Tips and Tricks

[krazyGeoff]

Use that thing you get with dishwashers or washing machines to hook siphon hoses into tanks. Shown centre in this pic:

http://appliancespares-direct.co.uk/images/DWH05.jpg

Jools

Oooo...I like that one. I was thinking of getting some of the Fluval clips for the same use, but it looks like Fluval stole the idea.

I use the fluval hose clips too. Can't remember what I used to do before that!

Great topic. Lots of good stuff here

[yellowcat]

Some clever idea's indeed! Here's a tip for those who have carbon filters and house cats. When replacing the carbon such as in cannister filters, save the used carbon and dry it in the sun for a few days. The next time you change the litter in the cat's litter box spread an inch deep layer of the used filter carbon on the bottom then add fresh cat litter on top. This will greatly extend the time between the next litter box change as the carbon really helps to absorb ammonia and the aroma therof. I've noticed recently that the more expensive varieties of cat litter are now including carbon in their products for presumably the same reason...

[coelacanth]

Check out your local hosing (not hosiery!) supplier to buy potable-quality reinforced hosing at whatever diameter you need for a fraction of the cost/metre of the usual stuff. Comes in a nice compact roll where you can cut off whatever lengths you need.

[apistomaster]

Eliminate all bucket brigade drain and refill by using potable water hoses. I bought 2-25 feet RV water supply hoses which have GHT ends. Buy an adapter so you can hook it up to a convenient faucet. I add Prime to tanks prior to refeilling.
On one hose I use PVC adapters with slip fitting/GHT for connecting an inverted PVC end piece all glued except the part to the tank. That has a slip fitting and i use different lengths of PVC pipe depending on how much water i want to remove. I alsi use a threaded and slip 90*ELL at the end of the drain pipe so is horizontal. Using the threaded end I use a 2-1/2 inch clear plastic jar and lid. i connect this to the end piece and the bottom of the jar is removed then covered with nylon fly screen so small fish are not sucked against a high suction area. I use a rubber band to hold this in place.
On the second hose I bought a 3 feet section of corrugated plastic hose. I split it length-wise on one side and slip this over the female end of the hose. I use this when pumping water from my RO reservoir. The corrugated hose outer prevents the hose from crimping at the edge of the barrel. The PVC inverted "U" on the male end of the former hose allows me to hang it from the sides of the tanks.

I also like black zip ties to attach Anubias to wood. Any thread or wire has the potential to become a pleco trap.
Holding down wood which is not water logged is always awkward using the old methods. I have found I can use a couple 1/4 inch wood dowels cut ever so slightly longer than the tank inside width allows these dowels to be wedged in place over the wood and keep it fixed in place. The dowels are barely noticeable. Eventually the wood becomes water logged and the dowels may be removed. Then there are no other contrivances necessary to hold wood down which serve no purpose once it is water logged.

Lots of good ideas have been posted. I still haven't a fool proof refill method which allows me to avoid over filling. There are some expensive high tech devices available but avoiding distractions is still the best I can do. I still overfill a tank fairly often.

[andywoolloo]

so overfilled tanks. due to trying to do too many things at once. I now just do water and nothing else when i do water, no more multi-tasking. altho it's hard to do that.

[Jools]

Best way to clean a tank face? Spit on it and wipe energetically until dry with a fresh piece of not colour newspaper. Diluted vinegar (10%) works about as well but is not as much fun.

Jools

[Dave Rinaldo]

A couple water sensor alarms have saved me some grief!
I happened to get this one.

Basement Watchdog Battery Operated Water Alarm

[wrasse]

Best way to clean a tank face? Spit on it and wipe energetically until dry with a fresh piece of not colour newspaper.

Hmmmm, Jooooools! And did Shane learn any other bad habits errrrrrr I mean tips and tricks when he spent the day in your fish room?

[Jools]

He has plenty all of his own.

Jools

[apistomaster]

I think because I smoke too much I have too dry a mouth and I haven't seen any bottles of spit in the cleaning section.
However I did switch to using car window washing fluid because it is stronger than Windex and is only about $2.00/gallon and it doesn't leave streaks like Windex.
Costco sells quality paper towels in dozen roll packs which I go through fairly fast.

[2wheelsx2]

The newspaper trick is an old car detailing trick. The ink in the paper is slightly abrasive and the spit (doesn't have to be spit, can be any water) lubricates it to very very lightly polish the glass. Windex and paper towels are a ton of work. If you get Stoner's Invisible Glass or any of the alcohol based cleaners (or just vinegar) it degreases and cleans your glass much faster without streaks.

[Jools]

Spitting is more fun, especially with cichlids. In all seriousness, it works well and doesn't run the risk of anything nasty getting in the tanks. When you have 3 or 4 tanks on top of each other, this becomes more important.

Jools

[bronzefry]

Since we've had a heat wave recently, I discovered a few things:
1. Lifting the lids on the tanks immediately lowers the temperature by 2 degrees F. Keeping the lids open overnight will keep the temperature at this lower temperature. Just watch out for any errant air stones. The bubbles can create some water on the floor. Oops.
2. Shutting off the lights during the heat wave also helps lower the temperature by another few degrees, especially if the light fixtures emit high wattage.
3. Unplug the heaters during a heat wave, even for the tanks with high-temp fish. They seem to do quite well with it. Plug them back in when the temps cool off.
4. Don't feed as much during a heat wave(unless you have fry to look after).
5. Plants like duckweed, when overgrown, can trap heat. Remove overgrown duckweed or surface plants.
Amanda

[corybreed]

Growing up in New York City I have been fortunate to have met many great aquarists. I always learn something when I visit a good fish room. Here are two useful items. First a rolling mincer that can be purchased in all houseware stores. It has a number of sharp blades that when rolled over black or blood worms cuts them into pieces of any desired size. You just rinse with water and feed. Another great item is a little plastic table thats put into pizza boxes so the pizza doesn't stick to the top of the box. You can silicone the little table to the bottom of a sponge filter so it raises it off the bottom of the tank and it keeps the fry from getting stuck under it. This might be a New York thing it think??

Mark

[corybreed]

One more. You can use a clump of Java Moss to collect adhesive cory eggs. Then you just deposit the eggs/moss in a hatching container.

Mark

[MatsP]

You can silicone the little table to the bottom of a sponge filter so it raises it off the bottom of the tank and it keeps the fry from getting stuck under it.

Just a thought: I'd bet a few pence that those "little tables" are made from PVC - can be glued with "solvent weld" to other PVC (prevalent material along with ABS for almost all types of plastic that goes into aquarium things).

Actually, that's probably a tip on it's own:
Most plastic bits produced for aquariums are PVC or ABS, and can be "solvent welded together". Of course, this also applies to solved weld type water/waste pipes that are commonly available in DIY/plumbing shops. E.g. an Eheim strainer can be glued to the "nut" of the bulkhead for overflow pipes to prevent fish being sucked down into a sump or such...

--
Mats

[matthewfaulkner]

When peeling and cutting vegetables lay out a sheet of cling film beforehand. Then you can wrap up all the peelings and leftovers into a bundle and throw them in the bin, instead of picking them up or scraping them into the bin. Or you could carry the bundle to compost heap/bin or garden waste and empty the bits there (probably not the cling film as I don't know if it's biodegradable).

[sidguppy]

some great tips are in this thread

as for overfilling I still haven't found any solution, except that I stay close, often with a book.
I read a LOT and i just make myself comfortable near the tank with a book and keep 1 eye on the tank, 1 on the book.

"just checking the email and the forums" doesn't work!
internet is wayyyyy too addictive and I flooded my former apartment 2 times with hundreds of liters at refills when "just checking the mail"


I always recycle tankwater! room plants, the lawn, the rest of the garden: all do fine on fish-poo. i just elongate the hoses with pieces of eheim pipe until I can reach any part of the garden.
I also collect tankwater when washing out biofiltration sponges, bacterial medium and such.
cold water will shock-kill the bacteria, but rinsing them in surplus tankwater will not and you don't have to waste drinking water to do that.

careful with this one:

Lifting the lids on the tanks immediately lowers the temperature by 2 degrees F. Keeping the lids open overnight will keep the temperature at this lower temperature

many fish can jump and eel like fishes get out as well......

even clumsy looking things like callichthys are true escape artists and finding one's prize rarities covered in dust and still busy dying is no fun at all.....neither is being a slow waker and stepping barefooted on the dorsal spine of a dead catfish

[apistomaster]

Multitasking refilling tanks while posting or e-mailing is the number one cause of my overflow incidents.

I also think it is a bad idea to leave the cover open. I never could see how so many people who specialize in aquatic gardening don't use any glass lids could not have enough sobering losses from fish jumping out to continue going without covers. Many fish which don't seem likely to jump actually do. Wild Discus for example.

[2wheelsx2]

I can see running open top if you have acrylic, since the openings are small, but yeah, when I ran open top I was always worried about suicide fish so I put the top back on.

[Jon]

At your local hardware store, you can usually find potting sand, which essentially amounts to completely inert, very fine sand (which almost qualifies as silt). It is by far the best substrate for any sand-diving fish you might have. And aesthetically pleasing/cheap, too.

[andywoolloo]

screen lids for summer are easy to make, fish can't jump out.

zip ties
plastic coated wire mesh cut at hardware store
garden ties/stakes

when you have glass lids and you lift them up and lean them back against the light strip, the front open area is what I screen.

[Barbie]

Some of these tips are going to be redundant, but they are all things people have seen me use at the shop and said "Gosh, how did you think of THAT?"

1. Clamps from Home Depot are a god send. I use the squeeze clamps on everything from water treatment barrels to holding fry containers on the glass in a pinch. They are primarily plastic and the little bit of metal is up out of the water in most applications. That extra hand can make it much easier to have water siphoning and filling at the same time in your fish room. Of course, this also doubles (ok, maybe triples) your chances of getting water outside of a box, rather than inside!

2. Muriatic acid is available at most hardware stores and is a fantastic soak when mixed with water to remove all sorts of lime scale from glass and plastic. CAREFUL! with this one!

3. The bulb suction devices they use in surgical applications are designed to be used one handed. If you can find them, they are extremely handy in a fish room.

4. Individual pill containers make great fish food holders when you are going to be leaving a caretaker in your fish room. Labeled or one left on each tank is a safe way to be sure they aren't overfed in your absence.

5. To start a siphon with a Python style water changer, you can submerge the gravel vac portion with the open end up, then raise it above the edge of the tank. As the water flows through the hose, submerge again, and start vacuuming. This allows you to let the water to drain into the toilet (which is self flushing as it fills) and not waste the water in your sink. It lets gravity do the work.

6. Most clear hoses will slide inside each other with a fairly tight seal. I regularly pump water 16' up to the second story by stuffing the python hose inside the 3/4" ID hose that runs in my saltwater mixing bin. Try it. It's handy! ;)

7. Sharpie markers don't wipe off tanks as easily as dry erase ones (learned this the hard way) but can easily be scraped off with a new razor blade. I write all over my tanks before I leave on vacations. No idea if it helps!

8. Sticky velcro from the craft store on power strips can save you having to stand in that puddle to unplug the power strip that is sparking at you. I use the 2" stuff and put a big chunk on the inside of the stand or rear leg, depending on the stand style. Then you can easily pull the strip out to work on things, but also have it up off the floor and out of the way.

I am sure I'm forgetting things. I will try to add them as I think of them. Great idea Shane .

Barbie

[Jools]

Having a home wormery is great for a fish room and also great for feeling good about yourself from a green perspective. I have this one (a Christmas present from my wife):

http://www.wormsdirectuk.co.uk/acatalog ... rmery.html

All uncooked kitchen vegetable and fruit waste exception onions and citrus related stuff goes in here as well as hoover waste, egg shells and cut flowers. I get a tonne of worms, and an infinite supply of blackwater extract too. The container itself sits within a fish poly box, and drains out into cups (blackwater extract). Amazingly it doesn't smell bad if kept open to the air. Every 10-12 months I get several kilos of high grade compost for the houseplants and I feed healthy live worms to my larger fish every two weeks or see, cost free.

Jools

[coelacanth]

Having a home wormery is great for a fish room and also great for feeling good about yourself from a green perspective.

We have made them from old 5-gallon salt buckets, few holes drilled in the bottom and some old netting over that, job's a good 'un, old tea bags are also go in there.
Any large food-grade container will do, I've got a couple of the posh purpose-built ones at home, but I wouldn't say they do any better than our cheapo bucket'o'worms method.
Worms mean happy fish

[2wheelsx2]

Can you feed the worms directly to plecos? Or do you chop them up? I've been thinking about doing one, but the thought of chopping up worms changes my mind every time.

[coelacanth]

Can you feed the worms directly to plecos? Or do you chop them up? I've been thinking about doing one, but the thought of chopping up worms changes my mind every time.

No need for chopping, just pull them apart with your fingers

If you're squeamish, you can buy multi-bladed scissors which do the job very quickly (they're sold for this purpose by angling suppliers, or you can buy them for destroying documents).

[bronzefry]

some great tips are in this thread

as for overfilling I still haven't found any solution, except that I stay close, often with a book.
I read a LOT and i just make myself comfortable near the tank with a book and keep 1 eye on the tank, 1 on the book.

"just checking the email and the forums" doesn't work!
internet is wayyyyy too addictive and I flooded my former apartment 2 times with hundreds of liters at refills when "just checking the mail"


I always recycle tankwater! room plants, the lawn, the rest of the garden: all do fine on fish-poo. i just elongate the hoses with pieces of eheim pipe until I can reach any part of the garden.
I also collect tankwater when washing out biofiltration sponges, bacterial medium and such.
cold water will shock-kill the bacteria, but rinsing them in surplus tankwater will not and you don't have to waste drinking water to do that.

careful with this one:

Lifting the lids on the tanks immediately lowers the temperature by 2 degrees F. Keeping the lids open overnight will keep the temperature at this lower temperature

many fish can jump and eel like fishes get out as well......

even clumsy looking things like callichthys are true escape artists and finding one's prize rarities covered in dust and still busy dying is no fun at all.....neither is being a slow waker and stepping barefooted on the dorsal spine of a dead catfish

Sorry. I thought about that as I was walking away from the computer! My jumpers, surprisingly, have been Otocinclus sp.. I reuse some of the tank water on the plants, especially cactus.
Amanda

[Shane]

A gift from Jools, this has to be the best piece of aquarium kit ever.

[Shane]

Super drainer. This is 1 inch clear hose from a hardware store. I attached an intake strainer from a Marineland 330 so I do not suck up fish.