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! Added sand to tank...Now I've a milkshake!
- grgeorge (George Rahmani)
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I had taken all the fish out and put 'em in a bucket but I decided to put 'em back in because it was going on a few hours at that stage. Will they be alright?
I did a 60% water change after 4 hours and I think it has cleared up a little bit but its still ridiculously cloudy. Should I turn on my filter? Will I just continue doing water changes everyday (10-15%)? Will this clear it up? Or do I have to strip down the tank completely and start again properly?
.......I need to learn to be patient and do things right the first time.....
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- stretnik (stretnik)
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Kev
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- SSS (Sion S)
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- jwm (sean sean)
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A person who surrenders when he is WRONG, is HONEST. A person who SURRENDERS when not SURE, is WISE. A person who surrenders even if he is RIGHT, is a HUSBAND.
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- grgeorge (George Rahmani)
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- mech1 (pat bell)
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Maybe better to put the filter / heater and fish in a big clean plastic container until it settles.
Knocklyon 2 min from J12 M50
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- stretnik (stretnik)
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Kev.
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- SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill)
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My tank took two days to clear fully
Mark
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- stretnik (stretnik)
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Kev.
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- SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill)
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Mark

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- m4r10 (m4r10)
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Tank was set up two weeks ago, 0 ammonia 0.25ppm nitrite and nitrate was almost 40ppm I think it was just finished cycle?
Also, I'd say your tank has not finished cycling, you should have let it cycle 2-3 weeks more.
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- stretnik (stretnik)
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Kev.
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- ger310 (Ger .)
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What do you call a three legged Donkey?
A Wonkey....duh ha

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- BlueRam (Sean Crowe)
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wat fish have u in the tank ya should have being lookin at about 6 ta 7 weeks befor addin fsh did u add filter squzzings to boost it at start or anything?
best off luck with it
sean
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- grgeorge (George Rahmani)
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Yes Ger, this is the same tank. The gravel I have in it is really fine and black, its more like grit that gravel really, I think its that glass stuff. My original logic was that the gravel was really fine and that some of the sand would fall but the rest would stay on top...I'm starting to think now that eventually all the sand is going to end up falling through the gravel anyway....The more I think about it the more today was a real mistake!






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- grgeorge (George Rahmani)
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have filter on with filter floss in it and replace filter floss each day till clear as lads said mate sorry to say but dont think it as fully cycled yet and in sayin that u can never really FULLY cycle a tank u could mature a tank after a good good few months off running
wat fish have u in the tank ya should have being lookin at about 6 ta 7 weeks befor addin fsh did u add filter squzzings to boost it at start or anything?
I've got 6 glowlight tetras and 8 rummynose tetras in there..I hope they'll be ok.... I can't even net them out to put them somewhere temporarily because I'd just be stabbing in the dark!
I did add filter squeezings at the start, along with some water and mulm from another tank thats been running for over 6 months now.
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- BlueRam (Sean Crowe)
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sean
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- stretnik (stretnik)
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Oh right, I thought that once the ammonia spikes and then goes down and you start getting nitrate the tank has been cycled....just goes to show how much I have to learn!
Yes Ger, this is the same tank. The gravel I have in it is really fine and black, its more like grit that gravel really, I think its that glass stuff. My original logic was that the gravel was really fine and that some of the sand would fall but the rest would stay on top...I'm starting to think now that eventually all the sand is going to end up falling through the gravel anyway....The more I think about it the more today was a real mistake!![]()
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More important than anything.... Don't lose Heart or go beating yourself up over this, it'll settle eventually,
Over time, with movement from your Fish, Filtration and Water changes.
Kev.
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- ger310 (Ger .)
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Stop beating your self up aswell about mistakes,i could write a short story about my first few months in the hobby so compared to me,your doing quite well!!
Leave well enough alone now George and be patient for a few weeks ok and it should work it self out
Best of luck,Ger
What do you call a three legged Donkey?
A Wonkey....duh ha

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- grgeorge (George Rahmani)
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George
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- BlueRam (Sean Crowe)
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sean
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- SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill)
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Mark
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- grgeorge (George Rahmani)
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Thanks for checking up on me.
It didn't clear up after 3 days...I had put some filter floss and everything in it but no luck (or no patience?)
Anyway, I realised that there was FAR too much sand there and it was all so so messy. I had about an inch of organic compost covered by about an inch and a half of fine gravel and then about 3 inches of sand dumped on top...I honestly don't know what i was thinking.
So I've stripped down the tank and hosed it down. Gonna set it up again tonight. I think I'll go with the compost and some normal pea gravel this time and forget about the sand altogether. What do you think? I've heard really mixed reviews about sand...it can create anaerobic pockets that can be lethal for the fish. The only reason I put the sand in in the first place was that I eventually wanted some bottom dwellers, I was thinking of a gang of panda corys. Would they be ok with the gravel?
George
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- SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill)
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When I did my tank i put in a extra internal to clean it up quicker
Was it as bad as mine?
Mark
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- grgeorge (George Rahmani)
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I was using an internal filter - Interpet PF3.
Really nice tank btw. What do you have as your substrate? Is the clown loach ok in it?
Also, I've been dying to ask, is that another one of your tanks in your sig?
George
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- SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill)
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It's JBL Manado the clown is doing great I would love to give him away but my little one loves the bloody thing

The sig isn't mine wish it was! Just loved the pic when i saw it
Put a few pic's up when you get the tank sorted George
Mark
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- grgeorge (George Rahmani)
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- SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill)
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- grgeorge (George Rahmani)
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George
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- stretnik (stretnik)
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Kev.
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