Just thought I set up a thread that people can give tips to other people. As fishkeepers we are always learning. The day we stop learning is the day we give up the fish! So this thread might provide some good tips and advise to a lesser extend (we dont want the thread telling people how to cycle a tank over and over!). So feel free to drop a tip,no matter how silly or basic the tip may seem.

Here's my simple but hopefully informative tip!!

When introducing fish to a tank,introduce them in darkness,turn off the light on the tank and leave it off until the next day,its less stressful for the fish and they should settle in better to the tank.

Now its up to the rest of you give your top tips!

Gavin

Dealing with hot weather and over heating tanks ;
Keep the aquarium lights turned off.
Make sure the room does not receive direct sunlight.
Remove the hood and lid from the tank (use caution if your fish are jumpers)
Place a fan so that it blows directly across the water.
Float ice-packs in the water.

Dealing with power failure;
Remove the media from the filter a put it in a bucket with some tank water. If you have a battery operated air pump aerate the media to keep oxygen going to the bacteria to keep the filter alive.
You can also split the airline to keep the tank aerated as well.
If you dont have a battery operated air pump then place the media in a bucket stirring the water every hour or so to get oxygen to the bacteria. You will also need to disturb the surface of he tank water so the fish can also get some oxygen.
Monitor the temperature of the tank. If it starts to cool you can use a plastic bottle with hot water from the storage tank. The storage tank will keep the water hot for many hours. If you have a gas stove you can heat water on this.
Another way is to use hand heating pads available at camping shops. These should be placed in side a zip bag.
Wrap the aquarium in towels or blankets. especially the top were there will be most heat lost.
When the power comes back on place the filter media back in the filter. Don't clean it beforehand because you may wash away some of the bacteria that is still alive.
Don't feed the fish for a day or two and monitor the water quality. Perform water changes if needed.

Take the noise out of vibrating air pumps;
Place the pump on a pad of foam rubber. Put the whole air pump into a net bag and suspend it from a nail or screw in the back of the aquarium stand.

Prevent a flood with leaking external filters.
If you use an external filter drill a small 3-4mm hole in the intake about 50-100mm below the water surface. If the filter starts to leak the water level will only drop to this level in the tank instead of all the water ending up on the floor.
Once the water goes below this level the filter will start to suck in air and no more water. Better a damaged filter than massive water damage to your home.

Keep fish food refrigerated to keep it fresh.
Use a timer on your aquarium lights to give your fish a regular day and night period.
Extra pumps and power-heads can be switched off at night to save energy and calm the flow for your sleepy fish.

platty252 wrote:

Take the noise out of vibrating air pumps;
Place the pump on a pad of foam rubber. Put the whole air pump into a net bag and suspend it from a nail or screw in the back of the aquarium stand.


Nice one!

My top tip would be do not buy fish if you don't know what they are

my top tip would be
dont buy fish on impulse, it can be a disaster, if u want it research it and if it is compatable with what you got then buy it, if you dont then on your head be it.....learned this one the hard way

platty252 wrote:

Prevent a flood with leaking external filters.
If you use an external filter drill a small 3-4mm hole in the intake about 50-100mm below the water surface. If the filter starts to leak the water level will only drop to this level in the tank instead of all the water ending up on the floor.
Once the water goes below this level the filter will start to suck in air and no more water. Better a damaged filter than massive water damage to your home.


My word, what a great tip. Does this 100% work? I'm always paranoid about my externals.

Don’t over feed your fish
It dose your fish no harm to miss a days feeding
It even helps to keep your tank clean, as the fish will scavenge for food

If your bottom feeders are struggling to get a look in at feeding time,feed them sinking pellets or algae tablets at night-time when the lights are off. There will find them as most of these fish do their eating at nighttime anyhow.

If your fry are regularly getting sucked up the filter particularly for internal filter,cut a pair of the missus tights and wrap around the filter intake with an elastic band. It wont wear out the motor as there will still be enough of water getting through.(Ps,use black tights as it easier on the eye!,bring a whole new meaning to the term fishnet tights!).

If you want to clean a length of pipe (say the inlet pipe) tie fishing line to a small lead weight and drop the weight through the pipe. Tie the other end of the fishing line to a small bottle brush/rag/sponge and pull through. Repeat the process as needed.

Buy a power inverter(about €40) so if you have a power cut you can run an electrical lead from the power inverter in your car to the tank. You can then plug in your heater & filter and run them as normal.