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

HELP! Spider in tank!

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Gonefishy (Brian oneill)
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20 Aug 2014 18:05 #1 by Gonefishy (Brian oneill)

HELP! Spider in tank! was created by Gonefishy (Brian oneill)

Hi Guys,
Not an arachnophobe but this spider freaked me out. Was setting up a 2nd hand tank I bought from a forum member and when I opened the lid to clean it I found this guy! Big spider, not little, I mean big! What type of spider is it? Wife now wants tank out of house in case if eggs.....advice please? Thanks

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JohnH (John)
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20 Aug 2014 19:06 - 20 Aug 2014 19:56 #2 by JohnH (John)

Replied by JohnH (John) on topic HELP! Spider in tank!

That actually looks - from your snaps - very much like the common-or-garden House Spider which are, as far as I know, totally harmless - indeed, they're a bit of a boon as they keep other less-welcome flying visitors in check.
I say they're harmless to humans but with the proviso that one has never bitten me.
You would see eggs as they are laid by the female who then weaves a kind of cocoon around them in which they stay until after they have hatched, so look out for something like that, ofen stored away from the light.

As Ian GM is far more of an authority on all things Arachnid perhaps he'll be able to tell you more.

John

Edit:
I've been thinking a bit more (careful, John) and as you say it's huge (it's hard to get any sense of scale from the pics) it might just be a Wolf Spider - but similar comments apply - I was never bitten by one of those either, indeed they're pretty timid creatures in my experience.
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 Aug 2014 19:56 by JohnH (John). Reason: Added an edit

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Gonefishy (Brian oneill)
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20 Aug 2014 20:15 #3 by Gonefishy (Brian oneill)

Replied by Gonefishy (Brian oneill) on topic HELP! Spider in tank!

JohnH wrote:
That actually looks - from your snaps - very much like the common-or-garden House Spider which are, as far as I know, totally harmless - indeed, they're a bit of a boon as they keep other less-welcome flying visitors in check.
I say they're harmless to humans but with the proviso that one has never bitten me.
You would see eggs as they are laid by the female who then weaves a kind of cocoon around them in which they stay until after they have hatched, so look out for something like that, ofen stored away from the light.

As Ian GM is far more of an authority on all things Arachnid perhaps he'll be able to tell you more.

John

Edit:
I've been thinking a bit more (careful, John) and as you say it's huge (it's hard to get any sense of scale from the pics) it might just be a Wolf Spider - but similar comments apply - I was never bitten by one of those either, indeed they're pretty timid creatures in my experience.
John

Thanks for this John! It was about 1 & 1/2 inches long and 3/4 inch tall as pictured....just haven't seen such a mean looking one before....

Cheers!

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Gonefishy (Brian oneill)
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20 Aug 2014 20:15 #4 by Gonefishy (Brian oneill)

Replied by Gonefishy (Brian oneill) on topic HELP! Spider in tank!

Gonefishy wrote:

JohnH wrote:
That actually looks - from your snaps - very much like the common-or-garden House Spider which are, as far as I know, totally harmless - indeed, they're a bit of a boon as they keep other less-welcome flying visitors in check.
I say they're harmless to humans but with the proviso that one has never bitten me.
You would see eggs as they are laid by the female who then weaves a kind of cocoon around them in which they stay until after they have hatched, so look out for something like that, ofen stored away from the light.

As Ian GM is far more of an authority on all things Arachnid perhaps he'll be able to tell you more.

John

Edit:
I've been thinking a bit more (careful, John) and as you say it's huge (it's hard to get any sense of scale from the pics) it might just be a Wolf Spider - but similar comments apply - I was never bitten by one of those either, indeed they're pretty timid creatures in my experience.
John

Thanks for this John! It was about 1 & 1/2 inches long and 3/4 inch tall as pictured....just haven't seen such a mean looking one before....

Cheers!

Actually Maybe closer to 2 inches long...

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swai (Simon)
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20 Aug 2014 20:48 #5 by swai (Simon)

Replied by swai (Simon) on topic HELP! Spider in tank!

I'm sure its fine, looks exactly like the one i found in my tank. He was living in a spare tank for about a month, never left the inside. Then one day he was dead, problem solved!

Marino, Dublin 9

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hammie (Neil Hammerton)
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20 Aug 2014 20:51 #6 by hammie (Neil Hammerton)

Replied by hammie (Neil Hammerton) on topic HELP! Spider in tank!

A spider that size would lay a fair size of a clutch of eggs, you would definitely see the "sack"
Take the tank outside and wash it out, keep the lady of the house happy! No point in letting her think she is being ignored ( thats problematic enough in itself)

It doesnt look like anything you need to be scared of to me, but im no expert

The common spider in our lands are returning to tjeir natural sizes after many of the chemicals we used to use that effected (stunted) their growth seems to have gone largely out of circulation and no longer in use

There are many misconceptions in relation to "larger" spiders that they all bite or are all poisonous
Truth be told they are more scared of us than we are of them and mostly unless threatened they would prefer to be going the oposite way from us normally

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JustinK (Justin Kelly)
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21 Aug 2014 10:13 #7 by JustinK (Justin Kelly)

Replied by JustinK (Justin Kelly) on topic HELP! Spider in tank!

Fill the tank, its not going to hang around for a swim :-)

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JohnH (John)
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21 Aug 2014 10:52 - 21 Aug 2014 10:53 #8 by JohnH (John)

Replied by JohnH (John) on topic HELP! Spider in tank!

Just as an interesting aside to this post I have been reading of a poor man in Cork who has tragically died and the speculation was that it was as a result of having been bitten by a spider a year before.

Here is a link to the HSI's answer, which should help to quell anyone's potential 'fears' in this respect (please bear in mind that the original story emanated from The Sun - that well-known purveyor of all things honest and truthful...).

www.thehsi.org/release-concerning-alleged-fatal-spider-bite/

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: 21 Aug 2014 10:53 by JohnH (John). Reason: Addition

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irish-zx10r (James feenan)
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21 Aug 2014 11:41 - 21 Aug 2014 22:22 #9 by irish-zx10r (James feenan)

Replied by irish-zx10r (James feenan) on topic HELP! Spider in tank!

I found one like yours lurking around the house last year looks very like yours here is a video the spider is near the same size as the glass 2 to 3 inch

Something fishie going on here

Last edit: 21 Aug 2014 22:22 by irish-zx10r (James feenan). Reason: video added

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ABdarudeone (Mick)
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21 Aug 2014 11:59 #10 by ABdarudeone (Mick)

Replied by ABdarudeone (Mick) on topic HELP! Spider in tank!

Hey i wouldn't worry too much ,they sneak in from my backgarden all the time , in fact there are probably 3 or 4 behind the freezer - just like the last time i moved it around .. and its good to see the fiancee dancing salsa on the counter too :woohoo: