Aquarium Home Hacks

[Rispa]

Do you use any commonly found product not intended for the aquarium hobby for your tank?

How about baking and crushing eggshells for calcium? Or grinding up cuttlebone for the same purpose (us bird people keep this on hand)?

I seem to recall someone talking about using some liquid produced by either a dehumidifier or humidifier when balancing some part of the chemistry.

If there are threads on a particular hack please link it below. Thanks!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

There are many chemicals we use at home that are the same as used in hobby products, so DIY products are usually very appropriate. Baking soda, washing soda, and lye for alkalinity supplements, Fergon tables for iron, Dowflake deicer for calcium, Epsom salt for magnesium, pickling lime for calcium and alkalinity, etc..

That said, many purified chemicals are now available from Amazon and other sources, and those we periodically discuss as well.

 

[Rispa]

There are many chemicals we use at home that are the same as used in hobby products, so DIY products are usually very appropriate. Baking soda, washing soda, and lye for alkalinity supplements, Fergon tables for iron, Dowflake deicer for calcium, Epsom salt for magnesium, pickling lime for calcium and alkalinity, etc..

That said, many purified chemicals are now available from Amazon and other sources, and those we periodically discuss as well.

Awesome and thanks for the reply!

 

[don_chuwish]

Does my old toothbrush count? How about the baby bottle washer?
That reminds me, time to clean the skimmer cup.

 

[Rispa]

Does my old toothbrush count? How about the baby bottle washer?
That reminds me, time to clean the skimmer cup.

I think they do. I didn't think to use a bottle brush to clean tubing

 

[don_chuwish]

The 'sponge on a stick' that is the baby bottle washer is perfect for skimmer cups.

 

[hotashes]

Hey Randy, as much as I know you've got bundles a knowledge and you're referenced on majority of forums I've visited. Hats off to you
Being relatively new to the hobby myself, would household chemicals be sufficient or are there byproducts in them that counterbalance the usage further down the line (ie compounding elements)?

Recently I see a BRS YouTube video discussing the fine tuning with alk supplements

Another one was deciding which coral dip to use. Here in the uk it's cheap to use Dettol (antiseptic disinfectant) to dip corals, which I use. However not knowing the pros and cons between various coral dip products I felt like I was just blindly following others.

It seems like the chemicals are expensive from LFS, yet when somebody knows the specific ingredients then it appears we could use household products!

This leaves me anxious, as obviously I'd always want to go the cost effective route, however as like many of amateur hobbyist I have a sense that I could mess up using household and sway to pay top price for colourful branded LFS potions.

Thanks,

A.