Shadow Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 After getting back into the hobby almost a year and a half ago, I have realized there are some tools I never thought I would ever use for a tank or really need in the house at all but low & behold, here they are...what are some of the tools you were surprised were suggested to you that you never thought you'd need and now cannot do without? I'll start....a turkey baster. 😂 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 1. WalMart liquid medicine syringe + 6-in piece of airline. Every day. 2. Aquascaping skimming net. Use to harvest Daphnia and remove Duckweed. Every day. 3. Large granite Pestle & Mortar for powderizing fish flakes… or anything. At least every few days. 4. Knee-high panty hose to keep fish fry from getting siphoned out during water changes. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert K Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 I use lego pieces (the thin and wide ones) as algae scrapers. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Posted January 6 Author Share Posted January 6 On 1/6/2024 at 5:26 PM, Robert K said: I use lego pieces (the thin and wide ones) as algae scrapers. Now that is one I have never heard of before! 😂 Does it work? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Pipettes, yeast, salsa jars, but meat thermometer is probably my biggest one. I can instantly check the temp on my tanks without having to have a thermometer in each one or try and read those little glass thermometers. Bonus, you can check the temp if the water for a water change. On 1/6/2024 at 12:33 PM, Shadow said: turkey baster Definitely turkey basters so many uses! On 1/6/2024 at 1:45 PM, Fish Folk said: WalMart liquid medicine syringe + 6-in piece of airline. What are you doing with that? 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Moving a big tank and need a pond/pool to hold some fish while you work on the tank? --->Tote Working on trying to keep all the junk that you use neat and tidy on your table, but drips and things happen a lot? --->Tote Need to store all the stuff you use every few months or just have some "dust free" long term storage for the supplies you don't really use daily? (or need to store things in the garage to free up space...) --->Tote Need a qt tank and all you have is stuff around the house....? ---->Tote Need to move a tank and don't want to toss out 40 gallons of water? ---->Tote It's sort of been the go-to for me with buckets, anything and everything that can hold water has a use, at least once! 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
govsfabshop Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Old retired meat Thermometer for quick water checks. Measuring spoons (good luck finding a tbsp or tsp in my kitchen!) Kasa outlet plugs are my favorite and most used, shutting off filters, for feeding/maintenance, plus the perks like light control! 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 On 1/6/2024 at 11:04 PM, Schuyler said: Pipettes, yeast, salsa jars, but meat thermometer is probably my biggest one. I can instantly check the temp on my tanks without having to have a thermometer in each one or try and read those little glass thermometers. Bonus, you can check the temp if the water for a water change. Definitely turkey basters so many uses! What are you doing with that? I feed live baby brine shrimp, live banana worms drawn up from water in small glass jar, live daphnia, and thawed frozen foods (thawed in specimen container with warm water). It is just a liquid syringe with an extended tubing. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seisage Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 On 1/6/2024 at 12:33 PM, Shadow said: After getting back into the hobby almost a year and a half ago, I have realized there are some tools I never thought I would ever use for a tank or really need in the house at all but low & behold, here they are...what are some of the tools you were surprised were suggested to you that you never thought you'd need and now cannot do without? I'll start....a turkey baster. 😂 I looooove turkey basters for aquarium work!! I've only just started keeping personal tanks, but I volunteer at a local aquarium and we use turkey basters for feeding and cleaning (primarily sea cucumber and urchin poop...) all the time. I'll definitely be getting one for my own tanks. They're amazing for targeted removal of waste and debris. Better than siphons, in my opinion, because they're easier to use and don't remove much water. They're also better than siphons for fine substrate like sand because the suction is so delicate and controlled! Okay, I'm done being a shill for Big Turkey Baster now lol. But seriously, they're a game changer. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefhugger Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Garbage can on wheels! wonderful for syphoning water into while cleaning tanks. Goes right out to the garden for watering plants. Quilt stuffing from Walmart etc for hob filter material. And me too with the turkey baster. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert K Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 On 1/7/2024 at 12:58 AM, Shadow said: Now that is one I have never heard of before! 😂 Does it work? Works great for me. 😅 Two things I like with the Lego pieces: 1. they're rigid and firm (I tried old credit cards and such but I found them too flexible) 2. they have a pretty sharp edge, while still being "glass friendly ". 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 (edited) Man, when I saw the title of the thread, my first thought was turkey baster! Since that’s already taken, I will say 1) modified juice jug (water dispersion) 2) terra cotta pots. (Pot= cave or plant pot. Modded pot=tunnel or box filter. I even took a tiny pot and made a box filter for the specimen container, which became a trumpet snail “tank”. I’ve also hospitalized ill shrimp this way. Pot tray=feeding dish. Any part of the pot=bacteria growing surface or fish spawning site. Broken pot [sanded]=cave.) 3) Dip container or sour cream container. When you siphon stuff out of a tank, you can check for things (ie: shrimplets) you accidentally removed, because the container is white. I use “Dean’s” French onion dip container! Every single day. 4) gel superglue - mod equipment or decor; attach plants 5) Tupperware (worm farm, snail egg incubator, mini fish hospital, etc) 6) scuba o-rings- reduce size of a hole by placing an o-ring inside of it. Keeps a smaller PFS on without the need to use intake basket. (My intake basket is pretty wide, and I didn’t want a huge unsightly PFS taking up so much space in my tank) 7) magnifying glass 8 flashlight 9) craft mesh- covers gaps in lid to prevent escape artists Edited January 7 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 (edited) On 1/6/2024 at 4:45 PM, Fish Folk said: Knee-high panty hose to keep fish fry from getting siphoned out during water changes. For the longest time I’d use them to make media bags. Especially in the rare cases I need to use carbon. I’ve now moved to drawstring media bags because I cannot ever get the knots out of the pantyhose and hence I had to cut (ruin) them. Edited January 7 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 (edited) On 1/6/2024 at 11:11 PM, nabokovfan87 said: Moving a big tank and need a pond/pool to hold some fish while you work on the tank? --->Tote Working on trying to keep all the junk that you use neat and tidy on your table, but drips and things happen a lot? --->Tote Need to store all the stuff you use every few months or just have some "dust free" long term storage for the supplies you don't really use daily? (or need to store things in the garage to free up space...) --->Tote Need a qt tank and all you have is stuff around the house....? ---->Tote Need to move a tank and don't want to toss out 40 gallons of water? ---->Tote It's sort of been the go-to for me with buckets, anything and everything that can hold water has a use, at least once! Also if a tank starts to leak and you don’t know what to do; it’s at night and all the stores are closed ——>Tote How do I know this? 🙄 Literally had this happen, dumped a tote full of Christmas decorations onto the floor and used the tote to save fish Edited January 7 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 On 1/6/2024 at 10:04 PM, Schuyler said: Pipettes, yeast, salsa jars, but meat thermometer is probably my biggest one. I can instantly check the temp on my tanks without having to have a thermometer in each one or try and read those little glass thermometers. Bonus, you can check the temp if the water for a water change. Definitely turkey basters so many uses! What are you doing with that? As an ex chef, I have plenty of meat thermometers but I use a thermometer gun, squeeze the trigger and shoots the lil red dot into where ever. On 1/6/2024 at 10:11 PM, nabokovfan87 said: Moving a big tank and need a pond/pool to hold some fish while you work on the tank? --->Tote Working on trying to keep all the junk that you use neat and tidy on your table, but drips and things happen a lot? --->Tote Need to store all the stuff you use every few months or just have some "dust free" long term storage for the supplies you don't really use daily? (or need to store things in the garage to free up space...) --->Tote Need a qt tank and all you have is stuff around the house....? ---->Tote Need to move a tank and don't want to toss out 40 gallons of water? ---->Tote It's sort of been the go-to for me with buckets, anything and everything that can hold water has a use, at least once! Well guess what I'm buying when I'm getting at Home Depot? 😂 On 1/6/2024 at 10:24 PM, govsfabshop said: Old retired meat Thermometer for quick water checks. Measuring spoons (good luck finding a tbsp or tsp in my kitchen!) Kasa outlet plugs are my favorite and most used, shutting off filters, for feeding/maintenance, plus the perks like light control! I couldn't speak more highly on Kasa plugs. They're awesome! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 On 1/7/2024 at 2:42 AM, Seisage said: I looooove turkey basters for aquarium work!! I've only just started keeping personal tanks, but I volunteer at a local aquarium and we use turkey basters for feeding and cleaning (primarily sea cucumber and urchin poop...) all the time. I'll definitely be getting one for my own tanks. They're amazing for targeted removal of waste and debris. Better than siphons, in my opinion, because they're easier to use and don't remove much water. They're also better than siphons for fine substrate like sand because the suction is so delicate and controlled! Okay, I'm done being a shill for Big Turkey Baster now lol. But seriously, they're a game changer. They're even more essential in the Marine hobby, I found out. Blasting corals, etc, of debris. On 1/7/2024 at 6:03 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said: Also if a tank starts to leak and you don’t know what to do; it’s at night and all the stores are closed ——>Tote How do I know this? 🙄 Literally had this happen, dumped a tote full of Christmas decorations onto the floor and used the tote to save fish At least the Tote was handy. I have two with my canister filters inside for safety sake. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tlindsey Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Rubbermaid Brute can for mixing saltwater. Rubbermaid tote for sump. Walmart 3 drawer cart without wheels made into wet/dry trickle filter. Plastic Pot scrubbers for biomedia. Magnifying glass. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanked Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 The plastic mesh bags that garlic bulbs are sold in can be stuffed with lava rocks to raise substrate, placed over the siphon hose, the HOB intake or inside the UGF lift tubes to keep critters out, and a diffuser if you are pumping water in A pond pump for pumping water back into the aquarium instead of lifting 40# buckets shoulder high Aerosol can lids fitted with a rubber suction cup acts as containers for plants and soil anywhere on the sides of the aquarium I have a 9" silverware cup from a discarded dish rack, fitted with 2 rubber suction cups serves as a water diffuser so I don't disturb the substrate, and as a corral for new plants, fish... Plastic jar lids fitted with a thin piece of Styrofoam and a 'donut hole' act as floating plant corrals. S/S stiffeners from your cars windshield wipers (my first hack) can be bent to hang on the rim, bent at an angle to recover tools, deceased animals etc. They can also be used as skewers for feeding and retrieving veggies in the aquarium. A skewer that is longer than your tank is tall will allow you to anchor one end in the substrate while they are feeding. Fitted with a wine cork on one end, it won't sink if you drop it. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 On 1/7/2024 at 10:47 AM, Tanked said: S/S stiffeners from your cars windshield wipers (my first hack) can be bent to hang on the rim, bent at an angle to recover tools, deceased animals etc. They can also be used as skewers for feeding and retrieving veggies in the aquarium. A skewer that is longer than your tank is tall will allow you to anchor one end in the substrate while they are feeding. Fitted with a wine cork on one end, it won't sink if you drop it. This is a new one for me, but I’ll be looking into this. Always looking for handier ways to feed veggies. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanked Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 On 1/7/2024 at 11:54 AM, Odd Duck said: This is a new one for me, but I’ll be looking into this. Always looking for handier ways to feed veggies. Talk to your local auto shop. As our vehicles get bigger, so do the wipers. The only down side that I know of is that they are actually are brittle. Once bent at a sharp angle, unbending will often break them. I also use them to build DIY ant-dams on the hummingbird feeders. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 On 1/7/2024 at 10:47 AM, Tanked said: The plastic mesh bags that garlic bulbs are sold in can be stuffed with lava rocks to raise substrate, placed over the siphon hose, the HOB intake or inside the UGF lift tubes to keep critters out, and a diffuser if you are pumping water in A pond pump for pumping water back into the aquarium instead of lifting 40# buckets shoulder high Aerosol can lids fitted with a rubber suction cup acts as containers for plants and soil anywhere on the sides of the aquarium I have a 9" silverware cup from a discarded dish rack, fitted with 2 rubber suction cups serves as a water diffuser so I don't disturb the substrate, and as a corral for new plants, fish... Plastic jar lids fitted with a thin piece of Styrofoam and a 'donut hole' act as floating plant corrals. S/S stiffeners from your cars windshield wipers (my first hack) can be bent to hang on the rim, bent at an angle to recover tools, deceased animals etc. They can also be used as skewers for feeding and retrieving veggies in the aquarium. A skewer that is longer than your tank is tall will allow you to anchor one end in the substrate while they are feeding. Fitted with a wine cork on one end, it won't sink if you drop it. There's some in here that I woulda never thought of! I do actually use a pond grade pump to save my back when changing water now. Also got a big 60 gal plastic drum for water prep. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 On 1/7/2024 at 4:32 AM, Shadow said: Well guess what I'm buying when I'm getting at Home Depot? 😂 I've got two on standby. 😂 Sterilite is the go to! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanked Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 On 1/7/2024 at 2:54 PM, Shadow said: There's some in here that I woulda never thought of! I do actually use a pond grade pump to save my back when changing water now. Also got a big 60 gal plastic drum for water prep. I should have added that the for the small fish, jar lids also keep floating food in one location instead of blowing all over the tank. I'm still part of the bucket brigade. All of the aquariums are in the the family areas on old hardwood floors. They suffer enough from drips and splashes. I do have a 32 gal. Rubbermaid BRUTE with casters that I used for wine making. I should give that a trial run.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tike Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 haven't seen this one yet....zip ties 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 On 1/7/2024 at 3:47 PM, tike said: haven't seen this one yet....zip ties Got multiple lengths lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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