What non-aquarium use items do you use for your tank? - Page 2

reefinmike · 08/09/2006, 08:09 PM

i use those paint scrapers, they are handles with 3.5" razor blades, gets it done 3x faster than a normal razor

rockindacheeks · 08/09/2006, 08:29 PM

myself and 2 of my coworkers have nano tanks in our office. We took 2 McDonalds straws with a paper clip in one end and made the "nano tool" it works great for moving things around, and picking things up.

Speckled Grouper · 08/09/2006, 08:46 PM

Home Depot sells "Tarp Clips" for $ .99, attach to some fishing line and it will hold your Nori tight! Or make a little pouch out of gutter guard (also at HD) and stuff it with frozen blender mush.

Gutter Guard by itself to cover any holes where fish might jump out.

Plastic soap holders with suction cups from WalMart are the best frag holders by far.

Aquamend @ $ 2.99 from HD is the same as the more expensive stuff the LFS sells to glue rock and frags.

Chopsticks free with Sushi from the Supermarket to stir, pick up, scrape, etc, etc.

Eyebrow tweezers from the Drugstore to remove small things like specs of algae, etc.

Nori - Sushi Roll Sheets, 50 sheets for $ 6.00, same stuff as 4 sheets for $ 4.75 at the LFS, from your local japanese grocery store.

msuzuki126 · 08/09/2006, 08:59 PM

Krylon fusion spray paint. Well, everyone says it's reef safe haha.

vanmo92 · 08/09/2006, 09:27 PM

My asm G3 skimmer didnt come with the little seal to connect the pump so we used a part out of out car to seal it up.

Paul B · 08/10/2006, 04:28 AM

A lot of my "rock" is cement over PVC pipe, like this 3' piece and the smaller one. They are also hollow.
Paul

Frankysreef · 08/10/2006, 11:37 AM

PaulB Show us MORE!!!!

Paul B · 08/10/2006, 01:34 PM

PVC rock under construction.

PVC venturi skimmer, cost about $5.00 not counting pump.

Dish that feeds moorish Idol. There is a tube going to the surface with a funnel on top. Automatic feeder puts pellets in the funnel twice a day.

Grand Marnier bottle. Delicious stuff

And the rest of the bottles

Vinnie1 · 08/10/2006, 04:40 PM

PaulB, you are amazing!

Do you grow macro in your algae filter?

Do you have directions for your projects? I'd really like to make the skimmer and the twisting live rock. Do you melt the pvc?

Frankysreef · 08/10/2006, 04:52 PM

PaulB U rock .. show us more!

Paul B · 08/11/2006, 05:57 AM

Quote:

Do you grow macro in your algae filter?

Actually I grow macro in my tank and in the filter, but I collect the stuff out on the east end of Long Island in Montauk which is about the only place where I find it. It's "Codium" and it grows great in a reef.
Local New York codium

Here is some local New York sponge I collect to feed my moorish Idol. I know it's discusting out of the water.

As for showing you more, look in my gallery, All of the pictures are on here somewhere

Quote:

Do you have directions for your projects? I'd really like to make the skimmer and the twisting live rock. Do you melt the pvc?

I have posted directions a few times. Look under posts that say "home made rock" If you can't find it, let me know and I will give you directions.
Have a great day.
Paul

Paul B · 08/11/2006, 06:24 AM

mistake

Frankysreef · 08/11/2006, 11:54 AM

PaulB U are in inspiration to us all in the way of the free and the homemade....
I myself strive to keep costs down, by building and or making as much of the items as possible, or by buying used equipment....

Useful stuff for aquariums..

10 inch table saw ( great for cutting wood, sheet aluminum, and acrylic ) Much easier to make teeth for overflows with a table saw than a router... check my gallery...

Sheet aluminum for homemade reflectors
Sheet acrylic for sump parts like overflows, and baffles and skimmer stands

The DIY section of reef central -- built my automated top off from plans there.. used a 300 ma transformer a relay and a wall socket all put together with solderless connections...

Router speed control from harbor freight tools, controls speed of AC fans...

If I think of more I'll post.

Paul B · 08/12/2006, 04:59 AM

Frankysreef, Thank you. I build most of my stuff not because of an inability to buy the stuff, I just like to build stuff and I think I can make it better and custom make it for my needs. Yesterday I bought a used aquarium chiller for $50.00. I could have bought a new one but this one needed a fan, it had a leak and needs freon. I fixed it and feel much more accomplished with it than I would with a new one that anyone could buy.
No one has ever worked on my house, car or boat and they never will. It's just me.
I can buy rock like anyone else but it's a hobby and the defination of a hobby is a pasttime. Building equipment is also part of a pasttime. I would get bored just looking at a reef tank and feeding it once in a while. I am a born tinkerer and I love it. If something breaks, I feel it is a challange not a misfortune.
Have a great day and enjoy your "non" aquarium "stuff"

Paul

marino420td · 08/12/2006, 08:23 AM

Computer fans to cool lights

Cheap light reflector from Lowes for sump light

Rubbermaid livestock tank for sump

xtm · 08/12/2006, 10:47 AM

I use this to switch different equipments in my tank

I looked for this all over the place, when they ask me: What amplifiers are you gonna use it for? I said "Tunze... new amps from Germany."

Frankysreef · 08/13/2006, 11:48 AM

PaulB I feel the same way, this hobby is an outlet for me to build things also....

Checkout my setup

I handbuilt everything, those are solid oak s3s planks, I made the whole 14 foot cabinet out of solid oak and plywood.

Check my gallery for photos of the whole build process.... The only thing I screwed up on was not making the sump big enough

So when the power goes out, I overflow about 5 gals, but I have a fix for that too....

I hand built everything, and bought mostly used equipment for everything else.

Most pumps were bought new, or slightly used, I got a deal on a lot of stuff from a reefer that was going out of the hobby...

Made 1 reflector that has a bank of 2 bulbs out of sheet aluminum that I polished, total cost $10

Built my automated top off with 300 ma transformer, and relay and house socket for about 19 dollars, traded frags for pumps and other equipment....Used an old sump from my old tank as my new fuge.... used skimmers.. and the list goes onnnnn....

Frank

vanmo92 · 08/13/2006, 12:14 PM

great setup Frankysreef

Ryanqk · 08/13/2006, 12:24 PM

I get syringes i get for free from a doctor friend of mine (minus the needles) to feed and for drip acclimation and measuring out my supplements and airtubing to spot feed with. There is a LARGE cubic zirconium stuck in one of my rocks for fun... looks like treasure...
I love those Encrusted bottles, if anyone has an extra they wanna get rid of let me know.. i'm too lazy to throw one in my tank and just let it happen. PVT ME

Thanks,
Ryan

Paul B · 08/13/2006, 06:24 PM

Frank, beautiful. I love to see talent. I installed my tank and built my house around it. I know what that oak costs, I built my kitchen out of it.
Nice job.
Paul

Frankysreef · 08/15/2006, 03:46 PM

I went throught 2 10 inch dewalt ultimate crosscut blades for that

The oak costs about 3.45 a board foot for S3S, I run it through the table saw to rip one edge square. I can get it in 10 inch wide boards.

Used craftsman 10 inch table saw $150...

Paul B · 08/15/2006, 03:58 PM

Yeah beautiful stuff. I have a large radial arm saw. I just about built the house and I have no Idea how many blades I went through.
Paul

fantastic4 · 08/17/2006, 11:47 PM

loved this thread, please keep it going...

Not great, but little things that I do:
I use baby diapers (cloth kind) to clean my acrylic tanks. Cheaper than scratch pads. Just be careful when you use then as it tends to break away into pieces. Just fold a few times and keep firm in hand and wipe away. Cheap, plentiful.

Walmart polyfiber within the fabric department for my cainster to both polish water and trap phosphates.

Old computer enclosures (your typical alluminum case) to house my metal halide ballasts as heat diffusers. Stripped out electronics and simply drilled holes to screw units in.

The top part of CDR spindles, I use the clear plastic cup as holders for my inhabitants and for scooping sand and changing out water from my nano. I like it a lot, it's clear and just the right amount for daily water exchanges in my nano.

Chopsticks tied together end to end with rubber bands and then attach a lady's small hair clip (spring kind) to the end with anouther rubber band to make a feeding stick.

Fragmented · 08/30/2006, 04:10 PM

I use a plastic putty knife to scrape algae off the glass. Most of the other things I use have already been listed.

chrismunn · 08/30/2006, 04:27 PM

live beer can

08/09/2006, 08:09 PM	#26
reefinmike Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: ohio Posts: 846	i use those paint scrapers, they are handles with 3.5" razor blades, gets it done 3x faster than a normal razor __________________ 90g reef lit by 2 kessil 360's and 4 T5's. 55g sump/fuge, eshopps s-200 skimmer and slowly working on getting every apex gadget

08/09/2006, 08:29 PM	#27
rockindacheeks Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Corona, California Posts: 2,072	myself and 2 of my coworkers have nano tanks in our office. We took 2 McDonalds straws with a paper clip in one end and made the "nano tool" it works great for moving things around, and picking things up. __________________ My name is Dan, and I'm a closet reefer... Current Tank Info: 28g nanocube

08/09/2006, 08:46 PM	#28
Speckled Grouper Sticks Suck! Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Davie & Big Pine Key, FL Posts: 2,655	Home Depot sells "Tarp Clips" for $ .99, attach to some fishing line and it will hold your Nori tight! Or make a little pouch out of gutter guard (also at HD) and stuff it with frozen blender mush. Gutter Guard by itself to cover any holes where fish might jump out. Plastic soap holders with suction cups from WalMart are the best frag holders by far. Aquamend @ $ 2.99 from HD is the same as the more expensive stuff the LFS sells to glue rock and frags. Chopsticks free with Sushi from the Supermarket to stir, pick up, scrape, etc, etc. Eyebrow tweezers from the Drugstore to remove small things like specs of algae, etc. Nori - Sushi Roll Sheets, 50 sheets for $ 6.00, same stuff as 4 sheets for $ 4.75 at the LFS, from your local japanese grocery store. __________________ The cure for anything is salt water.....sweat, tears, or the sea. Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 265g

08/09/2006, 08:59 PM	#29
msuzuki126 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Dutchess County, New York Posts: 1,377	Krylon fusion spray paint. Well, everyone says it's reef safe haha. __________________ Red House=My 90 build. Matt. Current Tank Info: 90 rebuild

08/09/2006, 09:27 PM	#30
vanmo92 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Silverthorne, CO. Posts: 2,045	My asm G3 skimmer didnt come with the little seal to connect the pump so we used a part out of out car to seal it up. __________________ PBITAWA Current Tank Info: 72 gallon bow Mixed Reef 1 fw tank

08/10/2006, 04:28 AM	#31
Paul B Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 15,549	A lot of my "rock" is cement over PVC pipe, like this 3' piece and the smaller one. They are also hollow. Paul

08/10/2006, 11:37 AM	#32
Frankysreef Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Newport Beach CA Posts: 3,096	PaulB Show us MORE!!!!

08/10/2006, 01:34 PM	#33
Paul B Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 15,549	PVC rock under construction. PVC venturi skimmer, cost about $5.00 not counting pump. Dish that feeds moorish Idol. There is a tube going to the surface with a funnel on top. Automatic feeder puts pellets in the funnel twice a day. Grand Marnier bottle. Delicious stuff And the rest of the bottles

08/10/2006, 04:40 PM	#34
Vinnie1 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 27	PaulB, you are amazing! Do you grow macro in your algae filter? Do you have directions for your projects? I'd really like to make the skimmer and the twisting live rock. Do you melt the pvc?

08/10/2006, 04:52 PM	#35
Frankysreef Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Newport Beach CA Posts: 3,096	PaulB U rock .. show us more!

08/11/2006, 06:24 AM	#37
Paul B Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 15,549	mistake

08/11/2006, 11:54 AM	#38
Frankysreef Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Newport Beach CA Posts: 3,096	PaulB U are in inspiration to us all in the way of the free and the homemade.... I myself strive to keep costs down, by building and or making as much of the items as possible, or by buying used equipment.... Useful stuff for aquariums.. 10 inch table saw ( great for cutting wood, sheet aluminum, and acrylic ) Much easier to make teeth for overflows with a table saw than a router... check my gallery... Sheet aluminum for homemade reflectors Sheet acrylic for sump parts like overflows, and baffles and skimmer stands The DIY section of reef central -- built my automated top off from plans there.. used a 300 ma transformer a relay and a wall socket all put together with solderless connections... Router speed control from harbor freight tools, controls speed of AC fans... If I think of more I'll post.

08/12/2006, 04:59 AM	#39
Paul B Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 15,549	Frankysreef, Thank you. I build most of my stuff not because of an inability to buy the stuff, I just like to build stuff and I think I can make it better and custom make it for my needs. Yesterday I bought a used aquarium chiller for $50.00. I could have bought a new one but this one needed a fan, it had a leak and needs freon. I fixed it and feel much more accomplished with it than I would with a new one that anyone could buy. No one has ever worked on my house, car or boat and they never will. It's just me. I can buy rock like anyone else but it's a hobby and the defination of a hobby is a pasttime. Building equipment is also part of a pasttime. I would get bored just looking at a reef tank and feeding it once in a while. I am a born tinkerer and I love it. If something breaks, I feel it is a challange not a misfortune. Have a great day and enjoy your "non" aquarium "stuff" Paul

08/12/2006, 08:23 AM	#40
marino420td Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Cape Girardeau, MO Posts: 2,529	Computer fans to cool lights Cheap light reflector from Lowes for sump light Rubbermaid livestock tank for sump

08/12/2006, 10:47 AM	#41
xtm Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Panorama City, CA Posts: 4,703	I use this to switch different equipments in my tank I looked for this all over the place, when they ask me: What amplifiers are you gonna use it for? I said "Tunze... new amps from Germany." __________________ Function before fashion Current Tank Info: 120g SPS Tank (48x24x24)

08/13/2006, 11:48 AM	#42
Frankysreef Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Newport Beach CA Posts: 3,096	I feel the same! PaulB I feel the same way, this hobby is an outlet for me to build things also.... Checkout my setup I handbuilt everything, those are solid oak s3s planks, I made the whole 14 foot cabinet out of solid oak and plywood. Check my gallery for photos of the whole build process.... The only thing I screwed up on was not making the sump big enough So when the power goes out, I overflow about 5 gals, but I have a fix for that too.... I hand built everything, and bought mostly used equipment for everything else. Most pumps were bought new, or slightly used, I got a deal on a lot of stuff from a reefer that was going out of the hobby... Made 1 reflector that has a bank of 2 bulbs out of sheet aluminum that I polished, total cost $10 Built my automated top off with 300 ma transformer, and relay and house socket for about 19 dollars, traded frags for pumps and other equipment....Used an old sump from my old tank as my new fuge.... used skimmers.. and the list goes onnnnn.... Frank

08/13/2006, 12:14 PM	#43
vanmo92 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Silverthorne, CO. Posts: 2,045	great setup Frankysreef __________________ PBITAWA Current Tank Info: 72 gallon bow Mixed Reef 1 fw tank

08/13/2006, 12:24 PM	#44
Ryanqk Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Ft. Lauderdale Posts: 1,381	I get syringes i get for free from a doctor friend of mine (minus the needles) to feed and for drip acclimation and measuring out my supplements and airtubing to spot feed with. There is a LARGE cubic zirconium stuck in one of my rocks for fun... looks like treasure... I love those Encrusted bottles, if anyone has an extra they wanna get rid of let me know.. i'm too lazy to throw one in my tank and just let it happen. PVT ME Thanks, Ryan __________________ MOM! I'm God Of The Sea People! Behold my tiny minions gloveling at my likeness! Current Tank Info: 75gl display, 20gl long fuge, CPR overflow, Octopuss NW150 skimmer, 4 x 110w VHO T12's and supplemental actinic, ongoing projects...

08/13/2006, 06:24 PM	#45
Paul B Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 15,549	Frank, beautiful. I love to see talent. I installed my tank and built my house around it. I know what that oak costs, I built my kitchen out of it. Nice job. Paul __________________ I used to get shocked when I put my hand in my tank. Then the electric eel went dead. Current Tank Info: 100 gal reef set up in 1971

08/15/2006, 03:46 PM	#46
Frankysreef Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Newport Beach CA Posts: 3,096	I went throught 2 10 inch dewalt ultimate crosscut blades for that The oak costs about 3.45 a board foot for S3S, I run it through the table saw to rip one edge square. I can get it in 10 inch wide boards. Used craftsman 10 inch table saw $150...

08/15/2006, 03:58 PM	#47
Paul B Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 15,549	Yeah beautiful stuff. I have a large radial arm saw. I just about built the house and I have no Idea how many blades I went through. Paul __________________ I used to get shocked when I put my hand in my tank. Then the electric eel went dead. Current Tank Info: 100 gal reef set up in 1971

08/17/2006, 11:47 PM	#48
fantastic4 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 662	loved this thread, please keep it going... Not great, but little things that I do: I use baby diapers (cloth kind) to clean my acrylic tanks. Cheaper than scratch pads. Just be careful when you use then as it tends to break away into pieces. Just fold a few times and keep firm in hand and wipe away. Cheap, plentiful. Walmart polyfiber within the fabric department for my cainster to both polish water and trap phosphates. Old computer enclosures (your typical alluminum case) to house my metal halide ballasts as heat diffusers. Stripped out electronics and simply drilled holes to screw units in. The top part of CDR spindles, I use the clear plastic cup as holders for my inhabitants and for scooping sand and changing out water from my nano. I like it a lot, it's clear and just the right amount for daily water exchanges in my nano. Chopsticks tied together end to end with rubber bands and then attach a lady's small hair clip (spring kind) to the end with anouther rubber band to make a feeding stick.

08/30/2006, 04:10 PM	#49
Fragmented Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Nevada City, CA Posts: 919	I use a plastic putty knife to scrape algae off the glass. Most of the other things I use have already been listed.

08/30/2006, 04:27 PM	#50
chrismunn Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 4,200	live beer can __________________ Marine Aquarists Association of South Texas Austin Reef Club PBITAWA... Current Tank Info: 14g bio cube