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
Plants and T8's
- Viperbot (Jason Hughes)
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Jay
Location: Finglas, North Dublin.
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- Ma (mm mm)
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Aponogetons and ferns.
Cryptocorynes as long as parameters remain stable, as in if you use T5s and switch to T8s it will die but if you are consistent with T8s and a decent reflector it will be fine
From doing a bit of research, some plants will do better with a heated substrate and T8s, even without a fert substrate and just the normal fine gravel or sand, again stability of parameters is important.
Riccia obviously, christmas moss
I think with lower light all of the other factors in their growing needs need to be at their optimum
Mark
Location D.11
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Mark
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- bart (Bart Korfanty)
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specially aponogetifolia, spiralis, cordata they love moderate to low light and stable hard water
sand or fine gravel is enough, just a little bit of micro elements fertilisation and easy carbo
in fact most of crypts will thrive in this
bacopa, ludvigia, heteranthera, ceratopteris they are fine for lowish light as well
i setup one of my friends 60l juvel recently with plants like that and they are surprisingly well with that miserable one 15w bulb
good luck
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- stretnik (stretnik)
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www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/2655...ing-juwel-light-bar/
Kev.
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- Gavin (Gavin)
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you should have a look here for some real inspiration jay.
www.tropica.com
all perameters are discussed on the profile page.
dont make me come over there.
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- Gavin (Gavin)
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dont make me come over there.
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- stretnik (stretnik)
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Kev.
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Jay
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- Ma (mm mm)
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Location D.11
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Jay
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- Jim (Jim Lawlor)
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It perks up all the plants and they outcompete the algae. I wouldn't be without it in a planted tank.
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- Viperbot (Jason Hughes)
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@ Gav, that site is fantastic. An excellent reference. Ideas flowing now...
Jay
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- stretnik (stretnik)
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Gratis of course.
Kev.
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- Viperbot (Jason Hughes)
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Bottle waiting for you here if you want it Jay.
Gratis of course.
Kev.
You are a gent Kev. I will avail of that offer

Jay
Location: Finglas, North Dublin.
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- NosIreland (Andrius Kozeniauskas)
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It's ok for shrimps with small doses but higher dose would kill shrimp and snail population.
Also some plants and mosses don't like it.
As regards to the low light plants: Crypts, anubias, java fern, vallis will do fine. Also moss does not need much light just don't forger to trim it or it will start rotting at the bottom. For foreground you can use monosolenium tenerum(Pelia). It's a low light plant that ataches it self to objects but is painfully slow growing. Cobomba and egeria densa will grow but will not look nice.
Less light means slower growth, lower maintenance and less problems

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- Viperbot (Jason Hughes)
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Background
Im going to try to stick with the one plant for the back and sides and I would like it to be one of the following...
Vallisneria nana
Vallisneria spiralis 'Tiger'
Vallisneria americana (natans)
I especially like the look of the Vallisneria spiralis 'Tiger' because of the striped leaves

Midground
Microsorum pterops
I have some rocks and driftwood in the setup that would make great attachment sites for the fern.
Foreground
Anubias bartei var nana
Anubias barteri var caladiifolia
Monosolenium tenerum (Pellia)
I prefer the caladiifolia over the nana. Again, is this easily found? I have some smooth round pebbles that would make good attachment sites for the Monosolenum tenerum. Is this easy to come by?
Do you think this will work? I think it will look well and I chose these plants in the hope they would contrast well against each other but would like some opinions on it. Cheers guys,
Jay
Location: Finglas, North Dublin.
Life
may not be the party we hoped for, but while we
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