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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
malawi bloat help !!
- Mick0075 (Michael OSullivan)
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Have looked around a number of shops in west dublin but have not been able to find Octozin or any other treatments for this.
Does anybody know of a shop who stocks Octozin atm or any alternatives to this. The greater Dublin area preferable but will travel
Thanks in advance
Mick
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- lampeye (lampeye)
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what are you feeding them?
what size is the quarintine tank?
i dont know anything really about tropheus but ive heard (on this forum i think) that its usually brought about from stress/water quality /feeding. darkin is the best man to talk to.
lampeye
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- Mick0075 (Michael OSullivan)
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Have my trophus shaol in a new 500 l tank all happy. they are being fed new life spectrum food cichlid formula and spirulina flakes.
Have my 7 new tropheus in my old 200l tank
thanks again
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- Darkrin (Damien Kane)
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Im 100% sure we have octozin in stock in Petstop.
Use epsom salts to flush out their stomachs and stop feeding them.. maybe 2 days until you can see them looking for food again,hopefully..
Doing a course of octozin through all this.
Get Water ready for a change when finished course.
you need to act fast..
When tropheus refuse food its the first sign something is not good.
Dayo.
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- Mick0075 (Michael OSullivan)
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Am using Ocean Nutrition spirulina flaks, was assured this was impossible to do without when keeping tropheus !! Gurr bad advice so annoying. the origional stock never reacted to it thankfully.
can you explain what to do with the epsom salts, never heard of this trick.
water changes done very regurlarly ( twice in the 10 days.)so will be ready to go when course finished.
will get straight on to treatment in the morning !!
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- Darkrin (Damien Kane)
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I just know if you only feed with NLS it wouldn't be the food to blame.
Probally more likely a water quality problem, you say its a new tank..was the filter matured?
epsom salts is 1 Table spoon per 10l
this gives them the squirts..
dayo.
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- Mick0075 (Michael OSullivan)
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my new tropheus are in my origional tank which has been keeping my tropheus for the last 18 mts and all readings perfect for tanganyicans. so I agree its possibly a food problem, dont know what they were fed in the shop either may have been inappropriate for them but then again I dont know.
Am treating my tank now so hopefully will not loose any more fish
Thanks again for the advice
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- Darkrin (Damien Kane)
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best of luck with the treatment.. keep us up to date with the treatment.
Dayo.
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- Mick0075 (Michael OSullivan)
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All but one fish now have normal poo and that fish is getting slightly better.
How long should I leave the fish without food they look a little sad looking out at me. Today is the second day of starving the poor buggers.
Will keep you updated
Mick
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- Darkrin (Damien Kane)
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what I'd do is test with the tiniest amount of food and see now they react to it.If its horsed down..another tiny bit a couple of hours later.
Having said that I've never had it as bad as you.
Dayo.
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- Mick0075 (Michael OSullivan)
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The fish are looking much better and their poo is solid and not white and stringy.
Think I will leave it until tomorrow to start feeding to feed them.
Will my two females that are brooding fry be ok, ie will the baby fish starve.
thanks agin for all the advice,
Mick.
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- Mick0075 (Michael OSullivan)
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All tropeus are now back feeding as normal and looking healthy !
Thanks again,
Mick
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- Darkrin (Damien Kane)
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If they go off their food in the future act more quickly, you'll know what to do now and can pass your experience on to others..
Best of luck with the new fry.. hopefully we'll see pics or a video soon.
Dayo

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- KenS (Ken Simpson)
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Regards,
Ken.
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- Forum
- Tropical Aquariums
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- African Cichilds (Tanganyika, Malawi, etc...)
- malawi bloat help !!