Fish Keeping Tips & Tricks

[Baccus]

Dont take advice from your lfs, if it sounds like its good advice, always double check here - < thats one of the best tips you'll ever hear!

Or find out via the web or books about one type of fish and then test your LFS and see if they give the same info or know nothing about it.

 

[snake007]

My LFS still says having Nitrate in your water is bad.

 

[Tizer]

It is bad, but its not as bad as most of them make out. My local world of water have a returns policy where if a fish dies within a week and you tell them, they will test your water and if its ok, give you new fish. If your nitrate is high, they might not refund you, which is pretty daft in my eyes because A) its a slow killer and B) i could just have given them a sample of my tap water to test and they would be none the wiser.

 

[Rummynose]

As an addition to washing your hands before working on your tank I would also recommend washing your arms! I am a regular body lotion user, and I'm sure so are many other female hobbyists. There's always one or the other plant leaf to pinch off where you have to reach further into the tank.

Also:
I use the bucket method for w/c and started recently to syphon the fresh dechlorinated water into the tanks instead of using a pitcher. I just place one bucket on a sturdy shelf that's higher than the tanks, get the syphon going and keep the bucket filled (using the second bucket to prepare the water) until done!

 

[the_lock_man]

pop your euthanising cherry

Great turn of phrase!

 

[snake007]

 

[soybean]

pop your euthanising cherry

Great turn of phrase!

We've all got to do it at some point and it's best to grit your teeth and just get on with it if you're nervous!

 

[trippytrance]

If you use test strips, cut them in half, double use out of one.

 

[soybean]

If you use test strips, cut them in half, double use out of one.

Another tip - don't use strip tests

 

[trippytrance]

If you use test strips, cut them in half, double use out of one.

Another tip - don't use strip tests

I don't but I do know LFS love to sell them to people....

 

[Rummynose]

I am a regular body lotion user, and I'm sure so are many other female hobbyists.

you dont have to be female to use lotion and I use body lotion to!

Opps, lol, didn't mean to be disciminatory! I probably should have said, "some of us" ....

 

[snake007]

Lol ,no worries. what happen to my post above, its wiped out?

 

[mtbdean]

When using liquid test kits, for example, my Nitrate is pretty stable, so i like to check it, and it recoomends 10ml with 6 drops of one, and 6 drops of another one, half this for a rough estimate, ie 5ml, with 3 of each drops

 

[StandbySetting]

But then you more than quadruple the margin of error.

 

[Rorie]

keep a small tank for QT..... and don't use it for fry....as then you'll need to buy another QT, then another, then another, then you'll have 20 tanks like i do haha