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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

Newbie here,1st tank and its 500 litres.

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24 Feb 2011 16:42 - 24 Feb 2011 16:44 #1 by pjd30 (pjd30)
Hi,Pjd30 here.

Im only a newbie to this forum,so please go easy on me.

Im also new to fish keeping,and I jumped in at the deep end and bought this Clearseal 500 litre aquariam as a 1st tank.Im still in the process of setting it up,with the help of my trusty girlfriend and daughter

So I will have learn fast if I want to keep aflot of things (no pun intended).



Last edit: 24 Feb 2011 16:44 by pjd30 (pjd30).

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24 Feb 2011 16:53 #2 by Ieva star (Ieva Fogta)
Welcome along mate great tank u have there fair play Cheers Johney

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24 Feb 2011 16:57 #3 by mickdeja (Mick Whelan)
Welcome aboard man. Lovely starter tank there. A lot of us here started on a little 18l with a goldfish. The fishkeepin world is yer oyster with that size tank. Any stocking ideas?

Mick...:)

Follow me up to Carlow

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24 Feb 2011 17:03 - 24 Feb 2011 17:06 #4 by pjd30 (pjd30)
Thanks for the wellcome.

This aquariam is a project between myself,girlfriend and daughter.

Going for long flowing plants,pieces of bog oak and some youung tetras and some young angel fish,also some sucker type of fish.

Again,please excuse my lack of knowladge and potential dumbness as Im not very good with fish names or technical things with regards fish keeping.

My girlfriend know more about fish keeping than I do,as she has several tanks in her house.


TYhis is they sort of look and style we are aiming for.
Last edit: 24 Feb 2011 17:06 by pjd30 (pjd30).

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24 Feb 2011 17:05 - 24 Feb 2011 17:18 #5 by pjd30 (pjd30)
Whats the best way to keep dead wood down in the tank and not have it floating away.

I googled and read about boiling it,but problem is that I dont have a pot big enough.

Looking into using some flat slate rock that I got in a pet store today,then drill int a 5 mm hole with a masonary drill bit and using long screws to screw the slate up to the base of the dead wood.

Would that work and would the screw cause any polution or chemical reaction with the tank water and kill the fish or plants??

Funny pic or what???

Last edit: 24 Feb 2011 17:18 by pjd30 (pjd30).

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24 Feb 2011 17:32 #6 by SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill)
Welcome the the forum pj
I put my bogwood in a big bin in the shower on max hot left it for a few hours empty and do again did that four or five times



Mark

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24 Feb 2011 17:55 #7 by pjd30 (pjd30)
Looks more like something left behind by Mr Hanky in Southpark,than it does a piece of bog oak.

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24 Feb 2011 18:10 #8 by stretnik (stretnik)
Replied by stretnik (stretnik) on topic Re: Newbie here,1st tank and its 500 litres.
This is what I have done for buoyant Bog wood.

www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/37200-bes...-driftwood-rock.html

PS. keep Daisy away from the wood !! even a small amount and disaster will strike.

Kev.

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24 Feb 2011 19:17 #9 by pjd30 (pjd30)
Thanks very much for that.:)

I have tons and tons of stainless steel screws and 4-5mm masonary and steel bits too.Also have a tube of clear aquariam sealent too.

Maybe no harm to boil the 4 flat pieces of slate rock that I got in the pet store today,just to get rid of any impurities off them.

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24 Feb 2011 19:25 #10 by Frontosa (Tim kruger)
Welcome along.Regards,Tim

Midlands - in the heart of Ireland.

Keeping and breeding : Frontosa Blue Zaires , Synodontis Petricola , Tropheus Red Rainbow (Kasanga) , Tropheus Moliro . Regulary fry for sale.
Community tank with P.Kribensis and different livebearers.

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24 Feb 2011 20:56 #11 by Peteemax (Pete Maxwell)
Welcome to the forum

Pete Maxwell

ITFS Member

Location: Ashbourne

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24 Feb 2011 21:02 #12 by des (des)
Welcome to the forum
You will learn a great deal on here




Des

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24 Feb 2011 22:40 #13 by buachailldocha (Denis Doherty)
Welcome to the forum. Would it be better to wedge some slate into the wood to weigh it down. Can look a lot more natural, with less un" natural" objects in the tank to cause problems down the road. Best of look with the tank, wish I had a starter tank like that!! Denis

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25 Feb 2011 01:17 #14 by des (des)


hi, I'm just wondering where is this tank located, is it in one the shops in Dublin ?



rgds
Des

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25 Feb 2011 02:08 - 25 Feb 2011 02:11 #15 by pjd30 (pjd30)



hi, I'm just wondering where is this tank located, is it in one the shops in Dublin ?



rgds
Des


MaxiZoo Petstore in Clearwater Finglas.

www.maxizoo.ie/finglas.html
Last edit: 25 Feb 2011 02:11 by pjd30 (pjd30).

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25 Feb 2011 05:14 #16 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered)
just my opinion but i would never put anything into a fish tank that i was unsure of......screws rust so i would br very wary of using them to hold down bogwood..........fill the bath and soak it in there for a while....

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25 Feb 2011 08:40 #17 by A1_aquarist (Aidan Dalton.)
Hi Welcome,great tank bud. I use green plastic cable ties sometimes to tie slate to bogwood,drill 2 holes in slate,thread cable tie thru holes & around the wood,snip off excess tie when ya pull tie tight. (its safe)Get bag of ties in B&Q really cheap. You can also use em to attach certain plants to bogwood (anubias,java fern,bolbitis etc)If you decide on live plants,i recommend research on their care.You're gonna need special substrate,fertilizers,co2 etc. (just a tip,cos they can be difficult to grow sometimes,but well worth the extra effort believe me.)A little research will save you a lot. Good luck!:)

No mouth bigger than the smallest fish in tank.

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25 Feb 2011 12:19 #18 by joey (joe watson)
hi and welcome

great starter tank you got yourself, and a nice ambitious goal you have set yourself

i agree with A1 above, you need to do your groundwork on planted tanks. i took a few months researching and gathering bits and bobs before starting work on it - and i'm running low maintainance with no co2 and medium lighting

as for the wood - get yourself a tube of TEC 7 adhesive and stick the wood to the slate - screws will rust and pollute the water harming fish and possibly plants too. put the wood& slate down first then cover the slat with the substrate so no-one can see your trickery

Location: Portlaoise, Midlands

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25 Feb 2011 12:41 - 25 Feb 2011 12:49 #19 by pjd30 (pjd30)

just my opinion but i would never put anything into a fish tank that i was unsure of......screws rust so i would br very wary of using them to hold down bogwood..........fill the bath and soak it in there for a while....


A stainless steel screw is stainless and doesnt rust,Im also going recess the screw into the rock,an then cover the screw head in with clear aquariam sealent and also seal the join between the wood and slate with a layer/bead of sealent too.:)

Then place a layer of soil and substrate back over the slate,so nobody will know theres a piece of slate there.;)
Last edit: 25 Feb 2011 12:49 by pjd30 (pjd30).

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25 Feb 2011 12:47 - 25 Feb 2011 12:50 #20 by pjd30 (pjd30)
Im currently sorting out a ProFlora digital CO2 kit,and hope to have 1 very soon,so that will be one less thing to worry about.

My girlfriend is going to pick out the plants that she wants or would like to grow in the tank.Im just very happy to have a nice tank and am looking forward to sitting back and enjoying it and the plants and fish in it.

We have been to a few of the pet shops and aquariam shops and Im picking up bits of usefull information along the way,and also learning alot from this forum too.

So its all good,so far.

Thanks.
Last edit: 25 Feb 2011 12:50 by pjd30 (pjd30).

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25 Feb 2011 12:59 #21 by stretnik (stretnik)
Replied by stretnik (stretnik) on topic Re: Newbie here,1st tank and its 500 litres.
Absolutely re the Stainless Steel screws, I advised using them because I've used them, Stainless Steel Knives and Forks aren't truly Stainless Steel they are Stainless Steel over cheaper Steel, that's why you will see rust on any that may be accidentally left in Marine Tanks and Stainless Steel Garden Forks and Spades etc that are left outside.

Kev.

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25 Feb 2011 13:38 #22 by Torres9 (David)
Nice thank want to set up another tank how much was that thank mate ?

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25 Feb 2011 13:56 - 25 Feb 2011 14:03 #23 by pjd30 (pjd30)

Nice thank want to set up another tank how much was that thank mate ?


The complete kit (Clearseal tank and cabinet,Eheim 2217 external filter kit,T5 lighting system,2 heaters,5 bags of soil and sand,5 large rocks,1 large piece of bog oak,4 large pieces of deadwood,various water treatments and plant and fish food) was 800 euro.

Petstop had just opened up in Swords before Christmass,so we went out for a look on the opening day.

Everything in store was with 20% off as an opening day special deal.

But I chatted to the staff and the manager aswell and we got an even better deal on the entire kit,as I had said that I wanted the lot,so I got a very good all in deal.


Petstop had it delievered out to the house very fast too.:) :)

We had it in 1 corner of the living room,but we then decided to move it to the other side of the room,as it looked better that way.


Last edit: 25 Feb 2011 14:03 by pjd30 (pjd30).

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25 Feb 2011 13:59 #24 by Torres9 (David)

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25 Feb 2011 14:23 - 25 Feb 2011 14:25 #25 by pjd30 (pjd30)
Eheim 2217 external filter kit was nice and easy to setup and install and get running.Quiet enough too.Spray bar is now just barely below the water line (tank water topped up a bit more now),and with only the slightest of ripples on the water surface.




Last edit: 25 Feb 2011 14:25 by pjd30 (pjd30).

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26 Feb 2011 03:28 #26 by andrewo (andrew)
welcome mate; looking good :)

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26 Feb 2011 19:56 #27 by minterno (noel)
I had a look at one of those tanks in petstop cork last week and they are very well made,very robust cabinet and hood and the whole lot looked great,if i had the bobs i would have bought it,very nice first tank,regards

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26 Feb 2011 20:09 #28 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
Good thread here...keep the pics coming. Tanks are lovely alright,nice solid build and the cabinets are great too.

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27 Feb 2011 10:34 #29 by alan.s (alan)
Wow nice starter tank you would fit 4 of mine inside it :) best of luck with it hope you enjoy it and welcome to the forum.al

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27 Feb 2011 10:54 #30 by Acara (Dave Walters)
Hi and welcome aboard,great thread,and very nice tank.
I don't find it necessary to boil rocks and wood,but that's up to you.I certainly would not soak anything in the bath,thinking I was doing good,the bath has who knows what amount of residue of all sorts of soaps,detergents,cleaners,etc.More than likely do much more harm than good.
If you find the outlet from the filter spraybar is too strong,you could drill out the holes making them bigger,and/or extend the spraybar,giving it more holes over a longer length.Also,a 500ltr tank would be near the top end of what the Eheim 2217 could handle,I know it says up to 600ltr,but I would always stick to nearer the lower end of a rating.Once the filter gets working,it's rate of flow will slow down somewhat.just keep an eye on the water paramateres as you stock the tank.If you're going to stock it with not too many fish,and you have good and regular water changing regime,it should be ok.It's always safer to over filter a tank,than under filter it.
Enjoying the thread,and remember,take your time,patience is very important in establishing a healthy tank.

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

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