So, What other secrets are you all hiding from me???

[Ogitrev]

I use a Syringe to pull water out of my overflow for testing. It can also be used for target feeding if you put it at the end of an airline tube. Put a needle on it, fill it with kalk and it becomes Aptasia's worst nightmare! I got the syringe for free form the hospital. They were kind enough to let me have it when no one was looking and I was in the ER late at night.

A shot glass is perfect for soaking food in selcon.

If your tank is not set up yet --- I use pieces of PVC pipe to hold the rock up from the glass. That way if something moves the sand out from underneath the rock, it doesn't come crashing down!

TotLocks work great for keeping the little one out of the cabinet.

Use newspaper and windex to clean the outside of your tank glass. The newspaper will leave you streak free. Just remember to spray the windex on the news paper AWAY from the tank so that you don't get any myst in the water. The newspaper thing also works great for around the house

When you need to seal things, i.e. creating your own dripper out of a one gallon milk jug, use Marine Goop to seal the hole where the airline tubing goes into.

- Tom

 

[Reefraff]

Toms tip with newspaper and Windex reminded me of a tip: Do not use Windex or any other amonia cleaner on acrylic. It will cloud the acrylic over time. Spend the money and buy the acrylic safe cleaner. If you know of an acrylic shop in the area, go there, it will be cheaper than the lfs.

By the way, Tom is right on the newspaper, no streaks on the windows at all.

 

[tubs]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet. Use old credit cards and/or hotel card keys as algae scrapers. You can even insert them into a slot on a PVC length of your choice for a DIY algae scraper.

 

[FishDaddy]

Instead of Windex and newspaper, use White Vinegar in water......it is safe and disolves any salt. It works great on the windows of your house!

Dick

 

[2hi4u2c]

Well possibly I missed it, but with all this talk about scrapers, I am suprised noone has mentioned the easiest one I have found.. Go down to Wal-Mart and buy an car window ice scraper. I was useing one on my 75g that extended out to around 3ft'!!
Alan

 

[newkie]

Ever try to feed an open brain or other coral but your fish or crabs keep stealing the food? Next time you buy strawberries keep the container! It works great for making a little cage around the coral giving it time to feed.

I second the Python! I've been using it for years and its quite a time saver.

A new firm toothbrush is perfect for removing green star polyps.

Instead of spending a fortune on Seaweed Selects go to the asain supermarket and pick up sheets of toasted nori used for sushi. Heck, even Safeway's in the bay area have them.

For those interested in golden pearls for their filter feeders and their pods be sure to check out Thahitian Blen cryropaste as a cheap alternative to DT's.

Two words: teflon tape

Cable ties are inherently useful. I'm a McGuyver with cable ties. Use them to secure rocks and corals, securing plumbing and hoses, and for mounting equipment.

Use an air pump with an airstone to blow bubbles in front of your wavemaking powerheads to see for far the current flows and where. This is great for aiming them "just so". You can also use a turkey baster to make the bubbles!

Alternate soaking your food in either selcon or zoe to boost the nutritional value of your fish food. Can be used with flake too, just spread out on a paper towel to let dry then store back in its original container.

Get a log book to store water parameters, last time you changed your bulbs, last time you did a waterchange, etc.

I'm sure there's a few more I'll remember later.

 

[SeaMac]

The most useful tip/trick that I have found is actually a website:

http://www.usplastic.com

They have at least a hundred or more things you can use to DIY dosers, canopies, sumps, skimmers, reactors, etc... and there prices are awesome!

I don't think anyone mentioned it...I almost took it for granted too, but the Durso/Stockman modifications are a must to quiet your overflows.

HTH.
Chris

 

[SteveMH]

Couple more....

Ever had a fish that needed to be removed from the tank and you ended up tearing out half of your rock and corals to catch it? Next time give this a try. Take a good size Ziplock bag, or any clear bag large enough for the fish. Tie some fishing line to the lip of the bag. Then place the bag on its side on the bottom of the tank and bury the side of the bag facing down in the sand to help hide some of the bag and also to hold it in place. Put some food in the bag to use as bait, and sit back and wait it out. When the fish swims in to get the food, yank the line and ya just bagged your fish. The best way to do this trick is use a really long piece of fishing line as so you can watch from a distance and the fish won't notice you being there.

Another one I thought of and I don't think has mentioned, keep things organized! I don't know about you folks but I have more cords, wires, and air lines running behind my tank than NASA control center does. Roll up unused cord and tie it off, and use cable ties to bundle cords. Those velcro ties used for computers work really great to bundle cords with. Not long ago I swapped out my 175 ballast for a 250 ballast. Simple task right. It took at least an hour because my cords were one huge rats nest that I had to untangle in order to free the ballast cords.

 

[2hi4u2c]

Hmmm,
Good idea to catch a fish, SteveMH, but you better be careful if you have a large bag in there and you are a few feet from the tank, when you yank the line you are putting ALOT of pressure on the tank, pulling it twards you. H ate to see someone "spill" a tank..
Alan

 

[JasonE]

Have clams for dinner. Wash shells, and use the to cover annoying algae patches on you rock...after a week or two the algae will be dead and gone for lack of light.

 

[SteveMH]

I've never thought of that. I could see that happening with smaller tanks. My tank is a 75g, quite heavy. It would take some effort to tip it over using fishing line. Use your best judgement when using the bag trick.

 

[Shooter9er]

with all those secrets out there what is the best one for cleaning acrylic?

 

[David Grigor]

I use 35mm canisters to soak frozen brine shrimp and mysis in Selcon or Zoe. Put 3 frozen cubes in the canister add a little selcon or zoe. Do a quick shake and let it defrost in the frig. It's enough to last a couple of days........

 

[Court_Jester]

Check out the baby section of your grocery store for useful items. They often have the small syringes that others have mentioned as well as baby bottle brushes (useful in cleaning the protein skimmer).

 

[Newreeflady]

Wow!!! This has been a more informative thread then I could have ever hoped for!!!:eek1::eek2: Thanks to all who contributed. There are so many things I have learned and after I print this out i'm sure i'll refer to it many times.

Thanks, again!!!
Angela.

 

[susieQ]

Use a foam paint brush to clean the inside tube of the protein skimmer. Just get a smaller one so it fits inside the tube.

Susie

 

[Ralph]

HI
I have a reef ready aquarium and the side with the corner over flow causes saltcreep on the inside of my canopy. Just looking at the overflow you would never see the small droplets it splashes up. Well, after a 1 1/2 years this splashing has caused the epoxy paint I used on the inside to peel. I removed the canopy and scraped all of the loose paint and resealed with urethane. I didn't understand why only the end with the overflow pealed. Thats when I placed a pie shaped piece of plexy glass over the top of the overflow. As soon as I did this I started to see drops being splashed on the plexy glass. Well, I guess its to late to say to make a long story short but I no longer have saltcreep in that corner anymore. On the pie shaped piece of plexy glass I put self sticking rubber bumpers on each of the corners (the kind used to silence a cabinet door when its shut) so that the piece would sit 1/2" above the over flow on the tank trim.
hth
Ralph

 

[OJsreef]

Hey Shooter9er, for ACRYLIC or glass use a new spay bottle from wal-mart, fill it up with this great new stuff called fresh water spray down the tank & wipe clean with news paper or paper towels. For inside u can use a Algae Mit or be cheap like me & use paper towels.

Thanks:OJsreef

P.S. For those of us that buy used tanks that have water lines inbedded in the glass, Mureatic acid works great (1 part acid 10 parts water), Please wear rubber gloves.

 

[jasondbaker]

I have found that astronomy flashlights are really nice for looking at critters at night. These flashlights use red LEDs to emit light and are inexpensive.

Use thin strips of old nylons to mount softie coral frags. The nylons don't cut the coral as much as a rubberband.

Everytime I go to the LFS to buy something I ask them for a little silver dollar-size rock frag. Usually they will just throw it in for free. You never know when you will need a little rock for mounting a coral frag.

We could probably write a book on the numerous uses for empty 200gal salt buckets.

 

[David Grigor]

Has anyone mentioned using a laser pointer to point thing out in the tank to people....