Tips and Tricks 101
 

Thought it might be nice to hear some tricks or tips you guys may have learned,so that some of the old/newcomers in the reefkeeping hobby can avoid some extra costs...and maybe a headache or two. [img]images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]


A couple i have learned,

Its much easier to buy a 1/4" tap,and tap into the outfeed of your main system pump(at the base)to feed your reactor.
Saves the valuable plug in,and another small reduction in electricity,and a more reliable pressure.

If your a DIY`er,you can bend up to 3/4" pvc into a full 180 degrees without kinks for siphons or gravel vacs ect,by measuring the outside diameter of pipe to be bent,and purchasing a lightwieght spring(like a slinky but much smaller) with thin but easily manipulated coils with an inside diameter within 1/8" of the pipes O.D.
Heat the pipe up with a torch evenly until it is fairly flexible and slide the spring on,and bend to desired shape [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img].
Make sure spring is not a tight fit when slid on the pipe,and do a practice one first. [img]images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]

Buy a roll of a plastic mesh called "gutter guard",this stuff is worth the 5 bucks!
You can weave a strip of the stuff in and out of the fingers on your overflow,no more fishes & snails in the sump.

C`mon...give up your secrets...heh.

Marc.

[ 13 October 2001: Message edited by: Fudge ]

Tips and Tricks 101
 

Hmmm Kewl topic Marc.. Let me dig some things out of this rusty brain of mine.. [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

-When plumbing your tank/sump whatever. Rather than use solid PVC, spend the bit more and go for he flex tubing. More forgiving. If you make amistake you dont need to start over.

- Use ball/gate valves wherever possible. ie before and after pumps. Allows you to disconnect and replace without draining.

- Quick hand disconnects. Another useful device for plumbing. Much easier.

- Have two different GFCI circuits. Set up some circ/return pumps on opposite circuits. If one trips there will still be circulation.

- If working with WELD-ON 16 and acrylic. Push the bead of glue around the bond rather than let it run. you have more control of how much goes to the joint.

[ 13 October 2001: Message edited by: DJ88 ]

Tips and Tricks 101
 

Hello Guys,

An interesting trick I've learned is to have the excess air release valve for ca reactors hooked up to the high aeration skimmer's air intake. Make sure you have an inline valve for that though. This means any time after refilling the reactor, you can just let the the skimmer to re-prime those top mount pumps. This works well for the Canreef reactors, and I'm sure would work well for the Korallin ones as well. I'd suspect it to work for bottom mount reactors too.

Titus

Tips and Tricks 101
 

Hello Everybody,

Tip #1. Sealing your top rim of your tank. Usually a black plastic trim is placed on the edge of your tank to brace the tank and to prevent you from cutting yourself when you reach in to your tank. Take some silicone and seal the gap between the inside glass and the rim. This prevents bacteria and fungus from growing in the gap.

Tip #2. Extend life of Rios. I have Rio 800 pump and it seems to eat impelers for breakfast. The common failure point on my Rio is not the impeller blades, but the plastic shaft that keeps the impeller level. Once the shaft is worn out (takes 2 months), the impeller blades start to wobble, makes the pump very noisy, blades touch the Rio housing...bam...impeller blades are gone. So...I superglue the impeller blades to the plastic leveling shaft. This keeps the blades from smashing in to the housing.

Tip #3. Save your pumps. When running with high Ca and Alk levels, your pumps take a beating. Have two impeller assembles. One is always dipped in vinegar and the other is in use. Every month or so, exchange the impeller assembles. This will ensure that calcium deposits do not accumulate on your impeller and ensures your pump does not overheating due to impeller getting stuck.

- Victor.

[ 15 October 2001: Message edited by: reefburnaby ]

Tips and Tricks 101
 

Cool ideas,
Thought`ve one more [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

For those unhappy with their current effluent valve on their reactors...

Cut a 2" piece from a small (1/2" preferably smaller)diameter pvc,and get a small 1/4? metal bolt and a matching plastic bolt of the same thread pattern (with a slotted top).
The ones at revy for toilet stuff work well.
Drill a hole in the pvc about 1/16th" smaller than the bolt you are using.
Use the metal bolt to thread (tap) the pipe.
(you may have to file the ends of the bolt slightly).
Thread in the plastic bolt in and run your effluent line thru it.
This seems to work better and plugs less than any valve ive used for effluent,but is a little harder to get it tweaked just right [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img].

Marc.

Tips and Tricks 101
 

I thought that this was a good thread to get going again. [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

When you are doing some woodworking and don't have a shop full of nice tools (tablesaw,etc) I have had the shop that I bought my plywood from cut the wood to size for me. They are cheap (buck a cut usually) and the cuts are nice. If you know what sizes you want, this can save some time and makes the assembly easier.

I like to use 'o' rings on my skimmer and reactor flanges. They work great, no leaks, and are cheap.

If you need to do some water chemistry tests, I suggest using a quality test kit, like Salifert. You will be glad you did.

One last thing that I do with my system, I work from 7:30am till 4:30pm so I have my halides come on at 12:30pm and off at 11:30pm. This way I can enjoy my tank when I am at home after work.

[img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Tips and Tricks 101
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Silverfish:


When you are doing some woodworking and don't have a shop full of nice tools (tablesaw,etc) I have had the shop that I bought my plywood from cut the wood to size for me. They are cheap (buck a cut usually) and the cuts are nice. If you know what sizes you want, this can save some time and makes the assembly easier.

[img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] <hr></blockquote>


Where did you get your wood cut?

Tips and Tricks 101
 

I get mine cut at home depot, 0.50/ cut and the first 2 are free

the guy out here conciders one pull of the saw a cut so if you can fit 12 boards in there and he does them all with one pull it is only one cut [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Steve

Tips and Tricks 101
 

I got my plywood cut at Windsor Plywood here in Vic. I think it cost me 5 or 6 dollars to cut the wood for my hood and same for my 15g stand/equipment cabinet. They use a nice blade that does beautiful cuts.

Tips and Tricks 101
 

The same cut priciple applies to acrylic as well. My supplier will cut the acrylic to the exact dimensions I need, everytime.

Saves much time and many cuts on my hands and arms.

HOWEVER, some of them will not cut for you if they know you are building an aquarium. I don't understand this but it is their policy. I am sure somebody sued them over it.

Tips and Tricks 101
 

Great thread. Here's a little one I use. On the odd occation RTN rasies its ugly head. I take the coral out and dry the affected area with a q-tip. Then i get some crasy glue and cover the affected area, and just slightly onto the good tissue where the RTN is about to move on to. Give it a quick blow to form a skin and back in it geos. On the corals I have ahd to do this, the tissue grwos right back over the hardened glue.

Mike

Tips and Tricks 101
 

Good one Mike I'v saved lots of corals with crazy
glue(locktite 454-40).I've even stop a Euphyllia parancora from melting with a big gob of glue on the dieing edge.
Another good one for sick corals is a 25% Reef plus 75%Reef water bath for 30sec. Then back in the tank for 1hr then do it again.

A 5 yr old Bump.
 

Hi all i thought this would be nice to bring up again, many here have not had a chance to read or add to it.

Ill Add another.

Microbubble`s from your drain line?

A good way to rid yourself of atleast 50-70% of them is to extend your drain line about 6-8 " below the surface of the water in your sump.
Then (or before hand) drill a hole about 4" above the water line (tap or tee here if you wish aswell,it works a little better to hold the line in place)
Insert some 1/2"(or so) diam rubber line (or rigid if you tee`d) in the hole (not too far in) and point this back down into the sump aswell (above the waterline), as the air will want to burp and spray a bit.

Air wants to exit this line instead, as its a little easier to get out rather than force the air 6-8" below the water line.

This has worked like a charm for me, if your unsure if its for you, make sure you just buy a union first, and cut the line and just dry fit some test pieces and run it to see how it works for you.

Marc.

I'll play.

- Microfibre cloths are a cheap and effective way to get a streak free clean up on your glass. Just make sure to prewipe with a damp rag. No detergents are necessary.

- 8" personal fans move a lot more air than computer fans and can be nearly just as quiet if you get the right one. They're also prewired and have a built in setting dial.

- When planning out a rock scape, draw it out first. Then figure out how you can support your aquascape with PVC. This pretty much eliminates the need for "base rock" and creates a much more open reef structure.

- Soak crushed coral in RO/DI water for three weeks with a complete water change each week. Make sure it's aerated. Ever see that fancy and expensive reactor media for the Schuran reactors? Well congrats, you just made a bunch of it cheap.

I'll put more later on as I remember.

here are some of my tips:

keep important building materials on hand at all times. IE: 1/4" glass, acrylic, silicone, PVC piping & elbos, egg crate, etc. You never know when inspiration might hit ;)

Oh, and PVC piping can do neat things if you cut it lengthwise to make original things. I made a "reflector" for a cold cathode moonlight by cutting a piece of 3/4" PVC down the length in half, then supergluing a piece of aluminum foil to the inside. Saw somone use this idea for making a metal halide hood, actually (out of 2 foot PVC)

When starting up a reef, don't be daunted by the cost of larger tanks. Doller per gallon, larger tanks are cheaper than smaller tanks. Just get the biggest tank you can for your space, because equipment for larger tanks is not much more than smaller tanks. A metal halide ballast is usually the same price, whether it's 150W or 250W, the heaters are only 10% more for the larger versions, and the pumps are almost the exact same price. The only scaling cost is the tank the liverock, and possibly the skimmer, which isn't much really.

Oh, and don't turn your tank into a fruitstand. Being an artist myself, I visually despise people who buy 1.8 lbs of liverock per gallon, and pile it against the back of their aquarium, and then display their corals rising up their rock structure laid out like a fruitstand selling goods. It's not aesthetic, doesn't look like the real reef (there's NEVER that much assortment in a 4 foot area), and it's bad for flow.

then being an artist you should know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and what you might find bad others might find beautiful and what you might like others might find ugly.. I don't think you really have the right to tell people how to arrange their tanks.

Steve

A very important point, and one often overlooked i think.

If you look at the largest Aquascaping threads on many of the larger boards, many have stated what they find distracting, and i dont think Sean or anyone on those topics meant to slam anyone.

these threads include many saying simple things like take the damn magnet off there, or clean up the cords, or hide the plumbing....it is all opinion and personal taste here.
But if i could be honest, i too find things like that distracting.

Not to mention even taking the time to Design a structure in the first place.
I have a hard time myself dumping piles of money and time into it, and not paying close attention to the backdrop of the whole scene,wether its practical or aesthetics in mind.

Ive dumped enouph money into this system to build a hotrod or a bike, so if i did, i certainly wouldnt have completed the project and left original white walls on.

Cmon, Pick that brain of yours Steve and add something you think others may use on their system...

Keep em comin, i dont care if they are bad or good according to the next, let the readers decide what to disregard.

OK here is my tip.

Make a feeding device for feeding corals and anemones. Take a 30 cc syringe and some rigid clear plastic tubing about 1/4" diameter. Crazy glue the syringe to one end of the tubing. Heat the other end of the tubing and put a bend in it like a hockey stick. It works just like a turkey baster only longer.

My other tip is be nice to people and you will get free frags.

So this looks like a fruitstand I take It. You should pick your words before typing them out they might come out in a wrong sense that people might take offense too. In other words voicing your opinion is ok to a certain point, But stating a fact about opther people's hobbies or anything pertaining to them can be rude/..

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...F/DSC00237.jpg

For Bare bottom tanks
If you are prolonging your water changes and want to suck out the crud in your tank siphoning out the crap and have a filter sock in the buck to catch the crap and when your done take out the sock and pour the water back into the sump.:mrgreen:

Ok...shoulda let this one sit another 5 yrs...


I dont think he meant offense fellas, easy on the guy.

He thought it a good idea for someone who may be setting up a new tank.

Comon....

A couple hints for someone getting into a new system:

- Always plan for worse case scenarios.

- Try to do it in a basement. Temperature control is so much simpler when you're not dealing with a muggy upstairs atmosphere (most homes).

- Leave a space between the sump and the wall that you can reach behind. Sometimes fish jump, tools or frags drop, or cords need to be fished out. That space gives you the play you need to get in behind the sump to retrieve these items.

- When choosing a pump, go external unless you absolutely cannot afford it or find space for it. They run with less heat transfer, have better pipe diameters right from the volute (most brands) and, IME, run quieter with less maintanance than internals.

- Try to get a temperature controller/computer to regulate your heater. It makes no sense to invest thousands of dollars into a system then cheap out on the component MOST LIKELY to kill everything. Ranco controllers are very well regarded as they are an industrial utility component.

- Give yourself a good height on the stand. Your back will thank you and it will give you access to MUCH better skimmers and other equipment down the road.

- Go straight to Metal Halide or HO T5's. Everything else is just going to need an upgrade once you get bored of Xenia, Frogspawn and Mushrooms.

That's it for now.

Well my first "tip" would be to first and foremost please yourself - be happy with the way your tank looks even if it doesn't conform to traditional setups - if your happy with the way it looks and everything is doing great - just be happy:mrgreen:
My 2nd tip would be if you do your water changes manually - like I do - get a smaller pump and attach a piece of vinyl tubing or spa flex to the outlet and use it for both taking water out of your tank to your change bucket and for putting the new water back into the system. I use rubbermaid garbage cans for mixing my new water so I just put the can right by the tank I am going to change the water in - mix the water for about 24hrs - and then use the pump with spa flex to replace the water I have just removed with new.

gluing colonies to rocks
 

Some people (like me) have difficulty gluing mini or large colonies to rocks because of water flow or the size of the rock. What i've done that works really well is make a mould of the epoxy and then superglue it.
1) mix up a ball of epoxy and stick it into the rock where you want to put the coral.
2) Then push the base of the coral into the ball of epoxy and mould the epoxy around the base. Then gently pull out the coral again and let the epoxy harden.
3) When its harden, turn off all water movement in your tank, squeeze some superglue onto the base of the coral and insert it into the epoxy mould.
Its a guaranteed fit.

Tank placement
 

Always leave enough room behind the tank for YOUR arm to fit behind. If and when the time comes that you HAVE to put your arm back there, its too late.

putting rocks on glass
 

If you are paranoid about putting rock onto barebottom glass, cut some 1/4" lengths of 1/2" pvc pipe to make little round discs. Then place these between the rock and glass. Its so thin, you won't see them and it allows water flow under the rocks. You can even glue them down with super glue if you want to stop them from sliding around.
FYI - they will come off (with a pair of pliers) if you ever want to move or rearrange the rocks again.

plumbing an external pump
 

When plumbing an external pump, on both the inlet or outlet, you should always put a union and ball valve.
This will allow you to conduct maintenance on the pump by
a) shutting off the ball valve
b) disconnecting the union
c) you now have your pump with only about 1 cup of water spilling out

WoW 4 posts in a row.I think someone's trying for 1000 posts :mrgreen:
BTW great tips everyone,I'd add but all the good ones are taken

Ok here is a simple one and a different way of doing something you said at he beginning.. if you want to bend PVC of any size and can't find a spring or don't want to buy one, fill it with sand tightly and cap the ends, then bend with heat slowly and let cool. cut off the amount of the bend you need and save the sand for the next one.

Steve

to get a more even flow though out the tank build plastic hangers to attach your power head brackets to. this will allow you to make different length ones so you can put power heads at any hight so you can have a couple at the bottom, couple in the middle and a couple at the top or what ever. also by using a hanging system you can slide it over a few inches when you are cleaning the glass and not suction cups to come loose.

Steve

when stacking rock, weather you use a support frame or not, arrange it to make several pathways through the rock work at the bottom, not only does this give the fish nooks and crannies to race through but it also allows a strategically placed power head to provide a positive water flow through your rock work and reduce the settling of crap where you can't get at it.

Steve

when setting up flow in the tank I always try to set it up so it creates a whirlpool in an open area of the tank, this causes all the "crap" to settle in that area in a neat pile which makes it very easy to remove with a minimal waist of water.

Steve

Any words of wisdom on how you build them?
Just with a heat gun and a few pieces of acrylic?

Thanx much,

Damn, wish i had have known i could have put sand in the pipe.
woulda saved me a few trips to find the spring....

DOH..

I will take some pictures. glue and heat gun wouldn't be enuf as you have to use thicker stock to make it. a torch will bubble the plastic so cutting small chunks and gluing is the best way.. I will do a DIY thread on it as I have to make some more..

Steve

That'd be great!
Thanx Steve.

Cheers:smile:,

Water level in overflow boxes
 

If you have a dual or single overflow in the same box, incorporate an expanding joint into each of the stand-pipe. This will allow you to easily adjust the height of the water level in the box to evenly distributer the water to both pipes, maximize surface skimming and minimize waterfalling noise. These expanding joints can be located at Home Depot in the electrical grey PVC section and will allow an expansion range of about 6 inches.

A slightly cheaper but with less range of motion method: in most cases you will need to attach a male treaded adaptor on the bottom of your stand pipe to attach it to the bulkhead in your overflow. Adjust the stand-pipe by turning the male adaptor in or out of the bulkhead. This will only give you about 1/2" range but should be enough to adjust the height so that it evenly distributes the water to both stand pipes.

*sigh* sorry if i offended somone. in art school, EVERYONE gets very emotional about their own views on what's aesthetic, and I figured we're all adults here and can take a little opinion. Opinion isn't fact, and ideas DO clash.

and i don't think your's looks like a fruitstand. not even close. Thanks for posting the pic, aesmodeus. I was meaning there's a few images lieing out there on the net where the tank looks SO packed, and there's SO many corals lieing so close to each other, touching each other. Where people just seemed to dump their liverock like dumptrucks filling in a swamp.houses. But then again, that's what the ocean looks like where our liverock is collected.

Aesthetics is such a touchy subjet :)

Maybe I should say that I appreciate it when somone puts the work in, and makes something with a great rock structure, or a nice ratio of corals. Or somone who forgoes the "aesthetics" and decided to work hard at a tank containing species of coral/fish from a certain region/ecosystem.

I'm not saying my idea of aesthetics is better than everyone else's. I was just saying i get dissapointed in seeing the odd tank where coral health is forgone to display as many species as possible of coral in a single glass box.

sorry if i upset anyone, now let's here some more great ideas! :)

Sean that was well said. I hate those people out there that don't give a crap about things they buy for in this hobby. These species are taken out of their world and to what. To be sold to some one that who doesnt give a dam about what they buy. Like having 5-7 tangs in a 90 gal then the guy says hey look they have nice color there not fighting. Wrong!!!!!!!

With the adults thing I think its worst then kids some times. people take thing to heart to much or get offened really easy..... enough about that .....

but on another note. With me if I have a snail that dies I get bummed out call me weird, If a coral doenst look right i move it may be tha is the problem with us in this hobby were to busy making it look right for our eyes.... but i dear say there are many more people like me out there of even on this board. Lots of people love this board for many reasons to "Vent , bitch, complain, and to chat with totally different strangers and then to turn around to buy some thing from one of them unseen. and only going on there word. OPPS gettng off topic here.

Its ok to voice opinions on here, However is needs to be put out in the open that is the problem with boards people don't use the little faces in the right context. any ways not bitching at ya just was letting ya know on how or what is easier on voicing comments. SOm times they can get out of hand,

any ways I need a tea now later .


mike

one tip i thought of for laying out rock work. this mostly applies to new tank setups but cut a piece of cardboard the exact dimension of the inside of your tank, you can then ,depending on the size, take it to the fish store with you to help in buying pieces of rock and laying it out on the cardboard, i'm going to use this idea for the new tank in doing up my pvc structure rather than leaning in the tank to do it i'll just lay it out on the cardboard. i used it for my other tanks and it worked great