# Aquarium maintenance tracking log/spreadsheet?



## Glaneon (Sep 27, 2010)

I did a search on here and couldn't find anything.

I have 4 aquariums occupied (5-6 total but we're reducing) and I'd like to track my media replacements, water readings, chemical additions, etc.

Anyone have a spreadsheet they use?

Or a program you'd recommend?

Thanks!


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Big Chief tablet and a pen! My computer is too far away and it would take too long to open a program. I just buy cheap tablets and divide them into more or less even sections for each of the 7 tanks. I stick a post-it at the top for a tab. Using a line for each day I have an entry I make columns in which I enter the normally used items. (temp,PH,Gh,Kh, etc. ) If I do that test that day I enter it, If not I leave it blank. I leave room for notes on anything else like cleanings and use as many lines as needed. After a while the page has a pretty good set of columns that I can scan and see if anything varies. I leave it in the fish room and refer to it often just to check which tank needs water chg, etc. of the routine items. Great help if I need to use meds as I can look and see if it is day three of six or where it stands as well as progress or fish sales. Nice to have when I sell fry or fish to tell the new owners how old the fish are,etc.


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## trigger (Sep 6, 2002)

I used to use Aquarix http://www.aquarix.de/en/ great program but like like pfunmo says, it's just too much of a hassle to do it on a computer, a notebook and pen do the trick also. OK, no nice graphs, but do you need that???


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## Icey101 (Nov 5, 2007)

As above..I used a program at first, and even for one tank it seemed to be more work logging items in than it was worth. Paper is much quicker.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

I added small 5x7" chalkboards to the inside doors of my stands. Use to track water changes etc. Much easier for me than dealing with a computer, and so far no issues with water getting on the boards. If I were to do it again, I'd make a better effort to find small dry erase boards and put them in same place.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I find having a permanent record to keep has added some fun to my operation. I like to look back and see how old the fish are when I sell them, how long it takes before they start breeding and all that sort of thing. How does one know how long a heater lasted if he doesn't have a record of when he started using it? Part of using paper is having the ability to log anything I want without having a set piece item to fill. I record how long any female has been holding. It gives me a way to know when she needs to be moved out. We all have things that we can't remember if they are not written down.


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## GeriJo (May 13, 2010)

I use index cards and color coded pens. I use the double sided scrap book squares and stick them to the top right corners of the tanks or on the sides depending on what mood I'm in. The scrap book squares are simple to peel off of the glass and I can change the index cards as needed. I write the size and location of the tank on the top of each card, so that way I can pull them all down at once if I want to review the info on all of the tanks combined. I also list how many of what fish & sex are in the tank. This helps when you have to play musical tanks. Then you just write by the fish which tank they are moving to and go one tank at a time till you're done.


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## DrgRcr (Jun 23, 2009)

I track my 3 biggest tanks with Excel spreadsheets. Just make separate pages for each thing you want to track. Mine has some like water changes, testing, fry(if I save them to sell), notes, stocking, equipment. Across the top I put the months and down the sides I put the days. Then save each one as a template. At the end of the year, you can print them and save them in a binder or similar, and reuse the template to start a new one for a new year.


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## LoRyder (Sep 15, 2010)

I'm pretty good with working with excell I'm currently working on my cert. for Expert in excel. I have some frre time now. I could come up with something. But I'm kinda new to this hobby so I would need to know what information you would want in it and also what version of excel you have. Hate to give you an 2007 if you only have 2003. Email me. [email protected].

Mike


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## Dragonkeeper (Feb 9, 2007)

I made a pretty nice one on excel, but got lazy and stopped using it. If your interested email me at [email protected].


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## Pattysphish (Apr 9, 2010)

Hi, I would like to add to your ideas of an aquarium "Log Book". I too just use a notebook and pen for now. My sons, both in their 20's love to hunt for record albums and/or old books. While digging around at a Goodwill store they found "The Complete Aquarium Logbook" by Kevin W. Boyd. They purchased this unused paperback book for me for $1.00. This is an awesome little 6x9 book with 120 pages and space to track up to 5 tanks. Chapters in the book are: Journal, Water Change Record, Equipment Maintenance Record, Water Chemistry Table & Graphs, Fish & Plant Record, Treatment Record, Tank Record, The Natural Aquarium, Expenses, Aquarium Idea Record, Address Book for contact info on LFS or whatever contacts you have.

This book was published in 1993 by Tetra Press. You can find the book on Amazon and actually look inside the book there to get some ideas as to what you might like to come up with for your own records. Or, you can purchase one of these little books for yourself. This is a great book!

I have not used my book yet, may or may not use it at all. I thought it was so sweet of my sons to pick up this book for me that I almost hate to use it. Maybe I will start the New Year off with this little logbook.

I just wanted to share, maybe someone else will enjoy the book or get some insight into their own logbook.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Sounds like someone raised a nice pair of guys! Really gets to you when they do turn out fine like that. As to the logbook, I would probably not find it to my liking. I often find myself using several lines to get in the information that seems important at that time. It can vary a lot for me but sometimes the information is semi-related so that if I had the plant info in one spot and fish info and water info in different locations it would not seem as convenient. For my use, I like all things that are going on in one tank to be on one page. If I have several pages to open-- I might not go look.


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## Pattysphish (Apr 9, 2010)

You know, my sons are nice guys! Very thoughtful and they knew I would be interested in this little book. I have had aquariums since I was a kid and my children have always known them. We have lived in Mo, Ks, Mi, Tx and now Md and moved my tanks right along with everything else...I guess I should not have been surprised when they gave me this book. Kind of a neat find whether I use it or not. Lol.

As for my record keeping, I am much like yourself. Mine reads more like a journal and some days there may be much more to write about than others. I don't know if I would like the set up of a log book. I thought it might be helpful to the OP.


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