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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

HELP!! TetraTec HT 300 failed.

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19 Oct 2008 20:49 #1 by BenEadir (John Murray)
Hi,

I've a 450 litre tank with 35 cichlids. Did a 40% water change today, filled up with mains water (+ stress coat) as I usually do and made a note to check that the Temperature had returned to the normal 26.5C before going to bed but much to my surprise the tank is sitting at 20C and the TetraTec HT 300 which would normally have an orange glow to indicate it is working hard looks dead. I've unplugged and plugged everything back in again but can't get it to fire.

Will the fish survive at 20C until tomorrow when I can get a replacement heater? Is there anything I can do in the meantime?

Please revert to me ASAP. 9:45pm Sunday the 19th.

Regards,

John

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19 Oct 2008 20:58 #2 by BenEadir (John Murray)
Panic over. Took it out, wiped it down and fiddled with the temperature setting on top and bingo it came back on. I've reinstalled it and the orange light is on so fingers crossed it will keep doing the business.

Better get another one to have on standby, just in case!!

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19 Oct 2008 21:35 #3 by KenS (Ken Simpson)
Sounds as though it could be on the way out. It would be better to replace it.

Regards,

Ken.

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19 Oct 2008 21:42 #4 by platty252 (Darren Dalton)
I would get another heater. The one you have failed once it could happen again.
It's not a bad idea to have second heater in place set 1-2c lower to act as a backup heater in case the main heater fails.
Jager by Eheim is a good heater.

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19 Oct 2008 21:48 #5 by john kelly (John Kelly)
good idea to replace it asap had one that nearly blew up my 450ltr tank in the middle of the night couple weeks back big orange glow in the room and it went poof managed to plug it out didnt kill any fish got a good 1 up in newlands

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19 Oct 2008 22:04 #6 by Acara (Dave Walters)
Agree with the others here,get a replacement.I would not panic about it,my heater and filter was stupidly left off for 3 days this week,no heating in the house,simply plugged it back in and all back to norm.Despite what the 'experts'?? say,there was no spikes of anything,there was no loss of fish,it was as if nothing happened,when I realised,temp was 18 dgerees.Popped the plugs back in and no worries.

Dave

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

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20 Oct 2008 09:05 #7 by BenEadir (John Murray)
Thanks all. I will order another heater, perhaps a different make and do what platty252 suggested, install it as a backup.

Is a Jager by Eheim the way to go and if so how do you choose the right model? Their largest seems to be a 250W and given I am already using a 300W TetraTec I guess thats the right one?

Are they easily sourced here or should I just order one from one of the online UK stores such as www.aquatics-direct.eu?

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20 Oct 2008 09:52 #8 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
I got one last week from Zooplus.ie
Check the size of the heaters on the site firstly though as the heater I got was considerably larger than my previous one,but is far better with temp control.

Excellent delivery times and very good price also.

Gavin

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21 Oct 2008 08:31 #9 by 2poc (2poc)
Replied by 2poc (2poc) on topic Re:HELP!! TetraTec HT 300 failed.
Definitely - two heaters far better than one.
Similarly two filters better than one.

Should you be in a position where it happens & you're stuck though wrapping the tank in a duvet will slow down the rate that it loses heat.

Have't seen you posting in a while, I remember when your tank was first set up.

You must give us some recent pics, you probably even have 2nd generation fry at this stage?

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21 Oct 2008 13:02 #10 by BenEadir (John Murray)
Hi 2poc,

Yes, have a couple of second generation fish by now. Haven't intervened in any way, just let nature take it's course.

The tank is generally doing great and all the fish seem lively and more or less happy depending on whether or not they are getting too much attention from a few of the alpha fish in the tank.

Was just thinking I should post some new pics and will do, might even try videoing them for a few mins and posting that. I know that has to be done by first posting the pic/video to a photo sharing site. Is photo bucket still the preferred option?

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  • Valerie (Valerie)
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21 Oct 2008 18:23 #11 by Valerie (Valerie)
Replied by Valerie (Valerie) on topic Re:HELP!! TetraTec HT 300 failed.
Hi BenEadir,
Looking forward to seeing your tank soon.
You can use photobucket or any image hosting site ... you just have to link your post to it :-)
If you need any more info, don't hesitate to give me a shout.
Valerie

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24 Oct 2008 22:12 - 24 Oct 2008 22:19 #12 by BenEadir (John Murray)
Hi all,

Pretty amateur pictures but the best I can do. Thanks to everyone for helping me get off the ground so sucessfully with this, much appreciated.



















Last edit: 24 Oct 2008 22:19 by BenEadir (John Murray).

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24 Oct 2008 23:04 #13 by platty252 (Darren Dalton)
That's a cracking piece of furniture. You have the tank set up really nice.:)

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24 Oct 2008 23:09 #14 by BenEadir (John Murray)
Thanks Platty, high praise indeed!!

I'll keep an eye on the 'worm' problem and get some better pics if it still seems to be a problem tomorrow.

Have a good weekend.

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25 Oct 2008 09:13 - 25 Oct 2008 09:14 #15 by tm2204 (Thomas Maguire)
Looks like a fab setup with the aquarium blending in seamlessly with the rooms decor. Was the cabinet & aquarium hood custom made?

Fish look really nice too. :)
Last edit: 25 Oct 2008 09:14 by tm2204 (Thomas Maguire).

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25 Oct 2008 09:37 - 25 Oct 2008 10:16 #16 by BenEadir (John Murray)
Hi tm2204,

Yes I am a complete novice but always wanted a fish tank so when I was renovating my house last year (complete internal gut and rebuild) I decided I wanted a fish tank to semi divide the family room into into an area for adults to sit and chat/watch tv and on the other side for kids to play/do homework etc. The tank was cstome built for me by Damien O'Kelly and he was fantastic do deal with, a real professional who takes pride in what he does. Would highly recommend him.

The tank has worked out a treat and the whole family love it. I was worried we'd be chucking it out after the initial 3-4 month 'honeymoon' period but it's a keeper.

Regards,

Ben
Last edit: 25 Oct 2008 10:16 by Valerie (Valerie).

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25 Oct 2008 09:49 #17 by serratus (Drew Latimer)
Hi Ben,yeh Damien is a good guy, have worked with him for years, one of the few we would put our name too!!! His custom built cabinets etc. are very good, solid wood and can build them to any size!!!!

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14 Apr 2009 23:51 #18 by BenEadir (John Murray)
Hi all,

The temperature of my tank has crept up to 28c/82f recently but I don't recall tweaking the settings on the heaters. I guess I could have done accidentally whilst doing a water change.

Regardless, what is the optimum temperature for a 450L Malawi tank with +/- 36 fish mpst of whom are about a year old? I've researched online and find all kinds of recomendations ranging from 22c to 30c!!

I know I'll get real advice here.

Regards,

Ben

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15 Apr 2009 20:46 #19 by gerryberry (Jeff Daly)
Some tank Ben, fair dues to you, a real show piece.keep my own cichlid tank at 26c with no probs but there are much more experience keepers here then me so you might be better advised but they are hardy fish so i don't think plus or minus a degree or two would be that critical.

Once again stunning tank

GB

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15 Apr 2009 21:04 #20 by Ian (Anthony Ramirez)
Love this tank as divider reminded of the 6 ft tank I left behind, I miss seeing through a tank like yours good job and it does give me some inspiration in the future

Fishkeeping CV: Co-founded, 1st President of the only surviving Fishkeeping Club (Accredited by Dept. of Fisheries) in the Philippines (mypalhs.com). I have mostly reared tropicals - Arowanas and monster fishes. My oldest arowana is 13years old (died in a tropical storm). Ive since reared a Black,...

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15 Apr 2009 21:36 #21 by Trimax (Trimax)
Well done man, excellent tank and the cabinet looks lovely around it. Very proffesional Job!

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16 Apr 2009 11:10 #22 by BenEadir (John Murray)
Thanks for the comments on the tank. I'd always wanted a tank but had never ever kept fish, not even a gold fish, until March 2008 when I renovated my house and decided a room divider tank would be the centre piece of the room. It was a big gamble and I've had to learn a lot very quickly but couldn't be happier. Absolutely everyone who comes into the house loves it.

Kudos to Damien O'Kelly of Aqua Clear Aquariums who listened to what I wanted, designed it from scratch, installed it and helped me get up and running. He's a quality guy with high standards of workmanship.

So, 26c is the right temperature? I'll make the adjustment tonight.

Regards,

Ben

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17 Aug 2009 22:26 #23 by BenEadir (John Murray)
Hi all,

The temperature in my tank has crept up to 28.5C. Is that too high? What's the optimum temperature to keep 25 Cichlids at?

Ben

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18 Aug 2009 02:03 #24 by sheag35 (Seamus Gillespie)
hi ben, i keep both my tanganyikans and malawis at 28 degrees with no probs, what i would worry about though is the fact that the temp is creeping up, it could be a sign of a heater on its way out, check the settings on it to be sure, i had one fail and lost a lot of fish years ago by literally being boiled alive, not a nice thing to return home to after a weekend away.. unless of course it may be ambient tempreature in your house rising which will in turn raise tank temp a few degrees, i'd advise getting a good spare heater imo jager heaters are the best, and having it on standby just in case, monitor the temp daily and see if it fluctuates or stays constantly rising, this will give you an idea wether its the heater or house temp thats causing the problem, if its house temp it could be highest mid_day when temp outside peaks and drop again in the evening and be at its lowest..ie. temp you set at in the morning . Hope this helps, Seamus

Fishkeeping the Only way to get wet and wild

currently 25 tanks, and breeding is the aim of everything i keep
location:Limerick

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18 Aug 2009 08:28 #25 by gardoyle27 (Gareth Doyle)
i agree, i came home from work obout 2-3 months ago to find my tank at a whopping 39 degrees, it never switched off, i lost 70% of my fish, so do check it. on the plus side i stuck on a few chips and had a fish and chip supper lol, no just kidding but do take out that dodgy heater

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18 Aug 2009 08:59 #26 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
As an alternative you could also consider having two heaters in the tank. The heaters shouldnt be sufficient on their own to raise the temp, but together they would work hand in hand. The benefit then being, that if one overheats that it wont have the power to increase the temp high enough, esp when the other will shut off after it reaches the temperature set on it. You get the idea ?
Oh and stay away from Elite heaters,they are the pits.
Gavin

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19 Aug 2009 06:43 #27 by BenEadir (John Murray)
Thanks for the advice everyone. I think it was just an ambient temperature increase and not a faulty heater. The tank is set to 27C and crept up to 28.5C but hasn't gone above that and is now back to 27.5C. I do actually employ a dual heater strategy (more for protection against a drop in temp than an increase) with a Tetra Tec 300W & a HEO 450W installed but as the tank is 450L I donn't think a single overheating heater would raise the temp to dangerous levels. Am I wrong in that assumption?

Ben

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19 Aug 2009 10:21 #28 by scubadim (scubadim)
Replied by scubadim (scubadim) on topic Re:HELP!! TetraTec HT 300 failed.
Hi Ben,
First time i see this thread,your tank looks really good!impressive!
never used heo heaters and wouldn't know if it could over heat the tank up to extreme temp.
All i know is that the quantity of dissolved oxygen in the water is in relation with its temperature.the higher the temp the less dissolved oxygen in the water.
So it is important to not over heat,especially for african cichlids who need a lot of oxygen.I'd keep these at the lower range of tropical temp:24c-26c.
once again well done,your tank looks great.
Dimitri.

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