# D.I.Y Aquascaping tools! pix and instructions :)



## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

*goes onto ADGshop.com, looks at tools..... "40 dollars?? $%&*@"*

thats pretty much the story, so i made theese

D.I.Y Gravel Flattener:

Requires:
1 old paint brush
some card
duct tape

*accidently deleted this bit , cant be bothered typing it up again*

this one is pretty simple, cut off bristles, shape card, tape it on(make it watertight), then write ada on it


you save: 27 dollars!

picture:











D.I.Y Pincetters:

ingrediants:

2 bamboo skewers
1 little peice of card
1 roll of, yep you guesssed it; duct tape
1 stanley kinfe

instructiones:

1 roll the tiny peice of card up into a really quite small(millimeter wide?) roll and water proof with duct tape

2 securely tape the 2 bamboo skewers together at the end (about 2 fingers width from end)

3 wedge the tiny roll of card between them just below were you taped 

4 secure the wedge in place

5 use your stanley kinfe to make the pincettes better to grip

6 flatten out the pincer ends and put a couple turns of tape round them(trust me)

7 scratch the tape round the pincers until it is nice and rough and good grip

8 write ada somewere

you save: 40 dollars!

picture:


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## cjyhc4 (Dec 18, 2006)

Nice work!!


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## handsomeboy (Mar 1, 2005)

uhoh, i smell a lawsuit from ADA...

quick, change 'ADA' to 'ABA'


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

lol
coming soon i will try making DIY trimming scissors
my mum had better watch her sewing basket  because i have no scisscors
no blowtorch either


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## distrbd (Feb 17, 2006)

That's funny,I have an idea ,how about attaching a blade to the end of your gravel flattener ,and call it...??? yep you guessed it,an algae scrapper. 
But seriously,there is a lot of home made tools in my house,some for my fish keeping hobby,which looks crude but works just fine.
soon I'll try making your "pinsetters".


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

haha they are called pinsetters for copy right reasons 
they actually work suprisingly well on small plants, for larger plants maybe i will make another pair from chopsticks!


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

I bought my tweezers and scissors off of a medical supply website. They both work great. For scraping algae I use an old (cancelled) credit card. lol


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## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

:hihi:

Here's mine:

1) Get a plastic fork
2) Break off the teeth
3) (write ADA somewhere on the fork's handle)

Sand leveler for a tanks smaller than 1gal. :hihi:


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

You people just don't understand the importance of how you write ADA on a tool. Notice, in typed form it isn't at all adequate. But, careful study of a genuine ADA tool or piece of glassware will give you a good guide as to how to write it properly. Then, the tool will finally work properly. Trust me.


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## eklikewhoa (Aug 29, 2006)

you can go to the auto parts store and they sell handled scrapers that hold razors for cheap. 

for a gravel leveler you could use a spackle spatula from the hardware store.


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

hahaha lol guys theese are all great ideas, now if only we could DIY our own ferts and tanks, then we could take over the WORLD!
ok i will try making trimming scissors later after i have revised.
i think i will need more lighters hmmmm


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## daFrimpster (Mar 7, 2005)

"if you want,I can show you how to make a bomb out of a roll of toilet paper and a stick of dynomite."-Dale Gribble


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

YAHOOO! i just got nature aquairum world 3 in the post!


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## SCMurphy (Oct 21, 2003)

The nice thing about using an old credit card or some other hard plastic card is that you will not scratch the glass with it. Razor blades can scratch the glass, I don't use them any more.

Nice job on the DIY stuff.

For large tanks you can use one of those architect triangles as a substrate slope setter.


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

a set square? my dad might have one i think

well i finished my trimming scissors, pictures and tutorial later on tonite
they work great! but i burnt my hand


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## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

too funny...
Hoppy is right...it is all about how you write it!


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## General Tso (Mar 1, 2006)

Well, these arent DIY aquascaping tools, but I thought they were a pretty good deal compared to the price of that Garden in Arizona. 

eBay: Aquarium Landscapes Planted AquascapinTool Kit 5 Tools (item 120084554798 end time Feb-14-07 14:18:06 PST)


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## Booger (May 17, 2004)

General Tso said:


> Well, these arent DIY aquascaping tools, but I thought they were a pretty good deal compared to the price of that Garden in Arizona.
> 
> eBay: Aquarium Landscapes Planted AquascapinTool Kit 5 Tools (item 120084554798 end time Feb-14-07 14:18:06 PST)




:iamwithst Here's another option from Aquatic Magic. I consider myself obsessive when it comes to having the best stuff (I usually budget $50/gallon for my tanks, ugh), but it would be _very_ difficult to convince me that ADA tools are worth half the asking price. You're going to tell me that these tools are noticably better than the ones that multi-million dollar labs and operating rooms use?


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## General Tso (Mar 1, 2006)

Hey, I resent the I'm with stupid icon. I'M SMART! :flick: LOL I am also obsessive about tools, and want to work with good quality. I looked everywhere for some decent aquascaping tools and these offered the biggest bang for the smallest buck. I sold some junk off on ebay to raise the money to buy the tools that I listed in the link I posted. I like the ones I bought better than the ones that Aquatic Magic offers because you get 5 for the price of his 3 AND they come with a nice little zippered case. Every time I use these, I tell my husband what a joy they are to work with and much easier to use then the kitchen shears and chopsticks I was using before. I did catch him clearing out a hair clog in out tub drain with the 11" tweezers. I made him clean them off with rubbing alcohol and boiling water. He wasn't remorseful at all, he said they were worth the money just to make that disgusting job easier. In an odd way, we are both happy with this purchase.


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

yeh i agree with u guys, i do want some nice proper metal tools, however im 16 and make only a small income by selling stuff online (www.pod2point0.com) so i have no budget lol


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## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

Booger said:


> I consider myself obsessive when it comes to having the best stuff (I usually budget $50/gallon for my tanks, ugh), but it would be _very_ difficult to convince me that ADA tools are worth half the asking price. You're going to tell me that these tools are noticably better than the ones that multi-million dollar labs and operating rooms use?


Yup, they're noticably better.


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

facist!  just joking lol ive been watching to much young ones lol


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## Booger (May 17, 2004)

General Tso said:


> Hey, I resent the I'm with stupid icon. I'M SMART! :flick:


Sorry I couldn't find the "I'm with Smart" smiley. 








Steven_Chong said:


> Yup, they're noticably better.


How? Is there any way to quantify it? If they didn't say ADA, would they still be worth it?


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

the do look at bit better than mine lol


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## J Art (Feb 7, 2016)

For tongs, just use 2 chopsticks and 2 rubber bands....


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## Doogy262 (Aug 11, 2013)

Anybody have a problem with the thumb holes for the scissors being to small.I bought a nice pair awhile back and can't use them because they hurt my thumb so just use a regular pair.


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