Regular Member AquaAurora Posted June 17, 2016 Regular Member Share Posted June 17, 2016 First off I want to give a big thanks to my hubby who is always helpful in brainstorming (bouncing ideas off of/refining plan) and a big help in my DIYs, especially those involving power tools! Most of these were done before I owned goldfish but I've applies a few to the goldfish tank too ^^ I'll start out with an easy one everyone everyone can do and apply to any fish keeping (tropical, cold water, etc). DIY Garlic Extract I blanch cucubmers every few days and put them in the goldfish tank. I pre-cut and freeze my cucumber chunks. To prep them for the tank I put them in a microwave safe cup with my diy garlic extra and a bit of tap then microwave for 1 minute. Materials Used:garlic!a clean jar with lidtap waterTools Used:handsfridgeOther Material and Tool Options:a knife or something to smash garlic open withPhotos:Details:Some people like to use garlic extract to help boost immune systems for their fish, its also frequently used to help encourage fish to eat food when they're not so interested. Instead of throwing money at some fancy bottled stuff I'd rather buy garlic intended to use for meals at home and preserve it in the fridge in water, then use the water for the fish. I've dumped in (after dechlorinating it) garlic water directly into the tank and have used it to soak and when blanching food for fish and shrimp. I've seen no advertise effects.All you have to do it get a jar with a good lid to avoid leaks, 1 or more heads of garlic from the store (depending on how often you/your family use garlic for cooking). Remove the outer shell/skin layer and take apart the garlic and de-shell them (each individual piece has a flaky shell around it- its not appealing to eat and not useful so get it off), you can crush the garlic in your fingers or use a knife blade and cutting board to press them which breaks open the shell and makes it easy to peal. Sometimes you'll find garlic starting to grow little sprouts out the top, its not rotting or a bug, its normal- a very resilient plant, even when put in the fridge for months its still ready to grow!). But if you do get some with some rot its easy enough to cut off and keep the healthy part.Put the de-shelled garlic into the jar and add cold tap at least until the garlic is covered (or to the brim of the jar if you want), put on the lid and place in your fridge... The garlic will keep for a few extra months this way instead of just dry in fridge or in a pantry. I've only noticed that when not used for many many months, garlic in the water will turn a blue-green I've not cooked with these discolored pieces so I can't say if its still 'safe' at that point.. I typically pour the water down the sink and dump the garlic then start a new batch when its changed color. As soon as 24-48 hours after putting garlic into water you will notice the water its smells like garlic and can be used as a substitute for garlic extract.I do no dechlorinate the water for use in blanching since it will be boiled, but if you plan to put the water directly into a tank or soak foods that aren't being cooked in it I add a drop of de-chlorinator to the garlic water (once its been pour out of the jar into another cup).Note: I make no claim to doing/reading any scientific studies stating that this method is the same as (or better than) the garlic extract in a bottle many people buy specifically for fish/pet use, it is just my cheap alternative. You can add dechlorinator to your jar directly if you never intend to use the garlic for human consumption (some dechlorinators are not safe for us to ingest (have other additives)), a few won't harm anything but the sellers still advise against consuming the product), garlic does not loose/change its flavor from being in the water and still can be used as it would in any cooking scenario (being wet doesn't negatively effect it). 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member AquaAurora Posted June 20, 2016 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 20, 2016 (edited) DIY Ricca/Moss RockProbably not a goldfish tank DIY but if you keep shrimp they will love it (mine did)! Some places sell these pre-made at a large markup, but if shipped through the mail to you they can come loose. Better to Do It Yourself!Materials Used:slateRiccia fluitansBath scrunchieclear low poundage fishing lineTools Used:utility bladeOther Material and Tool Options:inert small rock-lava rock woks (but be careful it using in betta tank very rough)Any moss, liverword, bladderwort, even marimoscissors, razor bladehair net or flexable mesh perhaps window/door screen100% acrylic thread or rubber band (rubber will break down over time-same for regular thread)Photos:Will update post with new photo once riccia grows in more.Details:Want a plant carpet but not a medium-high light tank that required co2 injections? Trying a moss, riccia, marimo or, liverwort carpet (Google up "moss carpet", "mairmo carpet", "riccia carpet" to see examples of grown-in carpets set up for a few weeks/months). Note: moss are very slow growing and takes the least amount of light and trimming maintenance, marimo and subwassertangdo not tolerate Seachem Excel-do not dose in tanks with riccia or subwassertang.First you need an inter rock, slate is easy to find and can be cheap or free! Ask your local landscape yard or home improvement store for their throw away broken slate tiles. My husband cut mine down to smaller pieces with a stone cutter but you can 9carefully) break these into small chunks with controlled dropping/smashing (wear shoes and eye protection). If you cover it completely lava rock is another option-be mindful no rough edged are sticking out if used in a betta tank. True river rock is usually safe too-you can do a vinegar test to see if it raises pH or sock unknown rocks in a bucket of water for a week then test pH, GH and KH against your tap to see if they effect water chemistry... but again slate is an easy to find safe one.For a cheap and easy mesh get one of those shower scrubber scrunchie things (so technical on the terminology I know), I got a green one at a grocery store for $1. Cut it loose from its ties in the core and you have several body lengths worth of mesh tubing!Low poundage clear fishing line can be found at any bait or sporting store, I got mine for $4 and its many many hundreds of feet long.Choose the plant you want to attach to this rock and set up an area you can work at (it will get wet from water squeezed off of the plants). Choose your rock pieces and lay a liberal mount of live plant on it (in my case riccia). Moss you don't have to cover the area completely wish as it will spread but marimo and riccia grow vertically not horizontally so add as much as you want covered now.Cut a length of mesh and wrap it over the rock then tie it on the underside. You can cut off the excess mesh after tieing. Quick tip: When you place the rock in the mesh, flip it to the under side (plant facing down) and spin the mesh to make it bunch up tightly at the base of the rock then tie it to get tightest tie off, tucking in excess under the knot will make it tighter. If you are using fishing line multi knot-I do 3-4 knots.Place your rocks in the aquarium plant side up and wiggle the bottom of the rock down into the substrate a little. You are now done. Depending on species of plant used and your tank environment (lighting, ferts, co2 or liquid supplement) will determine how often you need to trim. Riccia will die and break loose if the bottom part does not get enough light-it may take a weekly trim to keep it low enough to prevent it breaking loose and floating up. Moss on the other hand can go months maybe over a year without trimming. Marimo grows insanely slow at 5mm a year so doubt you'd ever have to trim it. Later photos once grown in Edited June 20, 2016 by AquaAurora 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member AquaAurora Posted June 20, 2016 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 20, 2016 (edited) Minimalist Lids I use this for all my tanks except the open top ripariums. Have a nice big Lexan lid on the goldfish side of the 40g breeder. Btw this stuff does not bow the way thin acrylic will. I do the measuring/marking, hubby does the cutting ^^Materials Used:Clear Lexan polycarbonate (size varies for tank)Tools used:Measuring tapeSharpie or penCircular sawSand paperOther tool options:Razor bladeUtility knifePretty much any saw or durable cutting tool can workPhotos:Details:I don't care for aquarium standard hoods, or paying for glass ones. Instead I'd rather custom cut lids for each tank that needs them to fit equipment in and leave a little room for air but not enough for jumpers to get out.I'm sure you can find other materials, but my preferred option is Lexan Polycarbonate from Home Depot. Its clear, light weight, cheap, doesn't break as easy as glass, and is easy to clean.Keep the cover on the Lexan and mark the tank top outline on it, remember to have all equipment in the tank (filter, heater, etc) and mark holes/cuts needed for them. If you don't have access to an electric saw you can take the tank (empty) and put it on top of the Lexan (make sure something is under the Lexan you don't mind cutting like wood scrap or cardboard) and use a razor or utility knife to run around the edge of the tank on the Lexan many many times, it should cut in deep enough that you can snap it out. Then you just cat the marked areas for equipment. If you do have access to power tools you have a ton of cutting options from saws-all, circular saw, table saw, hand saw, Miter saw, Dremel motor tool.. even drill press (if smaller holes for cords/airline tubing are needed) and cut along mark lines for lid. Best to use a saw blade with many teeth/high tooth count. I think wood cutting blades work well. Its recommended, but not necessary to lay tap down on the Lexan around where you'll be cutting to help prevent cracking and scratching from the cut, but you can skip this part. After the cut, Lexan edges will still be rough, go over them gently with sand paper. Wash loose debris off, remove the cover on the sheet and its ready to be used!My 2 and 3g tanks have a single piece lid with small cut pvc pipe pieces toy hold them in place (aka make a tight fit so bettas can't knock off lid-tanks were next to eachother when this was made). The 7g cube and 12g long are multi-part lids that allow easy access into the tank, the 'back' piece made to fit around the filtration pipes. My 10g lid is 1 piece with a large gap in the 'back' to let em slide HOB9s) around with ease (foam was stuffed in the gap as I had ghost shrimp quarantined in there and they're known to jump). These lids let light in fine for plant growing, but like most lids will build up condensation based on tank and air temp differences. Edited June 20, 2016 by AquaAurora 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member AquaAurora Posted June 21, 2016 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 21, 2016 DIY Anti Reflection Background This is a GREAT fix to glass surfing bettas. Glass surfing is the act of the betta going back and forth constantly against the glass They are chasing their refection because they see it as an intruder betta and are trying to chase it off 9rather unsuccessfully). This can stress bettas because to them, they never get left alone. Some fixed include adjusting lighting and angle of light, adding more decor (fake/live plants) around the side and back wall to reduce amount of visibility and make it harder to surf the glass. But my most successful fix for it was this DIY insert made to remove reflection. Materials Used:Acrylic sheetKrylon Fusion BlackTools Used:SharpieElectric SawOther Material and Tool Options:Lexan polycarbonateUtility kniferazor blade.. just about any durable cutting toolPhotos:Sorry no paint application photosDetails:So one of my bettas glass surfed a lot in quarantine. TO keep it from being a problem in his final tank (and from him seeing another betta who is also on the desk in a tank next to his) I needed an aquarium safe way to paint inside the tank glass. Putting a background against the outside of it does not stop reflections. I looked into aquarium safe paints but non bound to glass. Some Googling led me to Krylon Fusion spray-paint. its commonly used in saltwater setups for DIY pvc plumbing for filters and for acrylic in tank sump boxes. More Googling said 48 seemed to be a decent cure time before use. I got acrylic sheets at my Home Depot and sanded one side to give a rough surface to let paint adhere to better. After spray painting that side I noticed the texture of the sanding showed through the paint so the acrylic was flipped over and the un-sanded side was painted. I let the acrylic sheets sit over 48 hours then did a 48 hour water test just to be safe. It turns out the un-sanded side took the pain better, and with only one coat per a side not giving a fully solid black (its transparent enough you can see dark shadows of objects behind it) it was good enough for use. A back and one side wall piece were made and tucked into the tank using 'egg crate' (a plastic light diffuser) that were being used for rocks in the tank. The beta does not glass surf the dark sides but one side wall was left un-coverd and he is glass surfing there so I will most likely make another piece to go in..If you use Kyrlon read its directions and warnings. I strongly suggest using it outside, if done indoors without proper ventilation it can be dangerous. It was too cold to spay outside so this work was done in a room with a door to the outside nearby opened with a fan sucking the air out. If you make these sheets make sure they are secure against the tank wall. Mine are anchored under the substrate and I put a tiny piece of black tape at each corner at the top just to be safe.I used Kryon Fusion and it seems to be the one other aquarium hobbiest use.. however I cannot say if other versions of Krylon (non 'fusion') are aquarium safe.The tank has been set up for over a year and a half now and Aristocoles (ee betta boy in there) has had no issues with the Kyrlon...and its held up well. I'll will make 3 more Krylon fusion painted pieces for my other betta's cube and paint his canister pipes black eventually. Added bonus: black non reflective background in tank means diatoms (aka brown algae) is not noticeable on it compared to on clear shiny glass)As a side not: I also made a lid with the acrylic to compare with my Lexan lids... in less than 6 days it was bowed more than my over 6 month old Lexan lids.. not good lid material.. but the sheets in the tank have no bowed. I had to replace the lid with a Lexan one as the corners had turned up far enough on the acrylic that the betta could easily jump out. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member AquaAurora Posted June 22, 2016 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 22, 2016 DIY Removable Tank Background Did this for my 20g long and 55g. The darker effect really makes fish/plants/decor pop. Having something removable like this makes it easy to clean or find missing fish tucked away in the back of the tank. Photos below are oooooold. 20g long is so over grown now you can't even see the back ^^Materials Used:Black fabricScrap Backer BoardScrap 2"x4"Short screwsTools Used:Measuring tapeChalkFabric scissorsSewing machineStaple gunDrillSawOther Material and Tool Options:CardboardPaintScrap drywallLarge scrap woodConstruction paper... list goes onPhotos:(Note: the 2x4" was removed from this recently as the background (and tank) is now flush with the wall.. not a real tank scape this is a quarantine for fish and plant atm)Details:I wanted a dark backdrop of my tanks instead of seeing my wall which has trim and goes from upper half drywall to wood at the bottom (house came this way, not my idea). I didn't care for something temporary like black construction paper (easily damaged by water), or the very reflective aquarium backgrounds you pay an arm and a leg for if its a long tank. I wanted something that wouldn't mold if it got wet so my husband suggested we use some of the leftover Backer board from a recent project (its a mold resistant drywall used in bathrooms and sometimes outdoor projects/extensions). I picked up a small bolt of black fabric at my local small business sewing store, measured the back of the tank and used my husband's square to make straight lines on the fabric with some chalk. I gave about 1-1.5" excess in material all around and cut this out of the fabric then handed it to my husband along with the tank back measurements. He used a saw to cut the backer board to size as well as a piece of "2 by 4" to work as a back/stand for the board. Drilled the two pieces together then using a staple gun put the fabric onto the backer board and it was done! This procedure was for the 20g, for the 55g we did the same thing but I got a more water resistant material at the sewing store and my husband used a glue (not sure which) instead of stapling the fabric.If you try this be sure to measure how much space you have behind the tank to fit the background. I have my HOBs n the sides instead of the back of the 20g, and use a canister in the 55 so there's no equipment in the way/front of the background (hide canister piping behind it in 55). I can pull the backgrounds out as needed if I want to rotate the tank (scratched the front glass so not its the back) or need to find a missing/hiding fish, or just are done with that background and want to try something new. No tape or sticky-ness on the glass from adhesive background methods and no scraping paint off.Note: this will not cure glass surfing caused from betta seeing its own reflection-view above DIY for help with that. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member AquaAurora Posted June 23, 2016 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 23, 2016 (edited) DIY Riparium BasketMaterials Used:plastic shower basket with holes'size' 12 coated copper wire-greenplastic window/door screen (optional)clay mediaTools Used:Needle Nose Plierswire cutters/clippers/dykes (old school name)razorOther Material and Tool Options:Gardening Wirecrafting mesh (optional)nylon stocking (optional)gravellava rockother sizes or colors for coated copper wirezip tiesPhotos:Details:Ripariums are a great way bring more color and beauty to a tank as well as take up nitrates, but without taking up too much space under water. Having the leaves directly exposed to air lets the plants get their co2 much quicker so they can grow faster which means absorbing nitrates from the water more rapidly (plus fish and shrimp love the under water roots). Some people spend over $20 for riparium specific baskets with suction cups, mesh, and media. I decided to save more $ and use left over window/door screen (optional depending on media used), expanded clay pebble media (used commonly for aquaponic style gardening), and show baskets. Make sure the baskets are plastic and not painted (could chip off), and have holes/slits to let water in and roots grow out. You can skip the use of wire and just try the suction cups but the ones I got have issue staging in place and tend to sink below the water line. So I'll be using coated wire to keep them permanently in place! If you also use this DO NOT leave the exposed end of the copper in the water-it is not safe. I cut a length of wire and put it through the suction cup holes and against the tank to mold around the trim so it stays in place (if you have a rimless tank I'd not recommend doing this as the tension may damage the glass, use pliers instead to shape the wire). I used pliers to wrap the wire around itself on the back so it would not hand down past the black tank trim and be visible (alternatively you can just cut the wire).Because I'm using a larger clay media (only because I have a large bag leftover from an aquaponics setup-the white chalky-ness on the above photo if from dried calcium deposits from the tap) I don't really need the mesh for these baskets, but if you use smaller gravel or have a basket with larger holes you may need it. I just cut it to fit in the basket and cover the holes then fill with media. If you also use clay media I'd recommended soaking it for a day beforehand as it tends to float the first time it gets wet but once it absorbs enough water it will sink. You can also use tank gravel or pea gravel for your media, or even broken up lava rock. As for plants, well not all plants will like having their roots forever wet *(such as cacti/succulents), but some species do well for riparium setups. I've used the following plants successfully:Hemigraphis colorata 'Exotica' (aka Purple waffle) Hemigraphis repanda (aka Dragones tonue)PothosFittonia albivenis (aka angel kiss)Tradescantia zebrine (aka wondering jew)Cyperus Umbrella SedgeAluminum plant (I've used on a raft) Friendship Plant (Pilea involucrata)Ruellia brittoniana 'Katie'Spathiphyllum (aka peace lily-be careful some species get HUGE)Dwarf Palm Neanthe BellaSyngonium (aka arrowhead plant) Antherium Aglaonema (Chinese evergreen) Alocosia polly SweetflagStar GrassRain lily Helxine soleirolii Philodendron Dracaena braunii (aka lucky bamboo) .. I'm sure I'm forgetting some Emersed aquatic plants:RicciaAquatic mossesCreeping jenny Ludwigia Dwarf baby tears Hydro sp japan Water spriteNote: Once you start getting into ripariums its gets addictive. You may find yourself stuffing conductive plants (or plants you want to try) in every available space around the upper walls of the tank (and in HOB filters) until you are out or room.... you have been warned! Those are older photos here are more recent shots of the 20g long and 55g Edited June 23, 2016 by AquaAurora 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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