kids and tanks

[timo]

Who out there has kids and tanks? What do you do to "proof" it? I know it's horrible and unnerving for the tank to be tapped on by tiny fingers, but what are actually the consequenses? My experienced neighbor is getting the urge to set up again, but now has 2 children and is leery.
Thanks

 

[seraphan mage]

As with any kid and anything that can harm them or your stuff. You just have to teach them that they can't tap on the glass or acrylic in my case.I have a 3 yr and had a tank since he was born and just taught him that you can't do that.It's actually worked out fine for me as far as other kids i've had a few problems but my kid is great around mine.

 

[thomas712]

Make sure your neighbor starts with a GFCI outlet or he might have more than just the reef tank to worry about.
Thomas

 

[charvel]

I don't know why but dry food manufactures dot put lids on there bottles like medicine.when I first had a freshwater tank my 2 year old thought she was helping and dummed the whole thing in the tank. Also I heard that your child might want to help you clean your tank with a bar of soapor liquid detergent.

 

[chef jaysen]

Well for my two year old I have told her of the special force field around the tank. Yes the Fishy Field. When she gets with in two feet of the tank I take my shoe off and woosh, woosh, woosh .......thump. She has only tested the fishy field once. Works for me....................
Cheers..............

 

[sammystingray]

I have to agree with the height thing......when mine was lower, I had a friends kid put a toy fish in there, and it did have metal on it. Drives me nuts when kids are over and tap on the glass, AND THE PARENT DOESN'T STOP THEM!!!! I usually ignore it the first couple times, but it is like fingernails on a chalk board, and I end up having to say something politely. Height keeps things out, and I have to use a step ladder myself to clean my tank. Atleast I know there aren't any pennies or anything in it.. A canopy helps too. I have an empty breaker box mounted high off the floor containing my ballast and two surge protectors for plugs. Having the plugs high gives the wires a "loop" and any water will drip there instead of running to the plug...that's very important.....I had a fire when I started, and the leak that caused it probably also stopped it from burning everything I own to nothing. The stand was black and charred, but soaking wet, so the wetness had to have stopped the fire......be real safe with the electrical stuff.

 

[timo]

Besides child abuse, how do ya'll reinforce the tank as a "sacred place" to kids?

 

[waterwolf]

I have a saying that my 2 year old son responds well to. I just say"THATS GLASS" and he knows not to touch. He likes looking in the tank but doesn't seem to bother with it. He has other things he is more determined to get into anyway. I have only spanked him once(writing on the wall with a permenant magic marker) and I think he associated that with my raised voice. So when I raise my voice to him he listens. I only do it when its serious so he knows he really did something wrong.

 

[overanalyzer]

Originally posted by TimO
Besides child abuse, how do ya'll reinforce the tank as a "sacred place" to kids?
Teach your kid about the tank and why it is sacred - take a piece of glass and show them how thin it is - tell them the tank is glass.
Research shows that kids under the age of 4 generally do not respond to painful aversion therapy (spanking, beatings, throwing things at them) - rather they tie the pain to another event - so if you smack your kid because they got near the tank it will most likely train them to avoid you when you are by the tank.
Education is the key - involve them in the tank.

 

[michaelstern]

I have three little ones (with #4 on the way) All my kids love my tank. It is way too tall and heavy for them to be able to tip. That would be my biggest concern. They all know not to tap. My kids all love the fish. Just use common sence.

 

[entice59]

as a child, me and my sister would mess with the fish in my dads tank from tapping it, to banging the cabnet doors. There are some large scratches on my dad's 55 that im using now. I basically screwed myself over

 

[jarrod]

We've had our tanks before our son was born (he's 18 months old now). Besides momma, dada, fish was the next word he would say. Patience and telling him no firmly has taught him not to bang on the glass. Also kid cabinet latches on the stand doors. We have never forbidden him from touching the tank, and he now has his own stool he carries from one tank to the other so he's tall enough to look at everything and point out the fish, snails, ect. I've only had one kid try to reach and put her hand in (before we had our canopy) and I told her the fish will bite. She never attempted it again!
Christina

 

[cap'n pete]

Child locks are a very good idea, as well as GFCI (for adults too). I did a quick search on child fatalities from tipping over aquariums and found nothing... I can't say the same for entertainment centers, dressers, and other large furniture.
I have a 2 and 4 year old and aside from the occasional pounding on the tank, "Don't do that, you'll hurt the fishies' ears!", the usually leave it alone. Children like to look into the tank and learn with mommy or daddy a lot more than causing destruction.

 

[jinky3dper]

razor wire and pitbulls.

 

[slick]

Originally posted by overanalyzer
Research shows that kids under the age of 4 generally do not respond to painful aversion therapy (spanking, beatings, throwing things at them) - rather they tie the pain to another event - so if you smack your kid because they got near the tank it will most likely train them to avoid you when you are by the tank.

I don't know where you get your information but I believe this to be faulse. I don't beat kids but a little swat on the bottom fi they are doing something wrong will help correct the problem. As long as you explain to them why you did it. Now this is JMO so please no flamming.

 

[jinky3dper]

K.I.S.S.
don't worry about the psychological aspect. too much thinking about it.
go with a camoflaged pit and a bunch of mouse traps at the bottom.

 

[leboeuf]

I thought our 220 would be safe 4 ft off the ground. Guess I shouldn't leave a ladder around.

 

[overanalyzer]

Originally posted by slick
I don't know where you get your information but I believe this to be faulse. I don't beat kids but a little swat on the bottom fi they are doing something wrong will help correct the problem. As long as you explain to them why you did it. Now this is JMO so please no flamming.
Slick I got my research the hard way:
Masters Degree in Teaching and Leadership
4 Years teaching in a full lock down mental facility
Slick - what you describe is sometimes described as "the little adult theory."
In terms of discipline for your child I would highly suggest reading 1-2-3 Magic by Thomas W. Phelan - Ph.D.
Some Quotes from the book:
"So kids are kids - not little adults. One writer, in fact, stated once that 'Childhood is a period of transitory psychosis.' That means that kids, when they are little, are sort of nuts! They are born unreasonable and selfish, and it is our job to help them become the opposite." (pg. 12)
"Actually, 90% of spankings and the like are simply parental temper tantrums." (pg. 12)
He then starts the next paragraph with:
"We're not implying here that you are going around hitting your kids all the time. It may be true, however, that one of the main causes of child abuse (physical, not sexual) in this country is the little adult assumption." (pg 12)
For older kids there is a discipline style called parenting with love and logic. It is more of the explanation type discipline.
With young kids the 1-2-3 Magic is amazing!!!
The thing is for every parent there is a parenting style and many more parents are doing things right than wrong.
Of course after working with the worst of the worst kids I found that in 4 years of behavior disordered issues there was usually an adult who caused the situation except once - and then it was a traumatic brain injury.
There is a great British research piece on aversion therapy (fancy name for spanking). This three-year-old gets swatted for throwing something at a sibling and the mother swats the kid as he is walking away and warns him not to do that again and to be nice to his sister. The rewind the tape and the kid is singing to himself as he walks away - he did not sing to himself again for the next 3 months that the family was followed. So he learned that singing to himself was cause for punishment.
Kids live in the very moment of their existence - they rarely think ahead until they are older and their memory is highly selective. Piaget calls this a "concrete" mode - meaning if they can't immediately touch or feel it then it is not real to them. They move on to concrete operational a bit later in life (like 10-12) and some people never move beyond that!
So no flames here - after all - this is a free country and we are all allowed our opinions!!

 

[ajwaters]

Originally posted by jinky3dper
razor wire and pitbulls.
that sound like a plan

I have 3 kids and they know no to touch my tanks just like they know not to sick their finger in a plug. just something you gotta teach.....they'll learn to respect the fish and enjoy watching them

 

[jtroutine]

I agree with everybody on involving you children with the tank they learn to respect it. I have two boys (2.5 &1.5) and they love the tank but know not to touch or go close to the sides as it is to tempting to pull at all the plumping and wires. I with them look at the tank whenever pretty much they want to gives me a excuse as well so my wife doesnt think that i love the tank more then her (just joking) but that helps them get there "fix" then they are not really interested in going around it if we are not with them. I thinks fish tanks fw or sw for that matter are great to have arounds kids with proper discipline they can be a great way for them to expand there minds