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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

holidays

  • john gannon (john gannon)
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25 Mar 2007 15:37 #1 by john gannon (john gannon)
holidays was created by john gannon (john gannon)
hello all
just wondering what others do when they go on there hols ;[2 whole weeks with herself and the kids ]are food blocks available ,any good or do i have to start training my dad , imsure he could pop in everyother day or so.is this enough or could there b a program set up where fishkeepers help each other out[justan idea].my holidays are in july and im starting to worry already

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25 Mar 2007 15:59 #2 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic Re: holidays
John,
I'm assured the 'new' Tetra food blocks are very good and take at least a fortnight to totally disappear, don't even consider the white chalky ones the nutritional value of them is minute!

If you feed prepared foods you could make up individual 'packages' up of it for your Father or whoever to put in daily or as often as he will be able to come in. Just make certain that there's none spare left to hand, non-fishkeepers are demons at wanting to give fish more than they need!

Nowadays I just leave my fish for up to a fortnight to 'fast' - I haven't lost one yet but I must say they're always pretty pleased to see me upon my return.

John

Location:
N. Tipp

We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.


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25 Mar 2007 17:34 #3 by KenS (Ken Simpson)
Replied by KenS (Ken Simpson) on topic Re: holidays
You can get automatic fish feeders which is something I've been considering. I'll be taking 2 weeks in June and it's the first time I'll be leaving a substantial tank without almost daily feeding. Problem is that these can jam or clam up if the food gets damp.

I'll probably prepare food and get my father to feed every second day. He's pretty interested in fish so won't mind. My brother and I had a gold fish when we were kids. It died 3 years ago - 26 years old! - so he's used to looking after and feeding fish.

Regards,

Ken.

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25 Mar 2007 17:45 #4 by serratus (Drew Latimer)
Most fish are opportunistic feeders- they take food when they get it! As long as your tank is running well,with no problems, 2 weeks will be fine, if you do have small fish with bigger ones they may get eaten however! and if you have live plants most will "pick at them!

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26 Mar 2007 02:25 #5 by russell (russell)
Replied by russell (russell) on topic Holidays
Eheim do an automatic feeder , but as with all things battery powerd the re is a but I have known people reporting the timer sticking in the run position and dumping a weeks food all in a few minutes. Buyer beware.
What I do is get 5 egg cups and put the ammount of feed I give in each for 1 feed per day. and the neighbour just tips 1 egg cup ful per day into the tank. I feed the day I go and the day I return so the other 5 complete the week. also it's a good idea to mark each cup with the day so there is no chance on them remembering if they have fed them or not.

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26 Mar 2007 03:32 #6 by apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
Replied by apistodiscus (apistodiscus) on topic Re: holidays
Unless you keep fish with very specific nutritional needs or have fry that needs to be fed several times a day, fish will have no problems with 2 weeks without food. Do a biggish water change about three days before you are leaving and you shouldn't experience any problems

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29 Mar 2007 05:39 #7 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic Re: holidays
I have one of the early Eheim automatic feeders and generally it works quite well, but I've never been able to bring myself to truyst it while I've been away fro more than a few days.
Another problem I have found with it is that you really have to set it up a few inches from the tank water surface to avoid the evaporated water getting into the feed section and clogging it all up! Ok if you don't have hoods and condensation trays but not so convenient otherwise.
I think they now make an 'improved' model with a small air blower which keeps the food dry, but I was only told this and have never seen them.

Like Russell says, if you can get someone to pop in daily, or even every now and again, to dispense previously prepared 'parcels' of food into your tank(s) that would be by far the better bet...failing that they won't starve if left for a fortnight - honest!

John

Location:
N. Tipp

We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.


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It's a long way to Tipperary.

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29 Mar 2007 05:52 #8 by iffymike (iffymike)
Replied by iffymike (iffymike) on topic Re: holidays
Or you could get one of them Pill boxes, they have 7 days marked on the top, just put in each compartment what you would use for each tank.

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29 Mar 2007 08:14 #9 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic Re: holidays
Good suggestion Mike, that would do 'just nicely'
John

Location:
N. Tipp

We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.


ITFS member.



It's a long way to Tipperary.

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29 Mar 2007 10:48 #10 by goldy (goldy .)
Replied by goldy (goldy .) on topic Re: holidays
I use teh ice trays you put in your freezer to make ice. I mark the with the days of the week mon - sun. you get 2 wekks with one tray. i fill the compartment with a days food and then get my brother or a neighbour to come in every 2nd or 3rd day. they feed the compartment that matches the day of the week. it is already measured so no deaths... and it means when i come back i know exactly what and when the fish have been fed so no overfeeding.

i find it works great especially if the brother is working late and cant come. it means that anyone can feed them they just have to be able to read the day of the week.

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  • Fish Soup (Fish Soup)
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26 Apr 2007 14:42 #11 by Fish Soup (Fish Soup)
Replied by Fish Soup (Fish Soup) on topic Re: holidays
Hi I have just been to France for 2 weeks and I found the freeze dried holiday blocks excellent.

I had 30 mixed community fish and a tank with fry . After leaving two blocks of tetra freeze dried food in the large tank and 1 in the tank with the mixed damino and platies I came back to find every fsh in perfect health, the plants flourishing and the water clear.

I did put the light on a timer .

If you have plants in the tank fish seem to fend for themselves quite well . Don`t worry about them and enjoy your holiday.

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  • john gannon (john gannon)
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26 Apr 2007 14:45 #12 by john gannon (john gannon)
Replied by john gannon (john gannon) on topic Re: holidays
only problem with the holiday is the wife and kids are coming with me :lol: :lol:

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