# Diaper in tank leads to destruction



## Bryce (24 Mar 2020)

I came home from work yesterday to find my 2 year old grandson diaper in my 14 gal planted tank. It was a poop diaper !!! The tank was a complete mess. I was angry and laughed at the same time. I scooped out the diaper which fell apart into a gelato like mess. I removed all the plants and was on my way to go outside to remove the Aquasoil and scrub the tank down. When I dropped the tank on the cement. The tank shattered. The Aquasoil was everywhere. I walked inside grabbed a beer. Sat on the porch for a few minutes to calm down and started to laugh. So I have a spare 10 gal cube that I moved everything too. Pappy wasn’t happy, but hey that’s life.


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## DeepMetropolis (24 Mar 2020)

I have three kids, I know the feeling of coming home and find you precious things destroyed.. I feel with you, luckily it was just a thank..


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## Tim Harrison (24 Mar 2020)

I feel your pain too. I think something like this has, or will, happen to us all at some stage.

I've had a marine tank fail catastrophically and soak my bedroom and the kitchen ceiling below. It's amazing how far 20 gallons of saltwater goes.

Another time my then 3 year old son was swinging a wooden sword around in my study and hit my shallow optiwhite taking a chunk out of it 
Which wouldn't have been so bad except it wasn't actually my tank...It was on loan from George  Luckily I was able to buy it off him in the end.


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## lazybones51 (24 Mar 2020)

I came home once to find my son had managed to get hold of the tub of fish food, pouring the whole container in to a newly setup scape. It took a lot mumbling under my breath and many, many water changes to sort the tank out. Oh the joys of parent hood


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## Bryce (24 Mar 2020)

My only question to my daughter was , you see he doesn’t have a dipper on didn’t you go looking for it. She said she did but my bedroom door was cracked open she peaked inside and didn’t see it. I said yea it’s in the tank!! Lol


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## Tim Harrison (24 Mar 2020)

I was wondering...


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## Gill (25 Mar 2020)

Oh the joys of Kids. 
In past Tanks, Mango, Chicken Legs, Toys and countless other things. 
Also Ex knocked my 400G tank with a Ladder hard enough to Crack one whole side.


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## Mr.Shenanagins (25 Mar 2020)

I’m sorry this made me laugh . But your reaction was perfect. Grab a beer and laugh it off. I just entered the world of parenting and so far, it has not allowed me to take care of my tank and of course, disaster ensues. I’m sure I’ll find the balance eventually.

Out of curiosity, is removing a poop diaper and tossing it with wanton disregard common practice and something I should expect/fear as well? Lol


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## Tom Michael (25 Mar 2020)

I feel your pain brother! I have a 1 year old and 2 year old. Haven’t yet smashed my Ada aquarium but the whole set up and maintenance regime has suffered to ward off enquiring hands.

Perfect reaction - look at the positive, surely you need to treat your self to a newer, child safe set up?!


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## Geoffrey Rea (25 Mar 2020)

@Bryce

Good man. Nothing in this hobby is worth losing your sanity over or losing it with your loved ones. Saying that, the fridge here is always stocked with beer for fear of good ol’ dad pulling a ‘Hulk’ 

In solidarity with your loss I shall list the last six years with two kids:

- poop filled nappy in the 400l also  (more than once) the damn absorption granules get everywhere  Also, in the washing machine is the worst)
- 50+ hot wheels cars in the 400l a few times
- Quavers in the 600
- ham, cheese and pickle sandwich in the 600
- glitter in the 400l
- smashed 20l on the computer desk (learned my lesson)
- damn play dough (always finding bits)
- felt ‘design your own kit’ in the 400l
- pencils (all of them)
- bubble mix in two 55l (no stock thank Christ)
- crackers (god knows)

and saving the best for last....

An entire potted plant in the AS600. Came down the stairs to find a black water aquarium which the kids‘ cousin (who’s Iove from me is now conditional!!! with extreme terms and conditions) had put into the tank to, and I quote, “fix plants thirsty”


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## mort (25 Mar 2020)

My old next door neighbours son who was 4-5 at the time, whacked my 3ft high 300l+ seahorse tank with something when I was getting some food out the freezer. His dad was sat next to him as the side cracked (he caught it right on the edge) and I heard the unnerving sound of what I can only describe as a tidal wave coming down the stairs before the rain in the kitchen started. Luckily all the horses made it but it took some mopping up.
Apparently he was just trying to get the fish to move.


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## lazybones51 (25 Mar 2020)

@Geoffrey Rea Wow you've had some serious misfortune


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## Tim Harrison (25 Mar 2020)

Geoffrey Rea said:


> @Bryce
> 
> Good man. Nothing in this hobby is worth losing your sanity over or losing it with your loved ones. Saying that, the fridge here is always stocked with beer for fear of good ol’ dad pulling a ‘Hulk’
> 
> ...


I'd have given up after the hot wheels cars


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## Geoffrey Rea (26 Mar 2020)

lazybones51 said:


> Wow you've had some serious misfortune



Like @Bryce demonstrated, it’s a true measure of your resolve in keeping a sense of perspective about what really matters here. You choose to have an open glass box full of water around kids, stuff is simply gonna happen on a long enough time line unless you have one of those angel children we see in videos on social media. Things go wrong, grab a frosty like @Bryce and chill for at least two minutes so your rationality can take over from the initial anger and upset. Then you know it’s not misfortune, it’s miscalculation on the adults part, the kid was just being a kid.

Have always questioned my kids, and their friends (all under six years old and none of them angels) about “what they did that for?” Not ‘why’, that gets you a garbled manufactured answer on the spot, but what they did it for - much to their credit there’s always been a decent answer... washing the cars daddy, cleaning up poop, glitter to make the tank nice for the fish, feeding the fish, fix plants thirsty. It’s very rarely malicious.

But sometimes it is:






That’s our TV after the new year. Less than two months old. Three year old son. Flying book. Smiling face. And that’s when the BIG VOICE comes out 

   Best to keep that sucker in reserve for when you really mean business. My wife was in stitches because immediately afterwards I would only have to glance sideways in silence at the kids whilst walking passed and they burst into tears.


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## DeepMetropolis (26 Mar 2020)

Yes you can never understand your parents until you have kids of your own.. Ooh the horrors my parents must have been tough, I'll get it now.


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## Tim Harrison (26 Mar 2020)

When I look back my parents must have had the patience of saints.
By comparison my kids have been angels


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## Geoffrey Rea (26 Mar 2020)

Tim Harrison said:


> When I look back my parents must have had the patience of saints



And teachers... With homeschooling being necessary currently everyone is learning to appreciate their kids teachers a whole lot more


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## dw1305 (26 Mar 2020)

Hi all,





Geoffrey Rea said:


> And that’s when the BIG VOICE comes out    Best to keep that sucker in reserve for when you really mean business. My wife was in stitches because immediately afterwards I would only have to glance sideways in silence at the kids whilst walking passed and they burst into tears.





Geoffrey Rea said:


> And teachers... With homeschooling being necessary currently everyone is learning to appreciate their kids teachers a whole lot more


Yes I used to leave that one to my wife. She is a lovely lady, but also a primary school teacher and, in my experience, they have perfected "the look" over many years of practice.

cheers Darrel


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## Tim Harrison (26 Mar 2020)

Geoffrey Rea said:


> And teachers... With homeschooling being necessary currently everyone is learning to appreciate their kids teachers a whole lot more


That's for sure. My eldest was homeschooled for 3 years, I was a teacher/lecturer by profession but could I teach him anything? We had to bring in tutors in the end. They all thought it was hilarious...
I'm now more inclined to let my youngest plug in to the PS4, lazy parenting I know but it makes for a far quieter life. And from experience, if they're remotely academically inclined they will do well either way.

Off topic I know, but whilst we're on the subject, homework is another bugbear of mine. I've never really thought it necessary for kids of compulsory school age. Some of the projects that teachers hurl at them to do over the holidays are monstrous in their scale and ambition  As a parent you just look at them and think what the heck ... I've always asked my kids what grade I got for their homework. And then comes the weak reply... the teacher didn't mark it


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## Mr.Shenanagins (27 Mar 2020)

Tim Harrison said:


> That's for sure. My eldest was homeschooled for 3 years, I was a teacher/lecturer by profession but could I teach him anything? We had to bring in tutors in the end. They all thought it was hilarious...
> I'm now more inclined to let my youngest plug in to the PS4, lazy parenting I know but it makes for a far quieter life. And from experience, if they're remotely academically inclined they will do well either way.
> 
> Off topic I know, but whilst we're on the subject, homework is another bugbear of mine. I've never really thought it necessary for kids of compulsory school age. Some of the projects that teachers hurl at them to do over the holidays are monstrous in their scale and ambition  As a parent you just look at them and think what the heck ... I've always asked my kids what grade I got for their homework. And then comes the weak reply... the teacher didn't mark it



As a former educator I can assure you the teachers don’t care for those massive assignments either, and rarely are they designed by just that teacher alone. It’s usually a department wide assignment. The goal is usually to keep students engaged and academically active over the break when in reality, 75-80% are doing that project at midnight before class the next day. But yes it’s frustrating to do all that work and then a teacher not even bother to grade it, and shame on that teacher. Kids want feedback, always.
A lot of what is done looks good on paper and makes big wigs of education happy, when in reality there is massive disconnect between administration and teachers as to what really goes on in the classroom and at home...sorry I could go all day lol back to the tank misfortunes!


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