~ TIPS ~ FYI's ~ and Such

[TJL]

What no takers... then I'll add the 13th

Starting a syphon without getting a mouthfull of Dirty Saltwater = Fill the entire syphon hose (hyra-vac) with water from your filtered fridge outlet or fully imerse in a clean sink. Place thumb over outlet end with vacuum end up like a torch then carefully lower it into tank. Rotate vacuum around and to start remove thumb from end (over a bucket). If your tank is big enough just imerse hose in there then plug the end with thumb, lift that end out and when over your bucket release your thumb to start[/I]

Cheers, Todd

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Skimmer Nog also known as solidified skimmate is not a food group under any circumstances

 

[Krish]

What no takers... then I'll add the 13th

Starting a syphon without getting a mouthfull of Dirty Saltwater = Fill the entire syphon hose (hyra-vac) with water from your filtered fridge outlet or fully imerse in a clean sink. Place thumb over outlet end with vacuum end up like a torch then carefully lower it into tank. Rotate vacuum around and to start remove thumb from end (over a bucket). If your tank is big enough just imerse hose in there then plug the end with thumb, lift that end out and when over your bucket release your thumb to start[/I]


Cheers, Todd

I never suck on the hose to start a siphon. I use the siphoning tubes with the cup on the end always. So I put the cup underwater and fill it and and turn it upside down out of the tank and as the water starts to drain out of the other end, I just put the cup back down in the tank and it continues to flow. I once tried to suck on the end of the hose to start a siphon and it wasn't pretty. :lol:

 

[Krish]

To save water when doing a cleaning either use something like a H.O.T Magnum canister filter with a polishing cartridge in it and vacuuming attachment and vacuum your tank re-cycling water through it or use something like a filter sock to catch the waste. Most people when they vacuum their tanks, they will suck all of the dirty water out of the tank into a bucket and replace it with new make-up water, but in some cases, you can save on making up new water by running it through a filter sock or a hang on filter as mentioned while siphoning. This way, you have dirty water in and clean water out without needing to make up new water. When finished just discard or clean whatever you used.

 

[NC2WA]

Addedum to 13: I just attached the end of the hose to one of the intakes to a maxijet powerhead; the other end of the hose is in a bucket ready for water to pour out.

Once the syphon is started, you can remove from the powerhead and clean normally.

 

[jrgilles]

Someone should make a 'bathroom reading' book of this. There is one for homebrewing, called 50 homebrewing tips. Each one is on its own page and about a paragraph long. All little tricks people have picked up that make things a lot easier.

Amazon.com: 50 great homebrewing tips: Practical brewing tips and techniques to help beginning and advanced homebrewers brew better beer (9780964274600): David Weisberg: Books

One of these for reefing would be awesome. I bet it would sell a lot of copies.

rob

 

[TJL]

Thanks for input y'all, keep em coming. I will be away from my computer til Monday to do any editing and only have my Druid to check in with. Hopefully catching some Salmon and maybe collecting some fresh Krill on the incoming tides off our beach.

Cheers, Todd

 

[NC2WA]

UMMM, Krill.. My PT Trigger loves krill...who am I kidding, that trigger eats anything..

 

[rainydave]

Skimmer Nog also known as solidified skimmate is not a food group under any circumstances

But it looks so tasty!

 

[tat2z_21]

That is what I serve the kids. Are ytou telling me that it is not full of nutrients?

 

[TJL]

Someone should make a 'bathroom reading' book of this. There is one for homebrewing, called 50 homebrewing tips. Each one is on its own page and about a paragraph long. All little tricks people have picked up that make things a lot easier.

Amazon.com: 50 great homebrewing tips: Practical brewing tips and techniques to help beginning and advanced homebrewers brew better beer (9780964274600): David Weisberg: Books

One of these for reefing would be awesome. I bet it would sell a lot of copies.

rob

Great idea Rob, so now you add a couple then were that much closer to 50 :boink: :razz:

Mike, always the 'Smart Bass' maybe you ought to clean your skimmer more than once a year :yuck: or give it to Dave as an Apple Butter substitute or to add flavor to his Tofu :hungry:

Cheers, Todd

 

[rainydave]

If you have an ATO (Auto-Top Off) be sure to use a container made from food safe plastic (or glass). You don't want the plastic leeching nasty things into your pristine ro water.

I found this one out the hard way. I was using an Ace Hardware bucket for my ATO. I checked the TDS on it last night, it was 28. The water I had filled it with yesterday was 1 TDS.

Which leads me to my 2nd tip - Buy and use a TDS meter.

 

[BlennyBabe]

I have the most success with catching fish without a net. Simply place the clear plastic bag in the tank, get all the bubbles out of it, then herd the fish toward it with your other hand. Move slowly and with no sudden movements. If the fish swims past you, just start over and keep herding it to the corner with the bag. Be patient. Use one hand to keep the bag open and then let the fish swim into it. They have a hard time seeing the bag. Once fish is caught, bring the bag to the surface and pout out the extra water.

If the tank is really large, do the same thing, but use a net as an extension of your hand, and add a second bag to the other corner.

This method is especially helpful for fish that tend to get caught in nets like tangs and lionfish (all those spiny guys)




To make a fish trap for small fish, take a clear water bottle and cut the top off just before it narrows (usually where the top of the label is) invert the top and squeeze it down into the bottle. Place something tasty in and wait for your little fish to get caught. Then open the bottle and pour the fish into a bag (I do this under water so the fish isnt jostled too much.)

 

[BlennyBabe]

for using silicon, apply a thick strip, then dip your finger in a mix of dish soap and water and push it into the silicon. It leaves a perfectly smooth seam with no mistakes. Remember silicon only bonds glass to glass, not acrylic to glass.

 

[BlennyBabe]

mag floats make great nori (seaweed) holders

 

[BlennyBabe]

to feed cyclopeeze to larger fish, mix it with gelatin. Then pour it into a tray with a piece of egg crate in it, to make preformed cubes.
also works with spirulina, sweet potatoes, etc.

 

[BlennyBabe]

mag floats also work well for keeping a fish bag upright in a bucket while drip acclimating. one side inside the bag, the other on the outside of the bucket

 

[BlennyBabe]

when taking a close up photo of your tank (something close to the glass) use the macro setting on your digital camera. Its the flower icon. Dont zoom.

Or if you have a magnifying glass, hold it in between the camera and the tank.

 

[BlennyBabe]

to get clear tubing to fit when it seems too tight, run it under hot water first.

 

[BlennyBabe]

to feed corals without crabs or fish stealing the food off, place a plastic strawberry box over the coral. or make a box out of egg crate that is big enough. remove when the coral has finished its meal.