will_kenwright;3477408; said:
ive had a marine system for about 6 months now and i was just wondering does any one have any sort of old school methods or unusual short cuts?
like using a stanley blade and a bit of plastic pipe as an algea scraper?
cheers
well personally, I don't use scrapers. I like to use two sided sponges. the ones that are yellow on one side and green on the other. They work great for quickly scrubbing down larger tanks, and since they are soft and flexible, they are awesome for cleaning around lid edges, along sand or gravel lines, power heads, filter intakes, ect. They cost less, and don't scratch glass or acrylic like some scrapers can.
For siphoning larger tanks, I like to use soft garden hoses. They have a longer reach-capability, a smaller intake, which is great for working around live rocks and sand beds, are flexible, so I can manipulate them into smaller areas without pulling out too much excess water or sand, and because they are so long, I don't have to have a bucket right next to me. Usually I can hang it out the window, back door, bathtub or anything. I have tanks all over my house, and pretty much anywhere I am, upstairs or down, there is somewhere I can stick the other end of the hose, and not have to worry about dumping buckets mid-clean.
Plus a dozen more. There'a a lot you can do that doesn't require buying all the latests gadets and gizmos. Once you get serious about fishkeeping, and have years of trial and error behind you, most of us find ways to either modify retail models, or completely invent our own to suit our needs and budget.
