Just A Few Tips... Why Not Add Yours.

[Pegasus]

Tips

You can test the stability of your gravel and rocks and ornaments by placing a few drops of vinegar on them.

They need to be relatively dry.

If it fizzles, then it will be more than likely be unsuitable to use in your tank.

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That big ol Pleco can be a pain to catch, and can wreck havoc with your tank and become tangled in your net with its spines.

Here's another simple solution...

Find a length of 40mm plastic water pipe (offcut from a plumber) and place it in the tank with one end near one of the tank ends... not touching, but just clear. The Pleco or other fish will soon investigate, and once inside simply block the end and push towards the end tank glass, then gently lift the whole thing out. Works with all catfish, and many others.

No stress... No mess.

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It's a real pain trying to catch all the fry if you want to move them on, especially in a planted tank, and bare bottom tanks are not much easier if the adults are still in.

Try this simple idea.

It is based around the bait catchers that the kids use down at the wharf.

Take a mini coke bottle and cut the upper portion off just above the label, then remove the label.

You now have a funnel and a container of sorts.

Push the nozzle of the funnel into the container portion (without the cap) and secure with a rubber band.

Now add some tank water and a few brine shrimp.

Gently lower the unit into the tank and lay it on its side. Soon the fry will begin to enter the container via the funnel, and as the first lot begin to feed others will follow (hopefully)

Gently lift the container out when ready and you have your fry ready for re-housing.

Use the larger size bottle for bigger fry.

More fry savers on my site.

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A 50mm or 75mm clear plastic funnel can be pushed up the end of your

siphon hose when cleaning bare bottomed tanks. It speeds the job up and

you can watch in case any fry get near.

No funnel..?

Then cut the top from a small coke bottle and make a hole in the screw cap to suit your hose size. Works just as good.

The cap can be left there permanently... just unscrew the 'coke' funnel when not in use.

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Don't you just hate it when you get a mouthful of tankwater when you try to start the siphon hose.

If you fill the hose with water, then block one end while the other is in the tank, the siphon will start itself as soon as you lower the hose.

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That tank that just sprang a leak can be fixed simply by placing a small

amount of silicone on your finger and forcing it gently into the leaky area from inside the tank.... Yes... Underwater.. The silicone will stop the leak and set as normal in a short time.

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Fed up of losing all that pellet food in the bottom of the tank..?

Use an old coffee or yeast jar lid and bore a hole in the side.

Force a suction cup into the hole and place some pellets in the lid, then lower gently into the tank and attach to the glass.

The fish soon find the pellets, especially the cats, and there is no waste.

Boring a few small holes in a similar type lid makes an ideal white worm

feeder, or even for bloodworms so they don't finish up in the gravel..

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A piece of pipe or an old plantpot can be made to blend in with the

surroundings by smearing a thin coating of silicone on them, then rolling in some dry gravel. This method can be use to design all manner of things, from caves to multi level hidaways, so let your imagination loose and create.

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Don't you hate replacing plants ..?

Your local $2 dollar shop has a great selection of artificial plants and ferns

that look quite neat if selected carefully, and for a fraction of the cost.

Avoid the silk ones, and the ones with obvious artificial colouring.

Also, the kids Snorkels (diving) that can be found there are pretty good for designing overflows for filters and such, and you can't go wrong for two bux.

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Removing the shower head (provided your water is suitable) and attaching the hose is a great way to top the tanks up. Just set the temp and off you go.

Some will frown on this, but my fish don't suffer, but my back does when I have to carry endless pails of water.

I'm on tank water, and the water is never in the hot water cylinder long enough to cause a prob with all the washing and showers that take place each day.

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For emergency seperation of your fish, Nylon Insect Screen Mesh as used on doors and windows makes an ideal divider for your tanks and allows the heat and filtration to pass through without interuption.

A simple wire or plastic frame can be made to suit, and the mesh can be

either siliconed, sewn, or stapled in place onto the frame.

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Plant Fertilizer.

Putting fertilizer under plants is a good idea, but unless it is in a tablet form it can be really messy.

Try this.

Mix a small quantity of organic peat and potting mix (again organic) in a bowl with water until the peat/potting mix becomes fully saturated. Use an ice cube tray and fill with the mixture and press down firmly till you have a solid cube.

Pop it in the freezer till solid. You now have cubes of fertilizer that you can

pop under your plants without mess. The ice will melt quickly leaving a nice deposit of fertilizer in the right place.

Various fertilizer concoctions can be used in this manner, but seek advice if you are not sure.

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Twin Heaters.

Fitting two heaters in a tank seems a real waste of money, but if you set one to only come on at say 23C (approx72degF) then in the event of a heater failure you won't lose all your fish, and you will always have a spare heater on hand.

If you have never had a heater failure, it could happen tomorrow, so plan

ahead, as the loss of your fish will possibly be more expensive than the second heater.

(No comments from multi tank people he he)

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[robert]

very interesting,i will try a couple of the ideas on there, thanks

[CraigJ]

I have to agree with Robert.

I'll be trying a few of those..

Thanks Pegasus

[Pegasus]

Just a few more

Cover Glasses

Often we have two pieces of glass covering our tanks, and often they get

stuck to the top rim through suction and damp.

The simple soloution is to stick a piece of self adhesive draught excluder

strip on the front and rear edges of the cover glasses. This also stops the

drips down the front and rear of the tank. Even a small square at each corner will make ease of removal easy, with no suction.

Glad Wrap Film can be used as a temporary cover if you have no glass.

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A small pebble and a rubber band makes an ideal plant anchor... Make your tank lead free.

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A ripped diaphram on an airpump can easily be repaired with a smear of

silicone (as used for glass tanks) Allow to dry and fully cure before using.

Several of my pumps have been done this way, and are still running with no probs after 12 months.

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Service your air pump occasional for a better output.

The tiny valves get clogged up with dirt and so don't close properly or tend to stick. A simple clean makes the world of difference. Just take care... Unplug first, and mark out where each bit goes. There is little that can go wrong, and dismantling and assembly is straight forward.

Ensure the diaphram is sat on the pump body squarely and securely and

clean the small intake filter on the rubber backing pad.

Noise is a good indication that the diaphragm is getting a little tired, or is not sat on the pump body correctly.

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[Kriber]

Feed slim bottom dwelling fish (ie EELS ) frozen bloodworms in a narrow tube so speed merchants like zebra danios don't get all the good kai (they can have dry food!).

The gravel vac worked ok, the eel even got in the narrow ~10mm end where the hose attaches, but the kribs + others got in too. Plan B tonight i feed some bloodworms in about 10cm of 12mm canister filter tubing (no-one else could fit in there!

Worked sweet now no need to worry that 'fussy' isn't getting fed.

On the same note, if you care more for your cories etc try feeding them your more expensive frozen foods buried under a layer of gravel on a saucer or something, It might work let me know (havent tried it!)

[northland chic]

We moved into our house about 3 years ago, at that stage I just had goldfish and axolotls. We had a brand new plastic water tank. My fish got moved down here from our parents house just above ours, they have a concrete water tank. One day I cleaned my goldfish and they all started gasping at the top or sitting on the bottom gasping. I sadly lost my goldfish I had had for about 8-10 years from this. Funny enough one goldfish out of them all survived and the only thing I ever did different to him was put him in a really strong salt bath. It took me a long time to realise that it was my water tank and alot of fish. I finally realised when I had axolotls in it and they were trying to get out. Now if I am going to fully clean a tank and put fish in it straight away I get all my water from our parents house. If I am only refilling a little bit after a vacuum its fine. I figured out in the end it was probably really strong toxins coming from the tank and not much oxygen in the water.

[Ira]

Sounds more like low oxygen in the water. I'd think the plastic water tank should be fine otherwise if it's killing the fish it certainly isn't safe for drinking water.