Post your Tips and Tricks

[Tigerbarb12]

Fake and real plants can be tied down with zip ties. In my 45g the little grasses on right side in front of the driftwood cave, they are all ziptied down to a plastic paint pan. I think its a paint pan liner

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[FWFishTanks]

If you do not want to stir your substrate when you pour water in your tank, get a she of bubble wrap, and pour it on that! It will disperse off the floating wrap, but will not dive straight to the bottom, stirring the substrate.

 

[TheresaM]

My favorite and most frequently used tools:

 

[Fish_lord]

My favorite and most frequently used tools:

Give us all a rundown of what you use them all for
Thanks


20 gallon fancy goldfish tank
150 gallon koi tank
60 gallon cichlid tank
2 gallon neon tetra tank

 

[ImACoolguy]

My favorite and most frequently used tools:

I use about all but the paint brush what is that one for?


Caleb

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[Fish_lord]

Looks like an algae cleaner to me


20 gallon fancy goldfish tank
150 gallon koi tank
60 gallon cichlid tank
2 gallon neon tetra tank

 

[ImACoolguy]

Looks like an algae cleaner to me


20 gallon fancy goldfish tank
150 gallon koi tank
60 gallon cichlid tank
2 gallon neon tetra tank

Lol I have GSA algae and that would never take it off I use a scrub pad and a strong arm


Caleb

Sent via TARDIS

 

[ScotJudd]

My top tip.After cleaning your external canister filter secure a plastic bag over the water outlet with an elastic band and collect and dispose of the first water pumped out of the filter. The first couple of pints is dirty due to the disturbance of piping, media etc and this avoids it being pumped into the tank.


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[MissGurnus]

Treat ick with table salt! Its easy and cheap and there's plenty online to tell you how much goes in a tank. Watch your loaches though, they tend not to like salt. I've done it a few times in my 29 with no negative reproductions or deaths

 

[MissGurnus]

*repercussions

 

[cgthebeast]

Always make sure the end of the gravel vac/tubing is always in the bucket.

Also newspaper makes a great bin streaking class cleaner along with windex


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[Stacey W.]

If you have cat(s) I use a scoopable tidy cats litter bucket for my dirty h2o (approximately 5g).

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[JohnRoscoe]

The microfiber cloths sold with car wash supplies will clean water spots on the outside of your tank without any cleaners, and leave no streaks. If the spots are really bad, a bit of distilled water on a corner of the cloth helps.

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Most Seachem products (Prime) are available on Amazon in small bottles with a flip top dropper lid and dosages printed in drops/gallon. Buy one of the small size and refill with the larger and your dosing will be neater and more accurate.


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[trennamw]

Taking a spare power head attach an unused sock with a rubberband to the outlet and and piping about 5" to the inlet. You have your own small portable water vac, do it once a week in my dead spots.

Note: must submerse power head and tubing. Adjust pipe to depth of tank.


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I always figured there was a way to do this but couldn't make it work.


Sent from my iPhone with three hands tied behind my back.

 

[trennamw]

This is the best glass cleaner. Three bucks and uses regular box knife blades. Insert common sense precaution about skin, caulking, and fish. http://www.stanleytools.com/default...BER=28-593&SDesc=7"+Carded+Window+Scraper

When you ask a question here, do a little research on the answer that's an outlier, that may be the person who is most up to date.

Know your KH and GH: check it at least once before you buy fish. The fish store will probably do it for you.

Similarly, look at your area's water quality report. It's usually ridiculously easy to find online.

When you have trouble reading high nitrate or ammonia tests (hopefully an issue only during cycling), dilute the tank water 1:10 then multiply the results by 10.


Sent from my iPhone with three hands tied behind my back.

 

[Saekalive]

The microfiber cloths sold with car wash supplies will clean water spots on the outside of your tank without any cleaners, and leave no streaks. If the spots are really bad, a bit of distilled water on a corner of the cloth helps.

-----------------------------------------

Most Seachem products (Prime) are available on Amazon in small bottles with a flip top dropper lid and dosages printed in drops/gallon. Buy one of the small size and refill with the larger and your dosing will be neater and more accurate.


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You can also, if you already have bigger bottle, buy syringes from amazon and use the ratio 1 ml per 10 gal if you have a small tank.

-Weston --Sent Via The Space Time Continuum--

 

[Fishobsessed7]

Aqadvisor isn't rocket science. Use it as a guideline, not rely on it.


Fishobsessed7

3 tanks and counting! (6 if you count the bettas)

 

[Jerky]

If you do not want to stir your substrate when you pour water in your tank, get a she of bubble wrap, and pour it on that! It will disperse off the floating wrap, but will not dive straight to the bottom, stirring the substrate.

WOAH great tip!!!! Thanks so much. I plan I lot of plants and this will be helpful for sure!!

 

[t4runnr]

1. I use my wife's discarded pantyhose as filter socks for my sump input pipes. I triple layer them and they work great.

2. When I do a large water change on my 75 gallon tank I put a powerhead in the tank to the depth that I want. The powerhead has a hose connected to drain the water into a bin. It doesn't take long to drain the tank as compared to normal siphon type hose.

3. If space a premium for storing hoses for filling up or draining tanks, consider using those flexible garden hoses that you see on TV that expands when water is run through them and shrinks when empty. I have a 25 ft hose that takes up so little space. You can get them in most hardware stores now. Just get an an adapter that fits the hose and to your water source.




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[TheresaM]

I use about all but the paint brush what is that one for?

I use it for algae in acrylic and my nano tanks.