So, What other secrets are you all hiding from me???
- Thread starter Newreeflady
- Start date
Newreeflady
New member
I was looking at the peristaltic dosers, but they are so expensive. Do you have to hang that bag over the tank??
Angela.
Angela.
Toutouche
Premium Member
Yeah, I use the I.V. bag tube with the flow adjuster thingy on it to drip dose, or slowly acclimate my new arrivals. I also use an inverted plastic basket from strawberries or rasberries with a piece of LR on top of it to cover my open brain, or such when feeding them cut up pieces of food, and they are taking their time to swallow it, other-wise my shrimp, or purple tang would come and snatch the food away!!
SteveMH
New member
A pair of 18" or 24" stainless steel hemostats have endless uses. A must have for any reefer. They're great for direct feeding corals and inverts, moving things around, and just about anything that requires reaching into the tank. Tongs work well too as most people already know, I just think the hemostats are a little easier to use and control. Cheapest place I've found for the 18" is Widget Supply and for the 24" Genesis Reptile Co..
Violet_Dream
New member
I saw the being afraid to stick your hand in the tank comment and I laughed. I used to be the same way, bristle worms..mantis shrimp and I even once had these little tiny yellow jelly fish that would sting you. Just thought that was funny. I am new to the hobby as well this is a great thread!
Bocaswim
New member
Great Info-Keep it coming
Great Info-Keep it coming
I just ordered the 18" hemostats, thanks for the info. So excited now I can reach the bottom of the tank with ease.
For freezing food mixture, I just reuse the Formula 1or 2 cube trays. I heard a regular icecube tray works OK too. Don't forget to skim off the foam before you freeze. Full of phosphates!
Great Info-Keep it coming
I just ordered the 18" hemostats, thanks for the info. So excited now I can reach the bottom of the tank with ease.
For freezing food mixture, I just reuse the Formula 1or 2 cube trays. I heard a regular icecube tray works OK too. Don't forget to skim off the foam before you freeze. Full of phosphates!
Pod Pile
Pod Pile
I jumped on this when I did a search here. Pile up small pieces of rubble / shells / etc in a corner of your tank and just watch the pods multiply. It becomes an intank refugium. You may have to rebuild it every-so-often but I setup my pile 2 weeks ago and have TONS of pods of different types as well as worms crawling all around it.
Needless to say my two mandarins and cleaner shrimp frequent the pile ALOT!
Pod Pile
I jumped on this when I did a search here. Pile up small pieces of rubble / shells / etc in a corner of your tank and just watch the pods multiply. It becomes an intank refugium. You may have to rebuild it every-so-often but I setup my pile 2 weeks ago and have TONS of pods of different types as well as worms crawling all around it.
Needless to say my two mandarins and cleaner shrimp frequent the pile ALOT!
loving this thread!!
My poor man's IV dripper - I cut a little hole in a 2 liter soda bottle, put a length of thin tubing out of it, and a flow nozzle from the LFS on the end. TA-DA! The only thing is the entire roll of electrical tape I had to use to seal it off from leaking.
I use an empty mustard jar for feeding - washed well first! - just put the cube in, a few drops of selcon, and let it thaw. It's good because it has a shape wherein I can swirl it around without it getting everywhere.
Also, if you ever need to move a sea urchin (I had 7 at one point, had to trade out 4) use salad serving spoons to get them out, and disposable tupperware to move them. Never use a bag!
My poor man's IV dripper - I cut a little hole in a 2 liter soda bottle, put a length of thin tubing out of it, and a flow nozzle from the LFS on the end. TA-DA! The only thing is the entire roll of electrical tape I had to use to seal it off from leaking.
I use an empty mustard jar for feeding - washed well first! - just put the cube in, a few drops of selcon, and let it thaw. It's good because it has a shape wherein I can swirl it around without it getting everywhere.
Also, if you ever need to move a sea urchin (I had 7 at one point, had to trade out 4) use salad serving spoons to get them out, and disposable tupperware to move them. Never use a bag!
A couple of things on your new found algae magnet, first most of the magnets out there are for glass or at the very least will scratch acrylic. If you have an acrylic tank, buy the mesh bag that fits over the magnet to prevent scratchs. Also, for the tough diatoms or coraline, pull the outside magnet a little off the surface of the tank, it makes the inside press a little harder and do a better job on the tough spots. Lastly, sand and magnets = bad, especially if you have acrylic. I use a long handled scraper which you can buy online or at an lfs to clean right above the top of the sand.
Another idea I have read about but have yet to try, to remove scratchs on acrylic that are hard to reach, rubber band the wet sandpaper to the cleaning magnet to rub out the scratches. Sounds like a good idea, but I will try it in a back corner to confirm it works okay.
I ended up "inheriting" one so I don't know how much they are, but a Whizzer pump is awsome. Will rocket water through a 100' garden hose no prob, so you can drain water into a trash can by the tank and use this pump to put it out in the gutter and if you make your own saltwater, use the pump to put the water into the tank. A lot of tank service guys use this pump.
Another idea I have read about but have yet to try, to remove scratchs on acrylic that are hard to reach, rubber band the wet sandpaper to the cleaning magnet to rub out the scratches. Sounds like a good idea, but I will try it in a back corner to confirm it works okay.
I ended up "inheriting" one so I don't know how much they are, but a Whizzer pump is awsome. Will rocket water through a 100' garden hose no prob, so you can drain water into a trash can by the tank and use this pump to put it out in the gutter and if you make your own saltwater, use the pump to put the water into the tank. A lot of tank service guys use this pump.
Angel*Fish
cats and large squashes
LFS sells these green syringes - don't know what they're for - but they measure stuff in ml... the end is just the right size for air line tubing and that's what makes target feeding easier at my house _ I had been getting it up in airline tube by mouth - still can't figure out why those fish like the taste of mysis soaked in Selcon:hmm6: I was so happy I could have kissed the person who told me about it - but probably not a good idea with krill breath!!!
Agu - those tips made my day
Newreeflady, this has got to be the best thread ever!
Agu - those tips made my day
Newreeflady, this has got to be the best thread ever!
Keep your stored RO and Saltwater in closed opaque containers with an airstone or powerhead for circulation. (Rubbermaid storage tubs or 5 gallon buckets are great for this) Don't heat it up until ready to use. This helps retard algae growth and CO2 absorption from the air.
Also, if your sump system uses clear tubing or hoses, wrap the tubing to prevent light from triggering algae growth in the tubes.
When acclimating new snails or other inverts; use a plastic container floating in the tank instead of the plastic bag. It's much easier to drip tank water into a rigid container than a floppy bag!
Dick
Also, if your sump system uses clear tubing or hoses, wrap the tubing to prevent light from triggering algae growth in the tubes.
When acclimating new snails or other inverts; use a plastic container floating in the tank instead of the plastic bag. It's much easier to drip tank water into a rigid container than a floppy bag!
Dick
oceanjunkie
New member
I'm pretty new too. When I got my inverts I didn't know how I could get a slow drip going. I found out that all you have to do is put a loose knot in some airline tubing. Then draw a siphon out of the tank into the acclimation container. Then all you do is adjust the tightness of the knot to control the drip speed. DUH. Seems so simple but I would have never known unless the guy who sold me the inverts had told me.
tyoberg
Premium Member
Vinegar is good for soaking pump/powerhead impellers--it dissolves the CaCO3 that tends to build up on the internals.
If you have a venturi skimmer, drop the air tube into a cup of hot RO/DI water once a week to get rid of any salt creep into the venturi (remove the air line muffler if equipped).
I stick a scotch pad (synthetic 0000 steel wool) between my magnets (on the inside of the tank) which I rinse out frequently when cleaning my GLASS TANK.
If you have a venturi skimmer, drop the air tube into a cup of hot RO/DI water once a week to get rid of any salt creep into the venturi (remove the air line muffler if equipped).
I stick a scotch pad (synthetic 0000 steel wool) between my magnets (on the inside of the tank) which I rinse out frequently when cleaning my GLASS TANK.
nameless
New member
For making your own food, if your significant other is like my fiancee, you need a method that doesn't involve open containers of fishy smelling substances in your freezer, so try this.
Go to a restaurant supply store like Gordon Food Services. But a stack of the little condiment cups with lids for about five bucks. Instead of using an open ice cube tray, fill the cups and snap the lids on for freezing. This way, you can stack a bunch up in your freezer, you can easily see how many you have left available, and your freezer will still smell normal!
Go to a restaurant supply store like Gordon Food Services. But a stack of the little condiment cups with lids for about five bucks. Instead of using an open ice cube tray, fill the cups and snap the lids on for freezing. This way, you can stack a bunch up in your freezer, you can easily see how many you have left available, and your freezer will still smell normal!
Angela
This might not seam like such a great tip, but when cleaning your glass with your new magnet if the magnets come apart while cleaning the glass, take the inside magnet out and rinse it off. I wish I knew this when I got mine, I just wasn't thinking and used the magnet after in fell on top off my sand bed. It kills me every time I see the scratch I made in the glass! Also I think someone already said dont use it close to the bottom of the tank. It will kick up the sand and this sand may get trapped between the magnets.
For the glass near the sand bed, I read this tip from another reefer, cant remember there name. I use a 1"x24" piece of PVC that I cut a notch on a 45 degree angle close to one end. Then I stick a single edged razor blade in the notch and use this for my scrapper.
HTH
Ralph
This might not seam like such a great tip, but when cleaning your glass with your new magnet if the magnets come apart while cleaning the glass, take the inside magnet out and rinse it off. I wish I knew this when I got mine, I just wasn't thinking and used the magnet after in fell on top off my sand bed. It kills me every time I see the scratch I made in the glass! Also I think someone already said dont use it close to the bottom of the tank. It will kick up the sand and this sand may get trapped between the magnets.
For the glass near the sand bed, I read this tip from another reefer, cant remember there name. I use a 1"x24" piece of PVC that I cut a notch on a 45 degree angle close to one end. Then I stick a single edged razor blade in the notch and use this for my scrapper.
HTH
Ralph
