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
using cobbles from my garden
- fourmations (NIall SMyth)
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i believe you can use garden cobbles in your tank
I have a bunch of perfect cobbles in raised beds in my garden
Could I use a few of them,
most are there a few years, some are there two months,
would i scrub and/or boil?
thanks
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- karlo (karlo kennedy)
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i used garden rocks in my tank befor i just gave then a good rinse and never had any prob
but i could be so wrong and this could be so bad. but it looked good lol
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- Loggser (Loggser)
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Should be grand to use then!
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- Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
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If you are intent on using them,Id recommending scrubbing the hell outta them and lots of boiling hot water. Personally Id be slow to use them but Im certainly no expert.
Gavin
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first: may i suggest the vinegar test! wash dirt off then on the different areas and colours put a drop of vinegar if it bubbles fizzes then they will effect your water
Second: half or break 0ne or two and look at the structure within and compare to pictures on the net. i did this with some rocks i had and there were visible rings close to the surface which to me was enough to discourage their use!
consider the time they have been in the garden etc and what chemicals have been used now consider the amount of time these chemicals have had to permeate this rock. boiling will remove some possibly not all. then you risk over time these chemicals leaching in to the tank.
Water changes will keep the levels below the harmful level but will not change the long term effects these chemicals could have on your stock. Thus why I would not use them.
others may or may not agree with this! Or may have some better suggestions.
Mickey Wallace & Cath Woods
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- fourmations (NIall SMyth)
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they are in now, i scrubbed and boiled them, fingers crossed
rgds
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- john kelly (John Kelly)
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- serratus (Drew Latimer)
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- fourmations (NIall SMyth)
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i'm getting paranoid now......
damn internet, i have read on lots of places that they're fine to use!
including good old itfs
www.irishfishkeepers.com/cms/component/o...w/catid,19/id,28874/
they are exactly what i want though...
they are scottish beach cobbles and are perfect
in shape size and colour, i only have about five in
they are also weighing down the roots i got in aquatic village yesterday
I assume its not possible to get these type in the lfs
mmm what to do, decisions
rgds
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- serratus (Drew Latimer)
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could always \"seal\" them with a clear silglaze used to seal ponds, would \"lock in\" any harmful minerals/metals etc!!!!
A very good option:woohoo:




Mickey Wallace & Cath Woods
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- fourmations (NIall SMyth)
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where would i get siliglaze?
(south dublin preferably)
rgds
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- serratus (Drew Latimer)
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- fourmations (NIall SMyth)
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rgds
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