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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

API Master test kit

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18 Feb 2009 15:34 #1 by DalmationMolly (Mary Barron)
HI my tank Juwel Rio 125 is set up now almost 5 weeks. I have carried out my first test and the results are as follows:
Low PH:7.6
High PH:7.8 (decided to test both as the first test of Low PH reached the top of the scale)
Ammonia:0
NitrIte:1.0
NitrAte:20.0

I have had a lot of problems regarding fish dying as a result of not having a fully cycled tank and I have received great advice on this through this forum.

I have a fews questions. Today one of the pregnant guppys is swimming around and behaving eratically and swimming so fast I can barely keep up with where she has gone to in the tank. Having picked up on this possibly being caused due to nitrite or nitrate poisening I went to the LFS with my results of the test. I brought one sample of water with me and they asked me to call back for results. When I got back the owners daughter said her father reckoned the nitrite level is between 4 and 5 and possibly all my fish will die and the only solution is daily water changes. So I re-tested when I got home and I am 100% positive that the nitrite reading is only 1.0 as the test is identical to the colour on the chart. What percentage of water change should I do? I have a gravel cleaner/siphon, if I am going to do daily water changes should I clean the gravel each day? I also have stress zyme should I add this every water change?

Regarding filter cartridges, I have not changed any of the juwel filters yet apart from the white one which I have been changing weekly. With the tank now set up almost 5 weeks should I change either of the other three filters?

thanks in Advance
Mary

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18 Feb 2009 20:31 #2 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic Re:API Master test kit
Dear oh dear Mary,
And there was me telling you keeping Fish was easy...

Honestly it is, you're just still having teething problems, that's all.

I would suggest a 20-25% change each day until the Nitrites/Nitrates come down and you needn't 'hoover' your gravel daily unless it really needs it.
I don't use the StressZyme myself but you certainly will do no harm by adding it each change.

I'm not familiar with Juwel filter pads but I have heard it suggested to change the Carbon one as if the Carbon becomes saturated with the chemicals it's there to remove they will start to 'leach' back into the tank water, but once a week is, I feel, a bit over the top, I would think once a month might be more advisable. You tell us you haven't changed them, but have you washed them out? And, you probably know this, but you should never wash out the media in tap water, the Chlorine in it will almost certainly kill off your bacteria, always use some of the water you are taking out when doing the water change, this will be 'just right'.
Someone else will have to tell you which colour is which but even so, you shouldn't be chaning or even cleaning your filter media every week, it honestly only needs attention when the water flowing out appreciably lessens, if you are(?) cleaning the media weekly you are 'washing away' the beneficial bacteria you are trying to propagate for the whole tank cycling process.
I hope your fish will be alright, please let us know.

John
ps, was this a new 'in date' Test Kit? Sometimes results can be a little 'hazy' when they get past their date.

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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18 Feb 2009 20:52 #3 by mrsFishpatrick (Astrid Fitzpatrick)
I totally agree with John here, don't clean the gravel, don't clean the filter thats where the 'good' bacteria are,
When I started my tank I threw it back in to a cycling stage by cleaning tooo much.
just change the water for now

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18 Feb 2009 21:55 #4 by cardinal (Lar Savage)
Hi Mary
Good advice from John and Mrs F ,you shouldn't need to replace the "white" filter weekly I think this is the prefilter (Does it look like cotton wool..?) If it is looking grubby just give it a rinse out in the old water change water,you want the good bacteria to live in the material and changing it every week means your probably keeping your tank in a constant cycling mode.try and keep the chin up It will all settle down in the end AND It will be worth it...:)


Lar

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19 Feb 2009 15:23 #5 by DalmationMolly (Mary Barron)
THanks for the info, I have only changed the white filter pad the ones that look like cotton wool. I will try washing it out in the water which I am taking out of the tank instead of changing it weekly. I didnt know it was possible to wash out the other three filters(black green and blue) but seen as the tank is still probably going through the cycle process I will hold off cleaning these filters.
The test I have is new just bought it from ebay over the weekend and had it shipped all for 30euro. I priced it in some local shops which were about 40 euro. What do you all think of the readings i got? Is a reading of NitrIte 1.0 and Nitrate 20 dangerous? Another question what type of container do all of you use for putting the clean water into the tank? I have been looking around the shops trying to find a large bucket with a lid and thought if I filled this up every evening after the water change it might be nearer room temperature for the following evening. I add water conditioner to the water to take out the chlorine but seen as I am using a number of small containers to fill the tank its hard to measure out the water conditioner into each container (hope this makes sense)
thanks
Mary

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19 Feb 2009 15:57 #6 by mrsFishpatrick (Astrid Fitzpatrick)
Your nitrItes at 1.0 isn't great but daily waterchanges should help your fish to survive
nitrAtes at 20 is good, you want nitrAtes in your tank, not too much but less than 40 is acceptable.
I use a bucket, you can put a bit of water from the kettle in to get it to your required temperature.

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19 Feb 2009 21:15 #7 by cardinal (Lar Savage)
Hi Mary
Re Water change container......I imported a special container made Exclusively from discus fins which were laced together by Amazonian Indians on the 29th of February under a full moon................:) :laugh: actually I bought a bucket in B&Q(one of the orange ones) and I use it exclusively for water changes I then add hot water from a kettle and check the temp with a thermometer and add some Tap water conditioner ...Just keep on doing water changes for the next while and everything should settle down
Lar

Ps don't wash out the other filter media yet,leave it for a while and Don't wash them all together maybe wash one every other change black.... then green.... then blue... and so on

PPS ...good price for your Test Kit

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19 Feb 2009 21:48 #8 by DalmationMolly (Mary Barron)
THanks Lar, you had me going there I thought to myself god this guy really is into the fish keeping! I will check out B&Q next time I am in Dublin. Hopefully things will settle soon!

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19 Feb 2009 22:25 #9 by Mick0075 (Michael OSullivan)
I use a watering can for refilling my tanks in fact one for each tank:laugh:, ready made to pour water, nice and easy.

Mick

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20 Feb 2009 15:31 #10 by DalmationMolly (Mary Barron)
Good idead Mick a water can sounds ideal. Water changes seem to be working well, the readings in the tank are much the same today Nitrite still 1.0 but Nitrate has dropped. I have another concern now, I noticed some white spots on a neon yesterday and now there are some more neons with white spots. I read up another post regarding white spots which described them as being like a white spot that is flush with the skin. The white spots which are on my neons are raised like little tiny particals. Is this something I should worry about? Also one of the male guppy's does not seem very well and I noticed a big part of his fin is missing almost in a v shape. Would the angel fish have done this damage?

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20 Feb 2009 16:00 #11 by PetCoLongMileRoad (Drew Latimer)
sounds like whitespot get to your LFS and get whitespot treatment before it gets outta hand

If you're going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it or else you're going to be locked up.

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20 Feb 2009 16:27 #12 by mrsFishpatrick (Astrid Fitzpatrick)
Whitespot looks like grains of sugar on the fish, If that is what it looks like, get the treatment, I forgot what fish you have in your tank, I used eSHa EXIT for treating whitespot because it was safe for very young and sensitive fish. and I didn't have to raise the temperature wich I am sure my cory's were very happy with.

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22 Feb 2009 15:18 #13 by DalmationMolly (Mary Barron)
Yes it looks like little grains of sugar. When I add the treatment do i need to take out the carbon filter? If I do take out the carbon filter will this affect the cycle process?

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22 Feb 2009 18:52 #14 by mrsFishpatrick (Astrid Fitzpatrick)
It shouldn't affect the cycling proces, some people don't use carbon in their tank at all unless when taking out the medication.
you could top your filter up with some extra floss or another sponge
if you are worried about an empty space in your filter

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22 Feb 2009 20:10 #15 by tm2204 (Thomas Maguire)
A few things:

(a) The nitrite level of 1.0 is whats causing your problems; this is intolerable to fish over any length of time and will cause a lot of fatalities and damage to any that survive. Do 20%+ water changes daily (treat fresh water with conditioner) until nitrite level is 0. If your ammonia level is 0 and your nitrite level is 1 then your tank is not yet fully cycled. In a fully cycled tank the ammonia and nitrite levels are 0 because there is enough good filter bacteria to consume all the ammonia and nitrite. The result of all this is a steadily increasing nitrate level which is reduced/diluted by weekly/fortnightly water changes.

(b) The nitrate level of 20 is not a problem (up to 40 ppm is ok'ish). You reduce this by water changes having first checked that the nitrate levels in your fresh tapwater is zero/low.

(c) DO NOT change any of your filter sponges except for maybe the carbon one. Your tank is only new, sounds like it is still in cycle mode so there is NO NEED to chnge the sponges. Why would you? There is another post here www.irishfishkeepers.com/cms/component/o...ew/catid,8/id,46417/ you should read re changing sponges.


Good luck........

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23 Feb 2009 15:46 #16 by DalmationMolly (Mary Barron)
THanks for helping out, I dont know what I would do without the advice I receive here! Miss Fishpatrick i noticed on a previous post that you took out your juwel filter. I have the Rio 125 and the filter is in a black compartment. Was it the same in your tank? Did you find the Juwel filter was not great? TM2204 thanks for your imput. Could you tell me when I am treating the fish for white spot will the daily water changes affect how the medication works?

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23 Feb 2009 16:35 - 23 Feb 2009 16:37 #17 by tm2204 (Thomas Maguire)
Depends on the medication but I would think yes. You should add the treatment pro-rate to any new water you add as a water change.

I (my son actually :) ) has a Lido 120 (120 liters) and his internal Juwel filter works like a dream. I populated it with seeded sponges from another filter and added about 80 liters of mature water from my other tank when I was setting it up for him at Christmas and it was cycled within a week. ammonia & nitrite levels never went above 0. All I do is rinse/change the white filter pad every 3 weeks & rinse the coarse sponges every 6 weeks or so. Leave the fine sponges at the bottom of the filter alone as these provide most of the good bacteria and don't need disturbing much at all.

I did get a venturi valve set for the Juwel internal box filter to provide some aeration and surface agitation. It simply attaches to the output pipe from the filter and is worth getting IMO.

Do remember to raise the water temperature when you are treating for white spot; it's important.


Good luck...........
Last edit: 23 Feb 2009 16:37 by tm2204 (Thomas Maguire).

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