Tips and Tricks 101

[Skimmerking]

Originally Posted by kwirky

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.

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/..

[Skimmerking]

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.

[kwirky]

Originally Posted by asmodeus

So this looks like a fruitstand I take It.

*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!

[Skimmerking]

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

[niloc16]

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

[Jaws]

Great tips guys. One tip I like is to try and minimize the amount of flow going through the sump. The faster the water is travelling through your sump because of a large return pump the less time your equipment has to clean the water. Also with things like my skimmer, Phosban reactors, ozone reactors, fluvals, etc. try to push the water from the return or middle chamber in your sump and return it to the overflow chamber. This way you're able to recirculate the water and your polishing already polished water even moreso.

[kwirky]

Here's a tip I've just figured out today:

you're supposed to keep your hands out of the tank if you have a skimmer, but there's some cases where you can't help it.

you can get arm length gloves, or I found just now, that you can rinse your arms real well with real hot water before putting them in the tank. It takes most of the oils off your skin, so it doesn't drive the skimmer crazy.

edit:
oh! and don't epoxy a coral that you're planning to grow big on a tiny rock. I still don't know what I'm going to do about this one toadstool glued on the rock tighter than a... um... never mind lol.

[niloc16]

in order to reduce stress on new arrivals in the tank and to keep the others busy from attacking it, tape a mirror on the side of the tank, the fish will attack the mirror thinking it is one of their own and leave the new arrival alone. works well with really aggressive tank mates and after a few days when you remove the mirror the fish dont even really clue in on the new arrival because now their 'mortal enemies' have vanished.