# Child proofing



## treesmcdonald (Mar 14, 2006)

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


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

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


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## Ajax (Apr 3, 2006)

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


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## therizman1 (Apr 16, 2006)

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!


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## JERP (Feb 4, 2003)

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.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

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.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

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!


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## treesmcdonald (Mar 14, 2006)

JERP said:


> 5. Wrap the tank in bubble wrap so he can't smack it with a bat.


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.



Jimbo205 said:


> 5. I learned with my kids that child proofing was never 'done'.


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.


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

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.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

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


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## nailalc (Mar 17, 2006)

Thanks to everyone that has posted on the subject, I have a two and a half month old son and was curious as to how I was going to child-proof the aquariums.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Let us know how it goes!

By the way, diaper changing time for the little ones is great because while you are doing what you have to do (I highly recommend Rice Cereal when the time is right) you get to do fun things like count their toes and fingers out loud. They love that. Or singing lullabies or such they just plain love that. 
They can't speak but they understand everything you are saying. Don't let anyone tell you different! By the time they are 3 years old, they will learn 50% of everything they are ever going to learn!

Share your stories. I look forward to each and every one.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Erin, great profile! I love the photo. 
How is a Greenhouse Crop Grower similar or different than this hobby?


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## titan97 (Feb 14, 2005)

I agree with all that's been said above. I've seen Mike's (Turbomkt) tanks and his kids, and those TotLoks really work. They can be a real pain to install, but they are worth it. As the kids get older, I've found that you need to lock the cover down as well. My 3.5 year-old twin boys love to lift the lid and feed the fish the entire bottle of fish food. Or, they rearrange my plants. They sure love to "help Daddy." Of course, they do the same thing in the garden outside, but it's pretty hard trying to prevent them from picking all of the green tomatoes and tiny zucchinis. Instead of getting excited about "picking the fruit", I get excited about "watching it grow." They never forget to tell me on a daily basis that they see the plants growing. And they haven't messed with my tanks, nor my garden in almost a month.

-Dustin


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Jimbo, NEAPS next meeting will be at a members house in Vernon Ct. Keep an eye on the email list and we will post the info on our forum here at APC. Sept 16th is the planned day for that. There will be canoeing on the lake behind their house, and a potluck/cookout. And of course, if your ever in my area, your welcome to stop by.


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## banderbe (Nov 17, 2005)

My son is 13 months old, and I was forced to buy a stand with doors and handles and one of those small zip-lock type child safety locks for the doors. The electrical components are all safely hidden inside and the plugs are behind the stand well out of reach and so he hasn't caused any problems at all. He sometimes likes to stand in front of the tank and bang on the glass but that's about all and I stop him whenever he starts.


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## treesmcdonald (Mar 14, 2006)

Dennis thanx for the metal stapping idea and the invite to see your tanks. The strapping sounds very feasible. I think I might use it on other pieces of furntire also. You can buy special fasteners to attach furniture to walls but I'm sure the strapping is much more economical. I am on the group mailing list so I got the info on the club meeting. I really want to join and try to make it to some of the meetings. Last year they seemed to either fall on weekends where I was busy or be way out of my driving range. Hopefully this year will go better. 

Jim: The main difference between being a grower and growing plants in the aquarium is that I was actually good at my job lol. Getting paid is a great motivator! Also, I didn't have a baby at work to distract me. The principles are the same it is just the practice that is different. I sprayed a lot of chemicals at my job which is one of the reasons why I haven't gone back to work. In college they really played down the amount of chemical use but in the "real world" there is always some pest trying to eat your plants or a growth regulator to be used. Although I love plants I almost feel that ornamental horticulture is a waste of resources. If you really think about all the chemicals, water, and fuel which are needed to produce a crop it gets a little depressing. All that for a poinsettia? Hmmm.... And then consumers don't even want to pay enough to cover the costs of growing them. Ok enough ranting this isn't even DIY talk. But you did ask!


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## SKSuser (Mar 20, 2006)

As a cheap and great alternative, I've found that several strong rubber bands wrapped around the door knobs makes a great lock. (It works better if you have the knob style pulls instead of the handles.) This kept me out of plenty a cabinet before all these nifty little inventions came along.
Of course, I came from a family who tied me around the waist to my highchair with a tea towel. ;-)


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

What's a tea towel? I like the rubber bands idea.



> And they haven't messed with my tanks, nor my garden in almost a month.


SCORE ONE FOR DAD!!! (Do you have a link to photos of those Dustin?)


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