Tips on everything...

[redsea]

If a fish needs to be kept in groups, be sure to purchase adequate numbers of the fish in question.

 

[ASF07003]

Excellent ideas!! I am writing them down as they come in!! I like #1 idea the best!! Hubby has a job! lol

Those are awesome ideas. Now I know what to with my daughter medicine droppers!! My wife loves the dowel idea rather than see me frustratingly try to arrange stemmed plants in the tank & get wet in the process

 

[Thecurly1]

I use the infant medician droppers to fill my API test kits. Quick and easy!

 

[thomasina]

To give bottom feeders a chance to get the flakes, I put a pinch of flakes on a teaspoon to let them get kind of soggy and they go right to the bottom when dumped in.

 

[Old Scales]

LOL Any tips on how too keep my wife from killing me? I just ordered a fancy quad T5 HO with timer and nite LEDs for my 30g. "But honey. It was on sale!" Oh Jeeees! LOL I didn't think this hobby was supposed to be hazardous to your health!
I've heard of being put on the couch, but IN THE FISH TANK??!! OS.

 

[Zimmanski]

LOL Any tips on how too keep my wife from killing me? I just ordered a fancy quad T5 HO with timer and nite LEDs for my 30g. "But honey. It was on sale!" Oh Jeeees! LOL
I've heard of being put on the couch, but IN THE FISH TANK??!! OS.

Haha I have that issue too. My tip is, next time you buy something, send her to get her nails done or a massage or something, then while she's gone set up the new equipment. Haha my girlfriend is never as upset with me when she's just got her hair or nails done

 

[thomasina]

LOL Any tips on how too keep my wife from killing me? I just ordered a fancy quad T5 HO with timer and nite LEDs for my 30g. "But honey. It was on sale!" Oh Jeeees! LOL I didn't think this hobby was supposed to be hazardous to your health!
I've heard of being put on the couch, but IN THE FISH TANK??!! OS.

Old Scales!! Buy her jewelry shaped like a fish!! It's still a fish, but what woman doesn't like something that sparkles!???? lol

 

[NATO]

I only realised today that you can use a syphon tube to suck out fine gravel if you're changing substrate (I took off the wide nozzle and used a narrow one the same diameter of the tube). It certainly takes a lot if the hassle out of it!

 

[thomasina]

I only realised today that you can use a syphon tube to suck out fine gravel if you're changing substrate (I took off the wide nozzle and used a narrow one the same diameter of the tube). It certainly takes a lot if the hassle out of it!

As I was reading this I was thinking of using this method to get to the small hard to get to places too! Like under drift wood you don't really want to move to between closely planted plants!

 

[thomasina]

As I first said, I would like to have this thread for new comers. I have been doing some research and talking to others and here is what I came up with!

To see if your floor is strong enough for a tank figure ten pounds per gallon. So a ten gallon would weigh around 100 pounds. 20 gallon = 200 and so forth.

Submersible heaters are safer for children and your fish. The controls are under water and out of reach.

If your PH is getting low, check out the rocks, driftwood, or if you have seashells.

Dark gravel brings out the color of your fish.

Sometimes the best way to catch a fish is with 2 nets. Hold one in place and the other to herd the fish.

When you plug into your outlets, make sure you have a 'drip loop'. In other words.. the cord should hang lower than the outlet. In case water runs down the cord from the tank, it will drip off where the loop is and won't go into the socket.

And lastly.... Your aquarium will never be cooler than the temp. of your room. So if your room is at 80, and you've got your heater at 75, your tank will stay at 80. If the room temp drops below 75, it will turn on then.

Mind you, these are all tips that are ones opinion, not rules of the trade! Enjoy your fish!

 

[Ian086]

Add some toothbrushes to that list, an adult and a kids size. Brand new of course. Great for cleaning those hard to reach places and cheap as hell.
Also pantyhose are a great thing to have on hand, so many uses!!!

 

[SandyCheeks]

Okay, but isn't the water coming from the hose too cold?

yes the water from the hose can get really cold, especially in the winter, so I ask my hubby to pour warm water from a bucket into the tank while I add water from the hose. I keep an eye on the thermometer.

It is super fast to fill the tank using the python connected to a hose

This is a great thread!

 

[MonkeyMonk86]

Square plastic bread ties, labeled, to hang onto and mark cords.

 

[ScotJudd]

I use water from my main tank to water change my quarantine tank. That way when the fish are quarantined they are not having to acclimatise to water with different parameters. This is possible because my main tank nitrates stick at 5.0 because it's heavily planted. If your main tank nitrates exceed 20 then it's not a good idea.

 

[captaincritical]

I use a turkey baster for EVERYTHING - sucking up empty snail shells, loose plant leaves, uneaten food, fish waste, shrimp molts, water to fill my API vials... such a useful tool!

The little cloths that come with new eyeglasses are fantastic for cleaning your tank glass. I have a billion of them lying around because I order cheap glasses online and get them for free. No chemicals necessary and even cleans dried-on water spots without wetting it.

Clean your back glass REALLY thoroughly before you put on a background, or any spots will be highly visible and drive you crazy.

If you have fish that tend to bloat easily or gulp air at the surface when eating, fill up a little bowl with tank water (using your turkey baster), then mix your food with it. Use the turkey baster to suck up the food/water mixture and feed it to your fish just below the surface. No more gulped air! This is also very helpful for spot-feeding slower fish.

Keep a towel or two by the tank. I don't know if I'm the only one, but I just can't keep my hands out of there.

Use a clean toothbrush to clean your heater/filter suction cups and filter intake tubes in tank water when doing water changes.

 

[t4runnr]

Wasn't a thread similar to this started about a week or two ago?

Regardless, some cool tips posted here.

Edit: Nevermind. It was posted in the off topic forum.

 

[Ian086]

If your suction cups are getting old and not sucking correctly, put them in a coffee mug of boiling hot water for 30 secs. Good as new....

 

[ScotJudd]

When restarting an external filter, after a clean, the disturbed detritus can be blown into the tank. I either run the outlet into a bucket until it runs clean or if you can't get the outlet easily into a bucket I attach a plastic bag with a rubber band to the outlet. When it is nearly full of water I pull off the bag and throw away the initial dirty water. Works every time.

 

[FWFishTanks]

If your suction cups are getting old and not sucking correctly, put them in a coffee mug of boiling hot water for 30 secs. Good as new....

Thanks for the tip! I found that very useful.