A selection of useful
tidbits of information for the aquarist. Readers are encouraged to
send their tips to terry@advancedaquarist.com
for possible publication. For submissions that are published in
Advanced Aquarist, the author will receive a $25.00 gift certificate
from one of our participating advertisers.
Maybe
you've heard about this already, but I use a battery operated blender (I
got mine at GNC), used for mixing powdered protein drinks, to prepare
frozen and powdered foods for my reef tank without using my wife's
blender. It's portable, easy to clean, and inexpensive.Neal Yahata
If
you are using a pH probe to keep track of your tank’s pH and your
Calcium Reactors effluent make sure to do a three point calibration.
Most people do a two point calibration using a 7pH calibrator and either
a 4 or 10 pH calibrator along with it. I started doing three point
calibrations using pH calibrators of 4, 7 and 10. I use them in
this order and cycle through them three or four times - each time with
finer tweaking. Make sure to dry off the probe in between each dip
into the different calibration solutions. You will be able to get
the 7.0 calibrator right on and should be able to get the 4 and 10 pH
calibrators to within .06. My experience is with a Pinpoint pH probe.
This leaves you with a very accurate probe with a much wider range that
includes both pH ranges that you will be testing for. This can
save you from trying to fix a pH problem that doesn’t exist, as well
as making sure you are aware if you pH is truly out of your desired
range. Jake
Hi
Terry,
I
have an external return pump that is not self priming;
therefore, whenever the water level in my sump gets
too low & I have to stop the pump, it can be
a pain getting the pump running again if there is air
in the line. Rather than set up a "T"
with the ability to start a siphon, etc. as I have
known some reefers to do, I recently worked out that
if you raise the water level in your sump to above the
level of the outlet of your pump, head pressure will
do the work for you, effectively filling the line
& the pump without the need to create a siphon.
Keep
up the good work Terry, I never miss an issue, &
look forward to it each month.Regards,
James
Nilsson
Sales and Marketing Manager
Erskine on the Beach
I
have had the questionable pleasure of trying to rid my
aquarium of flatworms. I have tried many means
and methods, chemical as well as mechanical. One
of the things that has helped a lot is the use of
rigid air tubing. I attach a piece long enough
so my hands don't go in the tank to air tubing and
siphon away. I have also bent the rigid tubing
to get into the nooks and crannies or the rock.
Just heat some water and put the rigid tube in and
bend it to the shape you want.
The
other thing I do is I siphon the flatworms into a
micron bag in my sump and, in that way, I don't loose
any water. Then rinse the bag in fresh water and
let it soak overnight to remove any residual toxins
and flat worms.Mark Fellman
