Tips

[yote]

We've all got little things we do that help us out with our tanks.Weather its for making water changes quicker or helping to keep parameters in check.
So lets post em for the world to read.

One thing I always do.Is when I'm getting water ready for a water change,is I take my bucket of salt and roll it around the floor,flip it end over end,and generally just shake it up.I've found that by doing that,my parameters right outta the bucket are more consistent.
I also test the new water and bring everything up to that target values before doing the change.

 

[BigH55]

We are playing a game called just the tip.

 

[Rcpilot]

I use a turkey baster of RO water and squirt it down the air intake tubes for my skimmers every day. Keeps the salt creep out of the tubes for a long time if done daily or every other day. They still require a good cleaning every 3 or 4 months, but thats better than every week. It also keeps me from having to make adjustments to the air intake. With the tubes cleaned daily, the air bubbles are consistent the the skimmers operate at optimum efficiency.

I have 8g of new saltwater mixed at all times. I find more consistency if I mix my water on Sunday after I'm through with my weekly water changes. The new salt mix sits around for a week and "mellows" in the mixing bucket with a heater and powerhead.

I flush the RO membrane after each time I make water. I store my RO water in an old used salt bucket. It's about 6g or 7 g of fresh RO water. After the bucket is full and I have all the new RO water that I need for the week to top off...... I open my flush valve on the RO unit and let it flush for about 1 minute. I don't know if there is any science behind it, but the reason I do it is to knock off any particles BEFORE it goes back into storage for another week. I figure knock the junk off the membrane while it's fresh..... rather than let it sit there for a week and harden or stick to the membrane. My unit is hooked up under the kitchen sink and it is ready to go anytime I need it. I just don't want those trapped particles getting a chance to get stuck on there. Rinse them off while they are fresh.

I started rinsing my frozen foods in RO water before putting it in the tank. It just takes a tiny media bag. Put a chunk of frozen food (I use Marine Cuisine for carnivores) in the media bag and let it un-thaw. Rinse a cup of fresh RO water over the bag. I figure any particles that can fit through a fine mesh media bag are too small for my critters to eat..... so they can go down the drain. I only introduce the meaty chunks of food to the tank and only what my fish will eat in 20 or 30 seconds. Anything else will just fall to the bottom and feed the cleaning crew or create nitrates. I'm trying to starve my cleaning crew. They used to eat all kinds of left over food. Thats just more bioload and potential for nitrates in my tank. Now there is no food floating to the bottom. The fish eat it all.

 

[Alexander]

I only introduce the meaty chunks of food to the tank and only what my fish will eat in 20 or 30 seconds..

Hey so when you have it in the media bag how do you go about getting it back out and back into the tank? doesnt the food stick to the bag?

 

[Rcpilot]

Sorry.

I use a shot glass.

I put one cube of frozen food in the media bag and then drop it in a shot glass. Let it thaw. Take the media bag out of the shot glass and rinse the shot glass in tap water. Now rinse the media bag full of food in about 1/2 cup of RO water. Swish it around just a tiny bit to get the crap out. I don't want anything but meaty chunks that my fish can see and EAT.

Now put the whole thing back in the shot glass.

Feed the fish. Freeze whatever is left. Next day, thaw it out and feed the fish. Freeze it again. I only have 2 little fish. A 1.5" clown in the 30g tank and a 2" 6-line wrasse in the 10g frag tank. 1 cube lasts about 3 or 4 days.

For feeding duty:
I've purchased several test kits. They all come with little plastic syringes. I've got plenty of extra plastic syringes lying around because I have probably 20 different test kits. The Salifert kits come with 2 different size syringes. A large one is 5cc and the small one is about 100ml.

I took one of the small syringes from a new Salifert kit. I use that one to suck up thawed food. I put the syringe in the tank and squirt out 1 or 2 pieces at a time. It's great for spot feeding corals too.

Squirt any excess back in the shot glass and freeze it. Rinse the syringe in warm water from the tap.

 

[d.french]

keep skimmer cup cleaned weekly otherwise bubbles will not travel up skimmer neck properly and into cup and you will see difference in water quality if you don't keep it clean.

 

[Alexander]

I think I'm a little overly obsessive. I clean my skimmer cup almost every other day.

Rc: I'm just wondering about the media bag transfer back into the shot glass. Seems when I try that the food just gets stuck all over the inside of the bag and I get a very little amount back in the shotglass.

 

[ccCapt]

The best tip I can give is get into a routine of maintanence and stick to your routine. Stability is your best friend. :)

 

[Rcpilot]

Rc: I'm just wondering about the media bag transfer back into the shot glass. Seems when I try that the food just gets stuck all over the inside of the bag and I get a very little amount back in the shotglass.

Just leave the media bag in the shot glass. Thaw and freeze it in the shot glass with the food. Add 1/2 shot glass of RO water back to it. It's easy to suck out bits of meat with a small plastic syringe when the food is thawed and in a liquid state.

I've been using the same small, fine mesh media bag for a month. Just add a new chunk of frozen food and let it thaw. Go through the rinsing process and you're ready to feed it. Add some RO water to the shot glass to help suck up the meaty bits with the syringe.

 

[Rcpilot]

Alright Alexander. Step by step instructions for you buddy. :mrgreen:

1 - Set a clean shot glass on the counter.

2 - Put a chunk of frozen food in a small, fine mesh media bag and thaw it in 1/2 cup of RO water.

3 - Drain it and dump the RO water.

4 - Stuff the media bag in the shot glass.

5 - Add RO water so the shot glass is 1/2 full.

6 - Suck out meat and RO water with small plastic syringe and spot feed corals or fish.

7 - Squirt left over food back into media bag.

8 - Rinse the syringe.

9 - Freeze the food until next feeding.

Next feeding, simply thaw remaining food and repeat steps 6 - 9.

When the media bag runs low on food, simply put a new chunk of forzen food in the media bag and rinse it in RO water. Place it back in the clean shot glass and top it up with RO water.

 

[biodarwin]

I didn't think you were suppose to re-freeze fish food once it is thawed?

 

[Rcpilot]

I've been thawing and refreezing fish food for 2yrs. Haven't killed anything yet.

 

[Alexander]

Thanks RC I never thought of it that way. I was under the impression that the food went in the shot glass and the media bag came out. but i get it now. Never thought to do it that way and i know that there is a lot of additional junk that goes into your system if you dont rinse the food so ill go ahead and give that a shot. thanks for breaking it down to a noob like level for me :)

 

[sen5241b]

Half my LR was collected at the beach and its all great stuff. I must picked up 50 lbs of dead coral skeletons off the beaches and cured it myself. I found a some beautiful pieces at a yard sale!

 

[daugherty]

i guess one tip that i have is if you have a built in over flow tower make shure you keep the vents clean or your tank can over flow very easly.

 

[yote]

Test parameters often and keep a log.
Write down everything you add livestock wise,chemical,waterchange,feed.Write it all down.
Then you can look back and see whats worked and what hasnt.

 

[JBReef]

I guess I'll throw in a few.

1- i'll start with a classic.....research befor you buy!!!

2- I'll stick to the theame with......aclimate properly

3-I'll top it off with a...... spend atleast 12 hours a day staring at your tank so you can get your monies worth

 

[yote]

3-I'll top it off with a...... spend atleast 12 hours a day staring at your tank so you can get your monies worth

I'll go even further on this one.
Dont just stare at the tank.STUDY it.Your animals,especially the corals,will let you know somethings going on,a lot of times before it'll even show up on your test kits.

 

[AdeptMrSniffles]

I do a similar thing as RC. I mash up my frozen food in a small Tupperware container, squirt some RO water into the container then suck up some food for feeding in an syringe that I bought at PetSmart for $4. I then pop it in the freezer. Let thaw for your next feeding then store in freezer again. ITS GREAT!! It's designed for Oral medication for dogs but it works great for feeding fish too, lol. Also, after I do my water change I clean the acrylic lens of my light.

 

[puttycat]

When I do my water changes I skim wet and drain into a bucket. when the return pump is about to suck air I refill with fresh s/w