I gotta vent, I hate neighbor kids

[mr9iron]

I gotta vent guys, my wife was home today and the neighbor kids came over to play. Well one little girl was being a real brat and getting into everything and pushing our son down and going through the house destroying things and taking all of his candy, then the wife caught her. :furious:

The little witch was in our bedroom where the nano is and my wife told her not to touch it. Needless to say she comes back a few minutes later and catches her with her hands in the tank. She had dumped a bunch of fish food in the tank and opened the drip system dumping a bunch of kalk into the tank flooding it.

My wife says that things are looking really bad, all my corals have shrivled up and shrunk and are sliming as we speak. I tried to talk my wife through a water change and by gods grace she's done it. Im praying that everything turns out ok, but im afraid that I may have lost my prized nano reef that I have worked so hard to get going.

I would think that an 8 year old child would respect other peoples property enough to leave things alone when there told to. If the nano dosent make it what do you guys think I should do? Should I just cut my losses and get over it or should I send the little brats parents a bill?

Im sorry for venting reefers im just so damn furious right now.
:furious: :furious: :furious: :blown:

[Starfish]

I am afraid I would not be quiet about this. An 8 year old should behave better. I would tell the parents what a brat there raising. May be in a nice way. Should the neighbors be upset about it , one good thing would come out of it, they would leave you alone. All I can say if any child did that to my reef i would be on the war path.

[DreamMarine]

I am very sorry to here about that and I hope everything is ok!!!:( I would make them pay for it !!! Goodluck!!!!!!

[SteveMH]

Another case of bad parenting. :sad2:

Dang right the parents should pay for it. I'd be on a war path too. This hobby isn't cheap, not to mention all the work you put into the tank. The kid should scrape algae for a month too.

[Agu]

Sorry to hear about your tank, hope it pulls through !!

Uhh Vince, you're not going to like what I have to say, sorry. You have every right to be angry, at the person who was supervising young children. And if the kid has been there before while you've been around you shoulder some of the blame. Kids love to look at my tank, and I've had several children spend time with me checking out all the critters. During that time I explain that these are delicate animals, and they need to stay a bit away and not touch the tank or anything in it's vicinity. If it means I have to stop my fun to show them the tanks, so be it.

That said, some kids are just brats, and they're not welcome in my home. In this case talking to the parents will be as effective as talking to a bucket of live rock. Don't waste your energy!!

Good Luck,
Agu

[mr9iron]

Agu, I know that I shoulder some of the blame I can accept that. Although this was the first time the child has been in our home along with some of the other neighbor kids(who are very well manored and respectful). What makes me mad though is the fact that my wife told her not to touch the tank and she did it anyway. I am not home so I couldnt help keep an eye on the little curtian climbers and my wife was trying to entertain them and make treats for them. Sorry guys im just frustrated.:rolleyes:

[Ironreef]

I would let the parents know. If they felt bad they may offer some $$? may not. But they may think its your fault? Then you will know why the kid acts that way? But there no excuce. My girl wouldn't do that but i belive bad kids (brats) just want attention? Not getting enough from home. To bad it came to that but i would let them know . Only way the child may or maynot learn JMO

[Flameangel]

I would ask them to pay for the damage. My husband and I were restoring a very old run down house once. Three litle boys decided to see if they could break a few more windows in the old house not knowing that I was working inside. Without thinking, I ran out of the house and chased the three of them home. I spoke with their parents. Those boys had the pleasure of mowing my lawn and pulling my weeds for 6 months!

Kids need to be held responsible.

Connie

[mr9iron]

Amen flameangle, I think kids should be held accountable for there actions also. I love the idea of them mowing your lawn for 6 months.

[Ironreef]

hmm boys are boys they seem to get into more trouble know matter how much love you give them ...its called boredom but the parents were resonsible enought to punish them which is good. Kids need to be accountable for there acts. Thats why there is so much violence in schools now

[naesco]

I agree fully with Agu.
If we can't keep away from our tanks how do you expect an 8 year old kid to.
You mentioned that this was the first time she was in your house and therefor the first time she saw your beautiful reef.

Think about it!!!! The tank was irresistable.

I am sorry your tank was ruined and understand your being fully ****ed. I would be to.

Don't listen to the other advice. Problems with the neighbour just isn't worth it.

I hope every thing turns out better than it sounds.

[Freckles]

I am sorry to hear about your nano! That kid, IMO, deserves a slap across the face. I would definitely talk to the parents & have them cover the expenses, if your reef should die, or if any of the corals do. That would just **** me off to have a kid come in and touch something that does not belong to them, specifically after your wife told the kid not to touch it!! I do hope that everything will be ok, though.

[Diver61]

those ******* ****s next time they mess up your work out hit them with a 50lbs dumbell!

[mr9iron]

Heres a little update reefers, the wife attempted to do a water change and got the salinity a little high. Its 1.032 and I keep it at 1.026 is this gonna be harmful?

[mr9iron]

Oopps, the wife read it to me wrong guys. My salinity is ok its at 1.026. I got a little excited considering the nights events.:rolleyes:

[Agu]

Vince, Problem after problem :( . In a nano it's tough to tell, all I can say is "Good Luck".

Agu

[mr9iron]

Thanks Agu, Im keeping my fingers crossed and hope everything will turn out for the best.;)

[icepick96]

Sorry about your nano. I feel your pain. Hopefully everything will pull through. Just a thought, I would make the brat eat a handful of bristle worms. That should solve the problem. I would even send you some if needed. I'm sure we could get hundreds of RC members to send you some....... sorry just a thought.

GOOD LUCK:blown:

[Alto]

I would just call it a loss... BUT I would call her parents and explain to them that she is not and never will be welcome at your home again, and explain what she did. Dont expect them to understand or care just explain. Also tell them that if you ever find her on your property or in your house again that a police officer will be picking her up.

As a side note I think kids should be held legally respoinsible for what they do... I dont buy the whole "dont know right from wrong" BS excuse... if you catch a 6 year old with his hand in the cookie jar, does he sit there eating it like he did nothing wrong? NO he'll lie and squirm... why? Because he knows he did something wrong! Punish them like we punish everyone else (maybe a little less severly but punish them all the same). That is how lessons are learned and if the parents wont do it then the kid is going to grow into an ill manored adult. It's not like one day she will wake up and say "wow I have been a really bad kid... maybe I should be good." Sorry for the rant within a rant :) I guess I have strong feelings on this subject.

[Aframomum]

Hi there,
Sorry to hear about your nano, how have things been since you've gotten home? Hope your pH isn't too high. You said it was the first time the girl has been to your house, how well do you know the parents, meaning do you have BBQ's with them on the 4th, chat with them during the weekends, etc.? Or do they live way down the street and you barely know them? These people may or may not be respectable types and their reaction may be anything from disbelief that their daughter could do something so terrible to really non-caring and possible easily angered. It all really depends on how you present yourself. I know your mad now but don't discuss this while your steaming, it'll put the other party on the defensive quickly and you won't get your point across. Hope things go well for you,
Mark

[Angel*Fish]

Sorry to hear about the catastrophe:eek2: Hope your tank does ok....

I have had two 8 year old kids of my own and a great deal of exposure to many others and can assure you with confidence that unless they are alien replacement pods or messengers from hell, their terrible behavior is due to poor parenting. That was not a normal "whoops, accidents happen kind of thing".

Good luck trying to get reimbursed, the parents of these kinds of kids are often as unruly as the offspring.:(

[Stringer]

I can sympathize with you. I live next to Sanford and Son. Their place looks like a junk yard and from time to time I come home and find that their son has thrown their trash all over my yard.

I can't wait for the son to grow up and become the criminal he is destined for and move to a more "maximum security" location.

[dc]

Kids can be little monsters:D My grandson is a very busy boy, when he comes to visit (lives in Utah) I have to put up x-pens around the tank and the parrot. I still watch him, but it's a never ending thing. Should have sent her home the first time she knocked your son down. If she gets sent home enough maybe she'll get the idea.

[Tadashi]

I may be part of the minority but I do not think you should ask for $$ from the parents. You should however tell them (although I agree with the above just explain they may not care) and not allow that child over anymore.

The child was in your house and all children should be supervised. Luckily the child did not get electrocuted or something or you would have been liable. You may still be liable depending on what chemicals she got into. Do you have renter's insurance that would cover the damage?

If it is any consolation I think the parents are somewhat negligent in teaching their child values and ethics. 8 years old is not too young to start building a foundation of proper behavior.

Sorry to hear about the tank. I hope everything recovers.

[Angel*Fish]

Good point, Tadashi, the one about liability -- parents of kids that bratty are just the type to file a frivolous lawsuit.

However, it is not irresponsible to leave an 8 year old alone in a room with a fish aquarium!!!! (And the child was even told not to touch it!)

The 8 year old described sounds more like a 4 year old. Kids are incredible by the time they are 8 -- I know several who were could take instructions well enough to do back handsprings on a 4 inch beam at that age -- Don't touch the aquarium? I think they can handle it.

[Green Mariner]

Vince, Sorry to hear that! I have to agree with some of the other posters here, explain to your son that this friend of his is no longer allowed into your home, then explain to her parents. If her parents give you a hard time, too bad, their daughter is still not allowed in your home.

I also agree that this is a case of bad parenting! A child who is well behaved in front of their parents and misbehaves when they are not around is a case of bad parenting. But then again there are cases where the parents do all that they can, and it does no good, just a bad seed I guess. :confused:

Once again I am sorry to hear about this!!!

[Ogitrev]

Sorry to hear about your loss man! I can understand how frustrated you are. I would ask for $$ from the parents and definately talk to them. Your homeowners insurance may also cover some of the cost (it depends on your policy). I agree though that 8 yrs old is old enough to understand right from wrong. My 1 year old (yes 12 months old!!) daughter KNOWS not to touch the tank. If my 1 yr old daughter understands, I know an 8 year old will.

Just keep in mind that if the parents decide not to pay up, your SOL. If you take them to court over it, I believe you would lose since your wife willingly let the child into the house and took responsibility for watching the child. Don;t take this as legal advice though because I'm not a lawyer.

I hope everything works out and I'll have my priest pray for your tanks survival :D.

Keep us posted as to what happens!!

Good luck!
- Tom

[reefmike]

Sorry to hear about your tank! As a parent of 3 young kids, I know that I would like to hear if my children were misbehaving. I also would pay for any damages that my children do to other people's property. The only problem that I can see is that most people don't understand how much reef tanks cost and may go nuts :eek: .

-- Mike

[undrwata]

I have a young neighbor kid that will not listen to anyone, he is almost belligerent in his activities. He is welcome in my home and has at times acts incorrectly around my reef tank. I tell him to stop and send him home. My reef is my responsibility and my neighbors son is theirs, but when I let him in my home he becomes my responsibility, therefore he is often asked to leave. I think someday he'll figure out that bad behavior keeps him from doing alot of things, in my home anyway.

;)

[cmphamca]

Guilt is based on intention not action!

The little girl is not at fault for feeding your tank. She doesn't know any better that it would be harmful. Her intention was to feed it which is GOOD. My nephew when was 6 did the same thing didn't know that it was bad. I explained it to him that overfeeding is really really bad and cause the fish to die. He then watch me scooping all the food out of the water for half an hour and felt really bad (yes I put on a sad face. )

He never did it again. I didn't yell or scold him. Just let him know how bad it really is for the fish.


Changing kids behavior with knowledge is much better than punishment IMO.

[Angel*Fish]

Right on! But they do a lot of growing between 6 and 8...this 8 year old sounds like trouble to me . Sadly she's just the victim of her "bratty" parents. Maybe they are overly obsessed with their salt water aquarium and don't give her enough attention...:D

She's only 8, she may have the heart of a lion and rise above her cicumstance!

[tyoberg]

I would probably call the parents and explain. The kid needs to respect and mind what adults tell them. I wouldn't necessarily ban the kid from the house just yet, but a visit to their house is definitely in order.

Be glad it was just a fishtank. God help a kid like that if they find a firearm one day instead of a nano reef.

Ty

[filishy]

Hi mr9iron,

I am really sorry about your tank, really. I almost have had the same experience with one of my FW (I know, less of a loss but, nonetheless...) and I was ready to kill the kid.

I believe children should be educated by their parents that a neighbor's house is not their house which means, they should be taught not to wonder around, touch everything, open doors and drawers like they do in their own homes. Parents should teach their children that someone else's property, whatever that is (a tank, a TV, a car, etc.) is off limits, unless they're given permission to do whatever is that they want to do. I really cannot comprehend how children just run around someone else's homes; homes are not places to run around to begin with!

In any case, it is my humble opinion you should tell the parents what their child has done and tell them that, unfortunately, their child will no longer be welcomed at your home, unless the behavior is corrected. Perhaps that way, parents will learn that they have to teach their children values, discipline and respect for authority and private property and the child, eventually, will get the required education.

Hopefully...

HTH, Mary.

[tyoberg]

Note to self:
Install a lock on aquarium hood prior to having children.

[mr9iron]

Thanks for all the advice fellow reefers. I was at work last night and was about ready to pull my hair out.:D If it wasnt for my wife I really dont think the nano would have survived. She called me and wanted to know what to do, so over the phone I coached her on how to mix the water and preform the water changes. She did a really great job I may add. I got home today and put the new pump on my prizm skimmer and fired it up. So far its pulling out some nasty looking gunk, but all in all the tank seems to be doing ok. My corals are all open and my fish and critters dont seem to be stressed. I hope that my nano is out of the woods now, dont worry I will be keeping a close eye on it for the next couple of days.

As far as the brat goes, Im still up in the air about weather or not I should talk with her parents. I get the feeling that no matter how I try and explain the situation to them in there eyes it wont matter. Thats really sad.:rolleyes: I dont think that I will allow her in my house for quite a while though, I dont want a replay of last nights events. I guess you live and you learn, and I sure hate learning the hard way.

Thank you everyone for your support and advice. Oh yeah, keep those bratty kids away from your tank.:D :D :D :D

[naesco]

Happy that everything went as well as it could under the circumstances.
Unlike those who have posted who have their opinion, you have to live in the neighbourhood. Best advice is for both you and your wife to keep your mouth shut and your bedroom door locked when your neighbours child is around.
As was pointed out all that she was really trying to do is feed the fish.

[eudaimonia]

My take. While another child is playing at your home, unless their parent is there, you (or whomever, your wife I guess) is the adult in charge of their supervision. If the kid wasn't being supervised or wasn't properly instructed about the tank, you can't really blame them. Kids are kids after all...

So while the kid is guilty of screwing up your tank, she isn't responsible. The adults are. In this case, the adult who (for whatever reason) wasn't on top of the situation, and the adults who raised the kid to do whatever they want without asking first. This isn't in any way blaming anyone. It's a shared responsibility kind of thing.

Anyhow I would not ask the parents for $$$. Legally you have to prove that the parents were negligent to collect money for their children's actions. Since your wife was the adult in charge, well let's just say you'd lose in small claims court.

I would talk with the neighbors though. Explain to them what happened, and that aquariums can be dangerous for a child. They can get electrocuted, they can topple the tank on top of themselves and get cut - or worse, etc. Ask them if they could ask her to please ask for permission to do anything when she is visiting at your house in the future. That's only reasonable.

2c

[jayo]

sounds like your wife saved the day! I think a special night out on the town or at least some flowers/chocolates are in order. :)

jayo

[nk57]

Oh Vince...I am sooo sorry. a similar incident happened a little over a year ago and the parents were in my house. They heard me warn "little Chris" not to go near the tanks or put his hands in them. While staring staring at his mother, he dumped a container of flakes. His mothers reply was " well Nancy, maybe you should have a less costly hobby like knitting". BTW bith parents were Lt.s on the NYPD you think they could police their kid a little better huh? At any rate, our relationship with them was never quite the same.

Nancy

[The_bad_Dog]

I agree with most of the posts.
It should not be left unsaid. Speak with the parents, explain to them the cost of this hobby.
I am a parent and until my child is 18, I am prepared to be responsible for anything my child does.
All I can do is teach her what the right thing is, the rest is up to her.
If they do not offer to pay there is not much else you can do.
I would not allow the kid in my house anymore.
Best of luck!

[Nagel]

Originally posted by Agu
That said, some kids are just brats, and they're not welcome in my home.


Agu, you just crack me up sometimes! ROFLMAO

Mr9iron: Sorry to hear bout the tank, how bout an update on its status?

I gotta add, parenting and socialization has ALOT to do with it. I need to look no further then my 3 older sisters and their children. One has 3 sons who are obnoxious, anti-social brats. And mom always kept them in the house, no pre-school, etc.... The other two sisters encouraged their kids to go out and socialize, and they are polite, well-behaved kids. Ask me which ones I trust around my tank (hint, its not the 3 boys).

Just gotta be careful about these things, and be on top of things too I guess. Hope it all works out.

[David Grigor]

Thank goodness everything worked out.

If it would have been a disaster, I would have had the parents and the child over to see all the death and let it be understood that SHE is the reason they all died and that when grown up ask them not to touch there is usually a good reason why......

Asking for money would probably do more harm than good but at least the child would fully understand what effects her actions caused......

[Vpham97]

One of my ex-roommate, he's over 23 years old, did the same thing to me.

A real nice guy, who go to church all the time. I think that he find out about god now, and is trying to correct himself. From what I understand, he use to be a bad boy in High School.

Anyway, I got home one night and found that both of my tanks is just clouded white. There's some kind of muddy looking gunk everywhere. I ask him what's going on? He gave me that I don't know look.

It took me to the next day to figure that he had dump 1/2 of bottle of shrimp into both of my tank. It took me one year to use up less than 1/4 of the food bottle. Just one day, he decide to dump 1/2 of it into both of my tank.

To this day, he never fess up. How hard is that for me to figure out? He's all alone in my apartment by himself, nobody came over. Between that and the almost empty bottle of food, and the stuff that's floating in my tank is the same material. Well, Ok, the cat's home w/ him, but is that cat going to feed both fish tanks.

I won't go into too much detail about the porno stuff in my computer. There's such thing as a history menu for Internet Explorer. He got too excited one day while doing it, and broke the drawer off of our desk. We never got the confession from that neither.

Needless to say, he's now my ex-roommate.

I never told him not to touch my fish tank. But I never ask him to do me a favor and feed my fish tank neither. The tank took awhile to clear up from that incident.

[waterloomarc]

I agree with most of the posts. I think you should definitely definitely talk to the parents about her behavior. They ought to know how their child behaves and be given the opportunity to remedy the situation.

As someone who may be prone to jump the gun myself, I understand your anger. But I think it is important not to be mad at the little girl. It is not her fault, it is her parents' fault. They clearly have not taught her how to respect other people and even less than that to obey others. That said, she still shouldn't be allowed back in your house. It is so unfortunate to hear stories like this. It's not the kids fault they don't have strong parents at home. It's so sad.

This is why I think you should talk to the parents. It will show the girl that what she has done is wrong, something that the parents seemingly haven't done. It will also give you the opportunity to hopefully make them feel shame over their lack of parenting skills. They need to be put in their place. Kids need discipline, attention and love all things that parents seem unwilling to give these days. I look around at restaurants when my wife and I are out and see kids running around, scurrying under tables, playing with toys in their soup etc. Why don't parents teach their children to behave properly anymore? When I was a kid, if I touched anything in someone else's house you may be sure I'd a gotten a good samck on the ***. And do you know what, it never had to come to that because my parents took the time to teach me to respect other people and how to behave! I sickens me to hear parents talking about how sensitive their children are and never to tell a child 'no'! HOw are they supposed to learn. It just isn't the child's fault....

Okay, I'm veering off topic so I'll shuttup now. I'm sorry about your experience and hope everything pulls through for you. Talk to the parents. It will do all concerned good. Don't ask them for money. If they're responsible people they will offer. And for all those who think I'm arcaic for my parenting views, I'm not and old humbug...I'm 23 and thank God that my parents took the time to tell me they loved me and taught me respect.

Regards,

[sampaul]

Mentioning the cost of the tank might make you look petty. It's really a safety issue. The child is at the age where she is going over to the neighbors alone and socializing with other families. Those skills are lacking in her. (don't mention her upbringing to her parents--they'll get defensive!

The parents might not have a clue about how the child behaves around others. Call them and mention that while you love having your son having guests over, explain that their daughter isn't respecting the rules of the house. Try to be as nice as possible and remember that every child is perfect in their parents eyes. Since she was interested in the tank, express that you want to encourage her interest and invite the daughter and one of the parents over to view the tank and explain some of the animals in the tank. If you have fish, schedule this for feeding time and show her some of the habits and behavior of the fish and corals.

Don't mention the cost, try to encourage her interest in the tank and show her the 'right way' to do things and stress that anything that does go into the tank (hands included) must have a grown up present. Spin everything around a positive mood while expressing concern over the childs safety.
Privately, you could mention to the parent that if she's 'exploring' in other peoples homes there might other things more dangerous to her than tank . Do this while pointing out the good points of being curious.

(IE: "Mrs. Smith. You daughter was visiting my son the other day and was very interested in my nano reef. She did have a bit of an accident 'tho.
Since she's interested in Aquaria I thought you and her might like to come over and look at the tank and I could explain some safety concerns I have with you and her)

Who knows, in 5 years or so you might cultivate a fish sitter for your vacation time.

[Angel*Fish]

Good posts, sampaul & waterloomarc! Very good advice! Kids are very "trainable" if someone just takes the time.

I just realized that our tank will be 5 years old in Nov.; it originated as a birthday present for my one of my daughters who turned 8 that year.

Remembering her at 8 and her interest in reef creatures makes me feel sad for the little girl who couldn't even respect a simple request to leave the tank alone. My children were always taught never to even POINT to a fish at the LFS so that they would never startle a fish or tap the glass.

It would be a very kind thing if you would handle it the way sampaul recommended -- you might even teach the parents a thing or two if you are very subtle, which in turn would help the little girl.:)

[jellyfish4me]

I have a 9 yr old son, by the way, he is completly disenchanted with my aquarium, I am constantly Saying, "Look at this, Honey!" with a "yeah, mom, what does it do?" bored reply.

I am not trying to place blame, but I do think your wife (no offense) should not have left a "first time over" child that was already acting "bratty" alone with the hubby's prized nano. I'm sure your wife didn't even think this would happen before hand, and I'm sure it will NEVER happen again! Isn't hindsight great!

BUT, I still think "Kids Will Be Kids", Different things are irresitable to different kids. My son IS well behaved and has GOOD parenting, BUT I would never trust him alone in a room with say... a BB gun standing in the corner, no matter HOW many times I said "do not touch", I also would hope that if my son was playing at a neighbors house they would feel the same way.

I don't mean to compare the safety of a bb gun to an aquarium, I am just using that object, as that is one of the things my son might not be able to resist.

If it was my son, I WOULD WANT YOU TO TELL ME! My son would be punished for it, like grounding, extra chores, chores for you if that would be accepted.

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR TANK!

I hope I didn't offend you, Just the opinion of a parent of a good kid, who can be a brat once in a while!

I am kinda curious how the child acted after being caught. As in the response "So What?" or if she felt bad. My son would genuinely feel bad, knowing the damage that he caused.

[mr9iron]

waterloomarc, I like the way you think. Parents should really take the time to teach their children right from wrong and how to respect others including their property. I know when we were kids, if we got out of line we got a swift smack on the backside, not to mention we were only told once. ;) That said I'm definitely going to talk to the little girls folks. I don't really care about the money, I can replace whatever I lose. (don't think I'm saying my inhabitants are expendable cause their not) I hope the childs parents care enough to sit down and talk to her and set things straight. I have a 20 month old boy, my wife and I work daily with him and hopefully he will grow up and be a responsible man.

Thanks for the posts everyone, I don't think any of you were flaming either. Everyone has opinions, I may not agree with them but they are yours and you are entitled to them. Thanks again reefers.

Btw, the tanks still about the same. Corals are open but not like they usually do.

[mr9iron]

EUDAIMONIA says My take. While another child is playing at your home, unless their parent is there, you (or whomever, your wife I guess) is the adult in charge of their supervision. If the kid wasn't being supervised or wasn't properly instructed about the tank, you can't really blame them. Kids are kids after all...



So while the kid is guilty of screwing up your tank, she isn't responsible. The adults are. In this case, the adult who (for whatever reason) wasn't on top of the situation, and the adults who raised the kid to do whatever they want without asking first. This isn't in any way blaming anyone. It's a shared responsibility kind of thing.


Wrong answer. The child is responsible, she was told not to touch the tank. Its as simple as that. That's what is wrong with society today, no one wants to take responsibility for themselves. That's a load of crap IMHO.

[Scholesy]

yikes mr9iron.... the wife is speculating about breeding, and this is another thing putting me off....!

LOL

Sorry to hear about your tank. I'd be spitting tacks. Me has a pretty short fuse :)

[Agu]

Vince,

Been pretty tense the last 24 hours, glad to hear your tank looks like it'll pull through. On the practical side, I'd do a water change or two in the next couple of days. There may be food caught in the nooks and crannies of your tank that's yet to break down.


Regarding the child and her parents, let it go. I doubt they'll ever understand. And unless you're planning on moving soon, it's not worth the aggravation for either of you.

jmo,
Agu

Hey Nagel, The parallel is that some adults are jerks, and they're not welcome in my home either. The hard part is figuring it out before they drink all my beer :rolleyes: . :D

[mr9iron]

Agu saidHey Nagel, The parallel is that some adults are jerks, and they're not welcome in my home either. The hard part is figuring it out before they drink all my beer


Now thats funny and true.:D :D

[dragon0121]

Mr9iron,
Couldn't agree with you more. When I tell my kids something, I expect to be listened to, when I'm not then they are disciplined. By age 8, they know what they are being told and listen. Period. I picture the little girl being told to not touch the tank and being led back to the party, only to return later on the sly to feed the fishes! If I got a phone call about my children not listening to somebody elses parents, in their home, oh my!!

[mr9iron]

Great news reefers, the nano seems to be doing great. I did another water change and a bunch of praying and things seem to be doing very well. All the corals are opened up and looking as beautiful as they did before. This was a rough couple of days.:rolleyes: That said, I thank everyone for their replies and advice.

[Agu]

All right Vince!! Glad to hear the good news :D :D .

So have you made the Ex-Lax brownies for the next time the neighbor kid comes over? Be sure to tell her not to eat any, and explain to the parents that you haven't been feeling "right" if they complain :o .

Agu

[Fishwife]

Whew! My 2 year old nephew knows better than to touch any of our tanks. He loves the fishies and knows the names of his favorites. The only mess we ever have when he visits is a tiny little finger print or two on the front of the tanks. Of course, we do keep a pretty close eye on him. The only time he has ever gotten into anything was about a week ago. My daughter and her cousin had brought him over to see the fishies (I'm going to be helping his Mom set up a tank in the next week or two) and we were sitting around talking. He wandered into the family room and got very quiet. Somebody called out, "Andrew, what are you doing?" He said, "Making soup." Uh-Oh! He had a spoon and was stirring it around in the brine shrimp container. ;) Some "soup."

I am sorry you had to go through that stress but glad everything turned out OK. That child needs to have some limits set and even though you aren't her parents when she is over your house she needs to abide by your rules. If she can't do that, she can't come in.

Laurie

[ScavDog]

So have you made the Ex-Lax brownies for the next time the neighbor kid comes over?

LMFAO!:D

[gregt]

I agree that you probably shouldn't push getting $$$$, but you certainly should total the cost and present it to your neighbors, so that they understand the seriousness of the situation. They have a right to know the magnitude of the damage done by the child. If you don't even tell them, then you will hold a grudge, and they will never understand why.

That will also help cover you down the road if you have future problems with your neighbour (which sounds likely).

[mr9iron]

ExLax brownies, Hmmmmmmmm you shouldnt give me ideas like that.:D :D :D

[ToddsReef]

Sorry to hear of your loss, and also sorry for the child who obviously lacks appropriate parenting at home. I think that the parents should pay, but demanding that they do so is probably not the answer. If they are reasonable then they will offer to pay when you explain to them what happened (which I believe you definately should do -- on the off chance that they really are good parents who would want to discipline the child). Hope that your nano pulls through without too much loss (same goes for yourself).

Todd