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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

Is my tank cycled?

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19 Jul 2013 20:07 #1 by LemonJelly (Johnny Cowley)
Ok, so I tested the water in my Krib tank last night and the ammonia and nitrites were zero and the nitrates at 5 (maybe a little less). The tank has been running 12 days and about 4 days ago the ammonia was up but the nitrites and nitrates were both zero. Is it possible that the ammonia AND nitrite processing bacteria kicked in in that short a time? I'm running an air powered Nirox sponge filter in it

"The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of your life; your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you.They're freeing your soul."

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19 Jul 2013 20:47 #2 by wylam (Stuart Sexton)
Hey Lemon, I usually leave my tank to cycle (I'm carefull to use that word in these here parts) for about 4 weeks.I check the levels once or twice a week, sometimes they will level off early on like on your tank only to spike a few days later.So just to be on the safe side i let it go until i get good consistent results.

Stuart.

Multi tasking: Screwing up more than one thing at a time.

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19 Jul 2013 21:07 #3 by igmillichip (ian millichip)
In general: the ammonification bacteria (making ammonia) will establish very quickly; the nitrosofying bacteria oxidising the ammonia to nitrite also start to establish fairly quickly (within a few days) if there is a source of a few bacteria and conditins are right; the nitrifying bacteria will start growing as soon as ammonia levels drop below a lethal level (if, of course, there are few bacteria to start in the water), but they are generally much much slower to establish themselves and quite slow at their activity when established.

But if stocking levels are low, then it is conceivable that the 2 sets of bacteria can handle the waste quite nicely whilst they fully establish themselves.

ian

Irish Tropical Fish Society (ITFS) Member.

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19 Jul 2013 21:13 - 19 Jul 2013 21:18 #4 by Q_Comets (Declan Chambers)
I would say nitrifying bacteria would not have colonised yet I'd give it a few more weeks.

What are you using as a source of ammonia? And have you used some filter start or bacteria from existing tank?

Edit
Or what the elder statesman said so much better while I was still typing.
Last edit: 19 Jul 2013 21:18 by Q_Comets (Declan Chambers).

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19 Jul 2013 21:26 #5 by Q_Comets (Declan Chambers)
PS the term cycled hasn't had that much bad press here has it?

It is a term that works but obviously has got some misleading use

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19 Jul 2013 21:42 #6 by LemonJelly (Johnny Cowley)
I just use "cycled" for want of a better term :)

I should have mentioned, the water I used to fill the tank was half tap water and half from an established tank... and I added a few fish flakes too

"The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of your life; your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you.They're freeing your soul."

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19 Jul 2013 21:54 #7 by igmillichip (ian millichip)
There might well be enough bacteria in the established water to get things going quickly.

If you transfered gravel or plants then they would have transferred quite a bit too.

I do find the air-driven sponge style filters to be excellent in rapidly dealing with a new tank.

ian

Irish Tropical Fish Society (ITFS) Member.

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19 Jul 2013 22:08 #8 by LemonJelly (Johnny Cowley)

I do find the air-driven sponge style filters to be excellent in rapidly dealing with a new tank.

ian


I have to say, I'm a new and devoted convert to them

"The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of your life; your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you.They're freeing your soul."

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19 Jul 2013 22:18 #9 by Q_Comets (Declan Chambers)
Hi

Where did you get the Nirox? I need to get my old 60L as qt/hospital and was thinking of a Nirox for it.

PM if required

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19 Jul 2013 22:21 #10 by LemonJelly (Johnny Cowley)
In maxi zoo in finglas, but as far as I know they're a discontinued line. I have a big Nirox s80 which I'm going to use on another tank. I'm finding sponge filters harder to get

"The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of your life; your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you.They're freeing your soul."

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19 Jul 2013 22:43 #11 by wylam (Stuart Sexton)
@ Q Comets,Every time the term CYCLE is used an angle falls from heaven. :laugh:

Stuart.

Multi tasking: Screwing up more than one thing at a time.

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19 Jul 2013 23:36 #12 by Q_Comets (Declan Chambers)
A scalare or an altum? :woohoo:

Oh that one was bad

Back to topic kinda, don't forget to keep us posted on progress LJ

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20 Jul 2013 10:17 #13 by igmillichip (ian millichip)
Careful, you'll end up with Lance Armstrong telling you what to dope your tank with. :evil:

The last thing you want is to have him telling you the science of sweaty anaerobic areas of his chamois-padded crotch.

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20 Jul 2013 10:31 #14 by CrustyCrab (Peter Biddulph)

Careful, you'll end up with Lance Armstrong telling you what to dope your tank with. :evil:

The last thing you want is to have him telling you the science of sweaty anaerobic areas of his chamois-padded crotch.


AraghHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I use the sponge from an air filter as a "pre filter" on the intake of an external, handy if I need a filter in a hurry.

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20 Jul 2013 10:48 #15 by igmillichip (ian millichip)

Careful, you'll end up with Lance Armstrong telling you what to dope your tank with. :evil:

The last thing you want is to have him telling you the science of sweaty anaerobic areas of his chamois-padded crotch.


AraghHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I use the sponge from an air filter.......


Be careful how your post can be easily truncated.........

I recon a sponge stuffed down a pair of Spandex cycling shorts is as good as a chamois.....it's your choice CrustyCrab. :)

ian

Irish Tropical Fish Society (ITFS) Member.

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20 Jul 2013 11:40 #16 by CrustyCrab (Peter Biddulph)

Careful, you'll end up with Lance Armstrong telling you what to dope your tank with. :evil:

The last thing you want is to have him telling you the science of sweaty anaerobic areas of his chamois-padded crotch.


AraghHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I use the sponge from an air filter.......


Be careful how your post can be easily truncated.........

I recon a sponge stuffed down a pair of Spandex cycling shorts is as good as a chamois.....it's your choice CrustyCrab. :)

ian


OH God ! and me with a massive hanover. Way too fast for me this morning Ian.
mmmmmmmm sponge or chamois, sponge or chamois ... sponge... NO! chamois ... NO sponge ........

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20 Jul 2013 11:56 #17 by igmillichip (ian millichip)
We learn alsorts about people here. :D

Blokes on here know more about the quality of tights and stockings than their women know.

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20 Jul 2013 12:02 #18 by CrustyCrab (Peter Biddulph)
I can just imagine the new topics then......... What brand of stockings are best for holding filter media..............
and there was I thinking that a chamois was what the wife used to polish the car...............

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20 Jul 2013 12:13 #19 by igmillichip (ian millichip)
@CrustyCrab......we've had the denier rating of stockings and the best place to get the best tights already discussed on the forum.

All good information for packing filter material.

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