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
What type of sand do I need?
- Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
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I went and rang a few pet shops but they have the following . Playsand (I think its probably too dark and will hard to clean,also I could get it cheaper in Woodies!).
And the second sand is Coral sand. Im setting up a tropical freshwater tank,is coral sand ideal for this ? Also its a tad expensive at €35 a bag?! Im not sure how much is in the bag but Im told Ill have plenty for a 160 litre tank. Is the coral sand going to be too sharp for corys etc? I dont know what type of sand to get. Im based in Cork so its a struggle to get good fishshops at times. (Not all but some arent great down this part of the world).
Fins n' things in the sponsor section are GOOD!
Gavin
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Mickey Wallace & Cath Woods
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- umm (karen baker)
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- sheag35 (Seamus Gillespie)
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What ever you go with just make sure you rinse it well before adding to the tank
Seamus
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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- Daragh_Owens (Daragh Owens)
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Daragh
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- Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
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I went looking for that playsand and struggled to find it all! Then rang Woodies who said they had it only to arrive up and realise they had a different type of playsand! Not that white to be honest but it will do the job. Its Glenview Playsand. Im just in the middle of washing it off and Im abit surprised at how compact it gets,but having said that when there is water all around it I guess it wont be able to compact so easily.
Also my Tetratec Ex700 arrived today! I was like a child at xmas! Looking forward now to putting this tank project in motion! Anyhow better get back to putting the sand in the tank.
Gavin
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- Daragh_Owens (Daragh Owens)
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Darragh,
... Im abit surprised at how compact it gets,but having said that when there is water all around it I guess it wont be able to compact so easily.
...
Gavin
I have not used Glenview, I am sure it is ok, but test a small amount by some in a container of water and testing the pH a coupl eof days later. Ideally have a separate container with no sand and water from the same source to test as a comparison. It would also be a good ida to test the hardness of each to make sure that it is not going to alter your water.
Also I only use a thin layer of sand, just about covering the botton, but if you plan to make it a bit deeper remember to stir it regularly to stop dead areas developing in which gas can build up that is poisonous to fish.
With the summer we are having I am sure there is more sand sold for fish tanks than sand pits!! That might be why it is hard to find at the moment

Daragh
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- Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
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Anyhow Ive put just over an inch in the tank and have just put together the Tetratec ex700. I must fill the tank now and then begin the cycle and will test it regularly as the weeks go along. No fish for another spell so will be using that time to source what ones I want!
Very exciting indeed! Plenty of pics taken also but will wait until the finished product before showing them all!
Gavin
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- umm (karen baker)
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- Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
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Should look well once its set up fully.Keep an eye out for my photo log of it which I hope to detail each section as I go along.
Gavin
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- umm (karen baker)
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