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    Thread: Tips & Tricks

    1. #1
      ricenoodle is offline Registered User
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      Tips & Tricks

      Thought I'd start a thread so we all can share what tips and tricks you guys use to make life easier that may be common knowledge to you but not to others.
      I always have a generator for power at my last place but only battery backups for the pumps here in case of power loss, and there isn't a battery powered heater that i know of so I've use this a few times and it came in clutch. 100% pure calcium chloride pellets, the same stuff you use to deice your driveway and is water activated, crush it up, put it in with water in a bottle, 50/50 ratio, close the cap tight, put the bottles in a double ziploc filled with water, clip it up right in tank, the heat transfers from the bottles to the water in the ziploc and then to the tank, double leak protection. I would not put the water bottle directly in the tank. Add more bottles if needed to raise temp, remove one to lower, last about 6 hours. Way more economical and efficient than hand warmers in a ziploc. You can get it on Amazon and there's a few brands, I didn't think i needed to do this until i lost power at my new place, so now i have a container on standby at all times.
      Last edited by ricenoodle; 08-26-2022 at 11:40 PM.

    2. #2
      dizzyjay is offline Registered User
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      Tips & Tricks

      Originally got this tip from Jamie Adams. Grab a 1-10ml pipette- Helpful for testing vials & dosing trace elements. Extremely handy to have on hand… was interesting to see where on a Hanna vial 10ml line ends up. I also use it for dosing trace elements (each function with its own dedicated tip)

      Here’s one for $18
      https://www.ulabsupply.com/ulab-sing...l-ulh1023.html

    3. #3
      skidz is offline Registered User
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      Solid!

    4. #4
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      cboltsd is offline Premium Member
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      Good info right here

      Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

    5. #5
      ricenoodle is offline Registered User
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      Another thing i do since both my tanks is on the second floor and my rodi water mixing station is on the back porch and carrying buckets gets old is simplify things. I use a sump pump connected to a wifi plug and ordered a roll of polyurethane tubing to run it from the back to my tanks and use a valve to control the output. With that setup i can just use my phone or Alexa to turn on the water as needed as i use the python system to drain into the sink, no lifting and take all the time i want to siphon out rocks and sand without corals being exposed to air longer than necessary or me rushing through it ��





    6. #6
      Kris is offline Registered User
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      Calcium Chloride- "Pellets of Fire" is the same thing as DampRid (unscented!). After you warmed up your tank you can add the liquid & pellets to your tank water for a calcium boost.

    7. #7
      ricenoodle is offline Registered User
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      Quote Originally Posted by Kris View Post
      Calcium Chloride- "Pellets of Fire" is the same thing as DampRid (unscented!). After you warmed up your tank you can add the liquid & pellets to your tank water for a calcium boost.
      I'm sure it's safe-ish but i rather take the precautions and only add reefsafe stuff since i don't wanna play with �� ��

    8. #8
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      Always bank your corals with one of two of your trusted reef buddy’s. So if your system ever crashes or a coral decides to die. You will always have a free back up! I have personally saved lots of money this way.


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      dizzyjay is offline Registered User
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      Label the wiring and power bricks for all your devices. Do not put anything sticky over the powerbrick’s specs (ie mounting Velcro). Many devices for our tanks use the same input size but have different amp ratings so don’t just blindly choose a plug/brick… match the specs that are in the manual. If your like me and have a bunch of orphaned bricks… the links below will show you how to read them and match them up to a compatible device.

      https://www.groovypost.com/howto/cho...-phone-laptop/

      https://sciencing.com/read-ac-dc-adapter-4967212.html

    10. #10
      marty92128 is offline Registered User
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      Plumbing tip
      Dry fitting for me is fine for marking placement of a fitting on a pipe
      Here’s a handy chart below that will give you depth of a socket fitting so you can cut your pipe length accordingly




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    11. #11
      ricenoodle is offline Registered User
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      When i want to do a deep clean in between water changes or don't feel like making a ton of water i make my own simple diy vacumn. Fill this filter sock cup up with filter floss, put a small power head on top with a hose going halfway down into the cup into the floss, clip the cup to the edge of the tank and i can blow down rocks and siphon the sand to my hearts content; detritus out and all the clean water stays in the tank, easy peasy.

    12. #12
      dizzyjay is offline Registered User
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      Quote Originally Posted by ricenoodle View Post
      When i want to do a deep clean in between water changes or don't feel like making a ton of water i make my own simple diy vacumn. Fill this filter sock cup up with filter floss, put a small power head on top with a hose going halfway down into the cup into the floss, clip the cup to the edge of the tank and i can blow down rocks and siphon the sand to my hearts content; detritus out and all the clean water stays in the tank, easy peasy.
      Good stuff. Along the same line, this magnum polisher is awesome for cleaning the chambers in your sump… drop it in a chamber and it will work as a powerhead/vacuum picking up loose detritus & debris. As an added bonus if you really want to polish your DT, you can prime the filter with diatomaceous earth and place it in the display overnight. This can be used to capture free floating parasites including ich. Does it cure ich?-no. Will it minimize an outbreak? -yes (modern day vortex diatom filter)

      Admittedly I had sticker shock when I saw what the price has jumped to but it is a useful tool.


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