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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

Internal Filter v External Filter

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25 Aug 2009 18:50 #1 by faolteam (keith mac)
which would you recommend for a 36x15x18 tank with one oscar cilchid in it :cheer:

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25 Aug 2009 19:04 #2 by kenneth (kenneth mc donnell)
wood go for external with lots of media for big fish handy to clean out. ken

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25 Aug 2009 19:05 #3 by reefpaddy (paddy kelly)
imo an externall, they are dirty fish although there is only one.

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25 Aug 2009 19:28 #4 by Acara (Dave Walters)
A minimum of a Tetratec Ex1200,and preferably a bigger tank.

always on the lookout for interesting corys.pm me if you know off any!

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25 Aug 2009 19:39 #5 by reefpaddy (paddy kelly)
i agree, didnt want to preech as i kept one in the same conditions many moons ago.

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25 Aug 2009 19:50 - 25 Aug 2009 19:51 #6 by Acara (Dave Walters)
That size tank would be ok until it gets a bit of size on it.I find internals just cant do a good job at keeping the bottom of the tank clean.Oscars are a messy fish and need good filtration.Otherwise you'll be forever trying to keep on top of the water parameters.
Currently replacing all my internals with externals.Theres not a huge difference in the wattage used by internals and externals,in comparison to the better job they do.

always on the lookout for interesting corys.pm me if you know off any!
Last edit: 25 Aug 2009 19:51 by Acara (Dave Walters).

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25 Aug 2009 20:08 #7 by faolteam (keith mac)
hi acara

i agree with you about the size of t tank but i just dont have the room and i have widened the tank i have him about 3 and a half years he is about 10 inches long he is not to messy not as bad as ones i had before

i am just dreading taking him out of the tank emptying it then putting old tank were the new tank is and rezoning him to another tank as i have to take him out place him in a big bucket and then re put him in the new tank

what external filter do u recommend as i find these external filters look awkward and im worrieedd about the tubes coming off and water going every where aghhhhhhhhh

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25 Aug 2009 20:18 #8 by daryn (Darren Mc kenna)
Acara wrote:

A minimum of a Tetratec Ex1200,and preferably a bigger tank.


as acara mentioned earlier the ex 1200 is a grand filter for the money

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25 Aug 2009 20:21 #9 by faolteam (keith mac)
ok so just worried about all the different filters in it and how often u have to change it:S

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25 Aug 2009 20:31 #10 by faolteam (keith mac)
hi tell me would the ex 600 or the ex 700 suffice ?

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25 Aug 2009 20:38 #11 by Acara (Dave Walters)
If thats all you will have in the tank,then you may get away with a 700.
You dont have anything to worry about with these filters,they are very much 'plug-in and play'.The instructions tell you to change this and that media every so often,I never do this,thats just them trying to sell you more media.I always work on the theory that if it aint broke,don't fix it.The more you open the filter up and mess around with it,the more risk you have of damagimg a seal,etc.I open mine about twice a year,if that.If you simply test your water and its fine,and if the filter flow stays good,there's no need to touch it.If and when you do open it,clean the white pad(or even replace it,the only media I replace)and squeeze the others,if they need it.
Put the hoses on properly when you assemble it,and theres a very very small chance of them leaking,no chance of them coming off.You could put some threadseal on if you like.
I wouldnt go smaller than the 700,but if you do use the 700,watch the water params.

always on the lookout for interesting corys.pm me if you know off any!

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25 Aug 2009 21:12 #12 by faolteam (keith mac)
thanks acra

last q

weres best place to get this filter

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25 Aug 2009 21:14 #13 by Acara (Dave Walters)
Aquatic Village do them for the best Irish price.

www.aquatic-village.com/shop/prodtype.as...4&strPageHistory=cat


Contact them or serratus on this forum is their man.

always on the lookout for interesting corys.pm me if you know off any!

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25 Aug 2009 21:48 #14 by faolteam (keith mac)
is my tank really bad for the oscar its 36x18x15

he is about 10 inches long its the best i can do im really confided aghhhhhhhhhhhhhh:(

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25 Aug 2009 21:51 #15 by Acara (Dave Walters)
To be honest,I havn't kept them,but know guys who have.I'm sitting here looking at a 36x15x12 and thinking you'll get away with it,but he will grow more.A bit like putting a goldfish in a bowl?

always on the lookout for interesting corys.pm me if you know off any!

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25 Aug 2009 22:18 #16 by faolteam (keith mac)
just found a site called zoo plus .ie and there delivering it free and its olny 113.90 euro and 5% off too wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

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26 Aug 2009 11:05 #17 by gerryberry (Jeff Daly)
I used zooplus to buy 2 tetratec 1200 and in total had to return 8 units to them due to leaks. There was a faulty batch of filters manufactured, namely the hose adaptor unit that caused a leak just uned the clip unit.
It was a big hassle returning these parts and then chasing up a refund, had to make several calls and loads of emails but eventually got everything sorted. Seems they have a small office outlet in the UK that is not run very efficently, must be just a shipping hub.

I would recommend AV as one of the lads already mentioned, Drew will sort you out. Got 2 filters of him and not a problem since but if you have any problems they are easily returned and you won,t be waiting weeks for a replacement.

GB

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27 Aug 2009 11:04 #18 by fourmations (NIall SMyth)
wouldnt go with a 600

i have a 600 on a 54l juwel
and its fine, it would not be big enough
for my 36" tank

you can always use ways to slow the flow on a larger filter
but you cant do the opposite way around

rgds

4

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31 Aug 2009 13:13 #19 by faolteam (keith mac)
i just noticed with that zoo plus they must be giving u german merchandise they say the device is desinged for use in germany and thus will include a power adaptor for use in uk

is that a bad or good thing aghhhhhhhhhhhhh:woohoo:

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31 Aug 2009 18:20 #20 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
Wont make a difference but if you know your german you can order off the german version of the site for alot cheaper than the Irish zooplus site.

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31 Aug 2009 18:27 #21 by Ieva star (Ieva Fogta)
Did u get that pump yet for the tank

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01 Sep 2009 09:36 #22 by faolteam (keith mac)
hi im away at moment so i have someone at home waiting for it

yes u can get it cheaper in germany but 2 euro and u probably wont get the adaptor

hope it comes by tuesday :woohoo:

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03 Sep 2009 10:14 #23 by faolteam (keith mac)
well tell me two things one should this filter be above the tank or under the tank o does it matter
and whats best way to remove this oscar hes gonna be a handful

just use a net ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿:woohoo:

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03 Sep 2009 11:11 #24 by fourmations (NIall SMyth)
hi

it has to be under the tank

cant help you about the oscar
i have micro fish!

rgds

4

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08 Sep 2009 19:13 #25 by faolteam (keith mac)
help help

i cant get it to work

i syphoned it in

im sure i have it wired up right

cany anyome help me

tetartec 1200

its a race against time


would i have the inlets on wrong

is there not a on off button hellpppppppppppppppppppp

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08 Sep 2009 19:32 #26 by faolteam (keith mac)
seems like theres no power

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08 Sep 2009 22:03 #27 by glassworks (keith)
check the fuse in the plug??????????

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08 Sep 2009 23:10 - 08 Sep 2009 23:27 #28 by faolteam (keith mac)
propeller was stuck

i would be a bit worried that they dont leak was gonna sit the tetratec in a basin i have anwful feeling it might leak n flood the room

external are a bit safer :(

must say i cant bel;ieve how quiet it is

but every so often i hear a gush of water is that normal
Last edit: 08 Sep 2009 23:27 by faolteam (keith mac).

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09 Sep 2009 00:29 #29 by platty252 (Darren Dalton)
"every so often i hear a gush of water is that normal "

When externals are set up for the first time or just after maintenance you may hear a sound like it is pumping harder or humming a bit louder every now and then. This is just the canister clearing any air that might have been trapped in the filter media. This is normal and should pass within an hour. Usually it clears in a few minutes.
If it keeps on making noise and seems like there is an extra surge of water every now and then, just tilt the filter slightly and give it a little shake. This will dislodge air bubbles trapped in the filter.

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