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

planted tank fish

22 Feb 2009 23:42 - 22 Feb 2009 23:52 #1 by fourmations (NIall SMyth)

planted tank fish was created by fourmations (NIall SMyth)

hi all

after months of long suffering with my hi-tech planted tank
its settling down and ready for fish,
a bunch of small fish that is, planted tank style...

i was sold on gold neons that I saw in wackers
these guys...

but i posted a relatively interesting thread on ukaps
about the iwagumi style and its suitability for fish
www.ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=4622

the guts of what was that rasboras are more suitable
for sparse tanks than tetras

so i looked at the rasbora engei aka hengels rasboras aka lampchop rasbora
which i preferred to harlequins

any opinions welcome, i would rather the gold neons but
would have no issue getting the rasboras if they are more suitable

btw, feel free to suggest altenatives, you know the deal i want
a shoal of 15-20 small fish, cardinals are the obvious choice
but i wanted to break from the norm...

edit... well worth noting, this is an open tank
so jumpers are not an option!! i fancied endlers for a while, but alas

rgds

all

Last edit: 22 Feb 2009 23:52 by fourmations (NIall SMyth).

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sheag35 (Seamus Gillespie)
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086 8442267

23 Feb 2009 03:10 #2 by sheag35 (Seamus Gillespie)

Replied by sheag35 (Seamus Gillespie) on topic Re:planted tank fish

I saw beautiful Volcano rasbora's in D&M Aquatics last time i was in there, here a link to some pics of them
www.rva.ne.jp/cogata/volcano_rasbora.htm
might be of interest to you

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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Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
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23 Feb 2009 08:34 #3 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)

Replied by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner) on topic Re:planted tank fish

I still think Rummys are great shaoling fish. They would look great in numbers of 15+, and they do shoal tighyly the majority of the time. A nice fish if you can get them to colour up properly.

Gavin

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23 Feb 2009 09:42 #4 by LimerickBandit (Donal Doran)

Replied by LimerickBandit (Donal Doran) on topic Re:planted tank fish

+1 for the Rummys

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Orca (Eoin Walsh)
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23 Feb 2009 11:06 #5 by Orca (Eoin Walsh)

Replied by Orca (Eoin Walsh) on topic Re:planted tank fish

Rummys are great.I have 20+ in 2 tanks and they always seem to stay in a group very well not like some of my other fish that get confused:silly: :silly:

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23 Feb 2009 11:25 #6 by fourmations (NIall SMyth)

Replied by fourmations (NIall SMyth) on topic Re:planted tank fish

thanks all

i dont want rummies, they are cool but they are too big IMO
well for my tank anyway

i have a 100l, 36 x 12 x 15
and want small fish for the effect

i would dig galaxy rasboras (cp danios)
but apparently they are fairly shy, dont shoal
not too easy on the wallet either!

what would you be thinking on stock quantities?
its a heavily planted tank and will have a few otos
and whatever small fish i decide on

cheers

niall

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2poc (2poc)
Visitor

23 Feb 2009 13:43 #7 by 2poc (2poc)

Replied by 2poc (2poc) on topic Re:planted tank fish

I'd go for Pygmy rasboras & pygmy corys. Both very cool little fish & not expensive.

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23 Feb 2009 14:03 #8 by fourmations (NIall SMyth)

Replied by fourmations (NIall SMyth) on topic Re:planted tank fish

hi all

poc, i like those rasboras all right

any idea where i could get/see some?
i would like to see them before buying

hi sponsors, anyone have them in stock?

i tried to get pygmy corys for ages
but no joy, its a hc tank so i decided to
forget corys and have otos ready for the tank

any other suggestions welcome

rgds

4

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2poc (2poc)
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23 Feb 2009 15:51 #9 by 2poc (2poc)

Replied by 2poc (2poc) on topic Re:planted tank fish

If you speak to Arabu1973 (Adrian) he has both in his tanks at the moment.

In fact, I gave him the rasboras. He also has a load of galaxy rasboras (some of which I gave him too) I am too generous!! so he can advise on those too.

When I kept them I bought pygmy corys in Kinsealy & the rasboras in Brittas.
As far as I remember the tank(s) that Zig won his most recent awards for were stocked with pygmy rasboras.

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23 Feb 2009 18:29 #10 by ted30 (Damo Mac an Bhaird)

Replied by ted30 (Damo Mac an Bhaird) on topic Re:planted tank fish

what about black neons. A nice Tetra for a planted tank. For some reason mine don't school together until and hour before lights out. I love the florescent line running from the gills to the tail fin.

Location: Carrickmacross, County Monaghan

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23 Feb 2009 18:36 #11 by ted30 (Damo Mac an Bhaird)

Replied by ted30 (Damo Mac an Bhaird) on topic Re:planted tank fish

I also have hengels rasboras. A Beautiful fish, perfect for the planted aquarium. They go lovely with green plants. I only have 6 at the moment but I plan to get at least five more

Location: Carrickmacross, County Monaghan

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23 Feb 2009 18:49 #12 by platty252 (Darren Dalton)

Replied by platty252 (Darren Dalton) on topic Re:planted tank fish

Trying to decide on fish for a planted tank can be tricky.
The Galaxy Rasbora dont group together enough. Only when they are startled. They also like to hide when possible.
A lot of the Rasboras will stay stationary in loose groups. Not quite the look you want in a planted tank.

I wouldn't rule out dwarf corys. Corydoras Habrosus is a small mid water schooling catfish. You could add 20 of these with great effect.
As mentioned already you wont beat rummynose for schooling.
If i was to choose from the Rasboras i would choose either Rasbora pauciperforata or Rasbora borapetensis. Both a little bigger than the dwarfs but are more active.
Some of the white cloud mountain minnows would look good. Also silver tip tetras.

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23 Feb 2009 19:01 #13 by fourmations (NIall SMyth)

Replied by fourmations (NIall SMyth) on topic Re:planted tank fish

thanks platy

bit of mind reading there on the galaxys!
i remembered you saying they hid a lot
and was going to pm you to confirm this, lol
great looking fish though

thanks for the suggestions on the fish...
visually i would prefer the marculata or espei
but do these have less personality than your guys?

BTW, where would you get these rarer rasboras,they are never on sponsor lists,
do you order from the lfs?

i have silvertips in my rekord 60
(six of them, but they dont group at all, probably too few)
and the dominant male is a bully)

i need a fish that it fairly bold and
wont spook too much, the tank is in my kitchen
and it is active enough,

thanks

4

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23 Feb 2009 19:10 #14 by fourmations (NIall SMyth)

Replied by fourmations (NIall SMyth) on topic Re:planted tank fish

sorry ted

missed your post,

thats the fellas i like, the hengels (aka glowlight r.)
little bit different to the Espei
(I thought they were the same until a minute ago)

the espei are in stock in a couple of places at the moment
so they may well be the ones

cheers

4

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23 Feb 2009 19:28 #15 by platty252 (Darren Dalton)

Replied by platty252 (Darren Dalton) on topic Re:planted tank fish

IMO the epsei or hengles would be the best schooler for a planted tank.
The red or gold line next. Possibly the borapetensis would behave similarly but i haven't kept them to say for shore. A beautiful fish all the same.
I found the maculatus and phoenix rasbora can be a bit motionless at the best of times.
All the fish mentioned can be got through your LFS. Nothing uncommon listed.
The Galaxy rasbora will hide if there is traffic passing the tank. The only way around this is to put loads in the tank and you will always get some on display.

I know you dont want to post any pic's of the tank untill it is completely finished. But can you say what style it is (iwagumi). Is it all low plants or tall broad leaf plants?
Getting an idea of the tank could help with suggestions with what fish would suit.

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23 Feb 2009 19:37 #16 by fourmations (NIall SMyth)

Replied by fourmations (NIall SMyth) on topic Re:planted tank fish

thanks platy

i will post up a photo shortly :blush:

the tank is stuffed with plants to get it going,

i tried to plant it out originally with hc and hairgrasses
at first but was plagued with algae
i have also had bad advice so im starting again almost

i blacked out about two weeks ago (the tank not me!)
and stuffed the tank with any plants i could get
to outcompete the algae

if it all settles in, i would like the iwagumi style
hc and grass with feature rocks, like amanos stuff
but who knows, sometimes i think they are a bit sparse

photos up in a bout an hour!

cheers

4

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23 Feb 2009 20:03 #17 by platty252 (Darren Dalton)

Replied by platty252 (Darren Dalton) on topic Re:planted tank fish

fourmations wrote:

photos up in a bout an hour!

4

No pressure :laugh:

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23 Feb 2009 22:04 - 23 Feb 2009 22:07 #18 by fourmations (NIall SMyth)

Replied by fourmations (NIall SMyth) on topic Re:planted tank fish

as promised

it will hopefully look more like this in a few months :laugh:

rgds

4

Last edit: 23 Feb 2009 22:07 by fourmations (NIall SMyth).

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peter (peter campbell)
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23 Feb 2009 23:00 #19 by peter (peter campbell)

Replied by peter (peter campbell) on topic Re:planted tank fish

i always think a tank looks better with a dark backround.but no stupid ones with pictures of rocks or plants.
maybe a good adition to yours or maybe not
your choice

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23 Feb 2009 23:28 #20 by LimerickBandit (Donal Doran)

Replied by LimerickBandit (Donal Doran) on topic Re:planted tank fish

Great tank 4, would love to see a load of endlers in there

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23 Feb 2009 23:34 #21 by fourmations (NIall SMyth)

Replied by fourmations (NIall SMyth) on topic Re:planted tank fish

thanks lb

endlers? look at the photo again

i'd be picking corpses off the floor everyday!

rgds

4

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23 Feb 2009 23:37 #22 by LimerickBandit (Donal Doran)

Replied by LimerickBandit (Donal Doran) on topic Re:planted tank fish

fourmations wrote:

thanks lb

endlers? look at the photo again

i'd be picking corpses off the floor everyday!

rgds

4

Why

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23 Feb 2009 23:38 #23 by fourmations (NIall SMyth)

Replied by fourmations (NIall SMyth) on topic Re:planted tank fish

hi

its an open tank
endlers are big jumpers afaik

rgds

4

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23 Feb 2009 23:44 #24 by LimerickBandit (Donal Doran)

Replied by LimerickBandit (Donal Doran) on topic Re:planted tank fish

I have 10 of them and have never seen 1 jump :huh:

Are there support braces in your tank?

LB

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23 Feb 2009 23:53 #25 by fourmations (NIall SMyth)

Replied by fourmations (NIall SMyth) on topic Re:planted tank fish

yep they are braces

i will bow to experience on this,
i had read they are jumpers and had ruled them out

i do like them all right

cheers

4

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23 Feb 2009 23:59 #26 by platty252 (Darren Dalton)

Replied by platty252 (Darren Dalton) on topic Re:planted tank fish

I like were your tank is going. It should fill out nicely.
4 i am surprised the HC didn't fill out more. Are you using EI or a different dosing method? Maybe you have to much surface agitation. The Co2 is leaving the tank as quick as it enters.

I think with your current set up you could go for fish that dont necessarily school closely. I think fish that school closely would work much better in the second tank.
Maybe treadfin rainbows or some of the other small rainbows like celebes, praecox, or the lovely forktail rainbow.
If you go for the forktails get a lot more females than males. They can harass females. You could also mix these with lampeyes. Both fish having the lovely blue eyes.
Pencil fish might work or some danios like danio choprai. Although the danios are a bit hyper.
If you really want to try the Galaxy rasbora i can give you a lend of 10-20 of them.

I know you had a few problems from day one with this tank so fair play to you for sticking with it.

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24 Feb 2009 00:12 #27 by LimerickBandit (Donal Doran)

Replied by LimerickBandit (Donal Doran) on topic Re:planted tank fish

fourmations wrote:

yep they are braces

i will bow to experience on this,
i had read they are jumpers and had ruled them out

i do like them all right

cheers

4

If you have braces then you can put 2 glass covers on it, this would also cut down on evaporation.
10 endlers are the full extent of my experience, others may tell you different, they may be jumpers but all fish jump.

When my brine shrimp are hatching the endlers wait at the opening of the hatcher for dinner

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24 Feb 2009 00:16 #28 by fourmations (NIall SMyth)

Replied by fourmations (NIall SMyth) on topic Re:planted tank fish

thx platty

i had bad advice from another site

i had initial algae problems and was told to
jam up co2 and cut light level, but basically the hair
and hc never took off because it was lacking light
as simple as that, so it was all engulfed in algae
and nothing was growing well to compete with the algae,

the remnants are still there and actually started to kick off
i also got some extra hc and grasses so hopefully...

i was dosing ei until recently but after a three day rest i still
had 15ppm nitrates so my dose is too high, i had bga trying
to creep back in and was advised to cut ferts for a few days

rgds

4

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24 Feb 2009 00:21 #29 by fourmations (NIall SMyth)

Replied by fourmations (NIall SMyth) on topic Re:planted tank fish

lb

yes i have a persepx lid and glass lids
but its nice to have it open

its nice to be able to see the surface rumbling
with the filter and im sure the light is better with tank open

its handy to grab a loose leaf here and there without removing lids

it does evaporate about 1.5l a day!

i'll see how it goes, i have the lid option already

cheers

4

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24 Feb 2009 00:39 #30 by platty252 (Darren Dalton)

Replied by platty252 (Darren Dalton) on topic Re:planted tank fish

You will lose a certain amount of light if you put the glass covers on. I cant remember the stats. but it's quite a bit. There is a special (expensive) glass that allows light to penetrate straight through instead of reflecting some of it. Open top is better.
I never found Endlers to be big jumpers.
What fertz are you using at he moment? I found hairgrass very slow to grow. Especially on a new tank.

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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

planted tank fish