I've watched a jillion videos like this and this is the first one where I've been like "Wow, that's great. Why didn't I think of that?" I just figured there was no new information to be had from these '5 things/top 5' kind of aquarium videos. But man was I wrong!
For those who don't have (or want) Fluval filters, get a cheap sump/utility pump and some 1 inch clear tubing. I recently purchased a 40 watt 650 GPH Pump for $20 on Amazon and can drain half the water out of my 75 in less than 3 minutes.
Love the bread bag tie tip and fx tip. Never would have thought of either of these. One tip I do is take a wet marker and write the date I changed water in my tank on the glass
Great tips! I use modern electronic timers that I can control with my voice (via alexa) or on my smart phone from anywhere. Sometimes, I'm elbow deep in my tank and so handy to use my voice to turn things on and off. Or, I'm about to go to bed and shut off the lights from the bedroom.
you can also take electrical tape, not black, and wrap one piece around the cord and you can make youre own tag. we use duct tape tags at work. best to write on both sides bc it can be rubbed off by accident
I use a Dymo Letratag LT100H Hand-Held Label Maker with Plastic Label Refills to mark power cords. Use the large or extra large font, type the name, add four spaces then type the name again and print. The four spaces give you room to wrap the label around the cord and press the two ends together. They never come off and you can read the label no matter which way it is facing. You have to use the plastic labels as they will not tear as the paper labels will. Always let your buckets dry completely before you stack them and you will never have to fight them or do anything else to keep them from sticking together. Mold and other things can start growing in a wet bucket with no air circulation. Finnex Planted+ light fixtures have a very nice and gradual 24 hour light cycle with remote that is much better than an instant on/off or short 15 minute sunrise/sunset as some LED timers have.
Hey 👋 ben 🐠. ! Great video…….. i think fish keeping is not as bad….. work wise…… the days of the bucket brigade. Are long gone…… with pumps. Or 🐍 python. It makes the draining and refilling alot quicker…… (less work)
Great tips. Looking forward to c&c, tonight is kg tropicals. Fishtube is why I watch very little TV. And when I do it's the oldies channel, Gomer pyle, hogan's heroes, m'cales navy, green acres. So many old shows from when television was fit to watch for families. Thank you
I use smart power strips. When I have to turn power off it is done easy with an app on my phone. Each socket is switchable seperately. You can also program them so a seperate timer is not needed. I also added rules for switching off heaters when a filter is switched off.
Do you possibly have a link to what you mean? ....How much do these said "smart strips" cost lol...I spent $175 on a really nice Rocket Fish power strip from Best Buy last year for my PC setup and it don't have no app to customize everything, so I'm guessing they are pretty pricey, no?!?
@@DirtNassty I don't know where you live, but in the Netherlands I payed 35 euros (about 35 US dollars) for a strip with 4 sockets. And there are even some USB-sockets on them as well. No HUB needed. Just the free Smart Home app.
Fx6 tip is super smart I was gonna buy a pump for my 180 but now I will just use one of my fx6 to do my water changes just curious if you have a link to where I could buy the hose
I've done the bleach tip for killing algae for years . 1 part bleach to 20 parts water. Works a treat. I always just give the treated item a good rinse under the tap, then straight back in the tank it goes. Never had any issues and saves from using dechlor and days of soaking.
Me too Ozzy! I've always just soaked them in bleach then rinsed them the next day really well before throwing them back in. Never even considered to use a conditioner between, an have fortunately never had an issues with out it.
Great video. I find that just doing research on your tank and its inhabitants benefits you and the tank greatly. Also I found that using any market medications like melafix or something like that is a waste of money.. just keep up with your water quality. Recently treated a bullied angelfish a juvenile and it was almost like he was euthanized by the medication after adding a DROP (1 DROP) in a net separating the fish from the angel.. I was surprised when I saw him take his last breath right before my eyes
I have found the melafix and pimafix to be worthless as well. Just made the tank smell funny but did nothing to stop the disease. Researching one's fish and always looking to learn about how to be a better fish keeper, those are key for sure.
Ben, I realize it's off topic, but I just bought an FX 6 for a 125 peacock tank I'm planning. I'm also planning on using an unused penplax 1000 for the same tank. Can I prioritize one filter for chemical and bio filtration and the other for mechanical? If so, how should I go about it. I was thinking the FX would be mechanical. What are your thoughts?
Off topic but how can I tell if ick is out of my tank? All fish died. Now I would like to move my big fish to the bigger tank but I’m scared to because I’m afraid I’m risking her life
Ick needs a host. With no fish it can’t really complete its life cycle. To be totally sure, raise temp to 85F for a week. It can’t survive in that heat. Then do some deep vacuuming and you should be good to go. Run some carbon in the filter if you used meds. Toss it out after an month. Good luck.
Great advice from Ben…heat and Time. You could also use a sacrificial feeder fish and leave it for 2 weeks to see if anything develops. If that seems cruel, may I suggest using our Canadian dictator Trudeau? (Although he may further contaminate your tank lol)
Many people give up this hobby because of the huge maintenance it requires. Especially the time and effort one himself/herself needs to put in. Tips like these will really make them hold on to the hobby... we need to share more such tips Ben.
![5 Money Saving Tips from a Frugal Fish Keeper #2 [Comparing Home Depot to PetCo Items & Prices!]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/A0fB0yzKEXE/mqdefault.jpg)
I've watched a jillion videos like this and this is the first one where I've been like "Wow, that's great. Why didn't I think of that?" I just figured there was no new information to be had from these '5 things/top 5' kind of aquarium videos. But man was I wrong!
awesome tips 👌, thanks
Great tips Ben, thanks!
Found your channel today and subscribed today 👍
Great tips! The bread tag idea is awesome stuff. Thanks 😊
Thanks for sharing 🤩tips 🤙🏾
Thanks Ben ♥️
Timers, timers, timers they are magic. Love them.
Great video bro 😎 👏🏻👏🏻🔥🔥🕺🏼🍾🎉
What a great idea for a video Ben! Love it!.....keep up the good work brother. 🤙
For those who don't have (or want) Fluval filters, get a cheap sump/utility pump and some 1 inch clear tubing. I recently purchased a 40 watt 650 GPH Pump for $20 on Amazon and can drain half the water out of my 75 in less than 3 minutes.
Oh my, such a good idea for my fluval fx6!! And definitely, I need to learn how to use the timers..Thanks a lot for your work, Sir
Bread clips! Genius! That's a new one for me! Now I can quit bugging the wife for her label maker! Woot!
Another marriage saved 🤣🤣🤣
Great tips
👍❤👍
Glad you think so!
Thanks for the Knowledge sir have a great day
Thanks, you too!
Love the bread bag tie tip and fx tip. Never would have thought of either of these. One tip I do is take a wet marker and write the date I changed water in my tank on the glass
👍😎 All good tips Ben. The bucket one great.
This hobby. Is not for the lazy or cheap. Lol……. But the rewards of the hobby. Far outweigh the work. And cost. ✅ 💯
Agree!
No matter how many times I think I’ll remember which cord goes to what I still mess it up.! 😆 Will start buying more bread 🤣
😄😄😄
No bond is as strong as 2 five gallon buckets
Lol
So true! LOL!
Let the bucket dry before stacking them
Consistency. Keeping a regular water change / maintenance routine.
Great tips! I use modern electronic timers that I can control with my voice (via alexa) or on my smart phone from anywhere. Sometimes, I'm elbow deep in my tank and so handy to use my voice to turn things on and off. Or, I'm about to go to bed and shut off the lights from the bedroom.
you can also take electrical tape, not black, and wrap one piece around the cord and you can make youre own tag. we use duct tape tags at work. best to write on both sides bc it can be rubbed off by accident
Yes! I've done this with blue masking tape.
Timers are so old school! I like smart plugs. Can use as a timer, but also control from your phone no matter where you are.
I’m old… old school 🤣
Instead of bread ties i use electical tape. My cats tend to play with it less
For tip number 4, there are actually apps you can use to keep track of everything. I use Aquarium apps which has worked really well for me.
I use both, because I'm paranoid, lol. 👍
I use a Dymo Letratag LT100H Hand-Held Label Maker with Plastic Label Refills to mark power cords.
Use the large or extra large font, type the name, add four spaces then type the name again and print. The four spaces give you room to wrap the label around the cord and press the two ends together. They never come off and you can read the label no matter which way it is facing. You have to use the plastic labels as they will not tear as the paper labels will.
Always let your buckets dry completely before you stack them and you will never have to fight them or do anything else to keep them from sticking together. Mold and other things can start growing in a wet bucket with no air circulation.
Finnex Planted+ light fixtures have a very nice and gradual 24 hour light cycle with remote that is much better than an instant on/off or short 15 minute sunrise/sunset as some LED timers have.
Good tips
There are many of these kind of videos but I think this one is brilliant! Love the idea with those bread tags.
Hey 👋 ben 🐠. ! Great video…….. i think fish keeping is not as bad….. work wise…… the days of the bucket brigade. Are long gone…… with pumps. Or 🐍 python. It makes the draining and refilling alot quicker…… (less work)
Great tips. Looking forward to c&c, tonight is kg tropicals. Fishtube is why I watch very little TV. And when I do it's the oldies channel, Gomer pyle, hogan's heroes, m'cales navy, green acres. So many old shows from when television was fit to watch for families. Thank you
I use smart power strips. When I have to turn power off it is done easy with an app on my phone. Each socket is switchable seperately. You can also program them so a seperate timer is not needed.
I also added rules for switching off heaters when a filter is switched off.
Do you possibly have a link to what you mean? ....How much do these said "smart strips" cost lol...I spent $175 on a really nice Rocket Fish power strip from Best Buy last year for my PC setup and it don't have no app to customize everything, so I'm guessing they are pretty pricey, no?!?
@@DirtNassty I don't know where you live, but in the Netherlands I payed 35 euros (about 35 US dollars) for a strip with 4 sockets. And there are even some USB-sockets on them as well. No HUB needed. Just the free Smart Home app.
@@DirtNassty Links are deleted but check amazon.
More quality tips for the Fish knowledge Vault !!! Perfect Ben!!!
Fx6 tip is super smart I was gonna buy a pump for my 180 but now I will just use one of my fx6 to do my water changes just curious if you have a link to where I could buy the hose
Got mine at Home Depot. They sell it by the foot.
A great five tips video.
I've done the bleach tip for killing algae for years . 1 part bleach to 20 parts water. Works a treat. I always just give the treated item a good rinse under the tap, then straight back in the tank it goes. Never had any issues and saves from using dechlor and days of soaking.
Me too Ozzy! I've always just soaked them in bleach then rinsed them the next day really well before throwing them back in. Never even considered to use a conditioner between, an have fortunately never had an issues with out it.
Yep. I learned to label the cords rather quickly. Lol
Love the bucket tip! Will definitely try it next time. Thank you.
Great video. I find that just doing research on your tank and its inhabitants benefits you and the tank greatly. Also I found that using any market medications like melafix or something like that is a waste of money.. just keep up with your water quality. Recently treated a bullied angelfish a juvenile and it was almost like he was euthanized by the medication after adding a DROP (1 DROP) in a net separating the fish from the angel.. I was surprised when I saw him take his last breath right before my eyes
I have found the melafix and pimafix to be worthless as well. Just made the tank smell funny but did nothing to stop the disease. Researching one's fish and always looking to learn about how to be a better fish keeper, those are key for sure.
Where do you get your artificial plants from?
They were from a company that is no longer in business, EliteCichlids.
Ben,
I realize it's off topic, but I just bought an FX 6 for a 125 peacock tank I'm planning. I'm also planning on using an unused penplax 1000 for the same tank. Can I prioritize one filter for chemical and bio filtration and the other for mechanical? If so, how should I go about it. I was thinking the FX would be mechanical. What are your thoughts?
Off topic but how can I tell if ick is out of my tank? All fish died. Now I would like to move my big fish to the bigger tank but I’m scared to because I’m afraid I’m risking her life
Ick needs a host. With no fish it can’t really complete its life cycle. To be totally sure, raise temp to 85F for a week. It can’t survive in that heat. Then do some deep vacuuming and you should be good to go. Run some carbon in the filter if you used meds. Toss it out after an month. Good luck.
Great advice from Ben…heat and Time.
You could also use a sacrificial feeder fish and leave it for 2 weeks to see if anything develops. If that seems cruel, may I suggest using our Canadian dictator Trudeau? (Although he may further contaminate your tank lol)
Many people give up this hobby because of the huge maintenance it requires. Especially the time and effort one himself/herself needs to put in. Tips like these will really make them hold on to the hobby... we need to share more such tips Ben.