# Aquarium Tricks



## alc (Jun 19, 2006)

I was just reading through some of the old threads and I was reminded of how very experienced and seasoned some of you are in the field of aquaria. I was wondering, are there any tricks you all have learned that most other aquarists might not know? 

Here's one I learned while browsing the forum:

Instead of putting flourite into the aquarium bed and filling your tank with water (which will raise a flourite cloud), put a garbage bag over your flourite, fill the aquarium and remove the bag. The agitation of the flourite is significantly lessened this way.

Any others?


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## ranmasatome (Mar 14, 2006)

Holding a Quarter between your index and middle finger,
Put your hand into the water and flick it real fast, while tucking the quarter in the area between your index and your thumb.
Thus, it looks like the coin has now disappeared!!
TADA!!! new aquarium trick...
lol..


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## wtac (Mar 17, 2006)

One can do that same trick w/Flourite in SW set-ups to minimize agragonite clouding the water. The only difference is to fill the aquarium enough so that you can gravel vac out as much dust as one can till it's empty. Then fill w/NSW (new salt water) or old SW if you are transferring from another system. This will minimize the wait time for salt diffusion into the substrate. Generally it would take a day or two for the salinity of the substrate (if less than 2" deep) to equalize with the water column.


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## ranmasatome (Mar 14, 2006)

For hard to catch fish, just use a 2litre pop bottle and cut of the top sloping portion... invert and theun find some way to fasten it.. then just stuff food in there and the fish would swim in there to get the food but wont know how to swim out.. so all you do is retreive the bottle and TADA!! hard to catch fish .. and all you did was watch TV.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Hey!!!!!!! Ran.. Thanks for that pop bottle tip :3

There is a really nice female guppie in my turtle/growout tub.. i just cant catch embarassing enough.. lol


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## MacFish (Jun 15, 2006)

ranmasatome said:


> For hard to catch fish, just use a 2litre pop bottle and cut of the top sloping portion... invert and theun find some way to fasten it.. then just stuff food in there and the fish would swim in there to get the food but wont know how to swim out.. so all you do is retreive the bottle and TADA!! hard to catch fish .. and all you did was watch TV.


Simply brilliant! You've just saved me an hour or so of swearing like a trucker!


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## alc (Jun 19, 2006)

You can use that trick to keep yourself alive in a survival situation as well. Find a stream with fish, make a little trap and check it at the end of your day and voila, dinner!

Interestingly, the same trap will work with mosquitos. Cut off the top of the pop bottle, invert it inside the bottom half, throw some water/yeast/sugar inside and sit it somewhere - it will quickly turn black with the corpses of midges!


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

I tried the fish trap last night... Worked like a charm!!!


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## ranmasatome (Mar 14, 2006)

Glad it worked for ya jess..
i used to use it for insects as well sometimes..heehee..


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