so now it is nice and hot here in the u.k. not sure how it is in everybody else's part of the world, you might just wanna keep a close eye on the temp of your tank/s as they can creep up in the hot weather

My problem was the opposite.

We have regular 30c plus days in Summer. It was several months, and well into winter, before I realised my Heater was dead.

But isn't that why you go for Tropicals ? Less impact from the heat ?

I'd be worried about Bettina's poor old Goldfish out in that barrel of hers !

i had forgotten about her golfish, so have you got your heater sorted now ? and dont forget it is not always hot in the uk so not offten we have to worry about impact from the heat

Yeah, I bought another Sera 100 watt.

So I've got a spare as well.

I haven't disconnected the old one yet. Good thing it died off, rather than on. It's wired into the tank, so takes a bit of care. I'm gunna have to do it soon though, I've noted moisture inside the glass, so god knows where that may lead.

Blackened face, and hair standing on end ! And a lot of little toasty Catfish.

I think the heater would be the only real problem piece.

I know when I'm working the large tank, I need the lights. And I could easily spend two hours cleaning and pruning. I'm not sure I'd want my pump off for that long. But those magnetic impellor drives are a very safe method of pumping liquids.

But I've been shocked a couple of times, nothing to do with aquariums, only mild, but it really knocks you about. Doing it in water would probably be an extremely unpleasant one-off.

I did all the trade subjects at secondary school, woodwork, machine shop, sheetmetal, electrical, electronics, etc. They all do the rounds of the safety films. I can still see some of those blokes (and bodies) with the electrical burns. And the acid in the eyes, the scalps ripped off by having their hair caught in lathes, etc.

Come to think off it, you've probably seen a few nasties as a scaffolder ? I was doing a training course a couple of years back, and one of the syndicate rooms was floor to ceiling with industrial workplace accident photos. A guy ripped in half from a snapped steel cable. I can picture one bloke with his leg all mashed up around his head, but I can't remember exactly what'd happened to him.

yes i have seen all the health and safty videos in the construction trade, as well as unfortunatly seen some in real life, not nice in fact i have been electracuted on a scaffold that we were in the process of putting up, some dipstick for reasons only known to himself wired up to the scaffold with bare wires next thing we knew we were laid on our backs thinking what the f*** dont ever want that to happen again i can tell you

That's actually the best way to be shocked, when it tosses you away. As you'd know, if your hands lock on, you're toast.

yea but its not advisable when you where originaly 20 foot up

Well, that's where my theory falls to the ground !

Here is florida we run the AC 24/7 so we worry about our tanks dropping to much. I prefer to keep my tanks at 80.

You'd have a reasonably mild winter down there, wouldn't you, Bones ?