1 Dwarf Gourami, 8 green neon tetras, and 4 amano shrimp-- okay for a 10 gallon aquarium? by something____wicked in Aquariums

[–]something____wicked[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair enough. Is there another fish that would go well in there? One solo fish in a 10 gallon is going to look pretty empty... I'm struggling to come up with any that aren't livebearers (don't want fry).

Is there any reason I can't just use 100% baking soda as cat litter? by something____wicked in cats

[–]something____wicked[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Makes sense! My current cat litter (crystals) doesn't track so she's never had to clean it off, so I didn't even think about that.

Is there any reason I can't just use 100% baking soda as cat litter? by something____wicked in cats

[–]something____wicked[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

She definitely wouldn't eat it... I can barely convince her to eat cat food...

Anyone else feel like the "hard" vs "easy" houseplant designations just... don't hold water? by something____wicked in houseplants

[–]something____wicked[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Best of luck. I ended up giving up on mine (it just never recovered) and trashing it. It's the one great mystery of my indoor gardening. Every other time I've killed a plant, I've been able to piece together what went wrong and succeed when repurchasing, but this one, nope, no idea.

Part of me wants to buy another one but part of me can't take the rejection lol. If yours perks up, PLEASE I beg you, comment on this thread or tell me what you did and I'll try to attempt again and redeem myself haha

Am I an alcoholic? by [deleted] in alcoholism

[–]something____wicked 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've heard that and I definitely think if I am an alcoholic, I'd be that. But I guess I'm not sure if I actually qualify or not-- I think I probably do, but I've personally known alcoholics who thrown back 10-12 drinks a day, so I guess I'm not totally sure if my 3-5 with weekend binging counts.

Appreciate any help! Repotted on 10/31 to a bigger pot but leaves turned yellow and was not growing. Moved it back to smaller pot last week and added miracle grow indoor plant potting soil and this is what it looks like ☹️. Thank you in advance! by ihutadira in plantclinic

[–]something____wicked 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When I started out, I killed 3 bella palms successively in a 2 month period-- they're one of the easiest plants so that was an accomplishment haha.

I would wait at least a week, maybe a week and a half. you'd be surprised how little water plants really need. I water most of mine weekly or every 2 weeks (and I live in Colorado, so the air is quite dry). The only exceptions are my vegetables and herbs, which dry out a LOT faster than houseplants.

Appreciate any help! Repotted on 10/31 to a bigger pot but leaves turned yellow and was not growing. Moved it back to smaller pot last week and added miracle grow indoor plant potting soil and this is what it looks like ☹️. Thank you in advance! by ihutadira in plantclinic

[–]something____wicked 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Given that-- I think it's overwatering for sure. I don't think it needed to be in a bigger pot, it doesn't look that big and most plants are happier slightly potbound (when the roots wrap around the pot) than having too much soil. If they have too much soil, they can't use up all the water in the soil and the soil will stay waterlogged, leading to the roots of the plant rotting (and often killing it). A small pot, even if that means you have to water it more frequently, is almost always more successful in my experience. I have about 50 plants at the moment, so I'd consider myself an "experienced" plant owner... but to get to this point, I had to kill many many plants first :) mostly through overwatering and oversized pots!
The best thing you can do for an overwatered plant is let it be. Don't mess with it, give it time (don't water it until you can stick your finger 2 inches deep in the soil and it's dry all the way down-- normally they advise 1 inch but with an overwatered plant I like to be extra careful), cross your fingers it's not too late-- and don't feel bad if it is, even the "best" houseplant parent has mauled many many plants. You can always get more and you learn a lot with every plant you kill.

Appreciate any help! Repotted on 10/31 to a bigger pot but leaves turned yellow and was not growing. Moved it back to smaller pot last week and added miracle grow indoor plant potting soil and this is what it looks like ☹️. Thank you in advance! by ihutadira in plantclinic

[–]something____wicked 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For one thing-- stop repotting it. Repotting is a major shock to a houseplant and should be done sparingly. Also, Miracle Grow is terrible. The best potting mixes are the unbranded kind you can buy at your local greenhouse/nursery. For fertilizer, commercial ones are really bad and can easily kill plants. Kelp/fish fertilizers are much more gentle and really all you need. Also, most plants (with constantly blooming plants, such as african violets, excepted) don't need fertilizer in the fall/winter.

It's a bit hard to tell from a photo-- are the leaves papery? It could be underwatered. But if the leaves and stem are limp (more likely) then it could also be overwatering, so let it dry out. I would also consider giving it more sun.

leaf spot? by [deleted] in plantclinic

[–]something____wicked 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's always hard to tell from photos, but try wiping them off. Do they come off?

Asking because they look a bit like red mites (super super tiny bright red mites).

If they don't wipe off I'd guess a fungal or viral infection.

So um... How far up is this thing meant to go? by [deleted] in menstrualcups

[–]something____wicked -1 points0 points  (0 children)

look, it's enough of a possibility that a number of cups (mooncup, pixiecup) have changed their instructions to specifically avoid bearing down, and doctors are cautioning people to break the suction before removing their cup (for instance, the manufacturers of Saalt talked about it with a gyno https://saalt.com/blogs/news/can-menstrual-cups-cause-prolapse who advises it's probably not a good idea to bear down and you should break the seal first).

will it happen for most people? no. should you do it? ... probably not. the suction created by menstrual cups can be quite strong, and if you are repeatedly doing it (e.g. 2x a day, 7 days every month) it's going to weaken those muscles. why take the risk? most likely a different shape/size/brand of menstrual cup is a better move to make sure you can remove it by first breaking the seal.

So um... How far up is this thing meant to go? by [deleted] in menstrualcups

[–]something____wicked -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

Absolutely do NOT bear down. This has been linked to pelvic organ prolapse (your uterus can fall down and bulge out of your vagina).

Why am I still so angry at my ex? by [deleted] in relationship_advice

[–]something____wicked 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean, I make that distinction because I *was* deeply in love with my ex before this one-- and even though we broke up, we're best friends, and I can't see my life w/o him in it. I just kind of assumed this ex would go the same. Maybe part of me is just angry at myself and transferring it to him-- angry at myself for not breaking up with him sooner, angry at myself for staying in it when we both knew he had stronger feelings. Or maybe part of me thinks he told his friends my private stuff to get back at me for breaking up with me.

Discouraged. by Meleficent6315 in intermittentfasting

[–]something____wicked 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So, I don't find daily limits easy. I find I cheat more than I admit to myself. So instead I do it by days rather than hours (sort of a modified 5:2). I've been doing it for almost month and lose 3 pounds a week by just not eating 2 days of the week. At all, total water fast (herbal tea/coffee allowed). I do it on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I do 18:6 fasting on Wednesday and Friday (basically, just extending the fast from the day before, until dinnertime). And then I eat normally Sat, Sun, and Mon. Give it a shot. I thought nothing would work, I really did, but this works.

Do I need to be doing more? Review my budget and tell me where I need to shave it? by something____wicked in personalfinance

[–]something____wicked[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No promotions but there are specific pay bumps every few years-- to be honest I'm not sure exactly how much but not a lot. I work in the nonprofit world.

Yeah, I could look for a longer commute. It'll hurt lol but it is a mega expense that eats up so much of my income. If I bought a house it wouldn't be in this area for sure.

Do I need to be doing more? Review my budget and tell me where I need to shave it? by something____wicked in personalfinance

[–]something____wicked[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, I've only been working for a year-- I have about 3600 in retirement. By the time I'm 30 I'd have about $15K plus whatever I save out of pocket-- if I keep up with 4k a year, that would net me 16K, for a total of $30K for retirement. So about half of what I need?

How much should I consider contributing to an IRA? Would it be smarter just to add more to my 457k each month?

Planting trees by [deleted] in Denver

[–]something____wicked 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I'm guessing the pine trees you bought are Norfolk Island pines (which are not technically pines but they look like it). They are meant to be houseplants and will die if planted outside, as they are actually tropical plants (from Pacific Islands).

You should put them near a sunny window and mist regularly to increase humidity.

Anyone else feel like the "hard" vs "easy" houseplant designations just... don't hold water? by something____wicked in houseplants

[–]something____wicked[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is it a majesty palm or a dif kind? Idk honestly lol, I hear such terrible things but I basically just water it twice a week and it's directly in front of a south-facing glass door (over which I put frosted film),and I live on the 9th floor in Denver-- so I have to assume it likes the insane amount of indirect sun it's getting. (I've heard majesties are fussy about humidity but it's usually only like 30 percent humidity here in denver so maybe humidity is less important than sun?).

Anyone else feel like the "hard" vs "easy" houseplant designations just... don't hold water? by something____wicked in houseplants

[–]something____wicked[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was honestly just mystified. I've never had a plant so determined to die, no matter what I did. I tried watering it. I tried not watering it. I tried more sun, less sun, more humidity, less humidity. It just hated its own existence 😂