Aquarium Tips

I've had aquariums for years, and trust me I've made all the mistakes. I've been a student of the hobby and I've tried my best to help others learn from my mistakes. I've studied as much as I could to keep from making more mistakes but things happen.

The one thing I've learned most is that SO OFTEN people refuse to listen to advice. "Oh well I've been keeping a tank with no water changes and it does fine." Then when the tank crashes they refuse to believe it's because they wouldn't clean it. Or the people who clean the ENTIRE tank out EVERYTIME and then don't understand why they can't keep fish alive for more than a few weeks.

Here's what I've learned and you can take it or leave it.

FRESHWATER TANKS ONLY

*Aquariums need to CYCLE.( see cycle info here http://www.whichfishtank.com/FishAquariumCycle.html) It takes anywhere from 6-10 weeks for a tank to cycle depending. You can't add all your fish as soon as you set the aquarium up. You have to CYCLE the tank FIRST. Also, CHLORINE must be removed from water every time water is added. 

* If you take all the water out of your tank and refill it you RESTART the cycle. 25-30% at a time is recommended unless there are serious problems. My rule of thumb: I change 1/3 of my tanks. 10g tanks I change once a week, 20g tanks every two weeks, 30 tanks every three weeks  so forth.  I add AQUARIUM salt to my tanks with each change.

* There is usually a BIO FILTER in your filter. Some have a sponge like part in front of the replaceable filters or a wheel. The bacterial colony lives in that and you should NEVER clean that with chlorine water. IF it needs to be cleared up a bit use water from the tank to clean it.

* Take care in adding things to your tank. When adding new fish quarantine them in a separate tank first. Do NOT add water from other tanks to your tank. Pour the bagged fish out over a net into a bowl so that the fish is in the net and the fish store water is in the bowl NOT your tank.

Quarantine any new live plants as well. 

Adding too many fish to your aquarium at once will cause a spike in ammonia/waste. It is recommended to add fish in small amounts over time. Rule of thumb they say is 1 inch of fish per gallon but some fish create more waste than others. Goldfish should have a MINIMUM of 5 g per fish. Preferably 10g per goldfish. Also take into consideration the ADULT size of the fish. Many fish you see in the store are juveniles and have yet to reach their full size. So that cute little one inch fish could grow to be over a foot long! Research a fish before adding it to your tank. I had one small fish ( less than two inches) that could kill fish 3 times its size. 

I'm sure there's plenty more I could add but at this time I seem to have run dry on ideas :) More later!

Cleaning around here is a full time job with my small zoo. I don't like to use weird chemicals if I can keep from it because I: 1.) don't want to use chemicals and 2.) have a lot of animals to keep safe. SO getting "green" cleaning techniques has been a collectors hobby of mine recently. Here are a few of my favorites. Enjoy!

  Baking Soda as Tub Scrubber Rub tub stains away. 
Create a paste mad up of equal parts baking soda and cream of tartar and a little lemon juice. Let sit for 30 minutes, then rinse.

Salt as Homemade Drain Cleaner

 Get a slow-moving drain flowing again and pour a solution of ½ cup of salt for every quart of hot water down the pipe.

Clean silver without a store bought solution 

 1) 1 cup of boiling water

 2) 1 tablespoon baking soda

 3) 1 tablespoon white salt 

4) 1/2 cup white vinegar

 5) 1 sheet of tinfoil, shiny side up 

6) bowl 

 7) Polishing cloth

 Boil the water. While it’s simmering up, line the bottom of the bowl with the tinfoil, shiny side up. Then, add the salt and baking soda to the bottom of the bowl. Add the vinegar slowly (it will fizz) and mix everything together to dissolve the salt and baking soda. You want all the granules to dissolve. Add the boiling water to your bowl and then gently drop each piece of silver in the bowl. Just let it sit, the chemical reaction does all the work for you. If you wish, you can flip them over , just to ensure that both sides get exposure to the tinfoil. Take each piece out carefully and buff it gently with your polishing cloth. You should start to see all the tarnish come off.

Baby Oil as Paint Remover

 Dab some baby oil on splatters to remove latex paint from skin.

 Baby Oil as Chrome Polish

 Baby oil also polishes chrome. Apply a dab to a cotton cloth and use it to shine everything from faucets to hubcaps.

Safe weed killer

 2 c vinegar, 1T liquid soap, 1Tsalt....will kill any plant.

 Keep neighboring plants safe using a cut off two liter or milk jug around the plant.

Tub Cleaner Vinegar And Dish Soap, No Scrubbing.

 Heat 1/2 Cups White Vinegar In Microwave For 90 Seconds, Pour Into Spray Bottle. Add 1/2 Cups Blue Dawn Dish Soap. Shake Gently To Mix. Spray On Surface, Let It Sit 1-2 Hours. Just Wipe It Away, Then Rinse With Water. Should Also Take Soap Scum Off Shower Doors.