I have 2 Dura-Heat birches in my front yard, planted approx 5 yrs ago. I don't recommend them. Both had 4 trunks each when planted, and now we're down to 2 trunks each. The remaining trunks aren't leaning in an ideal direction so they look unbalanced. Too bad I couldn't choose which trunks should die... Also, the leaders & branches are very prone to winter die-back, esp when younger, so the remaining trunks aren't straight - they're kinked where the new leaders grew & I know they will never straighten. The entire top 1/2 of the healthiest trunk would just die over the winter. And the bottom 1/2 would continue growing better than in the prev year. I should have written that we had 8 Dura Heats originally, because they were container grown w/ 4 trees per pot. I'm sure this caused alot of their early issues. It is true they are very drought tolerant, but mine aren't rain tolerant, especially after a dry spell. Anytime after July 4th, watering or heavy rain causes many, many leaves to yellow & drop w/in a couple days. In prev years I actually covered the ground under the trees w/ plastic b4 watering the lawn or if heavy rain was expected - and this helped alot - but now I just don't care. I've been told this problem is due to clay, or how they were planted, but these were supposed to be clay tolerant, & the clay isn't that heavy or deep. The company that sold & planted them were unresponsive to our complaints during the 1st yr after planting, then they just disappeared. I planned to replaced them w/ something else, but life & other expenses happened, and now they're so big... I've had Birches before, and they shouldn't be this delicate.

While I agree that having a few fish may be more entertaining then just the one and that barbs are cool fish that's where it ends. The barb's Anna described get to be 3" - 4" as adults, they also tend to get a bit more aggressive as they age. They may not be aggressive towards each other but may (or may not) single out the golden barb (if thats what the yellow one is). When setting up a tank for the first time, especially when a child is involved, you want the best chance possible for success. The thing is since barbs are very active indeed, they need alot more side to side space then a smaller Eclipse can give. The smallest tank I have seen suggested for them is a 20L (20 gallon long, about 30" side to side). You have to think of the adult size when you are planning fish for your tank space. Again, I am not saying this can not work at all and it won't work. I am just saying that it is not "ideal" and for a first tank you should stack the chips on your side. The tank will take 3 weeks to 6 weeks + (average 4 weeks)to cycle. The best thing to do is research the nitrogen cycle in aquariums so you know whats in store. Since you have time before Christmas to get the tank and do a fishless cycle I would advise that. The worse thing for a child is to be presented with a tank and have to wait for a month before you can go and get fish. You could do the fishless cycle in the basement or garage hidden from the child, and just wrap the tank box for opening. Then durring Christmas week go to the pet shop and let your child pick out the fish. IME I have found bettas to be very active when people are arround to watch. Cold water will make the fish lathargic and suseptible to disease and parasites, the most common with cold water is ICH. It is true that "if" the room is maintained at a set Temp. you don't need a heater. But all it takes is the door to be left open by mistake and the Temp. will drop. The heater for the betta is a important and wise purchase. For only $20 it will seem worth it if you loose the fish after you have gotten attached to it. Below is a link about the Nitrogen Cycle. It also has links with in the article for fishless cycle directions. This may seem more then you expected just to have a couple of fish, but you will be happier in the end. It also makes the experience more rewarding to know what you are doing. Keeping interest is important because the novelty of a fish tank wears off after a while. The other aspects of the hobby keep the interest up and is a learning experience in itself. It's a hell of allot better then watching crap "reality" TV (exception is The Girls Next Door). Here is a link that might be useful: FAQ

All three will give you the longevity you seek with RR and DB giving you a few years more than a straight marcite finish. The only way RR makes sense is if you like the look and feel. If I had a gunite pool (mine is a liner pool) I would use DB over the other two for that exact reason. If I wanted a pebble type finish, it would be a PT or Wet Edge. These high aggregate finishes, with normal care, will outlast all others by a wide margin. The normal care for all of the above finishes is the same once the finish is cured past the first month. Keeping on top of pool's chems with a good test kit will help ensure you get the most out of it's life. Because the season is short for you, when you pull the trigger, time it for mid Spring, before the pollen season gets going or late May when the onslaught is done. This will give your finish the best opportunity to cure more fully without worrying about pollen stains setting on a fresh finish, the period where a finish is at its most vulnerable. Scott

Salt usage and capacity per cubic foot of resin isn't linear. In other words, it takes a lot more salt per cubic foot of resin to get that last bit of capacity. This is the chart I use. The complications with whole house carbon filters come from free chlorine vs chloramine. Free chlorine can be filtered out by a standard carbon filter, while chloramine needs a catalytic carbon filter. Chloramine is chlorine combined with ammonia which is replacing chlorine as a disinfectant. Byproducts of disinfection with chlorine include trihalomethanes which is what is driving the move to chloramine as a disinfectant. To make that point more clear, open up a bottle of bleach... is the smell overpowering and hurts your eyes, etc even in this relatively concentrated form? No. It's not until the chlorine combines with other molecules that it becomes chloramine and then you really smell it. Swimming pools smell strong because of chlorine mixed with organic materials in the water...(as in pee) not because of chlorine itself. I know that this will fall of deaf ears, but I think the residential water filtering industry has gone off the deep end. I have no problem with a basic carbon filter to clean up taste and smell of drinking water, not to mention cleaning up some VOC's and such. I think it's a bit much when people are worried about showering in water with small amounts of free chlorine. In terms of actual risk, I think that removing all of the residual disinfectant prior to a resin bed is probably more of a health risk than showering or bathing in water with some free chlorine. Many people raise the issue of bacteria growing in filters / resin beds / even water pitchers after all of the disinfectant has been removed by a carbon filter. Most of us have spent time in a swimming pool - and Olympic swimmers spend a lot of time in swimming pool. Other than a possible link between absorbing chlorine from the water and being gay, I haven't seen any serious health effects for Olympic swimmers and divers (ok, I am kidding). Put in your water softener. Put a cartridge carbon filter / KDF 55 filter on your drinking water. If you need to loop in a whole house carbon filter later you can - but I don't think you will need to. Just a tip, If this is a DIY job, I've been happy with units I've purchased online from ABC Water. I have no connection to them other than being a satisfied customer. They can put together any system you want. They sell them cheaper through Amazon than on their own website.