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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

Cement Cave'in

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28 Mar 2008 22:23 - 28 Mar 2008 22:29 #1 by zale (Mark carroll)
Guys I've coated a polystyrene cave with 3 coated of cement mix but when dry it just crumbles off.

Has anyone that has made a DIY background or the like, had this problem.

What am I doing wrong, is it the mix ratio (sand to cement) or do I just have to seal it when it's dry.


Mark;)


Mark
Last edit: 28 Mar 2008 22:29 by zale (Mark carroll).

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29 Mar 2008 00:22 #2 by mickeywallace (Michael Wallace Cath Woods)
Hi mate,
not something i experenced personally but have you tried adding pva to the mix or something similar.

I've a question do what fish will you have, would the cement not leach into the tank and effect the water?

Mickey

Mickey Wallace & Cath Woods

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29 Mar 2008 09:36 #3 by zale (Mark carroll)
Well Mickey,

My plan was (if I get it to stick) to leave it in a bucket of salt water and keep doing water changes until it stops affecting the ph of the water. Then bung it into the tank.
Well thats what I've read.?


Mark

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29 Mar 2008 10:52 #4 by mickeywallace (Michael Wallace Cath Woods)
Hi mate
That is interesting! will you keep us up date on how you get on. I am sorry i can't be more help.

i have a link saved on my other pc which maybe of help about glues but it is sick at the moment and gone for repais when i get it back i will read through it again and if it will help i will pm you. just give me a nudge to remind me next week

Mickey

Mickey Wallace & Cath Woods

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29 Mar 2008 10:54 #5 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic Re:Cement Cave'in
Mark,
I think that, if the PVA doesn't work your next plan of action would be to consider using a fine mesh to help 'bind' the concrete, perhaps something like the stuff which plasterers use to bind their work in awkward spots, it's almost like a plastic string-formed mesh with square holes about 1/8\".
Sorry if this sounds a little vague but the plasterer working on my house used it and I snaffled some of the offcuts.

Alternatively you could let it dry then paint it with non-toxic polyurethane paint/varnish, that should help restrain it against crumbling.
Somewhere on the Forum there are posts from people who have made concrete backgrounds for their tanks - there are suggestions therein on coating the concrete.
One last thought...there is a 'concrete sealing paint' which is sold for people who make ponds from concrete, I would think this would solve not only your 'crumbling' problem but would also seal the whole assembly against leakage of lime or whatever else will leach out...

All this reminds me that when making concrete ponds years before plastic liners became available the pond would be filled up with clean water and then dosed with Potassium Permangenate, changing it daily, but this is no longer available anyhow, I think it has been declared as being carcenogenic.
Just a few thoughts...
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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29 Mar 2008 11:15 - 29 Mar 2008 11:18 #6 by zale (Mark carroll)
Thank you men,

@mickey.....if I remember myself I'll give you a nudge :-)

@john.....yea I know the stuff ur on about. The way it is now if I was to seal it with non-toxic polyurethane paint/varnish the brush would knock off most of the cement.

So I'm going to make a mix & slap it on with my hand good and thick to see if it makes any difference. Reason being (i think) is the paint brush is holding onto most of the sand & coating the cave with mostly cement.?? I'll report back later 2day.


Mark
Last edit: 29 Mar 2008 11:18 by zale (Mark carroll).

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29 Mar 2008 11:25 #7 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic Re:Cement Cave'in
Mark,
Here are some links to backgrounds posted by Seamus:

www.irishfishkeepers.com/cms/component/o...w/id,29028/catid,41/

I know that's for backgrounds but the principle could be of assistance?

Also Avonmore did a thread in 'DIY' section about his own work making backgrounds as well, could be worth a look..

I wonder if you made your mix with less sand might that be better? - When I used concrete to coat some Earthenware flower pots years ago (to try to make them look a little more 'natural') I put it on by hand and set stones into it too, but they ended up looking 'less than natural' and broken up for pot drainage - but all my attempts at DIY end up this way, I'm not a DIY person!!!

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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29 Mar 2008 17:01 #8 by sheag35 (Seamus Gillespie)
some links on making caves hope these help and i've tried some of them to great effect the first link deals with making aquarium rocks using concrete i think this might be what your looking for?? the second is on using pvc pipes as caves but the third is a cave network background that i personally think looks wicked
www.fishinthe.net/html/section-viewarticle-52.html

aquarium.shuru.com/DIY%20Aquarium%20Cave%20Page%201.

this one looks superb think i'll try this myself soon


www.duboisi.com/diy/BNdiygrotto/bndiygrotto.htm

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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29 Mar 2008 19:38 #9 by suckers (matt lait)
pm sent zale

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29 Mar 2008 19:54 #10 by suckers (matt lait)
also try making a mould from polyst. then burning the polyst. out and recoat the inside. there WILL be more info on this subject soon. matt

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29 Mar 2008 19:59 #11 by zale (Mark carroll)
suckers wrote:

pm sent zale


Thanks Matt ;)


Mark

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31 Mar 2008 08:55 #12 by arabesque (Mick Veale)
instead of constantly changing the water to wait while the ph drops,
if the cement caves are small enough you could place them in the cistern for the toilet?
constant frequent water changes...!

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31 Mar 2008 13:55 #13 by suckers (matt lait)
humm ill have to take the loo blue out then wont i!!!!

:P
matt

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31 Mar 2008 14:53 #14 by zale (Mark carroll)
:-)
Good idea, just hope I don't forget I've but it in there.

I can see myself in 6 months time posting, \"Guess what I just found in my cistern\" :-)


Mark

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31 Mar 2008 16:23 #15 by suckers (matt lait)
the other way is putting it in bucket under the downpipe from the gutter. it washes it out and allows the algea to build up esp if your not sealing it with varnish/epoxy

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31 Mar 2008 18:29 #16 by arabesque (Mick Veale)
zale wrote:

:-)
Good idea, just hope I don't forget I've but it in there.

I can see myself in 6 months time posting, \"Guess what I just found in my cistern\" :-)


and if you're like homer you might have to take out some of your beer stash to make room.

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31 Mar 2008 20:59 #17 by zale (Mark carroll)
As you can see from my first attempt it looks more like a shin guard than a cave...I wonder if my plec would consider taking up soccer.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:



Mark

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02 Apr 2008 12:53 #18 by suckers (matt lait)
zale send me a pic of what you have in mind and ill make one for you even seal it if required. then all you have to do is the drop it in a bucket of water and test the water over a few days!
hows that for an offer!!!!
matt

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02 Apr 2008 15:13 #19 by zale (Mark carroll)
Too kind Matt, I've a lump in my throat :-)

To be honest I'm not sure what I want it to look like. I'm after adding a huge piece of bog wood so my pleco is hiding under that for now, while I fool around with styro & cement.

If the next few are s**t I'll definitely take you up on ur offer. ;-)

Thanks Again.


Mark

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03 Apr 2008 20:28 #20 by yellow (yellow)
Replied by yellow (yellow) on topic Re:Cement Cave'in
I've made 4 or 5 backgrounds using styrofoam and cement and never had this problem so i will tell you how i do it and see if that helps.
1. Make the basic shape and coat with a really watery cement, texture of thick paint. Let this dry really slowly, keep it damp all the time,
2. 24 hours later add a second coat slightly thicker and again don't leave it dry totally, Leave for about 6 hours and do a third thicker coat.
3. I usually do 4 or 5 coats in total using a paintbrush to apply the cement.

This is my most recent background.

www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.ph...p;highlight=#1047745

Frank

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13 Aug 2008 15:48 - 08 May 2009 16:47 #21 by gardoyle27 (Gareth Doyle)
i have given this a try on backgrounds and have had no issues so far, here is one i have in my current tank
Attachments:
Last edit: 08 May 2009 16:47 by gardoyle27 (Gareth Doyle). Reason: updating picture link

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