Dollar store or Dollar treasure for reefing?

[vetteguy53081]

Its rare if ever than I get to a dollar store but made a stop yesterday looking for ice cube trays and wow - Its amazing at what you can find in such a store that is Very useful for reefing.
For those Hot tanks, we often refer to bags of ice for cooling tank down.
Found these on a shelf and I run a chiller but useful for many:

Turkey basters - Great for blowing off sediment especially behind rocks where detritus settles.

Food storage containers of all sizes- Great for performing dips or removing algae from frag plugs

Scrub brushes - Great for cleaning rock and pumps when soaking in vinegar

Vinegar - Ive been paying $2.00 -4.00

Bottle brushes - Perfect for cleaning hoses and tubing

Gel super glue- Best glue for fragging and was a two pack !

Pickle lime - This stuff is Kalkwasser

Toothbrush Three-pack- best mini scrubbers

Utility baskets 6" x 6" - perfect for storing all these finds plus your frag supplies and more


What has been your treasure finds at a discount store?


Im sure there were many useful items I missed as I was there a short time but talk about money savings on items we as reefers often use or need.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I was going to say toothbrushes as well, they work great for scrubbing and are cheap. Plus cheap 5 gallon buckets to hold water. I don't have a large tank, so I can get away with buckets that size haha

 

[hoffmeyerz]

I'm not a dollar store fan...my wife loves them but I've never been one to go. Now...thanks a lot guys....like I needed to add another place for me to peruse for tank stuff.....guess I'll have to suck it up and join the wife on her trips

 

[bluemon]

100% gel super glue.

There was a time several years ago when I saw three packs at the dollar price along with the double packs.

I've also gotten a general purpose siphon from a Daiso nearby (which is the Japanese version of a dollar store) that I've used for years now in water changes and mixing. It was nice they had a dedicated aquarium section

 

[vetteguy53081]

I'm not a dollar store fan...my wife loves them but I've never been one to go. Now...thanks a lot guys....like I needed to add another place for me to peruse for tank stuff.....guess I'll have to suck it up and join the wife on her trips

I was the same until yesterday

 

[EricR]

3 quart food containers with LARGE, screw off lids that I keep full of RODI in cabinet near tank for:
- Dunk/rinse stuff like my Hanna salinity checker after use
- ATO container top off

Rectangular, plastic sieve that worked awesome for scooping out fish during TTM.

Oh yeah,,, stainless steel pairing knives for slicing fresh clams/mussels so my wife doesn't catch me using her knives (anymore).

 

[paragrouper]

I'm not a dollar store fan...my wife loves them but I've never been one to go. Now...thanks a lot guys....like I needed to add another place for me to peruse for tank stuff.....guess I'll have to suck it up and join the wife on her trips

Look at the bright side, my wife is always trying to drag me to IKEA.

 

[kevgib67]

Glue, turkey baster and a toothbrush when I first started out. More of a Dollar General guy but I’m sure that on my next trip I’ll keep a closer eye out for some other useful items.

 

[exnisstech]

If I don't shop at a dollar store I have to make a 30 mile round trip to town. Needless to say I'm a dollar store fan boy and love that they have placed them in rural areas. The clientele isn't as entertaining as Walmart but I'm not a big Walmart fan. (choices are limited here)

 

[t5Nitro]

There are a lot of good reefing items at the dollar whatever stores. Measuring cups, plastic baskets, vinegar, bleach, kalkwasser, turkey baster, brushes, gel super glue. I think these have all been mentioned but what I have found there as well. Just adds more junk to the reefing mess to find a place to keep it out of the way and not all over the floor is the harder part.

 

[t5Nitro]

Also highly useful stores: blaines or tractor supply type stores and harbor freight. So much useful gear at fractions of the cost.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Also highly useful stores: blaines or tractor supply type stores and harbor freight. So much useful gear at fractions of the cost.

Harbor freight. . . . Dental picks for algae and heavy duty scrub brushes

 

[Reefing102]

Harbor freight. . . . Dental picks for algae and heavy duty scrub brushes

I can agree with the picks but I’m 50/50 on the wire brushes. In my experience, the cheap ones, including harbor freight specifically, the bristles break off with too much force

 

[zheka757]

back when i had freshwater tank, i was buying sponges i think it was pack of 3 for a dollar. got about 100 of those and used it for media.

 

[jda]

Where I live you can get pure Mag and Calcium Chloride in the winter. Baking Soda is always good. Dollar Store 3 Part.

 

[cwerner]

I used dollar store materials for my phyto culturing. Cost like....10 bucks and works just as good as the 100+ dollar BRS kits. Only thing you have to buy separate are the fertilizer and the air pump.

 

[jda]

Also, the last time that I was in there, they had generic iron supplement. I am going to use this instead of buying iron from Brightwell, or the like, anymore.

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

Years ago while vacationing Myrtle Beach went to a Dollar Store across the street from the Hotel. Bought a pack of disposable fish grilling pans. When “Nemo,” starts acting up I put one near the Aquarium. Does this count? BTW, Don’t use Vinegar on your Pumps, use Citric Acid, Available at ACE or bigger sizes on Amazon. Also on the Turkey Baster, I took mine to ACE Hardware, and fit a Plastic Hose Clamp on the Bulb, no more retrieving the plastic tube.

 

[shakacuz]

I can agree with the picks but I’m 50/50 on the wire brushes. In my experience, the cheap ones, including harbor freight specifically, the bristles break off with too much force

that's the trade off with some of the cheap to buy/use items for reefing.

for me it's only ever been glue. cheap, and can usually buy many packs.

 

[t5Nitro]

Cheaper than citric acid for your pumps though is muriatic acid by the gallon. Don't splash yourself.