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
On holiday-what about fry ?
- Processor (Niall O'Leary)
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I'm off for a week next week and I have three guppy fry (1 week old) and about 30 to 40 Dannio fry ( 1 week old).
I know the main tank will survive, and probably better without me, but should I get the fry tank looked after or would they be OK for the week ?
Processor.
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- MistressAlphaFemale (MistressAlphaFemale)
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Even my little brother (22) still kills my fish lol.
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- Processor (Niall O'Leary)
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Dunno who I'd trust to look after them.
Though probably my brother even though he has kids he could hide the fry tank away somewhere.
What about these slow release food blocks would they be sufficient to keep enough food particles floating around till I get back ?
Also I did a large water change in the fry tank yesterday as the Nitrite levels went off the scale. I'm surprised any of them are still alive.
Having said that when I eventually caught 99% of them I found there were a lot more than I thought.... about 70 to 80 of the little beggers.
What is the best way to catch these guys as they are too small for a standard net and if I syphon I end up taking them out with the water.
I ended up taking a mug full of water at a time and taking them out of the mug with a pipette before dumping the water. Time consuming or what ?
All part of the game though.
Processor.
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- MistressAlphaFemale (MistressAlphaFemale)
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The only problem w/ the Tabs is that if it breaks down in your tank (before fish eat it all) you'll get a Ammo spike. Im sure if your getting babies now you'll get more after the Vaction.
Wishing you luck

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- georgina (georgina)
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G
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- platty252 (Darren Dalton)
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This will have microscopic critters on it that your fry can feed on.
I have never tried it myself but i beleave it can work.
You can try adding liquifry no. 1 to a tub of water a few days before you go away and just before you leave add this to the tank.
The liquifry will stimulate natural infusoria and the fry can feed on this.
I cant garantee these will work but they are worth a try.
The slow release blocks of food may only start to release after a week.
This happened a friend of mine and it was nearly week 2 before they started to break down and release the food.
You could add some before you go away and see if it starts to break down.
If all else fails and you make it to Dublin before you go away i can give you some micro worms. These will stay alive in your water for over 2 weeks.
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- Processor (Niall O'Leary)
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I saw the auto feeders but don't fancy having brineshrimp or Liquifry in it for up to a week. Wouldn't they go off ?
Fair point about having fry now and later I guess it's the childish selfishness in me I want it NOW ! ( Sounds like the dentists niece in Nemo)
You can try adding liquifry no. 1 to a tub of water a few days before you go away and just before you leave add this to the tank.
Why a few days before - sorry for the ignorance but what's the reason for this ?
Have just finished making a glass tank 19"x4.5"x4.5" (Glass was €15 and silicone €5 )to go into the main tank and a small pump to circulate the main tank water through it. Am hoping that with the food block and the existing water being in good condition they will be OK.
As always thanks all.
Processor.
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- JohnH (John)
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Did you miss the next line in Platty's advice?
"The liquifry will stimulate natural infusoria and the fry can feed on this".
All a bit late now, but when I was (very) much younger every aquarist I knew had a couple of Apple Snails in an accumulator jar (remember them?) which they kept supplied with occasional lettuce leaves etc...as a source of infusoria from their droppings in the jar water. As stated, it's too late now but one in your fry tank a few days before you went might have well provided enough infusoria to sustain your fry whilst you were away? - Even if you returned to find no plants!...
One other suggestion, but once again possibly too late now, would have been to have a small filter, like the Algarde 45, running in your other tank; this would have, by now, become a haven for all sorts of nutrition from the established tank. You could then transfer it into the fry tank and it might well have been able to sustain them in your absence.
All these are relative to myself as I'm off next week for a fortnight and have some (but not many) fry to consider the well-being of whilst away.
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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- Processor (Niall O'Leary)
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I'm already feeding Liquifry to both tanks (guppies in main tank)so will continue till I leave.
Put the feeding block into the main tank yesterday and while it's not dis-integrating the community are having a nice nibble at it . This is obvious by the white poo scattered on the bottom this morning.
I have to get 2 holes drilled in the new fry tube/tank that's going into the main tank so hopefully that will be done today and remaining sealant should be cured and ready for Saturday morning insertion.
Thanks all.
Processor.
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