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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

my rainwater set up!

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20 Feb 2013 09:36 - 20 Feb 2013 09:38 #1 by anglecichlid (ciaran hogan)


This is my wheelybin which I've cut a 3/4" hole in the top to accommodate
The upside down 2ltr bottle with the end cut off,
Inside the bottle I have the bottom I cut off the bottle inserted
Into the neck of the bottle with some fine sponges and then topped off with
Filter floss,
And you wouldnt believe the carp it catches.
I clean this bi weekly,
I also have a stocking stuffed with mosspeat to help soften the water!



I use 19ltr water cooler bottles for the transport in and out of my shed and to the house,
I fill a couple of bottles the night before and filter the water with the 2ltr bottles again bottoms cut off
And upside down,
This time there filled with fine sponge,fine gravel,active carbon
2 layers of each!
I use airhose piping for this,
It takes around 3/4s of an hour to do one bottle!
I do 2 at a time.



Then when there filtered I put them in to my home made hot box
With a 50w heater in each one with a cap on each,
This works quite well at keeping the water warm and not have the heaters running all night
Out in the shed.



This can be fairly long winded but is quite inexpensive way
For using rainwater
And on the plus side the rainwater seems to be IMOA
The best tool for breeding soft water fish

Anyone with a aquarium can keep fish,
But it takes real skill to be a fish keeper,


And it's spongeBob,
SpongeBob lives in a pineapple under the sea
BLANCHARDSTOWN
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Last edit: 20 Feb 2013 09:38 by anglecichlid (ciaran hogan).

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20 Feb 2013 10:07 #2 by sheag35 (Seamus Gillespie)
very thorough explanation for anyone thinking of doing the same thank you, and well done

Fishkeeping the Only way to get wet and wild

currently 25 tanks, and breeding is the aim of everything i keep
location:Limerick

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20 Feb 2013 10:11 #3 by anglecichlid (ciaran hogan)
Thanks Sheag!

Anyone with a aquarium can keep fish,
But it takes real skill to be a fish keeper,


And it's spongeBob,
SpongeBob lives in a pineapple under the sea
BLANCHARDSTOWN

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20 Feb 2013 10:46 #4 by CrustyCrab (Peter Biddulph)

very thorough explanation for anyone thinking of doing the same thank you, and well done

I agree with sheag35 Just shows what a little creative imagination can do. Well done angelcichlid

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20 Feb 2013 11:00 #5 by Deaglan (Deaglan)
+1 totally agree with Sheag and Crusty. Just goes to show what a little ingenuity does, and you seem to be reaping the rewards of your efforts.

260l South American Community tank

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20 Feb 2013 11:32 - 20 Feb 2013 11:32 #6 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic my rainwater set up!
An excellent system you have built there, a really innovative approach as well.

It was good of you to share it with the Forum, I expect there will now be a run on wheelie-bin sales at Woodies, I would only have one small concern and that would be if the water in the bin froze to a large degree should the winter be as bad again as in 2010. I fear the bin would split from expansion as the water turned to ice - but under those conditions - if they ever return again (and I sincerely hope they never do!) the operation could be put 'on hold' until things improved.

Well done for a] doing it and b] for sharing it with the Forum.

John

Location:
N. Tipp

We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.


ITFS member.



It's a long way to Tipperary.
Last edit: 20 Feb 2013 11:32 by JohnH (John). Reason: put 'ans' instead of 'and' what a fool!

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20 Feb 2013 11:56 #7 by anglecichlid (ciaran hogan)
Now that you mention it john,
It has frozen over a couple of times,
But nothing more severe than an inch or so,
In saying that I haven't had any problems but also as you've mentioned
There hasn't been a really bad cold snap in quite a while.
I have a couple of the water cooler bottles there so in the avent
Of another one I could at the least keep around 150 or 160
litres on stand buy if need be

Anyone with a aquarium can keep fish,
But it takes real skill to be a fish keeper,


And it's spongeBob,
SpongeBob lives in a pineapple under the sea
BLANCHARDSTOWN

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20 Feb 2013 12:10 #8 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic my rainwater set up!

Now that you mention it john,
It has frozen over a couple of times,
But nothing more severe than an inch or so,
In saying that I haven't had any problems but also as you've mentioned
There hasn't been a really bad cold snap in quite a while.
I have a couple of the water cooler bottles there so in the avent
Of another one I could at the least keep around 150 or 160
litres on stand buy if need be


Good thinking,
I'm probably way off line, but the plastic which wheeliebins are made from looks pretty-much like the sort which might get very brittle when extremely cold.
Perhaps an option might be to make an outer 'sleeve' from Aeroboard or the like, now there's food for thought.

John

Location:
N. Tipp

We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.


ITFS member.



It's a long way to Tipperary.

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20 Feb 2013 12:31 - 20 Feb 2013 12:34 #9 by anglecichlid (ciaran hogan)
Not a bad idea,
I would imagine that wheelybins would be made from more durable
Materials considering there outside 24/7
Mine are anyway!
Now I'm sure there not designed to have a couple of hundred
Liters in them either,
But that said,
They are well able for a decent amount of abuse!
Being lifted by the back brace up in to
The back off the bin lorry
While full!
And the bin men act like they hate the bins
The way they treat them :laugh:

Anyone with a aquarium can keep fish,
But it takes real skill to be a fish keeper,


And it's spongeBob,
SpongeBob lives in a pineapple under the sea
BLANCHARDSTOWN
Last edit: 20 Feb 2013 12:34 by anglecichlid (ciaran hogan).

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20 Feb 2013 14:09 #10 by davey_c (dave clarke)
or possibly keep a spare heater on standby to keep temp above freezing point, if needed just put it in the wheelybin ;)

nice write up and i'm sure it'll help many who are toying with the idea of setting up a similar system :)
good work pal :cool:

Below tank is for sale

my plywood tank build.

www.irishfishkeepers.com/index.php/forum...k-build-diary#137768

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20 Feb 2013 14:22 #11 by Ski (Alan McGee)
Yeah thanks for sharing. Will definitely have to do soemthing like this in the future

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20 Feb 2013 14:32 #12 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic my rainwater set up!

Yeah thanks for sharing. Will definitely have to do soemthing like this in the future


In the light of impending water charges I would suggest it be everybody's interests to consider this, after all, it's not as though we suffer from drought conditions very often!

John

Location:
N. Tipp

We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.


ITFS member.



It's a long way to Tipperary.

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20 Feb 2013 14:55 #13 by anglecichlid (ciaran hogan)
Have to say lads,
Thanks for all the positive comments,
I'm delighted you like it and maybe even help
A few save a few Bob at the same time.
Cheers!

Anyone with a aquarium can keep fish,
But it takes real skill to be a fish keeper,


And it's spongeBob,
SpongeBob lives in a pineapple under the sea
BLANCHARDSTOWN

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20 Feb 2013 16:13 #14 by Wackoo (Niall)
Replied by Wackoo (Niall) on topic my rainwater set up!
Brilliant looking setup!

I've tried to tinker around with water collection like this, the problem i had was with heating the water but the 'hot box' you have really seems to do the trick! :)

Thanks a million for sharing!

Niall

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20 Feb 2013 21:06 #15 by JustinK (Justin Kelly)

or possibly keep a spare heater on standby to keep temp above freezing point, if needed just put it in the wheelybin ;)

nice write up and i'm sure it'll help many who are toying with the idea of setting up a similar system :)
good work pal :cool:


+1
Good work plumber :-)

If you bring the bottles into the house overnight, they'll come up to room temperature.
Adding the water slowly will be natural with the temp diff.
Or you could add the heaters when at room temp.
It takes more energy to get the first few degrees up, its easier when the temp
is that bit higher. Thus saving more on the electricity.

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20 Feb 2013 22:29 #16 by des (des)
Replied by des (des) on topic my rainwater set up!
that's class Ciaran
definitely going to try this out
brilliant
well documented post too
fairplay
thanks for sharing




Des

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21 Feb 2013 00:05 - 21 Feb 2013 20:22 #17 by bogman (Charles Coughlan)
Excellent, must do a bit of filtration on mine, two Aldi water butts in series, use the water more frequently these days, PH around 7 but has no filtration, water appears spotless.

From what I remember they are around 110 liters each

Last edit: 21 Feb 2013 20:22 by bogman (Charles Coughlan).

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21 Feb 2013 14:00 #18 by ger310 (Ger .)
Replied by ger310 (Ger .) on topic my rainwater set up!
Nice one Ciaran,very well thought out dude....Clever with the bottles,so the heater is not on around the clock,fair play

Ger

What do you call a three legged Donkey?

A Wonkey....duh ha :)

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21 Feb 2013 14:15 #19 by Acara (Dave Walters)
JohnH, I had a couple of those same wheelies filled with water during the big freeze, and they did freeze solid, with no adverse affect on the bin itself. It's still going strong, in fact another fish-keeper has decided to help homself to it and is on his way round to collect it. Thieving foreigners :angry:

always on the lookout for interesting corys.pm me if you know off any!

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21 Feb 2013 14:41 #20 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic my rainwater set up!
Now, I wonder who that might be?

I had one myself - for this very purpose but after 2010 it developed a leak.

Had bought it in B&Q - bloody English shite.

Oh well, I now use a couple of dustbins, nowhere near as convenient. Was looking at those matal-braced 1000ltr water containers which they sell in the local Farmers' Co-Op, might buy one - when the funds stretch that far...

John

Location:
N. Tipp

We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.


ITFS member.



It's a long way to Tipperary.

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21 Feb 2013 14:46 #21 by CrustyCrab (Peter Biddulph)

Most DIY places have this sort of thing. Lidl and Aldi do specials, so keep an eye out
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21 Feb 2013 15:00 #22 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic my rainwater set up!
This was the one I have in mind...


Location:
N. Tipp

We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.


ITFS member.



It's a long way to Tipperary.

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21 Feb 2013 15:03 #23 by CrustyCrab (Peter Biddulph)
Salmon farms have loads of them. John you have given me an idea.................

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21 Feb 2013 15:14 #24 by Deaglan (Deaglan)

This was the one I have in mind...


Next time your this way a certain door Factory on the N4 have loads of these and sell them off after use for very little, Just make sure it hasn't been usesd for fuel.

260l South American Community tank

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11 Aug 2013 07:50 #25 by Homer (Kevin)
Replied by Homer (Kevin) on topic my rainwater set up!
The great thing about Wheelie Bins is that they are tapered so when they inevitably freeze, the expansion is upward not outward so there should be any leaking or splitting. The black bins are best as the black absorbs heat. I keep my excess in a black bin in the Greenhouse and on bright days, even in Winter, the water is warm and borderline hot, I can also set up collection from the Roof of the Greenhouse itself.

H.

The Glass is always greener on the other side.


It's NOT "Chee lick", NOT "Chee Chee Licks"!!! Cichlids is pronounced as "Sick Lids"!!!!!

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11 Aug 2013 09:25 #26 by Q_Comets (Declan Chambers)
Homer that's very clever and has given me a how did I not think of that moment. I'm gonna be having a close look at the green house today.

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28 Aug 2013 13:49 #27 by anglecichlid (ciaran hogan)
Just a quick update
I recently got a icb(white)
And it really came to light how much
Crap comes off the roof
I could see how much smaller particles were getting past
The gutter filter I was using.
No amount of sponge or filter floss was stopping it
So I'm hoping to use gravity to my advantage
With a pre reservoir drum


I only just set this up so il keep you guys posted
On how this works.
It's basically a 20ltr drum with the rw pipe about
2"s from the bottom of the drum with a wedge of filter floss
To defuse any flow a hopefully keep the smaller particles
Out of the icb.

Anyone with a aquarium can keep fish,
But it takes real skill to be a fish keeper,


And it's spongeBob,
SpongeBob lives in a pineapple under the sea
BLANCHARDSTOWN
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28 Aug 2013 15:00 #28 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic my rainwater set up!
Looks 'just the job', well done - and thanks for the update.
John

Location:
N. Tipp

We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.


ITFS member.



It's a long way to Tipperary.

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03 Sep 2013 19:41 - 03 Sep 2013 19:42 #29 by gryzor (Barry Reid)
Some good ideas here, gonna try something similar...

Does the water not stagnate especially in the bigger tanks, or does the constant topup of fresh rainwater keep things ok??
Last edit: 03 Sep 2013 19:42 by gryzor (Barry Reid).

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03 Sep 2013 20:22 #30 by anglecichlid (ciaran hogan)
It may do!
Not to sure,I'm constantly removing water
From it and filter it coming from the icb
Without problems so far!

Anyone with a aquarium can keep fish,
But it takes real skill to be a fish keeper,


And it's spongeBob,
SpongeBob lives in a pineapple under the sea
BLANCHARDSTOWN

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