baby proofing your tanks

[juanveldez]

okay so I was sitting here talking to my wife and she is worried about the cords for my 55. I was just wondering what the other members here that have young ones that are learning how to crawl and walk did to protect their little ones.

 

[smb]

Not sure. With what I keep there's more danger of them putting their hands IN the tank than anything outside.

Maybe try taping them down and putting a lock of some type on the cabinets?

 

[wuvmybetta]

aaaaww juan,it IS time for you guys to start thinking about that kind of stuff huh?

I'm pretty blunt with my kid so I like to believe she wouldn't mess with anything that's dangerous,but a BABY ( ) on the other hand .

As long as everything is up pretty high (tank lids) you should be ok,make sure that your stands are up to par and won't topple over if the little one decides to go for a climb someday . I've had to "rabbit proof" my house and make it free from wires,so I use tape (as mentioned) on some areas but mostly I try to center the stand over the outlet so that no wires hang out,if that's not possible,place an end table or a bookcase in front of the wires/outlet area to at least obstruct little hands from getting to them. Forget about the way things "look",put safety first

More than likely your kiddo will have no interest in the tank since he OR she has been looking at it from birth,but it's better to be safe then sorry so I certainly hope some really handy tips start pouring in for you

 

[juanveldez]

well I am famous for my procrastination..... I don't ever do anything on time, the baby is due in april, and so I want to have this all done by January. I do worry about the stand as it is an iron stand from walmart and isn't that sturdy. I am getting plans for one from CM, and will be modifying it a little to add a little bit of meat to it. then I will also be building a ply wood gate around it that is about half way up the stand as well. but like you said wuv looks don't count safety first.

 

[wuvmybetta]

when I got the 50 it was used and had sat in a friends house,running, for years. But they passed it on to me and it had an iron stand.....they're really scary ,seemed liked the slightest pull could topple it over so we bought a wooden one at my lfs for about $50


Great idea about that gate

 

[juanveldez]

that is pretty much the same boat I am in the tank was carries parents and they had the tank and stand.

 

[lorilinb04]

When my 3 yr old was younger I bought from Toys R us a folding baby gate it has 7 panels so you can shape it any way you want,,and i put that around the stand and tank,other wise he liked the sound of slapping the iron and the tank,,and boy my fishies didnt like him..lol..Now that he older I lock my rabitts in it to get a run every so often..The gate was like 60$ but you might be able to find one used..Good luck..

 

[juanveldez]

bump

 

[Mollymomma]

I was going to add cabinet safe locks on my wood stand but my kiddo's are all old enough to understand not to touch thing's. But I may install them anyway to protect friend's little ones. The gate idea is fantastic. As for the electric outlets that have cords plugged in, you can get these boxes(plastic) that fit over the outlet with the cords in place. It keeps the outlets available but keeps little ones from pulling the cords out. Any extra can then be taped to the wall like wuv said.

The key thing to remember when baby proofing, puppy proofing or even rabbit is to get on your knees & crawl around your house at baby's level. That way you won't miss any hazzards they may find interesting

An April baby! My 4yr. old son was born in April. Diamond birthstone!!

Let everyone know how you make out on getting the house safe for the future angel

 

[aquamanis]

I,ve never seen it mentioned but I recomend EVERYBODY should have a deadmans or kill switch connected to the power supply. A few dollars could save a lifetime of heartache especially as our hobby has the ingrediants (water and electricity) for a fatal accident.

 

[chaotica2010]

I agree with molly on the wood cabinet although if the worry is your kiddo tipping it over on an iron stand, I personally wouldn't worry as long as it is on a nice level surface (this is around 500 Lbs we are talking about). I had the same worry until I filled my 55 gallon and it was on the stand and realized that it would take effort on my part to tip it. By the time he or she is old enough to have the strength to do it they will also be old enough to know better.

Good Luck

Rick 8)

 

[semper fi]

when mmy kids were younger i taped the cords to the wall and on the outlet i installed one of those clear plastic housings for a thermostat on it. i drilled a hole in the top wide enough for the cords and threaded them through. has a lock on it so you have to open the door with a key.

if you are building a wooden stand you might extend the sides so it is flush with the wall. you could also mount an outlet strip on the inside of the cabinet for all the equipment to plug into. just one cord coming out of the cabinet and tape that to the wall so it cannot get pulled on.

 

[Alien Anna]

I,ve never seen it mentioned but I recomend EVERYBODY should have a deadmans or kill switch connected to the power supply. A few dollars could save a lifetime of heartache especially as our hobby has the ingrediants (water and electricity) for a fatal accident.

Better yet, get trip-switches fitted to your main fuse cupboard (by a qualified electrician, of course). Aquariums aren't the only sources of electricity and water - dribble on a lamp bulb can have pretty spectacular effects, not to mention orange juice in the VCR.

I have an autistic little boy who still does a lot of the "baby" things (he's 5). I generally find that its impossible to totally baby proof anything until you've got a real-live baby with their own individual foibles. Once he's shown an interest in something dangerous I can jump to it and rig up some sort of protection. But it does require vigilance and procrastination is potentially fatal.

One concession I did make was to use a yeast CO2 generator rather than risk pressurised gases and valves etc. with my son (a friend's child killed all his fish by "making nice bubbles").

Babies generally aren't that interested in power sockets in my experience, unless they make a nice noise (hence the VCR being at risk).

Oh, and my friends autistic 5 year old did kill several of my fish by catching them (with his hand!) and leaving them on the carpet - so child-locks on the tank hoods might be a good idea (or some duck- tape - its' amazing how bad kids are at pealing off duck tape).

 

[juanveldez]

thanks guys for your help this means alot to me as the day gets nearer I get a bit more nervous. I will definatly take all of your advice into consideration.