What is the best fish tank filter system?

Posted on June 1st, 2016 by Frank

Setting up a fish tank that functions properly involves buying an installing many pieces of equipment. However, the key piece of equipment is a high quality filtration system. Filters are irreplaceable in providing a clean and healthy environment for your fish which, in turn, is essential for keeping your fish healthy themselves. Without it, it is impossible to have healthy aquarium with beautiful fish as pets.

You might get confused when you try to decide what to buy because of the sheer number of options to choose from. You are not allowed to make the wrong choice for the sake of your pets. You need to think about the specifics of your tank. It is important what size your fish tank is, is it saltwater or freshwater, and also to pay attention to the requirements of your tank inhabitants.

What is the best fish tank filter system?

We have written you a short guide to use when you decide how to buy the best fish tank filter system for your fish tank.

Your filter must perform several important tasks. First, it has to be able to catch any debris that gets sucked up through the intake tube. This part is called mechanical filtration. Most filters will use some type of mechanical barrier made from different types of foam, filter floss, pads, micron paper pleats, and diatomaceous earth in order to make sure that the debris doesn’t circulate back through the filter and into the tank again.

Your filter must also provide chemical filtration of your fish tank. This is accomplished using cartridges with certain absorbent substances such as activated carbon. Cartridges need to be changed regularly; manufacturer’s instructions that come with every filter must be followed precisely.

Finally, your filter provides you with biological filtration. It serves as a growing surface for natural bacteria that accumulate in the tank. They break down ammonia and other chemicals that can be harmful to your fish. These microorganisms live in the grovel, on your plants, rocks and aquarium decorations, but many of them live inside the filter too. If you have a filter with two cartridges for chemical filtration, change them one by one, to not disturb the gentle balance of living organisms in your fish tank.

Fish Tank Canister Filter

Your filter also has a role to provide a gentle current to circulate so the water circulates around the tank uniformly, to mimic natural circulation of water. This means heat will be distributed evenly, the water will be properly aerated and less debris will be able to sink to the bottom of the tank.

Types of filters:

Corner (Box) Filters – They are the cheapest version and should be used in small tanks up to 10 gallons. They are placed in the corner of the tank.
UGF (Under Gravel Filter) – They are common in beginner aquarium kits because of their low price. They are really simple for maintenance too. Because they are placed under the gravel they can clog overtime.
Power Filters – Powers provide excellent mechanical, biological and chemical filtration. They can be found in many different sizes. They are very simple for maintenance.
Wet/Dry (Trickle) Filters – They are commonly used for saltwater fish tanks. They are more expensive option but extremely useful for large fish tanks.

Canister Filters – These are the most powerful filters for larger tanks and they are very quick. They can be placed underneath the aquarium to keep them out of sight. Canisters require more maintenance than other filters and they are more expensive than other units. However, they are worth the money spent if you own a large fish tank.

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Categories: Home Tools

Make your own cotton candy machine

Posted on May 28th, 2016 by Frank

Cotton candy makes everyone smile; it reminds you of amusement parks and fairs, carnivals, fun, carelessness and joy. They are colorful, vibrant and delicious sugary puffs. You probably thing it’s impossible to make it yourself, since cotton candy machines are huge, impractical and scary looking devices. But using these simple DIY tricks you get a smaller home version for your own personal enjoyment. This is an excellent idea to have something sweet after a barbecue, garden party or a way to make your child’s birthday party unforgettable. You will need about two hours to make it and it will cost you under 40 dollars. And the project is not too complicated, even for an absolute beginner. You can even try to make it as a completely unique present for some of your friends that still have their inner child.

Make your own cotton candy machine

Well do a simple step by step explanation so you can make the best cotton candy machine yourself.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Two small metal bowls
A surplus fan motor, that can make 1500 rotations per minute
A thin polycarbonate sheet (or a big old deep pot)
A propane torch
Some sugar
Food coloring

First you’ll need to drill a small hole into the bottom of one of the metal bowls and a larger hole into the bottom of the other. Bowls must be of the same size. Weld your bowls together in at least four places going around the rim of each bowl. You will make them fit easier if you sand the connecting part of each bowl before this. You’ve just made yourself the spinner you pour the sugar in. Using #50 power drill make a bunch of small holes. The sugar will shoot out of them and make wisps of cotton candy. Try to find the exact center of both of your bowls, to prevent your spinner from shaking and wobbling too much (you could use marker to do this precisely when you cut). Fold everything you cut inwards, so you don’t cut yourself when you handle it.
Fasten the smaller hole to the small motor. You will need some nuts and bolts to hold this together. Make sure everything is connected firmly when the bowl starts spinning. Since the screw tightens clockwise, make the motor spin counterclockwise to prevent it from unscrewing. Check where the cables of your motor are if it’s not battery powered and make sure everything is safe. Your cables must be on the opposite side of the torch, so they don’t catch fire or melt accidentally.
Make an enclosure of polycarbonate sheet and wrap it around your spinner. This will catch your cotton candy when it starts coming out of the spinner. Cover the bottom of the spinner too. A good alternative might be a big pot that you don’t use anymore so you don’t mind making a hole in it. The hole should be big enough to allow motor and the torch to pass through to the spinner. Make sure your pot is deep enough; its walls should be around 5 inches higher than your spinner.
Your heat source will be the propane torch. It is best to do this in your yard to avoid the fire hazard.
Once you’ve connected everything fill the spinner with granulated sugar, pouring slowly and add some crazy food coloring. Turn the motor and the torch on. You can use a wooden stick or a bamboo skewer to catch the cotton candy shooting out. Make circular motions around the spinner and watch the candy catching to the stick.

That’s it! You have your own fresh cotton candy on demand. You’ve done it like a professional.

fresh cotton candy

Be careful when you handle blow torch and fuel. The sugar is molten when it comes out, so keep your hands out of the way of hot flying sugar. Also be very careful to keep your hair and hands clear of the open flame. You don’t want a cheerful afternoon with the kids to turn into a major disaster. Safety first!

You could also crush your favorite hard candy to turn into delicious cotton candy when you try all variations with sugar and food coloring. Mix your favorite fruit flavors to see all the interesting combinations you’ll be able to make.

One way to make larger quantities would be to heat up the sugar into a liquid, and then pour the liquid in the sugar receptacle. This way is a bit more dangerous; watch out so you don’t pour hot sugar on yourself or the rest of the machine. There’s no need for a lighter when you use this method and the amount of candy that you could make would be much faster and more voluminous.

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Categories: DIY

Foods that benefit your hair

Posted on May 21st, 2016 by Frank

The condition of your hair is an excellent sign of your overall health. Eating food that strengthens your hair, and makes it healthy, shiny and strong will cause you many benefits that are not related to good looks only. Choose foods that will provide you with a healthy balance of various nutrients and your hair will have enough supplies to grow long, lustrous and vibrant. This process requires some though and patience. The results won’t come overnight but it’s a natural and risk-free way to improve the condition of your hair. Products you use might make your hair look better, but the right combination of foods, with enough vitamins and minerals will make it grow stronger and healthier and resists the stress of everyday styling, treatments and exposure to heat. Only healthy hair is beautiful hair. Try to incorporate these foods in your diet as sources to all the nutriments you need:

Proteins: Hair is mostly made of protein called keratin, so if you don’t incorporate enough protein in your diet your hair is likely to suffer. It will become dry, prone to breaking and weak. Meat is a great source of protein especially chicken, turkey and fish. Dairy products and eggs are also really important, and vegetarians must make sure they consume enough proteins with legumes and nuts.

Proteins for your hair

Iron: Iron is an extremely important mineral for hair. Inadequate intake of iron will make you anemic and your hair follicle and roots won’t get enough nutrition. That will mess up your hairs growth cycle and might even cause hair loss. Red meat, liver and fish are great sources of iron. Lentils, spinach and leafy green vegetables are also very rich in iron content.
Vitamins C: This vitamin is hydroslouble which means our body is not able to store it, so it’s important that you incorporate enough food and vegetables into your diet on a daily basis. Vitamin C is necessary for appropriate absorption of iron, a potent antioxidant, and has a role in the production of collagen fibers. It can be found in raw vegetable, oranges, kiwis, papayas, lemons and tomatoes.

Vitamin C and Iron for your hair

Vitamins A and E: Nuts are the best source of vitamin E, zinc and selenium. It provides protection for sun damage. Vitamin A is needed for the production of sebum. Sebum is made by hair sebaceous glands and it is an oily substance that protects your scalp. Without enough sebum you will experience an itchy scalp, dandruff and dry hair. Sources of beta-carotene (that is a precursor for vitamin A) are meat, carrots, pumpkins and sweet potatoes.

Vitamins A and E

Omega acids: They make around 3 per cent of your hair shaft and they are an ingredient of natural oils that keep your scalp well hydrated. They are polyunsaturated fatty acids and it’s important that you eat a healthy ratio of omega 3 and omega 6 acids (about 1 to 4). Omega 3 sources are salmon, mackerel, sardines and anchovies. Omega 6 acids are normally found in an average diet.

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Categories: Beauty

How to straighten natural African American hair with flat iron?

Posted on May 17th, 2016 by Frank

Straightening natural African American can be a challenging process. This type of hair is thicker, coarser, and more sensitive to damage, it is prone to frizzing and it tends to curl back easily. You must make sure to straighten it carefully if you’re going to use flat iron, to minimize the damage and to make sure you get silky and smooth hair. Follow these simple advices to make sure your hair stays healthy and beautiful.

Make sure your hair is conditioned properly. Applying direct heat to already dry and damaged hair is an extremely bad idea. If your hair is not moisturized enough the flat iron is only going to burn it and you don’t want that. The goal is to have shiny, sleek, healthy hair.
Use thermal protecting product. Make sure to invest in a proper kind of product. You can choose between sprays, oils, serums or gels, but it has to have a light texture, so it doesn’t weigh your hair down. Don’t use anything that leaves oily residue on your hair.
Only flat iron recently washed hair. Let it dry naturally to minimize the stress it’s exposed to. You shouldn’t use a flat iron more than once a week, but if you need a quick fix during the week, use minimal heat. Before you start ironing make sure that your hair is completely dry.
Smoothing balms or serums might help too. Look for the product that is resistant to humidity in the air. That way your hair won’t frizz and it will stay perfectly straight longer.
Iron it slowly and carefully. It’s not a good idea to use flat iron on your hair when you are in a hurry. You need to properly separate your hair in two to four sections, and then use flat iron on one strand at a time. Brush out that strand before applying any heat to it. Begin near the roots of your hair and move the iron down in one smooth motion. Don’t iron too much hair at once, because big sections won’t be straightened properly.
Don’t use the maximum temperature. Try out to see what the lowest temperature that straightens your hair is and use that setting on your flat iron, to make sure you won’t cause any damage to your hair.
Protect your hair during the night. Wrap your hair in a silk or satin cover while you sleep. If your hair is not too long, you can sleep on a silk pillowcase and spread your hair gently on it, to avoid having it messy in the morning.

It is also extremely important what type of straightening iron you use on your hair. The best flat iron for natural African American hair must be strong enough to straighten it completely, but it also has to be of high quality materials, so it causes minimal or no damage. Read these advices to help you choose what works best for you:

flat iron for natural African American hair

Try to go with 100% ceramic. These flat irons are the most expensive, but for a good reason. You don’t want an iron with hot plates that are just coated in ceramic layer. Those are significantly cheaper, but the layer of ceramic will quickly peel off, leaving your hair exposed directly to hot metal. You don’t want that at all, that way you’ll burn your hair a lot.
Added Titanium or Tourmaline is a good choice. Flat irons with these materials smooth out and straighten natural African American hair very effectively. They are more expensive, but trz to find one on sale or online.
Use flat irons that have small plates. Plates that are no more than one and a half inch wide are the best for the thickness of natural African American hair. You will be able to straighten your roots more easily with them if you work with small sections of hair.
Look for a flat iron with adjustable temperature settings. Average temperature setting on flat irons which are not adjustable is around 400 degrees. This is simply too much. You have to make sure you can lower the temperature settings, especially if you plan on using your flat iron regularly. Try to go below 350 degrees. Wait a couple of seconds for your flat iron to reach the proper temperature setting.

If you put enough effort and care in your hair it will be strong and healthy and it will put up with all the stress of straightening it with a flat iron often better. If you use an iron of high quality, the damage will be minimized. Don’t iron your hair too often, make sure it’s properly hydrated and only then every hairstyle you try out will look great on you.

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Categories: Beauty

How to have good sleep after night work?

Posted on May 13th, 2016 by Frank

How to have good sleep after night work?

If you have an unorthodox working schedule where you have to work night shifts or rotate shifts during the same week, you have to make sure that your health doesn’t start to suffer. Your daily rhythms can become messed up. There is a condition called shift work sleep disorder and it affects a lot of night shift workers, and it can severely diminish the quality of their lives.

Our body has an internal clock that guides its circadian rhythms. It keeps us awake during the day, but when you come home exhausted from your long shift it might keep you awake. The signals your body gets from the outside conflict with your desire to sleep.

Overall effect on your health can be really bad. You are under higher risk of developing metabolic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and gastrointestinal distress.

It might also be difficult to organize your time well to not miss out on spending enough time with your friends and family. The constant struggle to balance everything out and the stress that your body suffers from because of lack of sleep must be kept to a minimum trough lifestyle changes.

If you’re often having trouble falling asleep and you think this disorder could be the reason why, make sure to visit your doctor first. Keep a sleep diary that can help with identifying what problem do you have and does it progresses over time.

Practice good sleep hygiene. Healthy sleeping-related habits include

Establishing as regular as possible bedtime routine and sticking to it
Making your environment sleep friendly (keeping your bedroom dark, cool and quiet, remove all computer, TV and your phone from that area if possible)

keeping your bedroom dark, cool and quiet, remove all computer, TV and your phone from that area if possible

Try to go straight to bed after work. Go home and sleep as soon as your shift is over. Try to group your night shifts together during the week if possible to not change day and night schedules constantly throughout the week.
Decrease level of light in your room at least 30minutes before going to sleep to avoid light as trigger to keep you awake.
Reduce your caffeine intake. If you drink caffeinated drinks to help you stay awake during your shift, try not to drink any in the last four hours before going to bed. That will give your body time to metabolize it. Drink it in moderation. Drinking alcohol at all is also not recommended.
Tell people you will be unavailable. Let people know which ours you must spend sleeping so they don’t expect you to be available then. Don’t be afraid of seeming rude, you are doing it for your health. Your sleep patterns might make it difficult for you to keep up with your social interactions but you mustn’t sacrifice your health over them.
Get medication if it’s necessary. Your doctor will decide whether behavioral techniques help you enough. He might prescribe you medication if he finds that necessary. You might get melatonin to induce sleep, medications to promote wakefulness, or prescription sleep aids.
Don’t think that you must sleep long hours at a time. You can get two chunks of three hours instead of one big block if that works best for you. Amount of person each person needs is not set; it varies from person to person. You will know best how tired do you feel.

If you find yourself tossing and turning in your bed unable to fall asleep worst thing you can do is stress over it. Get out of your bed and do something else for 15-20minutes. It might help when you come back to try again.

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Categories: Health

Can a mattress topper help with back pain?

Posted on May 10th, 2016 by Frank

Back pain is a very unpleasant condition that should be taken extremely seriously, and treated immediately. It’s a disease that affects a lot of people today because of the modern-day sedentary way of life that most of us lead. It can be caused by an injury or sprain of the back muscles, in which case it will probably subside, once the muscles heal. Chronic back pain that persists for a long time is probably caused by bad posture, both during performing everyday activities, and, surprisingly, during the night.

About back pain

Most people tend to overlook the importance of proper sleeping conditions and to neglect the state of their mattresses, keeping the same old one for many years, even though it becomes saggy, worn, lumpy and uncomfortable. Instead of getting a refreshing night of sleep, they toss and turn all night, and sometimes wake up even more tired than the night before.

Chronic back pain is not only unpleasant, it is extremely unhealthy too. It can have a serious effect on the quality of life for the person that suffers from it. It diminishes the capability to work, it negatively affects a person’s mood, and it leads to problems with sleeping. Everyone who experiences it regularly must find a way to reduce it as soon as possible. Having the right support while sleeping is a necessary first step to eliminating lower back pain, and sometimes it can even be a solution.

If you don’t have the knowledge to buy a new mattress immediately or a large amount of money available to spend on one, invest in trying out a very useful piece of bedding equipment called mattress topper. You won’t need to buy a completely new mattress that way, but you’ll be able to get improved support for your joints and back so the pain will diminish.

Before you purchase your mattress topper answer these questions to help you choose:

What material do I need?

Matters toppers are available in a variety of different materials such as latex or different kinds of memory foam. Latex topper is probably going to be more expensive, but they are going to last you very long. They offer more resistance to your body contours, so they can help with lower back pain and spinal alignment. Best memory foam mattress topper from this website can also offer you a great deal of support at a lower price. You can choose between cool gel foam, or the traditional visco foam. Cool gel foam mattress is an excellent choice if you live in a very hot climate and sweat a lot during the night.

Cool gel foam mattress is an excellent choice if you live in a very hot climate and sweat a lot during the night

What thickness of the topper is the best for my back?

Mattress toppers can be between 1 to 6 inches thick, but we wouldn’t recommend buying anything under 3 inches. The thicker the mattress is, the more support for your back it will provide, be more comfortable and it’s going to last longer. If you experience severe back pain your mattress topper has to be firm, but in order to have an adequate degree of comfort you might want to try fiber-filled toppers (for example wool).

What thickness of the topper is the best for my back?

What density of foam works best for my back problems?

High quality toppers have a higher density (4 to 5 lbs). The best mattress topper for lower back pain has a density of over 5 pounds, because it offers the highest level of support for your back. Firmness or softness of the mattress topper also depend on your favorite sleeping position, back sleepers need firmer mattress toppers than people who sleep on their side. People who weigh more than 250 pounds need high density toppers.

If you have a spare bed or a sofa for the guests and you want to improve it a bit, you should definitely buy a mattress topper. They can even simply be thrown on the floor in a situation when you need a spare bed for unannounced guests. They are practical for campers and RVs, a solution to bad dorm room beds and ideal to soften a horrible hotel mattress when you travel. Mattress toppers can be found in different hypoallergenic materials, so they reduce levels of dust mites and other allergens in your bed, which is an added bonus.

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Categories: Health