DIY (Kinda Hydroponic) Cat Grass Fish Tank + Catnip Marinator Cat Toy Tutorials- #ChickFilAMomsDIY

The post is brought to you in part by Chick-fil-A and the CFA Mom’s Panel DIY Upcycling Challenge. All ideas and opinions below are mine and should not be taken as religious or political agenda. #ChickFilAMomsDIY

Momma Told Me: Find new purpose in old things.

Some of you may or may not know that I am a member of the Chick-Fil-A® Moms group, a collection of influential women who help shape the company's many family friendly initiatives, and kid's meal prizes, through insight and feedback. I don't, personally, have a story of growing up with the chain. In fact, I only discovered the brand a few years back when my hometown opened a shiny new location devoted to inspiring the locals to 'Eat-Moar-Chickn,' in a family oriented atmosphere. I don't eat 'fast casual' a lot- in fact, I've cut it dramatically in recent years. Having health minded grilled chicken selections at my local Chick-Fil-A is always a real treat- and the lady at the drive-through says 'Absolutely!' to just about anything I ask.

Well, one of the the selections I've been particularly crushing on lately are the newer salad offerings. I've actually made a habit of stopping by after league for a Kale Superfood Side (Salad,) their small side veggie offering sold solo or as an alternative to fries. It's made with delicious fresh kale, broccolini, walnuts, and dried sour cherries tossed in a sweet and tangy maple vinaigrette. It's Ah-May-Zing.

So, when the Chick-Fil-A Moms group challenged me to try their Spicy Southwest Salad, and up-cycle the container into something awesome, I grabbed my fork and rose to the challenge. I really wasn't expecting this full size (meal) salad to bring the heat quite like it did. My taste-buds were seriously awakened with the slices of spicy grilled chicken, roasted corn, black beans, chili lime pepitas, and creamy salsa dressing. Together these elements make for one flavorful, spicy, chicken salad.

The inspiration behind my up-cycle was my cat, Truffles. Surprised right?

I really had no idea exactly how I'd tackle the project at first, but I wanted it to be something extremely simple to build, as the concept of caring for, and creating an appropriate environment for, fish is a bit of work in itself. My Upcycles (Kinda Hydroponic) Cat Grass Fish Tank can function with Guppies, but I highly suggest anyone who is not intermediately skilled in fish care start with a single beta fish, which is much less maintenance. Keep in mind a Beta fish needs to always be housed solo, and requires the water's surface to breath, as they are surface breathers- Guppies prefer to live in schools, making this tank suitable for 3 max, and 2 suggested. alternatively, if you have a larger (main) tank and want to use this as a raising/acclimation tank, you can do so too.

Here are the materials I used:

1 Chick-Fil-A Spicy Southwest Chicken Salad Container, Cleaned + Washed

An Old Beverage Dispenser (1.5-2 Gallon Capacity)

2 lbs Aquarium Gravel

Scissors

3.5-4" Nail

1/8" Cotton Rope (Wax To Dip Tips, Optional)

PH Meter/Water Conditioner For Tank Startup

2 C Organic Potting Soil (No Fertilizers)

1/2 C Cat (Wheatgrass) Seeds

Square Foot of Fine Mesh/Screen

***If housing a Beta do NOT use a bubbler or current system to oxygenate the water as it can by rough on their fins, and hard to swim against. For any other freshwater (Guppy-like) fish, consult your local pet store owner for necessary food and conditioning aids. Your tank WILL require aeration and a filtration system- I recommend the Small World Pump + Filter Kit (sold on Amazon.)

Step 1: Begin by poking approximately 12 holes around the perimeter of the bottom of both your clear and black Chick-Fil-A salad trays using the nail set aside. I found the black (bottom) tray was much easier to puncture, while the clear one required finessing as to not crack it under too much force.

Step 2: Using one blade of your scissors poke a slice into each corner of both trays, approximately 1/2" wide. Cut your rope into 14" sections. Feed your rope vertically through one of the punctures, and across the tray to the other side, as to create 4 separate pull tab handles from 2 sections of rope.

Step 3: If desired you may dip the frayed ends of your rope in warm wax to help seal the ends and prevent them from sliding or fraying further. Test both the clear and black tray inside your empty drink dispenser to determine which will sit the highest inside. I found my clear tray worked well for initial germination, while the black tray worked well to transfer my grass as the root system became heavier and more intricate.

Step 4: You will easily locate fine mesh screen at your local hardware store, though you may run into difficulty finding patch pieces small enough for your project. While the screen should be easy to trim, I found the simplest plan was to get a splatter screen from the dollar store kitchen department and trim my piece from that. Regardless, you will want to ensure that your screen sits comfortably at the bottom of your beverage dispenser/tank, just under the nozzle draw. This will help ensure that there is always a water reservoir below the rock level, to draw from.

Step 5: Add your water to the tank/beverage dispenser. You will likely only be able to fill it about 3/4 of the way to meet the sitting level of your prepared tray. The tray will initially float when empty, this is fine. Make sure to treat and prepare the water for your fish before adding any to the tank. It takes a minimum of 10 days for water to properly cycle- water tablets and drops may be purchased at the local pet supply store to speed up the process, but I highly suggest allowing your water to sit a minimum of 72 hours, even when using these 'quick' treatments. If you have an existing main tank you can help the transition by sourcing half of your water from the established tank.

***Never put fish directly into tap water, the chlorine levels can be toxic- treat water appropriately or follow the correct procedures for cycling. Allow your fish to 'acclimate' by floating inside their travel (sale) bag for an hour before adding them, to ensure the water temperatures have evened.

Step 6: Once your tank has a filtration system and air system (if not using a Beta,) and the water had been appropriately cycled you will add your fish, and can begin growing your cat grass. Add half your organic soil to your prepared up-cycled tray. Sprinkle your cat/wheat grass seeds directly across this layer of soil and cover with the remaining soil. Float the tray on the surface of the tank's water. When using the 1.5-2 gallon beverage dispenser you should notice the container will wedge itself at a maximum depth once it has slowly absorbed enough moisture through the tray's 'breathing' holes. This should leave the bottom of the tray approximately 1.5" submerged, and a generous rim of water surface around for fish to surface as desired.

Step #7: Once your cat grass soil has soaked initially you'll want to begin a daily cycle of soaking/floating the tray for a few hours a day, and 'docking' it on the lid of the tank/beverage dispenser for the rest. When the seeds begin sprouting and the grass has reached a height of about 2-3" you will want to stop cycling the tray through the water and begin a fresh tray.

Step #8: Use the dispenser's spout, at the bottom of the tank to drain half the water during weekly tank water changes to water your sprouted/growing cat grass. This nutrient rich water will contain traces of natural nitrates and other nutrients plants can benefit from in processing- use your fish water to water house and garden plants!

Step 9: Enjoy your tank garden and continue to cycle through trays as your cat enjoys the home-grown grass.With a little bit of research you can even refine a method that will allow you to keep recycling the wheat grass seeds indefinitely, making this one eco-friendly project!

If that project seems like it's a bit out of your league, and I promise, the only complicated thing about it is knowing some basic fish care and tank processing practices, I have another up-ycle you can throw together in 2 minutes! Ready? Let's get started!

D.I.Y Up-Cylced Catnip Marinator + Toy

1 Small Chick-Fil-A Superfood Side OR Kid's Nugget Tray

2' of Paracord

Scissors

Organic Catnip

Cat Toy Of Choice

Step 1: Using 1 blade of your scissors puncture a hole approximately 1/4" down from the rim, and 1/2" in width, in each corner of your clean Chick-Fil-A tray.

Step 2: Cut your paracord into 2 1' pieces. Tie a knot approximately 4" from one end of your paracord, on each of the 2 pieces of cording. Feed each end of your cord through the container slit diagonal to it as to create a criss-cross of cording.

Step 3: Pour a generous portion of catnip in the bottom of your black container and place an appropriately sized toy inside. Close the lid atop, sealing efficiently. Toss the container onto the ground with disregard and proceed to ignore it's existence.

If your completed project resembles trash with some colorful strings coming out of it, you've accomplished your goal. The slits will allow some of the catnip fragrance to seep out, while the closed container will saturate your toy of choice with fresh catnip 'flavor.' Let your cat knock it around and chew on the paracord for a few days then swap the toy inside out with a fresh one. It's a toy AND a catnip marinator!

Well, there you have it, my best ideas for putting those old Chick-Fil-A trays to good use. I always feel bad tossing them out, they are so sturdy and practical, we typically keep a few clean ones on hand to run leftovers to a sick neighbor or bring to a potluck. As it turns out there is a plethora of things you can do with these nifty containers once you've enjoyed the delicious-ness within. Check out the blog hop at the bottom of this post for more inspiration and D.I.Y up-cycling!

What Daughter Says: I love to imagine a new life for forgotten things- everything can have a purpose if you look at it in a new way!

PSST! Score a FREE Sandwich at Chick-Fil-A when you download the new app, for a limited time! http://bit.ly/1P5fyde

Choosing Your Child's First Fish Tank: An Affordable Pet That Can Last

Momma Told Me: If I'm buying it, you're taking care of it!

At some point in your child's life they are going to ask for a pet all their own- if you're lucky, this pet will be relatively small and contained to a tank or cage. The family pet, cat or dog, is the family pet but when a child wants 'their own pet' that means they should be willing to take on all the responsibility of caring for this living creature. Ideally, your child has been socialized with pets an living things enough, by this point, that they understand at least a portion of the responsibility that comes with such a request. So, before you cave into those tear-lined wide eyes at the county fair, an take home 'Goldy,' consider a few simple tips to make those penny 'starter' fish last.

You can get a starter tank as low as $10; especially when you consider 'children's' tanks designed for Bettas, and often covered in cartoon characters. Keep in mind that truly the only fish you should be keeping in a tank without filtration (IE 'bowl' style) is a Betta fish. While the classic concept of a goldfish in a bowl can be achieved these fish, which will surface for air, live up to 3x longer in a system with air and filtration. Don't be alarmed, the cost of your starter thank does not have to skyrocket to include these features. You can still invest around $30 for a less 'gimmicky' functional tank that includes these features and even the water conditioners and starter food necessary to let your new family member thrive. The 2.5 gallon AquaTunes fish tank we chose for Sabrina (12) included a complete tank starter kit, and LED color changer/MP3 player for about $34 retail.

Now, our household already had 2 fish tanks; so why were we adding another?

Our Betta fish, Larry, has the No Clean Aquarium we featured almost 2 years ago, and requires no maintenance, aside from pouring fresh water in the top every other day, and feeding a pinch of food every night. The BioBubble we featured last Fall is a gorgeously novel tank that is truly a handful to clean and maintain and much too complex for a 12 year-old. They both house starter fish, but neither feature the hands on accessibility we desired to let Sabrina demonstrate responsibility. Keeping this in mind we choose Guppies for her fish, a step above Bettas, and a tank that was easy to access for care and maintenance. It's important to note, while we looked at and discussed fish on this trip, we did not take fish home, as a tank should be set up and functioning a minimum of 72 hours, to ideally 2-3 weeks, prior to adding fish. Consult an expert in your aquatics department for proper additives and cycling tips and even complimentary water testing. Armed with a hot pink fish net, food pellets, and a bottle of water conditioner, we headed for the most exciting part of our journey (no, not the fish-) the decorations!

Children, especially, will easily go overboard and get distracted by the tank decoration selection. If you can, as is the case with most smaller starter tanks under 5 gallons, bring your empty tank to the pet store to choose your decorations (to ensure everything fits on the floor of the tank). Most smaller schooling fish, such as guppies, will like to swim between objects and even hide; consider adding decorations that not just look pretty, but fill this need. Choose soft artificial plants that will add some taller depth to your tank, and consider a main 'center' piece which has access for bubbles and aeration. Your standard pump will have hosing to attach to any basic aerated decoration. If you are choosing a fish that has elaborate fins consider that intricate or 'sharp' ended decorations can result in nicks and tears that can make your fish sick with fin rot.

After you have bought everything EXCEPT your fish, return home. Follow the directions included with your tank, or on the packaging of each element. In general, rinse EVERYTHING with luke-warm water, even your gravel, before putting it in the tank. Make sure to install your flooring an all decorations (hook up your air pump to any filters or decor!) before adding any water. Most starter kits will include a Perfect Start water treatment to remove nitrates and balance PH, but an additional treatment often referred to as a 'Slime Coat' or Organic Water Booster will be optimal for tanks you wish to establish in as little as 3 days (longer establishing period will give your fish better chances of survival). Having a tank that has been running for a while longer before adding fish, will help natural bacterium build for your fish to thrive. You should never bring fish home and put them directly into a new tank.

Once your water has cycled and established, for a minimum of 72 hours (longer is always better- consult an expert for best results), return to the pet store to select your new friends. Most pet stores receive fresh fish deliveries once a week. Ask your pet store what day this is, and be sure you buy your fish 2-3 days after- Much like your tank needs a time to establish, fish that have recently dealt with the shock of transport and transfer will not be as strong as those that have thrived in store for a few days. Don't be afraid to specifically select fish, even in a tank of 20 or more- look for active fish that swim away from the net, and are socially integrated with schools of others. When you arrive home, remember to 'float' your bagged fish in the prepared tank for a few hours before pouring them directly into the water. This will help account for any temperature differences that could potentially shock your new scaly friends.

Now, I know you're dying to see the gorgeous tank Sabrina set up- truly, I'm jealous of it's beauty; but that will have to wait for another post!

What Daughter Says: Set yourself up for success; penny fish can be lasting family members!