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
over doing it with plants
I lost 2 rummies yesterday, not overly pleased about that
couldn't work out why
all levels are perfect, fish are very healthy, not over stocked (could be wrong about that), 2 filters with polyfilter added, I use R.O. water with added electrolytes, plenty of water changes, I use Easy-Life fluid filter medium, I use jbl Ferropol fertiliser etc. etc.
I have loads of plants in the tank, it must be the reason why they died
I'm kinda new to the whole planted tank thing, they must be sucking up all they oxygen or something
I have a JBL ProFlora u403 coming on Sunday, might remove a load of plants untill then
Help ?

cheers
Des
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- stretnik (stretnik)
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Kev.
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- joey (joe watson)
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Location: Portlaoise, Midlands
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- derek (Derek Doyle)
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Hi All
I lost 2 rummies yesterday, not overly pleased about that
couldn't work out why
Help ?(
cheers
Des
too much gargle.

30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish
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- platty252 (Darren Dalton)
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Once you have some agitation on the surface for gas exchange (day and night) it shouldnt be oxygen or Co2 unless Co2 is very high. Over 30ppm.
Plants take in Co2 and release oxygen during photosynthesis (lights on) and do the reverse when the lights are off.
Once there is surface agitation the Co2 is quickly dissipated from the water.
If you are only using RO and electrolytes or remineral then i suggest a small amount of mains water be added.
IMO there is something missing in the remineral products. I use RO all the time and add about 1/5 mains water. The fish seem to do better n particular sensitive fry.
I would skip the polyfilter for the moment. It will probably remove some of the products you are adding to the tank.
Planted tanks can be matured quickly from the start to help prevent the diatom or other algae.
Either squeeze some mulm/dirty filter water from an established filter on to the base of the tank before the substrate is added or if it is already planted just add mulm/dirty filter water to the tank.
Also use an established filter to the tank.
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You have helped a great deal
I really appreciate it

Des
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what about throwing in a few Oxygenating Tablets at night
would this help / be advised ?
Des
yay / nay ???
anyone
they seem well dodgie, warnings all over them
I wonder what would happen if I threw a few of them into a 2 litre bottle of diet coke ???

sounds like a plan...
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- joey (joe watson)
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better to put an air pummp, or powerhead accross the surface, on a timer so once the lights go OFF the air pump/powerhead come ON and vise versa
TBH i dont do this, and i dont inject co2, just very very little surface movement, and my tank is bordering overstocked (need 2nd opinion) and i haven't noticed problems with my fish
i put in a total of 10 (5 then 5) rummies into a 3 mointh old planted tank, and was only left with 3 over the other month i introduced them. they are just really really sensitive IMO
Location: Portlaoise, Midlands
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- platty252 (Darren Dalton)
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Also as far as i know and it wont say it on the packaging, you can only use these once.
You need to do a water change before using them again.
Or at least thats the conclusion i came to when researching them before.
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- tropi-paul (Paul)
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