# Useful household 'bits & bobs' for fishkeeping



## BubblingUnder (23 Dec 2017)

After many years of using a turkey baster to deliver exact amounts of food to my fish I have discovered the delights of a salt/pepper mill. I crush granules to powder for my Corys stopping my Discus from eating all the food before they get the chance (saves me a lot of time).

Anyone else know of other useful household implements for fishkeeping ?


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## Matty123 (23 Dec 2017)

BubblingUnder said:


> After many years of using a turkey baster to deliver exact amounts of food to my fish I have discovered the delights of a salt/pepper mill. I crush granules to powder for my Corys stopping my Discus from eating all the food before they get the chance (saves me a lot of time).
> 
> Anyone else know of other useful household implements for fishkeeping ?



I used an 'ingenious' swim feeder that I believe up to now is something I 'exclusively' came up with. It's used by the 'dark side' aka fishermen who use them to feed the immediate vicinity to where they indeed to catch fish. I used to load it up with freeze dried food and dropped it into my the tank (with line attached) which gave my bottom feeders a chance to get in on the act at feeding time, worked a treat! 


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## Tim Harrison (23 Dec 2017)

My wife's tights; they're great for making WK, and holding gravel to build mounds.
Toothbrush (not mine) is great for cleaning rocks and difficult to reach tank corners and seams.
Neighbours oven to mineralise topsoil...


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## zozo (23 Dec 2017)

Using this to grind the darn hard Vipa chips into powder so even the tiny rasboras get their fair share. Without it i would need to break it by hand and feet to much, having 5 fish chasing the same chunk around, than would need more than 1 chip for a feeding session. Vipa chips are rather hard and extremely dense pressed, grinded up one chip is pretty much food. Like that i can feed 2 or 3 days with one chip.


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## Edvet (23 Dec 2017)

For cleaning windows: 


  and


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## Matty123 (23 Dec 2017)

Edvet said:


> For cleaning windows:
> 
> 
> and



Thats well dangerous having that amount of credit/debit cards this time of the year! 


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## Matty123 (23 Dec 2017)

Painfully tried making my own water from RO which I ditched (literally) a couple of months ago and reverted back to good old tap water; I doubt there's anything better in the household collection especially the Severn Trent stuff that I ignorantly overlooked! 


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## tam (23 Dec 2017)

I second the bank cards, and add a tooth brush...



 
I wonder if one of those jazzy electric whirlly ones would work on anubias leaves?


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## mow said (3 Jan 2018)

newspaper and vinegar for cleaning the glass


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## zozo (3 Jan 2018)

Does this count too? AT least the blade at the end might..



It's a 40cm piece 6mm carbon kite rod/tube, it once broke at a windy day during kiting.Available as custom spare part.. So i made a tank cleaning tool out of the rest of it. Saw a small 5mm deep slid in it with a mini saw. Firmly tie some coton thread around it, preventing the carbon from splitting any further. Secure the thread with a few drops of super glue, keep turning the rod around and blow the glue dry so it spreads evenly accross the thread. Snugly fit in a stanley scraper blade
and hapily scrape the glas panels anytime without getting wet sleaves.


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## Johnn (4 Jan 2018)

That reminds me I better put these back in the kitchen aha
Noodle/BBQ tongues used as ornament/decor grabber, and strainer used as an intank breeding trap


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## Tim Harrison (4 Jan 2018)

Johnn said:


> That reminds me I better put these back in the kitchen aha
> Noodle/BBQ tongues used as ornament/decor grabber, and strainer used as an intank breeding trap


And that reminds me, I use the kitchen sieve to rinse AS clean under the tap and once dry to sieve off the dust


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## kadoxu (4 Jan 2018)

This one seems obvious, but I have a small towel in every single tank cabinet... otherwise, I'll end up running around the house with dripping hands almost every day...

I also have a kettle to heat the water for water changes a bit faster, since I have no hot water near my "fish room"...


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## PedroB (6 Jan 2018)

I use:

-Credit/Debit card for scraping glass
-Tea towels for general drying
-Turkey baster for blowing detritus into suspension before water changes


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## GHNelson (6 Jan 2018)

Lime scale remover!



hoggie


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## GHNelson (6 Jan 2018)

Diffuser cleaner!



hoggie


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## GHNelson (6 Jan 2018)

Glass cleaner!



hoggie


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## GHNelson (6 Jan 2018)

Sand Substrate Separator!




hoggie


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## GHNelson (6 Jan 2018)

Plant Trimming/Cuttings Tray!



hoggie


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## GHNelson (6 Jan 2018)

Red Colander upgrade!



hoggie


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## tam (6 Jan 2018)

Tea strainer - I use it for feeding live food but handy now and then for other things (duck weed removal).


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## Jessica (9 Jan 2018)

Not really 'household' but I actually use a ball of filter wool to clean algae from glass.


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## PARAGUAY (9 Jan 2018)

Anyone who wants to do a bot of emersed planting B&M have plenty of adaptable plastic  caddies ranging from £1 to 2 ,Bathroom suction tumbler,soap dish,deep plastic suction caddys,also fridge storage trays ,like your fridge door ones,these look ideal either side of the aquarium glass


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## PARAGUAY (17 Feb 2018)

Home Bargains have shallow fridge storage trays,deep fridge storage trays ,egg plastic tray(with lid) possibilities there)all in strong clear plastic ideal for plant maintenance ,house plants in vivariums etc,emersed growing. Thanks to my daughter and wife telling me,think it’s a couple of years of wondering why I am always looking at bathroom, kitchen caddy’s in stores


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## Andrew Butler (17 Feb 2018)

hogan53 said:


> Plant Trimming/Cuttings Tray!





hogan53 said:


> Red Colander upgrade!





hogan53 said:


> Sand Substrate Separator!





hogan53 said:


> Glass cleaner!





hogan53 said:


> Lime scale remover!



All very well posting lovely pictures but where do you get them from!?!?


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## Scorpio1646 (17 Feb 2018)

Wife's make up brush for wiping microworms from surface of culture (rinsed afterwards so she's none the wiser)


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## PiddleMouse (16 Mar 2018)

Scorpio1646 said:


> Wife's make up brush for wiping microworms from surface of culture (rinsed afterwards so she's none the wiser)
> View attachment 113321



I hope you have life insurance


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