Pets Corner

[Rashers]

I had to have him put down.

So sad to hear that Eileen. Its hard to part from our furry old pals. Hope you're okay, though I have some idea of your sadness today having had to have an old friend, an alsation named Kim put asleep some years ago. I still remember that evening with a twinge of sadness.

[Eileen]

It is heartbreaking. We had another dog, Samantha put down two years ago. She was very old and nearly blind. But Gabriel was the best of dogs. He was so good with my grandchildren and our rotten little puppy.

[Rashers]

It is heartbreaking. We had another dog, Samantha put down two years ago. She was very old and nearly blind. But Gabriel was the best of dogs. He was so good with my grandchildren and our rotten little puppy.

Eileen, the happy memories help.

[Eileen]

Thank you Rashers.

[Rashers]

Thank you Rashers.

Been there as you have with my own oul pal of many years, Eileen.

[Rashers]

This chart may be of interest to our doggy owning friends....

[Rashers]

It had to happen I suppose. One of my fish tanks was overrun by snails. They usually get introduced to tank as eggs attached to new aquatic plants.

To get rid of them usually means taking everything out of the tank, including uprooting aquatic plants, thereby arresting their growth, or often killing the plants.

So after 45 years of keeping, breeding and showing freshwater tropical fish I discovered something that is solving my snail problem... another snail!

This snail is commonly known as an Assassin Snail and lives on other snails.

Before buying 5 of them in Maxi's Zoo in Finglas if you looked at my tank the glass was covered in snails. Now ou'd be hard pushed to spot the odd one or two that are left.

If you keep freshwater tropicals and have snails you want to be rid of, don't take the tank apart to clean it. Instead buy 3 or 4 of the little guys below. Put them in your tank and wait a week or two to see the huge difference.

This pic is from the web but I'll upload pics of my own soon.

[DAMNTHEWEATHER]

It had to happen I suppose. One of my fish tanks was overrun by snails. They usually get introduced to tank as eggs attached to new aquatic plants.

To get rid of them usually means taking everything out of the tank, including uprooting aquatic plants, thereby arresting their growth, or often killing the plants.

So after 45 years of keeping, breeding and showing freshwater tropical fish I discovered something that is solving my snail problem... another snail!

This snail is commonly known as an Assassin Snail and lives on other snails.

Before buying 5 of them in Maxi's Zoo in Finglas if you looked at my tank the glass was covered in snails. Now ou'd be hard pushed to spot the odd one or two that are left.

If you keep freshwater tropicals and have snails you want to be rid of, don't take the tank apart to clean it. Instead buy 3 or 4 of the little guys below. Put them in your tank and wait a week or two to see the huge difference.

This pic is from the web but I'll upload pics of my own soon.

That's something else Rashers....I guess there's something that feeds on something al over. I think they have now completed the study of the best bug to introduce into UK to try get rid of the Japanese Knotweed disaster....yeah it's a bug.....but one which wont bring more problems than it solves.

[Rashers]

That's something else Rashers....I guess there's something that feeds on something al over. I think they have now completed the study of the best bug to introduce into UK to try get rid of the Japanese Knotweed disaster....yeah it's a bug.....but one which wont bring more problems than it solves.

The thing about the assassin snail is it won't kill its own species.

Then after its cleared your aquarium of all other snails you have to feed it on pellet food.

[DAMNTHEWEATHER]

The thing about the assassin snail is it won't kill its own species.Then after its cleared your aquarium of all other snails you have to feed it on pellet food.

jaze....not a bad deal for the assassin eh....good job yer not dealin with elephants. lol

[Rashers]

One of my Assassin's emerging from the gravel in a corner of its tank, off on a murder mission.

Sorry about the poor pic quality... phone cam used.

[shlmoy]

The thing about the assassin snail is it won't kill its own species.

Then after its cleared your aquarium of all other snails you have to feed it on pellet food.

Any chance I could put a few of these little guys in the veggie garden to get rid of the slugs?!!!

[Rashers]

Any chance I could put a few of these little guys in the veggie garden to get rid of the slugs?!!!

Nope, they are strictly aquatic and would only last a couple of minutes out of water.

I use saucers with beer in them. Put them out at night and in the morning you'll find a lot of drowned slugs that died happy.

[Eileen]

I'm not a fan of pets of any sort - except maybe pet rocks - at the moment because my daughter's beagle just pee'd on my bed. I swear I'm going to strangle that dog!

[Hagar]

My fish are melting!!!

I keep tropical fish and usually small thermostatically controlled heaters keep the tanks at 24°C but it was 37°C here yesterday and the tanks hit 31°C !!! What do I do? I can't keep lobbing ice cubes into the tank.