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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

Neons (are they getting weaker?)

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23 Jun 2006 06:40 #1 by Peter OB (Peter O'Brien)
I was just wondering if people are having the same problems with Neon Tetras as myself.

I have a 300ltr planted tank stocked only with tetras.

Cardinals
Bleeding hearts
Black Widows
Black Neons
Columbian Tetras
Serpae Tetras
Glowlights

Every time a get a few Neons they shoal beautifully with the cardinals but then slowly go missing one-by-one.

I'm beginning to think that they are getting weaker like guppies, due to the way they are being bred. There is no visible aggression in the tank, but from experience i've seen Serpae Tetras get a bit nippy.

Any opinions????

Smoke me a Kipper, I’ll be back for breakfast.

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26 Jun 2006 08:50 #2 by monty (monty)
Personally I've never had such problems with Neons. In fact I'd suggest that cardinals, especially when small, are more difficult to acclimatise but once you get over the first few days all is well.

Could it be that there is something else wrong with the tank that the other fish have somewhat acclimatised to as it occurred but that when you put new fish in you are dropping them into high concentrations (Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia, High/Low PH etc etc )

Monty

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27 Jun 2006 07:02 #3 by Peter OB (Peter O'Brien)
To be honest i've been keeping fish for about 7/8 years and i've never used a test kit. ( I can just hear the tut, tut, tut.............)

I pride myself on my 25% water changes a week, regular filter maintenance and just watching my fish for ages, much to the annoyance of my girlfriend. My tanks are all healthy and my tetras regularly breed so i can't be doing much wrong.

Saying that, I think the time is right to get myself a test kit.

Any recomendations for a good test kit????

Smoke me a Kipper, I’ll be back for breakfast.

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27 Jun 2006 07:35 #4 by monty (monty)
Personally I've been using TetraTest kits. You can buy them individually or as a set. You should have Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and PH as a minimum. I'm sure others use different ones which they can recommend - for me this is what I started with and what I know...

The fact that your tetras are breeding on a regular basis can only be a good indicator but I understand that acidic water is required to do this. May be that your new Neons are being dropped into something too acidic for them.

Going out on a limb (and I can hear the branch creaking :shock: ) - if you have acidic water then you probably have soft water - no build up in your kettle - meaning that there is little buffering capacity to maintain a constant PH. Start with a PH test kit and work from there. If that is the case - and it is an if - then I suggest putting some tuffa rock into the tank - works for me and helps maintain a constant PH and stopping it from crashing..

Monty

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28 Jun 2006 04:52 #5 by Peter OB (Peter O'Brien)
Cheers Monty,

Actually i tell a lie, i do have a Ph test kit, my Ph ranges from 6.8-7.2.

I've lots of bogwood in the tank so i reckon it'll be at the lower end.

I'm not mad about tufa rock, i'd put it in a cichlid tank alright but i think it would look out of place with the bogwood and plants. Thinking aesthetically , of course.

I might have a quick test later to see if it has crashed.

I'll have to get a kit over the weekend, What price is your kit?

i've seen them range from €40-€100. The €100 one looked like a mini-lab.

Peter.

Smoke me a Kipper, I’ll be back for breakfast.

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28 Jun 2006 05:05 #6 by monty (monty)
Can't exactly remember the price but sure it was in the 30-40 range for a set containing PH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate. Individual tests are usually in the 10-15 range

I'm not mad on the tuffa rock myself - but it does the job, stops the PH crashing and thus keeps my fish alive.... but I've very very soft water..


Monty

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28 Jun 2006 07:40 #7 by monty (monty)
Peter,

This article may be of use.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages...e.php?article_id=498

Suggests that nitrate may be a problem in mature aquariums, especially for new fish...

Monty

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28 Jun 2006 11:49 #8 by Anthony (Anthony)
Replied by Anthony (Anthony) on topic Re: Neons (are they getting weaker?)
Try Bicarbonate soda to buff your ph and kh making your water more stable.
Saves a packet.

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28 Jun 2006 12:17 #9 by platty252 (Darren Dalton)
I use Tetra and A.P.I. (Aquarium pharmaceuticals inc.) test kits.
I have tried several other brands but found the above to be more accurate than most.

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07 Jul 2006 02:31 #10 by Peter OB (Peter O'Brien)
Got a test kit last week. All parameters are perfect.

Just turned on my tank lights this morning to find my Very Very large Black Widow Tetra stuffing his face with a Neon.

Mystery solved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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07 Jul 2006 02:43 #11 by monty (monty)
Ah - as the rule of thumb goes, if it can fit into the mouth it probably will. Guessing now that the new neons are smaller than the cardinals and just the right size for dinner. I've seen 'Jumbo' cardinals for sale - maybe you can get some larger Neons too or if someone is looking at moving on Neons they have had for a while they should be large enough.

Monty

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07 Jul 2006 02:44 #12 by monty (monty)
Oh - must admit that in reading the post about the Black Widow Tetra the fist picture that popped into my head was of the shock of finding a Black Widow Spider living above the waterline in you tank - scary....

Monty

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07 Jul 2006 05:14 #13 by Peter OB (Peter O'Brien)
Yeah, i've seen larger Cardinals & Neons around the place too.

I do love my large tetras so i'll have to stay away from young Neons.

I'm glad i got the test kit, i cut the test strips in half so i can do double the tests at the same price. Dunno who gave me that tip but the readings are exactly the same.

Thanks for the help.

Peter.

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