stefan.jsp Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Im sure a few people on here have stumbled upon a few magic tricks...not topic specific......what little tricks have you come across? I have one. Newspaper is probably one of the best glass cleaning cloths of all time. takes a bit of elbow grease but brings it up clean as.(learnt it from the old man) Also that you can create a syphon very easily with the garden hose by turning it on clearing the air and then disconnecting! makes a 250l water change very easy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danfishy84 Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 I went through a stage of using aquarium glass cleaner, and it may as well be water for all the good it does. To add to your trick above, spray the glass with water first and use two pieces of newspaper one to scrub the wet glass and one to dry the glass. This cuts out most the need for elbow grease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefan.jsp Posted January 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Yes! I forgot that! i usually have 2, the scrubber and the buffer and its sooo cheap one $2 paper will last months and water is bulk cheap last time i looked, even if you used pump water! also a bit of spit for those stubborn bits....lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lictoga Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 A 1.5 inch hose makes water changes a lot faster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danfishy84 Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Ok here is a no-brainer that some people overlook. Med's are expensive, If you don't have a QT tank and/or it's pointless as a disease outbreak is in the tank not just the single fish, reduce cost by lowering the amount of water in the tank. (keep your nitrates in mind however). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Tschumy Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 If you cut a lemon in half, then use the cut side to wipe glass, it comes up pretty good. Worth it if you have a tree or can find cheap lemons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tristan Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Label all of your cords with a label maker. Clean new gravel with just a hose in the bottom of a bucket and the sand placed on top... Let run until the water runs clear... May need to give the sand a stir every now and then to make sure its all clean. Wherever possible do things that dont make keeping fish a chore... If it is too much work for you maybe it is time to downsize so you can enjoy the hobby again. Research, research, research before purchasing anything! And when you do Shop at sponsors for a good deal Ps a 1/4 metho 3/4 water will negate the need for that elbow grease Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefan.jsp Posted January 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 I wanted to say methylated spirits, but did not know what you called it here, in nz we call it meths...sponsors is a big one they provide this forum with so much depth and good deals. +1 for cleaning the gravel I found cleaning in smaller batches provided results faster than cleaning large amounts with new substrate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny@ageofaquariums Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 If you are setting up a canister that has taps inline, like for example eheim classics with their double taps....... its a good idea to have one tap up one way, and the other the other way. That way when you goto reconnect the taps after cleaning canister, they can only connect the right way! KISS is the best theme to base your tech on (keep it simple stupid!) Might not have explained that very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tristan Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 More expensive gear doesnt mean better gear. You dont have to put big fish in big tanks To work out the max fill line for your sump, fill your tank up until it is just under where your inlet holes are. Next fill your sump up until it is full. Now turn on your pump and draw a line where the water level in your sump is. This way u know if the power goes out the sump wont over fill. Dont always trust buyers/sellers online! (Mainly facebook ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danfishy84 Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 If you are setting up a canister that has taps inline, like for example eheim classics with their double taps....... its a good idea to have one tap up one way, and the other the other way.That way when you goto reconnect the taps after cleaning canister, they can only connect the right way! KISS is the best theme to base your tech on (keep it simple stupid!) Might not have explained that very well. I put my FX6 in reverse a couple weeks back, fish were not happy.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefan.jsp Posted January 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 last time my filter was put in reverse it captured a lot of my fish...didn't really realise until a month later i cleaned it out and had five fish in the filter... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny@ageofaquariums Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 (edited) This is my favourite type of forum thread. You could argue its the point of a fish forum, aside from the trader. I had a brainstorm one weekend on this very topic. It was a while ago so theres plenty I would change today. In theory tho the good outweighs the bad. ISSUU - Dead Fish Scrolls tldr warning too adding on here, Filters that will need frequent cleaning, need to be easy to clean. This is mainly your prefilters, mechanical filtration and chemical filtration. You dont want to have to do something annoying over and over. If you can understand how a piece of aquarium tech works, you can learn to spot which models are not going to be good at their job. EG a main filter should include some form of biological filtration media. A powerhead should have good sponge. An airpump for an aircurtain needs to be more powerful the deeper the water. Edited January 25, 2015 by Donny@ageofaquariums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefan.jsp Posted January 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Doing a small job once a month is easier then doing a big job once a year.its like the dishes really, if you keep your filter and water in good shape your tank and fish will be happy. If you don't do the "dishes" the kitchens a mess.....and cockroaches... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefan.jsp Posted January 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betta-Cray_z Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 When breeding fish in hopes to sell them here, bumtree or facebook... 1. start with quality stock 2. cull heavy 3. mix bloodlines (if possible) 4. repeat (see #1) a couple of easy steps, and we can ensure quality will stay in the hobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Discus_Duck Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 I used a hose connected to a gravel cleaner for the first time this week. No more buckets and so so so much easier!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danfishy84 Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 This is my favourite type of forum thread.You could argue its the point of a fish forum, aside from the trader. Exactly, the trader is all well and good, and so is helping out beginners...but sharing/learning tricks and following along with a breeding journal or ten is what excites me.....oh and more pictures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markfnq Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 I 100% agree with Donny . We should have a tip of the day thread , mods ?. Forum needs more positive stuff to encourage the newbies. Heres my tip of the day , When growing micro worms for fry , my mix is oats water , pinch of yeast . I also add a half teaspoon of organic spirulina powder , it is said to infuse the micro worms making them fry super food . I also hatch brine shrimp another fry super food . Cheers Mark . , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefan.jsp Posted January 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 Does it make a difference? I'd like to start raising live food, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquaholic99 Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 Heres my tip of the day , When growing micro worms for fry , my mix is oats water , pinch of yeast . I also add a half teaspoon of organic spirulina powder , it is said to infuse the micro worms making them fry super food . I also hatch brine shrimp another fry super food . Cheers Mark . ,[ATTACH=CONFIG]60268[/ATTACH] Tip ver 1.1 When raising microwaves like this, use a thin pencil brush to harvest. Wipe down container side to collect worms, rinse off in fry tank to feed. You can use damp paddle pop sticks left in the culture too but these get very messy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny@ageofaquariums Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 Does it make a difference? I'd like to start raising live food, If you can find the book Culturing Live Foods by Hellweg its a treasure of info. Love it. As to whether it makes a difference, it certainly enriches the fishes life, so theres that. Its also a great way to get the girls gravid and the boys dancing. The big thing for me is making protein from plant matter, that can be used to bulk out diets and thus rely less on fish meal. And many live foods are a great way to do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefan.jsp Posted January 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 my fish love it when i chuck live food in the tank, some nights ill leave the light on a small patch and attract bugs to fall in the water.so it seems like a good idea to me, My dad used to raise brine shrimp,daphnia and white worms for his discus, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
