So without further ado (well I could go on a little longer. No? Ok.), I give you the new Angie & Andrew’s Aquatics Fish Tips & Tricks Page.  - Seeker4sophia, Assitant Manager

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There are all sorts of items that are useful in the aquarium hobby. A number of them won’t be found in a pet store. Tools are things you can buy. Gadgets are helpful items that are made in little do-it-yourself projects.

>Tools

Here are a few things to buy that come in handy but may not be at the LPS.
1. A turkey baster- countless uses; get several ($ store).
2. A couple of 'fish only' 3g or 5g buckets for hauling water. 
3. Medicine syringes (ask at pharmacy, will sometimes give for free) - great for measuring med dosages and also for feeding fry. 
4. A couple of scotch type scrubbing pads for removing algae ($ store).
5. A razor or 'sticker' scraper. Great for getting coraline algae off.
6. A note book or something to keep track of purchases, water parameters, etc.
7. An erasable glass pen (mainly for breeders) to write spawn dates, pH’s etc. on the tank.
8. A 'fish only' pasta strainer to rinse gravel, etc.
9. An algae 'wand.' An algae scrub pad on a stick.  Clean the glass with one end and with the forked end move things or push plants into the gravel.  -Angie
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Here are a few more handy items you won't find in a fish store.
10. 'Fish only' measuring spoons from a pinch to a cup to measure meds and chems.
11. 'Fish only' eye dropper. Same basic uses as syringes.
12. ‘Fish only' bottle brushes for cleaning ugf and piggy back uplift tubes.
13. 'Fish only' plastic bristle scrub brush for cleaning tanks and lids.
14. 'Fish only' tooth brushes (old ones) for cleaning ornaments, tanks, filters, etc.
15. Masking tape and non-toxic permanent markers for labeling things.
16. Long handled plastic spoons. All kinds of uses from landscaping to fish chasing.
17. Empty spray bottles. Great for dressing food with meds or for cleaning solutions like vinegar and water that you might want to spray on a tank while cleaning. Can usually find the little ones in the cosmetics or women’s hair care department for less than a buck.
18. Empty plastic fish food or medicine bottles (clean thoroughly). Great for holding dressed food after it dries or dissolving a med or salt in a small amount of water before putting it in the tank.
19. A mortar and pestle. Great for crushing med tablets, salt, flakes or pellets into powder. The handle of a screw driver and a coffee cup work too, but the cup should be ‘fish only.’
20. A plastic bin, tackle box or toolbox to keep all this crap in.  -Seeker
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21. Beach Towel or a swimmers towel for just around the tanks. Good for cleaning up spills, drying you hands and the tanks. It never goes in the washing machine. ("cga_dancer" FT)

22. Net Holder. I use a bathroom trash can with a fish motif for my nets. Very cute and appropriate. ("cga_dancer" FT) A one gallon jug with the two sloped sides at the top opposite the handle cut out works well too as a net holder. Great net soak/net disinfectant holder too. And it’s cheap. - Seeker

23. A step ladder and long handled tongs can help reach the bottom of those taller tanks. -("klewis61" FT) 'Fish only' bar-b-que tongs are more substantial for landscaping such as moving large rocks or logs. - ("loc0^0wl" FT) Try to get stainless steel and never leave them in the tank. Some metals can poison the fish. -Seeker

>Gadgets

Gadget #1: Gravel sifter.  I found an easy way to separate the colors of gravel if it is different sizes. I took an old spaghetti strainer and drilled the holes a little bigger with my 1/8 drill bit. This allows me to put a change of color in the bottom of the tank neatly and sift the gravel if it gets mixed up in the tanks. ("eric_osterc" FT)

Gadget #2: Homemade Power Vacuum.  Materials Needed: 1 gravel vacuum ($8.00 - $12.00), 1 kerosene pump from the discount store ($4.00; it has a red squeeze bulb on top with a release valve). Cut the tubing on the gravel vacuum about 3 inches up from the large vacuum chamber of the gravel vacuum. This leaves you with a 5 or 6 foot length of flexible hose. Bring a 1 or 2 inches deep pan of water to a boil. Hold about 1 inch of the 6 foot section of hose in the boiling water for a few minutes, then force it onto the side flexible (outlet) hose from the kerosene pump. Insert the vacuum chamber (with the 3 inches of hose on it) inside the straight rigid long section. It will stay there with no problem.  Clean and rinse well. TO USE THE POWER VACUUM Insert the rigid end into the tank, put the flexible 6 foot hose into a bucket. Close the air valve on the top of the red squeeze bulb and squeeze the bulb 3 or 4 times. Your vacuum is working. No plunging up and down and scaring the fish to death, or fighting to get a hose full of water and running out of the tank. Great for cleaning a ugf from the uplift hole. Use like a regular vacuum, being careful at first, you may find it a little more powerful then what your used to. To Stop the Vacuum Lift out of the water and unscrew the air valve to release the pressure, squeeze a few times if necessary. To change water with out using the vacuum, just remove the vacuum chamber. ("klewis61" FT)

Gadget #3: Mini Vacuum.  Get a syringe from the drug store, doctors office or a friend in the medical profession, about the size of a dime or nickel, remove the needle, or have them do it for you. Airline tubing will fit the end, take out the plunger and use the large open end to vacuum in small or tight places, around plants etc. This is great for a betta bowl or a small tank. ("klewis61" FT)

Gadget #4: Test Tube Holder.  Get a small cardboard jewelry box (white 2"x3"). Sit a test tube on it, draw around it with a pencil and cut out the little circles. I made 2 rows of 3 holes, Tape the top and bottom together. I now have a holder for 6 tubes and saves spills. ("klewis61" FT)

Gadget #5: Tank Hooks & Pockets.  Look for 1 to 1 ¼ inch suction cups with hooks on them in a craft store or the craft dept of your favorite ?-mart store. These are great for hanging nets or other tools from the sides of tanks. They can also be used to hang tank pockets. They sell a set of vinyl pockets that are designed to hang around the edge of a 5g bucket ($ store) on hooks. Cut those into single or double pocket pieces and hang them from the side of the tank with a large suction cup with a hook or use two for more stability. You might be able to substitute the right close pin bag in place of the vinyl pockets. Can’t be too big or too heavy and should have a metal grommet for the hooks on the suction cups to hook to. Great for holding a dedicated net or long handled spoon or turkey baster or food can or what ever you might need at that tank. Helps keep the tank hood clear. - Seeker

Gadget #6: Skimmer Net.  Make a skimmer net out of garden wire and tulle. See the Custom Nets article in the do-it-yourself section for details (article section for now). It’s great for cleaning up excess food or other debris on the surface. - Seeker (29)

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Links to the other Tips & Tricks pages:

>> Intro, Tools & Gadgets << You are here

Tanks, Used Tanks, Buying Used Tanks, Cleaning Used Tanks, Tank Set Up

Tank Set Up cont'd: Dividers & Barracks, Heaters & Air Pumps, Substrates, Backgrounds, Decor

Decor cont'd: Caves, Live Plants, Fake Plants, Fasteners, Filters, Filter Media

Cycling, Fish Wrangling: New Fish, Transporting or Shipping, Acclimating, Netting

Feeding, BBS & other live foods, Fish Health, Chemicals, Medicines & Treatment, Salt

Spawning & Fry Care, Dealing with Snails, Algae & other pests, Power Outages

Maintanence, Water, Water Conservation