×
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 attempt at a native tank

More
30 Mar 2015 23:42 - 30 Mar 2015 23:45 #181 by Joukeder (Jouke)
Turns out my 'determination skills' need considerable sharpening. The scorpions turn out to be juvenile blenneys...........
How about that for a humbling experience?
Last edit: 30 Mar 2015 23:45 by Joukeder (Jouke).

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
31 Mar 2015 07:49 #182 by MarinusAddictus (Marius Schudel)
:laugh: well, its a steep learing curve in this business ;-)
But the catching should work the same, dont know which of the two is more greedy and voracious. But if they are small it should be okay and you have a good supply of snails and hermits anyway.
They seem to be smart too. I caught a tomplot on the weekend. Wanted to get my Blenny out before adding the Tomplot as it was smaller. Normally the second I add my tweezers with food he is on it. But not this time when I wanted to catch him. He seems to have known exactly whats going on...kind of frightening :laugh: ;)

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
07 Apr 2015 20:37 - 07 Apr 2015 20:45 #183 by Joukeder (Jouke)
Good news on the green algae front. The battle has been won. There are now very few left in the tank. The award goes to the periwinkles that have eaten 80% ov the gunk helped by Crusty who has been brushing with a newly invented hollow brush connected to a siphon. This also proved very effective.
The siphon with a limonade boytle also cleaned the sand detritus.
Below you see some pics that show the progression in cleaning over the last few days. There are now no significant algae in the tank and I have started to demobilise part of the Periwinkle army in stages of about 20 every few days. They report to the surface for demob.
Phosphate lower but still elevated. I have ordered some PO4x4 phosphate reducing pellets that will reside in the small Eheim filter
As well as some Easylife per instructions by Crusty. :P
Many thanks for Marinus for pointing to the effectiveness of larger quantity of the snails. It is amazing how well they clean even the corals with all manner of crevices.

Had some fishing expeditions and Crusty brought some beautiful pipe-worms and plumose anemones
Enjoy the pictures!











Clean at last!






What beauty!
Last edit: 07 Apr 2015 20:45 by Joukeder (Jouke).

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
22 Apr 2015 07:29 #184 by MarinusAddictus (Marius Schudel)
Really great to see the improvements :-)

Tube worms are amazing!

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
26 Apr 2015 16:48 #185 by jeff (Jeff Scully)
Looking good mate

Where the tongue slips, it speaks the truth.

A life making mistakes is not only more honourable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing at all.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
08 Jun 2015 11:10 - 08 Jun 2015 11:12 #186 by Joukeder (Jouke)
Had a disaster about two weeks ago. at 14:00h all was fine, at 18:00h we had 10 dead fish. Nitrate was sky high. No ammonia and Nitrate average.
Normally we change water every month. This was three weeks after water change, so nothing special there.
Changed water and no problems after that. We did have fairly low flow in the filter circuit. So we cleaned pre-filters and filterpump.
Strangely all the lower animals survived as did other fish. I would have thought that anemones and tube worms would be more susceptible to pollution, but none of the other animals died.
The dead were two Cuckoo wrasse, six rock cooks and two two-spotted gobies.
Still baffled as to the actual cause of the high nitrate and the acuteness of what happened .
No problems after water change. All parameters within normal range now.
Any ideas?
Last edit: 08 Jun 2015 11:12 by Joukeder (Jouke).

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
08 Jun 2015 11:54 - 08 Jun 2015 11:54 #187 by MarinusAddictus (Marius Schudel)
Sorry to hear, I know the feeling had a few of those too, but related to power outages.

Are you saying Nitrate or Nitrite was high?

Could have been an animal that has died unknowingly behind or rock or something that has thrown the balance off initially and then caused a chain reaction?

When I had my longest poweroutage for over 24h nearly all vertebrae animals died except one two spot gobie but all invertebrates including all anemones survived. Was baffled too at the time, they must be extremely hardy!

Fingers crossed it doesnt happen for you again! Maybe your filtration is a bit on the limit that it gets thrown off like that?
All the best
Last edit: 08 Jun 2015 11:54 by MarinusAddictus (Marius Schudel).

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
09 Jun 2015 16:18 #188 by Joukeder (Jouke)
Hi Marinus,
Sorry for my clumsy typing. It was the NITRITE that was sky high.
All is well now again. But pity the lovely Cookoo wrasses fell victim of whatever it was. The are also very gentile in the tank with other inhabitants.
We live and learn.......

Jouke

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
14 Jun 2015 13:00 - 14 Jun 2015 13:01 #189 by Joukeder (Jouke)
Anybody know what this is?
Bullocks on a parachute?




Jouke
Attachments:
Last edit: 14 Jun 2015 13:01 by Joukeder (Jouke).

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
14 Jun 2015 20:54 - 14 Jun 2015 21:18 #190 by CrustyCrab (Peter Biddulph)
Hi Jouke,
Is it free swimming all the time, or does it move on the substrate sometimes?
Possibly a hooded nudibranch, Bolkus parashutis.? any chance of a few more photos?
Had an ask about and its an Aakera bullata ... the swimming snail.
Attachments:
Last edit: 14 Jun 2015 21:18 by CrustyCrab (Peter Biddulph).

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
15 Jun 2015 07:54 #191 by Joukeder (Jouke)
He is free swimming but can hide in the substrate. In fact after his swim and subseqeunt immersion in the sand I have not seen him anymore!
I have a video of his first (And last so-far) swim that I will try to post. He is a gift from Johnny .

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
15 Jun 2015 08:07 #192 by CrustyCrab (Peter Biddulph)
Good Man Johnny! He will be stocking his own tank soon! We will be there for the presentation.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
15 Jun 2015 09:55 #193 by Joukeder (Jouke)
Going down:


Attachments:

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
15 Jun 2015 10:20 #194 by MarinusAddictus (Marius Schudel)
That is SO COOL!!! A video would be deadly

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
15 Jun 2015 10:28 #195 by LemonJelly (Johnny Cowley)
Ah, the world famous, rarely seen marine bollock snail. Very easily subdued by a swift kick to to underside :ohmy: :pinch: :sick:

"The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of your life; your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you.They're freeing your soul."

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
15 Jun 2015 11:01 - 15 Jun 2015 11:07 #196 by Joukeder (Jouke)
Here is the video:

vimeo.com/130738784
Last edit: 15 Jun 2015 11:07 by Joukeder (Jouke).

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
15 Jun 2015 11:04 #197 by MarinusAddictus (Marius Schudel)
Absolutely stunning and beautiful!! Thanks for sharing
I wonder what it feeds on, and whats the reason this species has evolved to be able to swim?

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
15 Jun 2015 11:06 #198 by MarinusAddictus (Marius Schudel)
just found this on marin.co.uk

"Akera bullata is herbivorous during the summer but feeds on sediment throughout the rest of the year. It is capable of swimming by use of its large, lobed parapodia. When disturbed it may excrete a purple coloured fluid from glands within the mantle. It reproduces throughout April to July"

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
15 Jun 2015 11:13 #199 by Joukeder (Jouke)
Nice one.

Seems I wasn't far of with my made up name Marinus nailed it at Akera bullata

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
15 Jun 2015 16:13 #200 by CrustyCrab (Peter Biddulph)
Ah hem see above !!

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
18 Jun 2015 08:50 #201 by Joukeder (Jouke)
Sorry Pete, You had it first, indeed!
My sloppy reading, my bad.


Best,

Jouke

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
14 Jul 2015 19:46 #202 by Joukeder (Jouke)
Update:
Has two more nitrite spikes, this time with no casulties. I tracked it down to too low a flow rate in the filter. This let to a major cleaning of the complete hose system of the tank. Major muck came out. And indeed the flow has increased by 300% of what it was.
The hoses had not been disconnected nor cleaned for two years. Have put a cleaning reminder in the calender for next year now.
And ordered an in-line flowmeter on ebay.

The bollucks snail has not been seen since taking that video. As has the eal released just before it.
Added a lump sucker about ten days ago. Its still not eating. Getting worried. It is swimming around freely, but afraid of any food. It swims to its hiding place when feeding the tank.

This snail in thriving. Walking around, laying eggs an generally enjoying himself
Attachments:

Please Log in to join the conversation.

Time to create page: 0.103 seconds
Powered by Kunena Forum