Do you keep a log or journal?

[mchambers]

Occasionally, I see references to keeping a journal or log or some sort of record of fish keeping endeavors. For example, people will apparently keep records of their water changes or water conditions.

I have thought from time to time that this might be helpful, especially when something goes right in the aquarium, but the idea of bothering to keep track of these things seems a bit daunting.

Do any of you do this? What records you keep? Do you use paper or some sort of software program?

 

[jonclark96]

I consider doing one every once in a while but never seem to follow through.

 

[Ading522]

I have a journal I keep when I do water changes, fish behavior and etc..its not a daily or weekly or regular basis thing..its just like an observation log or journal.. then on my laptop I bookmark stuff i learn from CCA members, or other research about things and projects I want to do next..

 

[crazyclowntang]

I keep a log of water parameters for my saltwater tank. I do it just to make sure at what rate corals are consuming calcium and magnesium to determine how much i need to dose the tank. For fresh water setup, i just do weekly 30% water change, no log kept.

 

[chriscoli]

Really good question, Matt!

I've tried paper notebooks, excel spreadsheets, or just taking notes on the front glass of the tank in sharpie. I've failed miserably wtih each.

Once I got an iPad, I thought this would be the answer to my fishkeeping record keeping, but I'm still not happy with it. I've tried using a spreadsheet in dropbox....that way I can have access to it upstairs on my computer and downstairs via the iPad in my fishroom. But, nah.

At this point, I blame myself for not having the carry-through.

If anyone has something that works for them....I'd love to hear it!

 

[dogofwar]

The best I do is write stuff on the tanks with a Sharpie (e.g. medication dosing, when I see eggs, wigglers or a fish holding, names/sources of fish, etc.).

Matt

 

[Ading522]

Really good question, Matt!

I've tried paper notebooks, excel spreadsheets, or just taking notes on the front glass of the tank in sharpie. I've failed miserably wtih each.

Once I got an iPad, I thought this would be the answer to my fishkeeping record keeping, but I'm still not happy with it. I've tried using a spreadsheet in dropbox....that way I can have access to it upstairs on my computer and downstairs via the iPad in my fishroom. But, nah.

At this point, I blame myself for not having the carry-through.

If anyone has something that works for them....I'd love to hear it!

the ipad idea should work.. having it accessible by the icloud.. a spreadsheet with all your tanks listed will definitely keep you updated..key word is to be faithful in record keeping..

 

[chriscoli]

in theory, you are correct, but I have yet to find a spreadsheet app for the iPad that I like. I find that they are quite difficult to manage when I'm trying to move around it them quickly.

 

[chris_todd]

My personal website (www.christophertodd.com) uses Wordpress. I create "private" posts whenever I do water changes, buy new fish, fish die or breed, or anything significant happens. I use categories to make it easy to answer questions like "when did I last change the water on the 110?" Or "when did I buy the protomelas steveni Taiwan (and from whom and for how much)?

It has worked fantastically for me for several years now. I think anyone can setup a free Wordpress blog, and Wordpress is dead easy to use. If you can write a forum post, you can create a blog entry.

Hope that helps!


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

 

[Tony]

I have a spiral noteboook that I don't use as much as I should. I used to keep track of spawns on a big dry erase board (date, species, number stripped, size/development when stripped). I would then transfer that info over to my notebook when it filled up. But then I sort of go lazy...

Mostly, I use my notebook to record who or where I get fish from (and to a lesser extent, who I sell fish to). It's really handy. I wish I kept a better record over the lat few years. ah well.

So lesson learned - for newer folks really getting into it: keep a log.

 

[Tony]

BTW, I still have Sharpie on some of my tanks recording spawns from 2-3 years ago, lol.

 

[zackcrack00]

I have a full six calendar, and if I get fish, plants, fish breed, die, spawn, git rid of fish, do a Water change, etc., it's in my calendar.

 

[Forester]

My parents tell me to but I don't. I have started but then never actually written anything down that was important.

 

[mchambers]

You should do what your parents tell you! (Speaking as a parent, of course.)

 

[Forester]

Yeah I know but i don't have time!!! (Soccer, tennis, drum lesson, jazz band, school, fish) After all that there is NO extra time.

 

[rsretep]

I also use a calendar to record water changes,breeding progress,etc.

 

[WendyFish]

I did the best in keeping notebooks, actually. We migrated it all to a blog but I couldn't figure out how to get my iPad to interface with it regularly, and I suck at typing on that thing anyway, so it has kind of fallen apart. I did much better writing things down.

We do track critical medium to long term maintenance (e.g. sump cleaning, o-ring lubrication, etc.) with Sharpie.

The main thing I have been interested in these days is the impact of heavy sump planting on water chemistry. What I have been doing with that is to put each day's test tube in a drilled rack and photograph it to show how it's changing between water changes. I can pull the photos if I want or delete them if it's not interesting. Easy.

 

[Red Nose Rummy]

I keep records on my ipad using the Aqua Planner Pro App.

You can set up alerts to help you keep track of dates for water changes and it provides graphs/charts of your water quality entries.

You can add tank inhabitants, plants and notes to your records and it syncs to iCloud.

I think it only costs like $2.99 on the itunes App Store.

I have MTS so it's a great tool for me to keep everything straight and for some strange reason I enjoy recording my tank activities....

 

[Tony]

The main thing I have been interested in these days is the impact of heavy sump planting on water chemistry. What I have been doing with that is to put each day's test tube in a drilled rack and photograph it to show how it's changing between water changes. I can pull the photos if I want or delete them if it's not interesting. Easy.

How's that working out for you guys btw? What did you end up putting in the sump?

 

[AndyNarwhal]

I have tried keeping a log in the past but never kept it up to date so I stopped.

I do keep an Excel spreadsheet of each species I have kept, what I paid for them, when they spawned, when I sold them/or they died, and what I sold them for.

Doesn't require as frequent updating so it's easier to maintain.

Andy