _EVERYWHERE_. Streaming down all sides of the tank, a puddle on the floor, a couple of connected puddles on my bed, another puddle on the far side of the bed and a wet bedraggled Miriam with a green stripe across her tummy. She'd jumped up without looking and took an unexpected bath. :bathbaby: Surprisingly, the only damage was a couple of broken stems in the tank (plus the water everywhere and one truly miffed cat). She's a lot better at looking before she leaps now. :mrgreen:


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## Deni (Jul 6, 2005)

LOL!! My two (Owen and Doris) used to sit on top of my Eclipse hood while it was still running. They didn't manage to take baths, fortunately. 

I've thought that I'd like to have an open-top aquarium, but I don't dare.

Very nice kitties!


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

Thank you! I do have 3 open top tanks and the only problem I've had is the cats drinking the water and occasionally splashing in the water (probably to try and get a fish). The open top tanks are not as easily accessible so that helps. 

My thwarted desire is nano tanks. With the damage my cats do to small bodies of water (heavy vases tipped, glasses knocked over - all in their quest for a drink because oooooooooh nooooooo, the drinkwell fountain and a couple of bowls of water are simply NOT sufficient), I'm not about to try.


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## cah925 (Jun 23, 2007)

ROFL - Everytime I hear a story about cats jumping into the water like that I LMAO.


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## Gerald The Mouse (Mar 21, 2008)

I can't tell if your cat's tail is in the tank or behind it in the picture.


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## fishman9809 (Feb 4, 2008)

Roflmao!!!!!


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

LMAO! Great story Catherine! We have 3, which luckily don't seem to pay much attention to what goes on in the tanks - at least while I'm looking.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

Gerald The Mouse said:


> I can't tell if your cat's tail is in the tank or behind it in the picture.


Behind it, thankfully. I keep a glass top on this aquarium except when I'm cleaning it. There are hatchet fish in there that love to jump and the cats moving around are excuse enough to startle and jump. One jumped out the back while I was cleaning the tank and it was really easy to pick up because it was covered in a clump of cat fur and was so tangled it couldn't flip around. I had a little trouble releasing it from the fur once it was back in water.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

LOL! I bet the kitty was quite surprised to get the unexpected bath.

Nice looking tank and cats. Thanks for sharing.


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## Fishman123 (Dec 11, 2007)

Haha, that pic is too funny.


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## DMHdispute (Oct 23, 2007)

My cats get smacked when I see them on my tank. Which isnt too often, but there is allways fur on top of it. Id like to have an open top with the lights suspended from above the tank but im afraid that my cats will go swimming when im gone.


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## Raul-7 (Feb 4, 2004)

Funny! The reason they always enjoy sitting on top of the lighting fixtures is because they crave the warmth the fixtures give off. Maybe it's there way of telling you we'll get off once you get us a heated bed.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

Raul-7 said:


> Funny! The reason they always enjoy sitting on top of the lighting fixtures is because they crave the warmth the fixtures give off. Maybe it's there way of telling you we'll get off once you get us a heated bed.


The rub is it must be a heated bed with a view, my cat's looooove looking out the window. I do have a couple of beds for them that reflect their body heat back at them, plus regular beds, a seven foot cat tree with added beds for greater warmth, and of course they love soaking up the heat from the registers. Yeah, my house is heated by RCH - Radiant Cat Heat. The forced air gas furnace toasts the cats and then they permit the heat to radiate out to the rest of the house.  Anyway, I'm hoping the light fixture will hold less attraction during the summer. Right now I just blow off the fur before opening the glass cover on the tank.


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## owenj (Jan 8, 2008)

Haha Catherine, my cat Beth loves to sit on top of tanks too! She loves the heat & to drink out of them. Luckily she's not a fisher at all! But she has inadvertently tried to jump up during water changes & plunked her front paws in a time or two..
























She's not too picky about which tank it is 
~Jaime


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

She's beautiful! She looks so comfy in that first one with her tail hanging down. Just blissful.


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## dawntwister (Sep 29, 2007)

What fantastic growth you have in your tanks. Are you using Co2? What's your secret? Do all get some natural light? Ever have algae problems?


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

My 29 gallon tank is a low-tech set-up with soil under Eco Complete. I got a good deal on a 2 x 65 w fixture, but I only use one bulb at a time (one in the morning and the other in the afternoon after a siesta period). The tank does get natural light, but that's not saying much for this time of year with the near-perpetual cloud cover. I dose very low doses of gluteraldehyde, no other ferts or CO2 injection. I do get some green dust on the glass occasionally and I did have some clado in the back of the tank when it was young and I let the sun hit the soil (oops!). Generally it's a very low maintenance tank. The fish are obviously happy as my 8 original lemon tetra have bred and I now have over 20 of them.


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Cats and tanks, what a wonderful combination. If I ever end up with a soaking cat it'll mean the little bugger's made one hell of a jump! Right now the lovable brat's content to lounge in the halide-beams on the floor. 

I'm looking forward to seeing more of your tank Catherine.


Owen,

That first picture is SOOOO cute! Kitties are the best!


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## freydo (Jan 7, 2006)

cs_gardener said:


> My thwarted desire is nano tanks. With the damage my cats do to small bodies of water (heavy vases tipped, glasses knocked over - all in their quest for a drink because oooooooooh nooooooo, the drinkwell fountain and a couple of bowls of water are simply NOT sufficient), I'm not about to try.


of course they won't drink the supplied water... it's just plain tasting water and not fish flavoured


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Catherine - I love your RCH (Radient Cat Heat) statement. Perhaps the new" alternative fuel".


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## Pinto (Mar 22, 2008)

Nice!!. that's an awesome picture of your cat the black one.


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## Valthenya (Feb 11, 2009)

careful i had a cat eat a betta one time... poor thing...


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

While my cats will bat at the fish through the glass they haven't gone fishing from the top. Now if a fish is foolish enough to jump then it's fair game. I lost 2 giant danio before I realized my cat was startling them into jumping through a 3/4" by 1" hole - it's now covered.


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