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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

dried banana leaves as leaf litter

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23 Jul 2015 21:59 #1 by hammie (Neil Hammerton)
Lads
I'm looking at leaf litter for one of my tanks, I know people use things like alder cones etc
But in my search I came accross this

www.tantora-intl.com/index.php?lay=show&ac=article&Ntype=6

It seems to have some anti bacterial properties as well as ph buffering and plenty of tannin to make the water nice and dark

Anyone used it before or have any opinions?

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23 Jul 2015 22:09 #2 by Homer (Kevin)
I use mine from the garden, brilliant for fry and disappear completely.

Kev.

The Glass is always greener on the other side.


It's NOT "Chee lick", NOT "Chee Chee Licks"!!! Cichlids is pronounced as "Sick Lids"!!!!!

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23 Jul 2015 22:36 #3 by ger310 (Ger .)

Lads
I'm looking at leaf litter for one of my tanks, I know people use things like alder cones etc
But in my search I came accross this

www.tantora-intl.com/index.php?lay=show&ac=article&Ntype=6

It seems to have some anti bacterial properties as well as ph buffering and plenty of tannin to make the water nice and dark

Anyone used it before or have any opinions?


I have used it before in fry tanks also............You would need to use a lot for a leaf litter especially if your thinking of getting that Tantora range (and there not the cheapest!!).........i've have always pretty much used different sizes and shade of Catappa (indian almond) leaves for leaf litters and only earlier was inquiring about the benefits of Guava leaves as they look like a nice greenish shade that might look good in the tank

Ger

What do you call a three legged Donkey?

A Wonkey....duh ha :)

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23 Jul 2015 22:50 #4 by JohnH (John)

I use mine from the garden, brilliant for fry and disappear completely.

Kev.


I - too - used to make use of the leaves from an indoor decorative Banana Plant once they had died naturally I would slowly dry them out use them as needed. I reserve any opinion as to the antibiotic properties, though. Working on the theory that the leaves were cheaper than the Almond leaves I was buying online and that - since they were doing what was required of them - this was fine.
I was very sad when the plant finally expired, must look out for a replacement.

John

Location:
N. Tipp

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


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23 Jul 2015 22:59 #5 by hammie (Neil Hammerton)
Cheers for the replys lads
I wouldn't be too confident in any antibiotic properties myself but thought it was an interesting claim they made! I'd be interested in their research to back it up!

Someone I know suggested I might try grow a banana plant in an overhead sump type scenario! So I might experiment with that kind of idea!

I saw somewhere that guava plants were hit or miss but that could be down to the preperation for use! It might be worth looking into a bit further!!!!!

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24 Jul 2015 20:14 #6 by Eric (Eric Corcoran)
I've a bag of beech and oak leaves here if you want half.

Eric

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24 Jul 2015 21:54 #7 by blade (Michael G)
My Taiwan shrimp like most dried leaves , Guava , Catappa , Bannana , Nettle they like grazing on them , im not convinced on the extra properties either

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24 Jul 2015 22:08 #8 by hammie (Neil Hammerton)
Sounds good Eric, as said earlier I'll drop down to ya soon!
I wish I actually knew what I was looking for and I'd collect them myself

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24 Jul 2015 22:55 #9 by JohnH (John)
What you're looking for is when the leaves (Oak and Beech) are dying off in the Autumn.
This is after the sap has gone from them - back into the branches. If you just remove live leaves and dry them out the sap will dry in them.
I think a better word of advice will be forthcoming from our good friend who is a Horticulturist when he becomes available.

They're OK to pick up off the ground for a day or so after falling, but any soggy ones, I've found, quickly 'go off' - for want of a better description should be left to rot into the ground.

Obviously this isn't going to help you in the immediate future but perhaps you can get the half-bag from Eric for now and Carappa leaves can also be bought in shops.
Then, get out with the kids in the Autumn and collect a few bin-bags full.

John

Location:
N. Tipp

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


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25 Jul 2015 08:46 #10 by Homer (Kevin)
I have a spare one for sale John.

Kev.

The Glass is always greener on the other side.


It's NOT "Chee lick", NOT "Chee Chee Licks"!!! Cichlids is pronounced as "Sick Lids"!!!!!

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25 Jul 2015 09:02 #11 by anthonyd (Anthony Debesne)
If you buy catappa leaves in bulk they are quiet cheap
I did an large order for me and eric this year and the price was 90 cents/10 grams wich corresponds to roughly 5 xxl catappa leaves 20 cm-25 cm.

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25 Jul 2015 10:25 #12 by JohnH (John)

I have a spare one for sale John.

Kev.


Indoor one?

John

Location:
N. Tipp

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


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25 Jul 2015 16:34 #13 by Homer (Kevin)
Nope, outdoor, hardy, musa basjoo.

Kev.

The Glass is always greener on the other side.


It's NOT "Chee lick", NOT "Chee Chee Licks"!!! Cichlids is pronounced as "Sick Lids"!!!!!

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25 Jul 2015 16:43 #14 by JohnH (John)
That's a pity - the outdoor one wouldn't have a hope in hell's chance at surviving - the blackberry brambles would have it down to ground level almost overnight! (Like they did with my [bloody expensive] bamboo plant)..
I'll keep looking for another indoor one, they sometimes have them in Lidl.

John

Location:
N. Tipp

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


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25 Jul 2015 17:14 #15 by hammie (Neil Hammerton)

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25 Jul 2015 17:26 #16 by JohnH (John)
Unfortunately that's US Amazon, I don't think they would send to here, but even if they did the price would probably be exorbitant.

John

Location:
N. Tipp

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


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25 Jul 2015 22:42 - 25 Jul 2015 22:46 #17 by Homer (Kevin)
Not only that John but they would require a phytosanitary inspection certificate as they originate from outside the EU, I have Ensete maurellii which is also a banana but indoors but they do not fare well indoors, they require more humidity than a house can provide and invariably wither, browning from the tips downward, the musa basjoo will grow well in a decent moist soil and only need a season or two to become a thug, any of the dwarf bananas will die away slowly as you cannot provide what they want indoors


www.plantdelights.com/common/images/prod...790.s-61278.r-01.jpg

.

Kev.

The Glass is always greener on the other side.


It's NOT "Chee lick", NOT "Chee Chee Licks"!!! Cichlids is pronounced as "Sick Lids"!!!!!
Last edit: 25 Jul 2015 22:46 by Homer (Kevin).

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25 Jul 2015 23:02 #18 by JohnH (John)
Unfortunately that's correct - the miniature indoor ones scarcely live more than one Summer, then die off completely. I kept the last one over winter in the hope that it would sprout again the following spring, but it wasn't to be.
Neil sent me a link to a 'Banana-type' plant from a place down in Cork (so it wouldn't be viable to collect) which only grows to 2m and is seemingly hardy. -
"Ensete ventricosum ‘Maurelli’" (I've just seen that that's one of your recommendations...silly me). They're a tenner to buy, Lord knows how much the delivery would be though.

I might have to carry on with what leaves I have for now and go collecting in the Autumn.

Still, it's a very pretty leaf.

John

Location:
N. Tipp

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


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25 Jul 2015 23:08 #19 by hammie (Neil Hammerton)
I spoke to my father in law regarding these plants too earlier today and he said he tried to grow them a few times, unfortunately with the same results, however he now has a decent enough glass house and thinks that might make enough of a difference! So I might buy 1 and have a go at it in his glass house!

Failing that..... I'll stick to other sources and products

It's worth having a go at tho I think

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25 Jul 2015 23:17 #20 by JohnH (John)
Kev is 'the man' to advise you - his banana and bamboo (plus other semi-tropical plants) are a joy to see, plus, he is a Horticulturist so knows what he's talking about.

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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26 Jul 2015 06:41 - 26 Jul 2015 06:43 #21 by Homer (Kevin)
Thankshat vote of confidence John, basjoo is root hardy, the top will take hard frosts , Musa velutina and sikkimensis are also pretty tough but Ensete maurellii is not tough at all, succumbing to the slightest frost as will all of the Cavendish banana types, I have tried every last one available, some outdoor trials and some in one of my 12 x 8 Glasshouses ( unheated ) and the ONLY one to survive is basjoo, I have another Banana related plant called Musella lasiocarpa that is reputed to be very hardy as long as it is grown in a dry spot in the garden and watered well in summer, it doesn't like damp feet in winter.

Kev.

The Glass is always greener on the other side.


It's NOT "Chee lick", NOT "Chee Chee Licks"!!! Cichlids is pronounced as "Sick Lids"!!!!!
Last edit: 26 Jul 2015 06:43 by Homer (Kevin).

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