Handy Stuff to Work on Your Aquarium

Cable Ties

These are great for attaching everything, since they are non toxic, cheap, and dont rust or corrode.

We use these by the tons almost and have many different sizes on hand.

Some are not UV resistant, so try to buy the ones that are.

Stainless Steel (SS) scissors, tweezers, coral clippers.

The key here is corrosion resistance. High grade stainless steel is quite resistant to corrosive saltwater. You can see in the picture that the scissors are SS but their screws are not and are corroding.

The cutters on top are all SS and have no corrosion evident at all.

Tweezers tend to corrode in the Y where they meet if not SS.

Its always a good idea to dip rinse your SS tools in fresh water when you are done with them.

Disposal Coral Cutters

Yea,after many tries, we now just use disposable cutters. They can be had for a dollar at many dollar stores. I hate that we throw them away, but havent been able to find a decent cutter that can withstand the rigors of coral farming.

Someday maybe we can design our own.

Chlorine Bleach (dangerous! For Adult Use Only !)

An effective caustic disinfectant.

Great for removing anything organic (hair algae, bacteria, parasites) from trays and equipment, but very very dangerous if used incorrectly. The fumes can be toxic if you breath them.

Never add it directly to your tank. And anything you clean with it should use a dechlorinator to remove any residual chlorine before you put it in your tank.

Dilute it with water to disinfect most items. 1/3 cup per gallon of fresh water.

This is not something that a young person should use. Only adults should use bleach.

Never mix bleach with ammonia, as it gives off toxic vapors.

Eggbaster

A really handy tool to have.

We use it for blowing detritus off of corals, or blowing mucous off of cut corals, or target feeding.

Can be bought at most dollar stores, though it may be a seasonal holiday item.

Stainless Steel screws and Washers

Hard to find, but useful if corrosion resistance is important.

We use tons of these for fastening just about anything. The square drive is easier to use than a phillips head.

Plastic Screen for overflow intakes

From the gardening section of Home depot. Great for overflow pipes. Will allow the water for flow freely but keep your fish, snails, and urchins from entering your overflow pipe and going to never never land.