bananas are herbs= deliscious. My local squirrels see mine usually as a delicasy. The seem to mostly dig for the roots. I havent come accross rats however.If you dont want to hurt them go to your local pest control company and buy a live trap...catch em and relocate them.

Well, it's time to break out my "Total Critter Control" book again. Unfortunately there aren't too many suggestions for deterring rats, but here is what I've got: Keep the grass mowed. High grass and heavy brush attracts a variety of animals. Use a seed-catcher beneath your bird feeder to prevent it from reaching the ground. Clean up pet food. Raise your woodpile by 15 inches to make it less hospitable to rats and mice for burrowing. Clean up and cover any litter. Keep bushes and trees trimmed so they don't touch the house. If you can, cut brush three feet back from side of house. Heavy vines and vine ground cover are also good cover for rats. Get rid of standing water. Metal trash cans are better than vinyl or plastic. Don't feed pets outside unless you clean up immediately. The book doesn't mention ducks at all, but it has some suggestions for geese, which may be helpful? Fencing, prickly shrubs or hedges may make a yard less desirable. When confined, they may feel more threatened than in an open area where they can detect predators. To save your grass, switch to a taller, less tasty variety. Other ground covers that irritate them include hosta, various kinds of ivy, and myrtle. Use dogs to harass ducks and geese into leaving. Sometimes "sound techniques" may work, like whistles, screaming machines, crackers and various banging devices. You can try visual devices like kites, which resemble eagles flying overhead. The Miniscare Windmill is a unique device that deflects ultraviolet light off its blades to repel birds. There are some fertilizers that taste disgusting to geese, and I would imagine ducks as well. Some, like Bobbex-G, have an ingredient that makes the repulsive taste stick to their beak.

Do you think if you darkened your tank it might work (along with your anti-algae system)? Have you noticed whether your ultrasonic irradiation device delayed the onset of algae? I think you commented on another post that those in areas with a higher light intensity may have more problems. I have noticed some of the growers who seem to cringe with algae problems are from the high sun intensity areas. I agree we need to try different things. The 30 percent peroxide idea is good, but in reality, there may still be problems. The sun in my area gets so intense I built my greenhouse with panels to filter out the light. My plants will burn otherwise, & some of my roof panels have burned from the sun. I still have algae problems, despite all the precautions, & like you, I am still experimenting. I am getting algae in my NFT & flood & drain systems. I am experimenting with bubblers & various rocks, however, using a commercial air pump. I have been so busy & have just stuck the air hose in the bubblers. I have not seen algae in the bubblers, despite 3 months of use. I have not covered the rocks or nutrient  they are exposed to light. I have seldom used peroxide in the bubblers.

OK. I started this brouhaha so will report back after having used them for over a year. Six units-plugged in each room and one in crawl space-no furniture in front to stop emissions-all season use now-lived in woods for 16 years and always had mouse problem. Know what? No more mice and no other deterrants used. I will not use poison nor allow any living creature to suffer and die slowly while their leg or part of their body is crushed in a trap. For MY mice they do work....period. If others haven't had luck with them - are you using one in each room? These units don't claim to immediately drive the mice nuts so that they run into the toilet and drown. LOL. The frequency is an irritant; if they can find another room where they aren't irritated, they will stay in your "guest room". If no room is comfortable for them, they move. Works for me.