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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

chocolate gourami ????

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03 Jun 2017 07:54 #1 by Aldrin (Aldrin Martin)
Can someone tell me what fish these are. I think chocolate gourami s. I picked them up from lfs since they were so small I assumed they will fit into my 25l with a few guppies. So far they are doing good but I don't know what they are exactly and what to feed them. I currently feed tetra pro colour and they seem to be eating it. Any or all advice is accepted

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03 Jun 2017 08:03 #2 by Aldrin (Aldrin Martin)
I got these pictures from my phone, I'll try and get some on my camera

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03 Jun 2017 08:04 #3 by Aldrin (Aldrin Martin)
I'll try again

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03 Jun 2017 09:03 #4 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic chocolate gourami ????
You're certainly very close - they are in the Chocolate Gourami group but are - I believe - Spaericthys vaillianti, rather than the slightly more common Sphaerichthys osphromenoides. My slight uncertainty is that there is another one in the family - Sphaerichthys selatenensis (which I have never seen) but I'll plump for them being the Samurai (vaililanti).

I've been on the lookout for these since the demise of my last ones around five years back.
They certainly do better in soft acid water for what it's worth - mine thrived under such circumstances, although I never saw any breeding activity.

They are a bit different in that it's the females which are the brighter, more colourful of the sexes, quite stunning in breeding condition.

Perhaps you'll get some further views later.

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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03 Jun 2017 09:08 #5 by Aldrin (Aldrin Martin)
They were sold as gourami vaillanti so I was confused when I searched them up. Do you know how they are worth, because they are amazing. I got them for 5e each. Is that the normal price or did I get lucky???

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03 Jun 2017 09:15 #6 by Aldrin (Aldrin Martin)
How do I make the water acidic, is it ok to mess with the water since I don't know the ph they are in right now but I know it's the same as my lfs. They seem to be getting more active by the day so should I bother dropping the ph . I think I am around 8. I remember the pet store being that and I asked them if I needed to tamper with the ph and they said no need to

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03 Jun 2017 09:29 #7 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic chocolate gourami ????
€5 seems a pretty good price to me, I paid more than that six or seven years ago for my ones.

If they're doing fine in your existing water then I wouldn't change it drastically, although you might want to try to save some rain water for doing your routine water changes as pH8 really is too far beyond neutral (pH7) for these fishes' sustained well-being and small rain water changes will - slowly and over time - make it more amenable for them.

I'm sorry to harp on about this, but you really ought to get yourself a water test kit to monitor your parameters - taking a sample to the shop really isn't a good substitute for a 'hands-on' approach at home.

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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03 Jun 2017 09:46 #8 by Aldrin (Aldrin Martin)
I understand about the ph kit but I am waiting to go on holidays to India next year, I can probably get the strip less ones in india for like dirt cheap. The pet store is only like 5-10 mins away from my home.
I'll try doing the rain water thing next month onwards, jc next week so after that I am free to doall my projects.

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03 Jun 2017 10:41 #9 by Aldrin (Aldrin Martin)
I got a t5 there 20cm long one, extremely bright for like 200 rupees, about €5, but I forgot it and left it in my house, forgot to pack it

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03 Jun 2017 12:50 #10 by robert (robert carter)
Just my pennysworth , strip water test are not as accurate as liquid one . They are cheap enough and under normal useage last a long time , spread the cost just get one test kit a week . You really need Ph ,ammonnia , nitrate , and nitrite to start you off

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03 Jun 2017 12:53 #11 by Aldrin (Aldrin Martin)
I was thinking of getting the machine kind, they are like 20 in India

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03 Jun 2017 23:23 #12 by Aldrin (Aldrin Martin)
Would I be able to keep a betta with these guys, I have them in a 25l with 5 endler guppies . I change my water once and even twice a week, did it 3 times last week, I was fighting off some parasite. The betta I have in mind has been kept with neon tetras before, would he be too aggressive???

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03 Jun 2017 23:54 #13 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic chocolate gourami ????
A difficult one.
I'm inclined to say your tank - at 25l - is too small for a potentially aggressive fish such as a male Betta (not that all females are especially docile).
It's all about territories and Bettas can be devils at considering a whole tank to be their territory, especially a small one like yours.
So, on balance, I would say don't do it but wait to hear what other members advise also.

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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04 Jun 2017 06:54 #14 by Aldrin (Aldrin Martin)
Ok will do, I just thought I should hear others opinions before do something stupid. I really like bettas but I don't want to endanger my other fish, maybe if I can find one that is extremely docile ill buy it :). Hoping more people could help me out before it becomes a definite no

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04 Jun 2017 08:10 #15 by Jonlate (Jon Late)
John hardly ever gets it wrong, he can tell what fish you have at 10 steps away in the dark, and is far to humble for his own good.

If he is wrong about this, then Bill will correct him. Now Bill knows everything about Betta's.
Just add Betta into the title line to peak his interest.

As for me, if John says No, the answer in No. (unless Bill disagrees!!)

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04 Jun 2017 08:12 #16 by Aldrin (Aldrin Martin)
Ok, it's just that I keep hearing mixed answers all over the internet

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04 Jun 2017 09:40 #17 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic chocolate gourami ????

John hardly ever gets it wrong, he can tell what fish you have at 10 steps away in the dark, and is far to humble for his own good.

If he is wrong about this, then Bill will correct him. Now Bill knows everything about Betta's.
Just add Betta into the title line to peak his interest.

As for me, if John says No, the answer in No. (unless Bill disagrees!!)


Jonlate, I shall have to sign you up as leader of the JohnH fan club! :evil:

Seriously, though, any Forum is about the exchange of views and advice. I dearly wish we still had the quantity of active members we had before so many deviated to facebook groups etc. but who knows? - They might return eventually (I hope so...).

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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04 Jun 2017 11:04 #18 by igmillichip (ian millichip)
If you have any of the species of Sphaerichthys (which could be anyone of 3 or 4 species......depending on if you consider S. selatanensis a species or a sub-species of the common choc,S. osphronemoides) then I recommend making the tank special for them.

5 euro is an excellent price no matter which species anyone gets.

Regarding Bettas.............. there are loads of different species of Betta.
Some are OK in a community, some are not (for many reason beyond aggression):
In general, though, no matter which species of Betta you have I feel a species-only tank (for those that can live happily together) or a speciment-only tank is best in captivity.

Now, the important focus is on the gourami.
These may well be captive bred.....or have had a really good acclimatisation......and that gives you such a massive "ace up your sleeve" as dealing with wild caught fish straight from the wilds can be very tricky.

It is not so much the pH that is top priority, but the conductivity (hardness is covered in that) of the water in combination with pH.
Don't be tempted to add this and that and then this and a bit more of that to get to a specific pH as that could increase conductivity.

There is no harm in adding aquarium peat to the filters, or adding almond leaves, or mixing (carefully) RO water with your tap water.

If the fish are eating, then that is another bonus.

ian

Irish Tropical Fish Society (ITFS) Member.

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04 Jun 2017 11:49 #19 by Aldrin (Aldrin Martin)
Would filtered water be ok them???

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04 Jun 2017 11:51 #20 by Aldrin (Aldrin Martin)
Would I be able to add any more to my 25 l

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04 Jun 2017 12:49 #21 by Aldrin (Aldrin Martin)
Would drift wood bring down the ph???

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04 Jun 2017 13:52 #22 by igmillichip (ian millichip)
@Aldrin...............Filtered water could be one of many Filtered Waters.
Which one do you have in mind ?

Bog wood would try to lower pH, but if it does or not depends on the existing pH and on the alkalinity of the water. If the water has good alkaline buffering then bog wood may have very little noted pH effect.............. but, which ever way, it may well release certain acids into the water that may be beneficial to the fish.

As for the suitability of the tank........... as anyone will note, I rarely comment on the suitability of a size of tank (unless a tank is madly too small for a given species) as there are too many variables that I do not have control over on someone elses tank.

25 litres will hold a small number of these fish .......... but how many depends on quality of water, water changes, filtration system etc plus visual barriers (such as planting)............... plus aggression levels.

In paternal mouthbrooders, I have often found that the females will bully and pester males way too much during the egg incubation period. That needs to be considered when planning stock levels.

ian

Irish Tropical Fish Society (ITFS) Member.

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04 Jun 2017 14:53 #23 by Aldrin (Aldrin Martin)
We have those Britainia filters at home, is the water from that any better???
Should I get driftwood that releases tannins into the water???
My current stocking is 3 female endlers, 2 male endlers, 2 gourami.
I do weekly water changes of 50 percent, sometime more frequent. I have like a fluval sponge, I have a compartment where I can add more bio media if I needed to.
My filter has a sponge in it (half the fluval one) the other half is in the compartment , I could add something like bio balls if that helps.

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04 Jun 2017 20:34 #24 by Aldrin (Aldrin Martin)
The filter is recommended for a 45 l, 200lph

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04 Jun 2017 21:09 #25 by Aldrin (Aldrin Martin)
I have 2 males should I get a female???

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05 Jun 2017 09:29 #26 by igmillichip (ian millichip)
If you have Endler's in the tank then you will never be able to have "perfect" or "near perfect" water conditions as their optimal conditions on many parameters are very much different to that required by the gourami.
You will need to go for a compromise (with the guessing that the gourami are tank raised or tank bred) and aim for a somewhat neutral pH and using normal well conditioned tap water.

Personally, I would dedicate a tank to the gourami such that there is no need to compromise between their requirements and the Endlers.
But, however, Endlers do tend to be a more usable guppy for mixing than you would find with the "normal" (for want of a better word) guppy.

I am curious as to what method you used to sex the gourami ?

ian

Irish Tropical Fish Society (ITFS) Member.

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05 Jun 2017 09:46 #27 by Aldrin (Aldrin Martin)
I just looked it up online but I realised that the colours can only differentiated during breeding only

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05 Jun 2017 09:54 #28 by Aldrin (Aldrin Martin)
Do you know the two runner like things under the pectoral fins they are starting to show it a lot more now, is this a good sign or bad, in the pet store they had their fins closed up

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05 Jun 2017 11:32 #29 by Aldrin (Aldrin Martin)
Also getting drift wood today, should I pre soak it ???

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