I think Steve needs another dog and 4 more parrots.
Guess I need to stay on topic - fish that is. The fish are really glad I'm doing WCs. I'm up to about 50% each time because of the ammonia. Nitrites are still about the same. I'm seeing more red stuff in my tank (on the back and top layer of the bottom).
I also want to thank whoever had this tip - I was having problems with my old protein skimmer filling up with water and spitting out stuff all over my walls (even on the lowest setting) until I read about using vaseline around the rim. I was going to reference the site or thread where I found this tip, but I couldn't find the site again. Anyway, I didn't have any vaseline so I used silicone lubricant (the stuff I use on my camera housing o-rings). It slowed the bubbles down and now it works like it is supposed to. I do have a new skimmer on the way, but this has made my old one is much more functional now.