Maintaining your tank with disabilities.

[FattyFish]

I have long term disabilities that caused me to retire early

After reading a post that Jennet added about acrylic tanks, she also mentions her disabilities. I also have disabilities that led to early retirement. I have (PPMS, Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis). I also have CML Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia. I also have the usual stuff and side effects relating to the meds, etc.
One of the main challenges I face is fatigue and mobility. This makes doing simple tasks that would normally take 10-15 minutes actually take an hour, then an hour to recover and this can be relentless. I am fortunate to have my family around me to take up some of the load when it comes to day-to-day stuff. However, when it comes to my tank, I set it up to be as simple as possible, with a 30% water change weekly. I syphon the water out and have a large bucket that I can fill on the floor, which then pumps the water back into the tank, saving me from physically lifting the buckets up high to pour them into the tank. I use a magnet cleaner to clean the glass, although this probably only needs doing every few weeks.

I wonder how many of the TFF members have disabilities and how it affects them with their aquarium maintenance, and what tips and tricks you may have to help others to keep their hobby going in the future.

 

[GaryE]

I have no disabilities to speak of, but like part of the demographic here, I am getting older and the effects are becoming very unmistakable. There are a couple of things that help.

Hoses. I haven't had to carry buckets for decades as with an attachment to the faucet, a potable water hose can be used to change water. You can also buy the 'python' systems and their knock offs (with very flexible hoses) to simplify the tasks if the tanks are on the same floor as the water source. Placing the tank close to the water source is a good idea, if possible.

I don't have tap chloramines, but I add dechlorinator before I refill and life is easier. I drain via gravity flow. The python/water bed adapters for emptying are fast but waste water, and when I had a tank in the house, I took my time. I gravity drained into the low toilet.

Aquarium placement is often overlooked. I'm redoing my multi-aquarium fishroom, and I've realized that since I'm tall and have a problem in my lower back, I needed to rethink where lower level tanks were. I designed that part of the set up to be viewable via a chair I can move around. I can also use the kitchen chair for easy access for water changes and general you have to do that maintenance.

My upper level tanks are raised, at eye level, so I can look at them with a straight spine. Commercial stands are usually 30 inches above the floor, which is generally okay for an armchair view. You can get creative though.

The tank itself can matter. I recently sold a tall tank I'd grown to hate. Even with my ape arms, it was too deep to comfortably work with. If you're in a chair or have shorter arms, consider a shallower tank.

I'm sure others can add good tips. I'm still able to do what I need to, though not always what I want to, but I'm the type to plan ahead. I had a friend who managed a small (once large) killifish set up until he was 96. He was my inspiration and I've kept some of his innovations in mind. Aquariums can be very good for us if we can avoid making them into chores.

 

[Essjay34 149]

I have back pain, some days are worse than others so I do water changes on 'good' days. I can't use a python system to remove water from the tank as that would mean tank water going into the sink which I am forbidden to do (I should never have used the word bacteria in front of my husband). I also refill with buckets as our hot water system means I am not supposed to use hot tap water to get the refill water temperature correct, I have to boil a kettle and use buckets. I use a larger bucket to empty the water as I only have to lift it just above the floor to carry it outside and a smaller bucket to refill as I have to lift that onto a stool and ladle the water into the tank with a jug.

My arms are not nearly as long as Gary's and when I bought my current main tank about 12 years ago I found that all ready made tanks of the volume and length I wanted were too tall so I went for a custom made tank which is 18 inches/45 cm tall, but also that size front to back which compensates for the lack of height in the volume and also gives a bigger footprint than usual for the volume.

 

[Back in the fold1]

I had a bit of a disability last summer . I was attacked by dogs and my right arm got broken at the wrist . That limited me in my fish keeping abilities but I worked around it by taking things slow and easy . I still did my water changes with the bucket and siphon , as is my habit , but I used a smaller bucket and emptied it more often . I’m 70 and I’m not as strong as I was in the halcyon days of youth and I’ve accepted that I can’t do the heavy things anymore and I just take it slower and don’t beat myself up mentally thinking I should be able to do what I used to do . Also , it’s easier to do a smaller task every day than one Herculean effort once a week .

 

[FattyFish]

I do take things easier and know my limitations. Gone are the days of humping 20-litre buckets around. I have a 10-litre bucket that I use to syphon into, then carry it a short distance to the loo. When I fill back up, I have a 40-litre tub on the floor that I can empty my freshly dechlorinated water into from my 10-litre bucket. This is then pumped back into the tank. However, I'm now thinking I could syphon straight out into my wetroom shower drain. Then use a hose to fill my 40-litre tub, ready to be pumped back into the tank, taking out the need to lift any buckets of water

 

[Back in the fold1]

Excellent idea ! I’ve thought about that too . A long length of hose and a siphon pump and no buckets at all . The hose , ideally , should be very flexible . Some hoses are too stiff and could work themselves out of where they’re supposed to be and cause annoyances we don’t need .

 

[Jennet15 72]

I started off with what at the time was called Yuppie Flu in the UK, which was at that point considered to be all in the mind. 48 years later it it now called chronic fatigue syndrome. I was eventually diagnosed with this when I was 36. Alongside this was diagnosed with fibromyalgia when I was in my early(ish) fifties. Again, very little was known about this, and I was part of a collective that helped get this condition diagnosed. For me, at times this can feel as though someone has poured scalding water over different areas of my skin.

My Mom had generalised Dystonia (muscle spasm/contractions) from when she was 52 and ended up living at first in a wheelchair, and then on a raised hospital bed in her lounge for the last 16 years of her life.

As we get older and things start to wear out, we all have to learn to live with what we are. I learned not to fight it and go with the flow years ago. I find that for me, it is better that I do something that is going to take a lot of energy all in one day, with lots of half hour breaks (at least) between them. This gives me the time to take it easy until I need to get something else sorted. Being retired works well for this. Living with chronic fatigue from fairly young, it helped give me a lot of empathy for people who struggle with their health.

 

[TwoTankAmin29]

At 78 and with COPD it necame time to reduce my number of tanks and to stop selling fish at weekend events. I needed to many strong folks to help with setting up and breaking down. I am also not a tall person. So I need a stool or small ladder at times. this is all getting changed.

One thing I hae done almost from the begining is to limit my tanks stands/racks to only two levels, I also insist that the bottom level be ay least 1 foot above the ground. I have a small rolling stool the when weight is put on it the stool goes down about an inch from the weight the spring loaded wheels stop working. I sit on this stool when I work on the lower level tanks. Initially I used to sit cross legged on the floor to work in such tanks until it became hard to stand back up.

Looking into the under tanks before they were all raised meant the best way was to lie on the floor on my stomach. So I used to refer to them as belly tanks. I have not done this in at least 20+ years now.

I also am able to prepare water at temp from the tub faucet. I have a 5 gal. can under the faucet and then a 32 gal. Rubbermaid can also in the tub. I have lots of pumps and hoses. I do not use a Puthin but I do use their hoises which gave garden hose compatible connections. i use drinking water hose for refilling tanks and the python ones for emptying them/ I still rinse filter media in a bucket which I can still get to the toilet or in the fish space to the utility sink to empty them.

Since we have a private well I do not use dechlor which makes life easier. I do have dechlor which I used at events and also when I bleach dip plants. The got from the bleach bucket to under a faucet for a rinse and then into a bucket with a big dose of the dechlor, From there they go back into the tank. All of this is done in a bathroom.

When my COPD flares up and I am having trouble breathing, I have to slow way down. Often I work for 10 or 15 minutes and then sit for some time to catch my breath. O;d age has also slowed how much I can do at one time. I used to be able to fill my 5 gal. buckets and carry two the length ot ht ehouse, that ended some time ago. I alsu would fill a few of them outside the bathtub and as the 32 gal, can was going doen I would add the water frm the 5s to it.

I cannot lift a filled 5 gal, bucket and dump it into the 32 these days. What I now do is use one of my specimen containers to scoop water out of the 5 into the can, When I have move 1/2 the water that way I then can lift the bucket and pour the rest into the 32. I used to do maint and water changes in all 20 tanks in two consecutive days. Now I find I need to take more time and often have an off day in between. I am also now at 1/2 the number of tanks and less than half the total water volume that I used to.

Also, all but 3 of my 12 tanks are filled with live plants. This makes them better able to handle times when I may have to skip weekly maint.

In 2013 a fall broke my hip the ball part of the Femur fractured so they replaced top of it. I was in the hospital almost a week and then rehab after I got home. I was not able to do much on the tanks besides feed for some time. I could not do any real work on the tanks. Fortunately, I had joined the local fish club. So I sent out an SOS and I had two members who volunteered to come help.

They came at two week intervals and helped do water changes and filter maint. This is another great benefit to being a club member. These two people were experienced fish keepers and needed little help from me as they know what to do. This is why I support the club with donations and my time. I worked one public auction for example.

I will hang on for as long as I can by continuing to reduce tank numbers. I hope eventually to die with at least one tank still going.

 

[FattyFish]

I started off with what at the time was called Yuppie Flu in the UK, which was at that point considered to be all in the mind. 48 years later it it now called chronic fatigue syndrome. I was eventually diagnosed with this when I was 36. Alongside this was diagnosed with fibromyalgia when I was in my early(ish) fifties. Again, very little was known about this, and I was part of a collective that helped get this condition diagnosed. For me, at times this can feel as though someone has poured scalding water over different areas of my skin.

My Mom had generalised Dystonia (muscle spasm/contractions) from when she was 52 and ended up living at first in a wheelchair, and then on a raised hospital bed in her lounge for the last 16 years of her life.

As we get older and things start to wear out, we all have to learn to live with what we are. I learned not to fight it and go with the flow years ago. I find that for me, it is better that I do something that is going to take a lot of energy all in one day, with lots of half hour breaks (at least) between them. This gives me the time to take it easy until I need to get something else sorted. Being retired works well for this. Living with chronic fatigue from fairly young, it helped give me a lot of empathy for people who struggle with their health.

My wife has Fibromyalgia and FND (Functional neurological disorder). The FND can give her symptoms similar to MS. She once had the muscle in her thigh tense solid for 3 weeks with no relief or reason... Imagine a cramp in one muscle for 3 weeks without being able to stop it; it was agonising for her. The brain just sends the wrong signal; it's crazy.
People who don't know think fatigue is the same as being tired. Not realising that fatigue is like a switch being turned off and tiredness is more about wanting to rest and sleep. I'm like others; I just take my time, knowing everything takes longer.

 

[FattyFish]

I have just ordered one of these off Amazon. It's like the Python brand but cheaper, and it has great reviews and a number of YouTube reviews. This should make things easier...I hope

 

[GaryE]

In some ways, I was lucky to be seriously ill as a kid. It was no fun at the time, but that time isn't now. I learned how to pace myself, and the value of working around limitations, but being dogged about it. You can get a lot of things done.

I find people who face their first serious physical challenge later in life have a hard time learning how to cope with such difficulties, if that makes sense. If it's illness, they sometimes have to learn how to be sick and still live well.

All denial ever gets you is elected.

I have used similar python knocks offs. If you have a drain lower then the tank, you won't need the fancy attachment. Gravity will drain your tank. You might need a garden hose attachment for your tap to thread the device onto.

 

[TwoTankAmin29]

Denial is not a river in Egypt..........

 

[bgarthe35 53]

I, too, am getting up there. Last week I turned 67 . Lifting is out bc of my bad knee and lower back.

*******I will say here and now that my daily 25min ‘modified’ Tai Chi exercises are making a huge difference with both my back and knee as opposed to regular high impact exercises that end up hurting my knee and back. The ‘modified Tai Chi’ reference is my having gathered 22 specific exercises from numerous websites that target my back, knee, aerobic, and balance issues. These are low impact high aerobic routines that make my day SO much better. They are also helping keep my A1c below the pre-diabetic range. Sorry for the digression…I just had to share.********

To make my life easier and still allow me to have and enjoy my ‘man cave’ fish room, I utilize the methods shown below.
I use big 32g and 45g Brut garbage cans on the wheel carts one can buy specific to the Brut that are attachable…see pic 1. Each one has a 350-450 GPH fountain pump in it with a hose….see Pic 2. The end of the hose has a shut off valve and (most importantly) an inline power switch right at the can….see Pic 3. I also converted a heavy duty dolly to a cart with a plywood platform to move buckets when needed……See Pic 4. My discard water is in a 45g Brut on wheels with a pump/hose on as are my RO filling Brut and my 45g Aging/heating/aerating Brut for thenext future WC…..See Pic 5.
Regrettably, my fish room is not really near the sink.
Lastly, when I wheel my discard water out of the fish room to be pumped out of the Brut, I can’t really put all that into our septic tank and must pump it into the yard. In winter, that’s a pain (having a door open w cold air swarming into the house) so I rigged a hose from the top of the basement stairs where I insert my Brut can hose and pump discard water to the sump pump pit in the basement where my sump pump pumps it out harmlessly…..See Pic 6.

Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

Pic 4

Pic 5

Pic 6

 

[emeraldking15 66]

With all my illnesses, I also have my number of disabilities. Nevertheless, it has never stopped me from fish keeping. The remark I do have to make is that when it comes to maintenance, I'm doing that in a lower pace than before. I try to look at it from the bright side: It gives me just a little more extra time to enjoy it all...

 

[FattyFish]

I must admit, I've never let my disabilities get me down. I'm always positive and happy-go-lucky, and I always thought, "There's nothing I can do about it, so crack on"
Some good ideas are coming through