Since the plant must drain, the closure of the drainage hole(s) by its roots must be seen as trouble. It does appear the plant is crying out for a re-potting and since it is causing problems, the need to wait until spring sunshine is not what it should be waiting for; re-pot now. Make sure the soil drains well...but does retain some moisture. For that, possible use of a heavier than usual percentage of peat moss might be considered. It holds on to moisture longer and mixed with any of the good mediums....vermiculite, coarse sand, perlite and potting soil/mix the plant might do better. Repotting of course is going to show what extent the roots are in. If you are considering a total re-soiling, then I suggest you remove all the old soil, wash the roots clean and inspect for any sign of damage there. A barrier between the drainage holes and the soil will prevent somewhat the reoccurrence of the roots making it to the drainage holes. Stones of size, or shards of clay might be used. I like the broken clay shards because they leave important spaces so that water can drain well, yet block the path of soil that can plug up the hole. Go up one size only...repotting to a pot too large for the roots---even tho they have expanded--can cause future problems. Its alright to remove what roots are superfluous. Ferns, generally all, like their water and they can sometimes drop a measure of debris that makes the plant or the floor its sitting on, unsightly. But, in winter, even ferns don't grow all that much and need less water. A constant vigil by testing the soil dampness is one way to avoid underwatering/overwatering. Ferns too appreciate light....just not direct light. Give your plant more than usual at this time but give it a filter when the time comes the light intensity resumes. Mid February is the time we usually allow that plants begin to start growing. Its the time that geraniums and their ilk, come out of their cool storage to resume their voyage to summr sun. Until April tho, the sun takes its time to come up to light that influences greatly plants in windows and on window sills. Common sense should prevail. When it does begin to put on new growth in earnest, the time to begin feeding can resume. Fertilize every 3rd or 4th watering.

I think you should stop adding bacteria. I haven't added any in the past six years. It occurs naturally. You mention slugs so my guess is you are seeing the jelly that surrounds snail eggs. The eggs are very tiny and clear at the beginning and difficult to see. If the "white strings" appeared since you began medicating the fish it might be the result of the medication. Normal fecal matter often appears as strings of various colors that dangle from the bottom of the fish. There shouldn't be a lot of it unless you are really over feeding the fish but the meds could be giving the fishies insides a workout. It is hard to tell without more observation from you. Observation is good. The round pellets are likely from plants in the area or could be from insects. It could be what is called frass, or droppings from larva (caterpillars). It could even be from a soil additive in potted plants. Walnut trees could be responsible. It is not fish poo. More description(size, color, texture) is needed.

Hello, Well it's taking me a few days to get back to you. We have had thunderstorms here for the last couple of days and it finally cleared. This computer has been unpluged because of severe storms, so sorry I am late getting back to you. Randy: I tried CCleaner on one of my computers a few years back and for some reason it never downloaded right, so I decided not to try and install it again and removed what was there. Zep516:I think some of the problem with these 2 programs in particular is when they are updated they end up starting up again--yes another poorly written program. You are absolutely right there. The people who built this computer took out the icon and also took it out of startup and when I updated it the icon etc came back. I have no idea what they used to get Kodak EasyShare out of the startup program and remove the icon. QuickStart has always been there but I just right click on it and shut it down. I also do the same for Kodak EasyShare. DA: I have heard of WinPatrol but have never used it. I was pretty new here when these programs were brought up and I was afraid to try anything that I didn't understand. No ones fault, just mine and me being scared to try them. Winpatrol will want to be part of the startup too. So it also has to be disabled and then it will be an on-demand utility. After its inital use and any other future usage you will only have to close WP from the Notification Area by right-clicking on the icon. Aren't there any programs out there that doesn't want to be a part of startup? It seems to me that you are just trading one program for another that wants to go to startup. Am I correct in thinking this? Also, remember I stated disable not delete. Delete is permanent, disable is temporary. Got Ya! "Wink" Oh no, just went downstairs and part of my basement is flooded. What next? Ugh! Time to get the mop. thirdfrt!!!

Hello everyone, I too have been experiencing all of the above and have spent countless hours and days worrying and scouring the internet for answers. I was overjoyed to stumble upon you all here and learn that I am not alone or losing my mind. A little info about me.... I am a 45 year old woman who started peri & menopause early!! I started at age 38/39 and had no clue what on earth was going on with me. The usual menopausal symptoms were downright awful but like the rest of you, I suffered through the whole time thinking “ok new symptom, dying again of some mysterious illness or I seriously need my head checked.” Fast forward.... I had my last menstrual cycle right after my 44th birthday (so over a year now) and I have to say the menopausal symptoms have lessened overall thankfully. Then SUDDENLY, about 2 months ago, just when I thought the worst was behind me, my body introduces to me, a new scary “oh no I’m dying again” symptom. THE ARMPIT ACHE!! I had just finished my routine physical, pap, mammogram, breast ultrasound, had bloodwork and urine tests done as well.... all came back normal. I was so relieved!!! However, my armpit ache started right after that, within a few days, which threw me for a loop. I thought ok maybe I strained a muscle working out?? Maybe I’m feeling after effects from the Mammogram “trauma”??? No clue and of course, panic starts to set in!! Over the course of 2 weeks, the ache in my armpit (right side for me) became an ache in the right shoulder, ache in my right breast and some days the ache even extended all the way down my right arm. It really is terrifying and consuming when you don’t know what’s going on or why and the Doctors can’t find anything either. So I started experimenting with different things to hopefully find a remedy or at least some peace of mind. Fast forward again..... long story short.... I accidentally stumbled upon a video on YouTube regarding Magnesium deficiency and it’s symptoms and I thought hmmmm, could it be my issue?? So I started taking Magnesium supplements and within 24 hours, my armpit ache started to disappear!! I have been taking the Magnesium faithfully every day for a few weeks now and I can say the ache is 95% gone and most days I don’t even remember having it at all. I don’t know if it’s merely a coincidence or if the magnesium really helped but I felt compelled to share my findings with you all in the hopes that it may help you as well. Side note, I had just started taking other supplements approx 2 weeks before the aching started so I thought perhaps they too may have been the culprit so I stopped taking them completely. (Calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamin C). 1 week later, I started Magnesium which I had never taken before!! Just to clarify. Together, we will get through this. Anita