What is your Fav Non-Essential Tool?

I like this flashlight because I can use the red LED's and I don't wake the fish and the inverts can't see red either. I can use the blue LED's and see how the corals are flourescing. Then I can also used the white LED's if I want to see everything clearly. Amazon.com: Smith & Wesson Galaxy 12-LED Flashlight (8 White, 2 Red & 2 Blue LEDs): Sports & Outdoors

 

Plastic coffee containers - we go thru a lot of coffee, so i have about 10 of these 48oz containers that i use for everything - visitors think Folgers is the tank sponsor! I always have one by the sump to put the used filter floss in and the skimmer clean up paper towels.

As for getting stuff off the bottom, i have a cheap set of grabbers from Harbor Freight- i replaced the cheap screws with stainless, all else is aluminum/plastic/rubber.

 

Great idea!

 

Laser pointer. Great when discussing tank inhabitants with visitors or customers. Instead of pointing at the tank and asking "What's that?", they can use the laser pointer and you know exactly what they are talking about. Just don't point it at fish. Wonder if fish would chase it like a cat? Hmm, may have to try that.

 

All of my fish ignored it. However, the clownfish would chase the little dot.

 

Ziplock bags. I learned this tip from another reefer. You can hang them from "toothed" overflows and it makes them silent. Also I have one rubber-banded to the out put of my skimmer which was "gushing water" noisy. It is silent too.
I like to watch my reef with not all the "water fall" noises lol
Heidi

 

Heidi,
I guess I am stupid and don't understand what u mean but I have this problem. Can u put a pic of it here? I like pictures.

 

HOB filter, quart mason jar, and air tubing. Used together to trickle and mix top-off and make-up water with tank water before it enters the DT to help prevent any chance of sudden changes in chemistry or temperature.

 

Some fish will chase it. My lfs has one, and we do it to his wrasse to make them flash!

 

This may bend the definition of "non-essential" but seeing as some reef tanks don't have them, they aren't "essential"

Sump. I have run a reef tank without one, and a bunch of fish tanks without one and now that I have one, I will never again have any tank of any kind without one.