# Compulsive Aquatic Tank Syndrome (CATS)



## Hanuman (29 Dec 2022)

Post your Compulsive Aquatic Tank Syndrome (CATS) pics, make yourself proud.

Let's start with today's CATS task. I have also recruited my daughter so she learns such skills.






End result:


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## MichaelJ (29 Dec 2022)

Hanuman said:


> Let's start with today's CATS task. I have also recruited my daughter so she learns such skills.


Weeding out those unwanted stones may turn out to be an invaluable skill if  later she wish to become a Gemologists or Geologists 

I do not have any pictures, but I frequently remove all my floating plants (Frogbit and Pennyworth) to meticulously clear off  duckweed under running water. Now, thats a skill that wont get anyone ahead in life, but it's definitely an OCD trait of mine.

Cheers,
Michael


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## Aqua sobriquet (29 Dec 2022)

I bought a box of Dennerle pebbles and spent an hour or so picking out any broken ones!


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## hypnogogia (29 Dec 2022)

Hanuman said:


> End result:


I’m not impressed with their arrangements.  Look at all this stray granules!


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## hypnogogia (29 Dec 2022)

MichaelJ said:


> I do not have any pictures, but I frequently remove all my floating plants (Frogbit and Pennyworth) to meticulously clear off duckweed under running water. Now, thats a skill that wont get anyone ahead in life, but it's definitely an OCD trait of mine.


Very important if duckweed is not to take over.


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## Hanuman (30 Dec 2022)

hypnogogia said:


> I’m not impressed with their arrangements.  Look at all this stray granules!


If you think that those stray granules are the work of ramdomness then you did not appreciate the full extent of my OCDness. 🤯.


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## MichaelJ (30 Dec 2022)

Hanuman said:


> If you think that those stray granules are the work of ramdomness then you did not appreciate the full extent of my OCDness. 🤯.


@Hanuman  thats a great comeback!      Personally, I tend to agree with @hypnogogia - especially that single red pebble in the  2nd pile really bugs me... and if I am not mistaken there are two reddish ones in the 3rd and one in the 4th  

Cheers,
Michael


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## Hanuman (30 Dec 2022)

I posted this in my journal, but I think it's  CATS worthy.


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## Hanuman (30 Dec 2022)

MichaelJ said:


> @Hanuman  thats a great comeback!      Personally, I tend to agree with @hypnogogia - especially that single red pebble in the  2nd pile really bugs me... and if I am not mistaken there are two reddish ones in the 3rd and one in the 4th
> 
> Cheers,
> Michael


Blame that on my color blindness. 🤓


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## Nont (30 Dec 2022)

As a person with real OCD and anxiety, this isn’t really what it is though, no offence. I think its more of an anal retentive…which everyone probably have at some levels. Check this list out. I wonder what are you going to do with smallest granule though?


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## MichaelJ (30 Dec 2022)

Hanuman said:


> Blame that on my color blindness. 🤓


I was just about to comment on the arrangements on those ceramic rings (which I assume it is) - two of them (adjacent to the reds) distinctly look like those color blindness tests  

Cheers,
Michael


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## Hanuman (30 Dec 2022)

Nont said:


> this isn’t really what it is though, no offence. I think its more of an anal retentive…which everyone probably have at some levels.





Hanuman said:


> This is by no means a thread to make fun of those with actual and diagnosed OCD. 🙏


I do appreciate the over simplification and that is intended. I am by no means a doctor nor this is a support thread with those with actual OCD and I don't pretend to know all about it, far from it. A touch of humor is important in life though. We all have our issues and I am the first one to make fun of mine. 
Looking at the second part of your chart, I think a lot of people can relate to one or multiple conditions, me the first.



Nont said:


> I wonder what are you going to do with smallest granule though?


They went to the plants in the pots outside my home. It's literally dust and see no use of it in a tank.


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## Hanuman (30 Dec 2022)

MichaelJ said:


> two of them (adjacent to the reds) distinctly look like those color blindness tests


Well I didn't realize this before you said it but they do like those tests indeed.


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## Hanuman (30 Dec 2022)

I've slightly changed the thread title in order for it to be less medically oriented and perhaps less offensive to those with actual OCD. 🙏


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## Nont (30 Dec 2022)

Hanuman said:


> They went to the plants in the pots outside my home. It's literally dust and see no use of it in a tank.


What about turning it to mud and making Wabi-kusa balls out of that?


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## Hanuman (30 Dec 2022)

Nont said:


> What about turning it to mud and making Wabi-kusa balls out of that?


I went down the ball path (... oh this sounds funny) in the past and it was interesting, but I think it's overrated. In any case I didn't have enough for even one small ball this time


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## Hanuman (30 Dec 2022)

Hanuman said:


> I've slightly changed the thread title in order for it to be less medically oriented and perhaps less offensive to those with actual OCD. 🙏


Following the advice of one of the forum moderators the title has been changed yet again to Compulsive Aquatic Tank Syndrome (CATS).


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## Tim Harrison (30 Dec 2022)

I think CATS is an appropriate term for something quite a lot of aquascapers, planted tank enthusiasts, and fish keepers often experience; "liking things just so".
Who knows, it could enter the hobby lexicon aside the likes of MTS (Multiple Tank Syndrome), and become a recognised term. And it all started here on UKAPS 😎


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## Aqua sobriquet (30 Dec 2022)

One of those noodles isn’t straight! 😂


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## MichaelJ (31 Dec 2022)

Aqua sobriquet said:


> One of those noodles isn’t straight! 😂


Ha! I noticed that as well! also the upper left hand-side basket have noodles stacked.... not to the mention the slapdash arrangement of the _baskets - _the _handles_ are not aligned in the same direction.


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## Hanuman (31 Dec 2022)

Aqua sobriquet said:


> One of those noodles isn’t straight! 😂
> 
> View attachment 199175





MichaelJ said:


> Ha! I noticed that as well! also the upper left hand-side basket have noodles stacked.... not to the mention the slapdash arrangement of the _baskets - _the _handles_ are not aligned in the same direction.


You both are looking for me to unleash my full potential. Careful. 
As for the stacking, that was eventually removed as the flow was knocking them down and their arrangement did not satisfy my standards.


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## MichaelJ (31 Dec 2022)

Hanuman said:


> You both are looking for me to unleash my full potential. Careful.


Oh so your going to throw force lightning at us now?


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## hypnogogia (31 Dec 2022)

Did someone say cats?


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## PARAGUAY (31 Dec 2022)

Cannot remember we're l saw or read this .George Farmer did a hairgrass 
or other carpet using every single individual plant .Whether that's CATS or dedication?


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## Tim Harrison (31 Dec 2022)

@PARAGUAY George’s One Pot Challenge, definitely CATS. There’s no hope for any of us 😁









						George's One-Pot Iwagumi Challenge
					

Hi all,   New journal time.  :)   Spec -   Tank and Cabinet - TMC Signature Range Lighting - TMC GroBeam 1500 Ultima x 2 CO2 - 2Kg FE, Dennerle reg with solenoid, 1BPS with Fluval bubble counter, Up Aqua inline diffuser Filter - Fluval G3 Substrate - 15 litres TMC nutraSoil (black) Ferts -...



					www.ukaps.org


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## Zeus. (31 Dec 2022)

I friend of mine is OCD, which enabled him to build a successful business from scratch run it for years, sell it for a decent amount and retire early. IMO him being OCD help him do it all. His garage is like a showroom everything in the right place and even has a carpet which is clean.
I use the theory if I cant find it a thief will have trouble finding it as well


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## photon (31 Dec 2022)

Er... I find it bothering to use fish/plants from different continents... Like I'm thinking of using Staurogyne but that's from South America. Everything else in my aquariums is from Asia! No tetras for me, only cyprinids!


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## Aqua sobriquet (31 Dec 2022)

Hanuman said:


> You both are looking for me to unleash my full potential. Careful.
> As for the stacking, that was eventually removed as the flow was knocking them down and their arrangement did not satisfy my standards.


Actually I didn’t mention these two trays. There seem to be 4 different kinds of noodles in them. As the trays have four quadrants you could sort them by size and colour?
I should add that I think I stood all my Siporax on end in one tray to maximise the flow, made sense to me at the time. 😂


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## Hanuman (31 Dec 2022)

Aqua sobriquet said:


> There seem to be 4 different kinds of noodles in them. As the trays have four quadrants you could sort them by size and colour?


3 to be precise and there are more of the greyish ones. Also one can't ignore laws of physics when being obsessive. Having all three types mixed more-less randomly enables to have a more homogeneous flow in the canister vs having noodles of the same type arranged by type in each quadrant. This has been throroughtly thought


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## Laoshan (31 Dec 2022)

photon said:


> Er... I find it bothering to use fish/plants from different continents... Like I'm thinking of using Staurogyne but that's from South America. Everything else in my aquariums is from Asia! No tetras for me, only cyprinids!


This is very familiar 😂

I used to use a chopstick to “whisk” the plants in my tank back in place after a water change. The tank being quite full, it was like this leave should go over that one, that one of over this one_, _etc etc. Like a puzzle. Guide each stem nicely into place. Some impromptu trimming and collecting tiny floating leaves. Who said maintenance should take no more than 30 minutes? 😂


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## PARAGUAY (31 Dec 2022)

I can't stop looking in at this thread😁


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## Hanuman (31 Dec 2022)

PARAGUAY said:


> I can't stop looking in at this thread😁


Good, you are showing signs of CATS then. This is exactly where you need to be.


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