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
coldwater setup, suggestions
- Alex (Alex)
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I cant afford to do much with it so im just doing a simple coldwater setup with no light and just a sponge filter.
I have the exact same setup with my current 70L and its stocked with 9 WCMMinnows.
Any suggestions for other coldwater fish? I was thinking about getting a small goldfish and eventually transfering it to my pond when it outgrows the tank.
Thanks.
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- Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
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Maybe you could try lots of minnows, depends on what temp the water would be in the room.Some hillstream loaches perhaps,if there is about 18c then maybe some zebra danios.Perhaps some of the freshwater gobys of the Rhinogobio species.
Gavin
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- Puddlefish (Colin McCourt)
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www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=40
are the dogs naggers mate
Regards
C
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- Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
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- Puddlefish (Colin McCourt)
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Regards
C
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- wolfsburg (wolfsburg)
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I saw them in a shop in the past 2 weeks... I'm going to say Aquatic Village... I think!
FFF also have bitterling at the min.
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- r2potat2 (Derek Martin)
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- Jaffacakehead (John McPartland)
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get some crayfish amazing to watch and feed but make sure you have a lid they like to explore found one of mine in a sock before had to go after that
Did you find it with your foot???
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- r2potat2 (Derek Martin)
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- Alex (Alex)
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I left the tank filled in the back garden all day, no leaks.
I kept a crayfish 2 years ago, but he managed to escape

Id like to keep a crayfish again however i have no lid... Since im using a sponge filter the only thing he might be able to climb would be the tube... could it??
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- dar (darren curry)
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Check out the angling section, it is fantastic
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- Alex (Alex)
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Crayfish it is then, I have enough fish!
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- dar (darren curry)
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edit: a hacksaw wouldn't cut right trough would it? maybe just the blade or a jigsaw if possible
Check out the angling section, it is fantastic
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- Alex (Alex)
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- ArmaghAdam (Adam)
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I had a 250l Goldfish tank running on a trickle-tower/sump return filter. Then found that water paramaters stayed exactly the same when i replaced/phased it with two large homemade air/sponge filters. 18 months later nitrate .10
nitrite 0
ammonia 0
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- Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
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The sponges are also excellent for fry / growout tanks.
Gavin
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