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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

Starting fresh with a New Rio 180

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11 Mar 2010 22:42 #1 by Gerry The Chip (Gerard)
Hi all,

I bought A new Rio 180 today and have filled it and its starting to cycle, I have a juwel 65 litre also and was wondering if i can take some of the water from the small tank to speed up the cycle?

Also Wat products would you recommend for starting off a new tank? I have put in some api stress zyme
and was going to buy some more stress coat and add that in also.

Do i add flaked food on a daily basis to help the filter process??

Any info appreciated thanks,
Gerry

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11 Mar 2010 22:58 #2 by JohnH (John)
Gerry,
If you can add some 'gunge' from the filter in your existing tank to the new filter that will help matters along as you will then have a nucleus of bacteria in it to start the cycling process off.

You can add a small amount of food, increasing as the bacteria builds up, but only a small amount to begin with.

Some people put in something like a few hardy fish such as Zebra Danios or Platties but it is a matter of personal choice - doubtless there will be those for and against. Listen to both sides (neither is wrong IMO) and decide from advice given which route to take.
Good luck with your new tank.

John

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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12 Mar 2010 00:00 #3 by Gerry The Chip (Gerard)
Thanks for the reply, I have some platties in the small tank how long should i wait before putting them in?? Ill also put some of the gunge on the new media, Is there anything else i can do or use??

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12 Mar 2010 00:16 #4 by JohnH (John)
I'm afraid I'm a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to filter additives, don't use any - others do...hang on and you'll get better advice on these than from me.
I'd guess Platty's your man.
Some people put the 'cycling' fish straight in, I'd be inclined to wait a couple of days to make sure any chlorine from filling with fresh water (if you didn't use a fresh water treatment) has dispersed.

John

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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12 Mar 2010 00:32 #5 by stretnik (stretnik)
Replied by stretnik (stretnik) on topic Re:Starting fresh with a New Rio 180
You can add safe start, tetra easy balance, Cycle, the list goes on, some people have used frozen prawn or shrimp, de shelled, there are many ways but imo the best, well for me anyway , is the way of the Gunk, a filter pad from an established setup with the water perameters you are hoping to achieve, Filter Gunk, ie, say half of the contents of a Cycled Filter or even a few handfulls of Gravel from someones Tank.


Kev.

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12 Mar 2010 00:36 #6 by Ma (mm mm)
The gunk from the filter and some water from the running tank will speed it up nicely. Mature water really is the best addition after filter gunk imo, plenty of stuff in it to feed the filter, also have plenty of aeration also helps the bacteria along nicely.

I don't like damaging or killing fish just to cycle a tank as the damage is usually permanent. As always add fish a few at a time and let the filter catch up before adding more.

Mark

Location D.11

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12 Mar 2010 00:57 #7 by Gerry The Chip (Gerard)
Thanks lads that sounds like great advice, i might wait about a week or so before introducing the platties i dont want to harm any fish. But i do understand thats how some of the old school fish keepers like to cycle there tank.

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12 Mar 2010 01:22 #8 by Viperbot (Jason Hughes)
Not just the old school folks...I have cycled all my tanks with fish (Zebra Danios) and never lost one. In fact, I had a trio of Zebra Danios that I used again and again over the course of a couple of years and from what I could tell, incurred no damage or suffered any ill effects. Tough little fish and it beats staring at decaying flake for a month. Best of luck with the new setup.

Jay

Location: Finglas, North Dublin.

Life
may not be the party we hoped for, but while we
are here we might as well dance.

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12 Mar 2010 01:42 #9 by SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill)
Ah you got the Rio Gerry hope you got a great deal in the end.
Best of luck with buddy

Mark:)

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12 Mar 2010 01:44 #10 by Gerry The Chip (Gerard)
Thats very interesting to hear maybe i might try that after a few days i didn't fancy waitin 3 to 4 weeks either. Do you think platties are hardy enough to try this wit or should i pick up some danios?

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12 Mar 2010 01:48 #11 by SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill)
Gerry i put in Danios and platties and there still going strong,

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12 Mar 2010 01:53 - 12 Mar 2010 02:00 #12 by Gerry The Chip (Gerard)
Yeah i did mate got it online and it was even cheaper than you said couldn't believe it cant say the price but it yas the cheapest around, you not in the market for a tank anymore? Ger
Last edit: 12 Mar 2010 02:00 by JohnH (John). Reason: amendment

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12 Mar 2010 02:36 #13 by SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill)
Im still looking Gerry shopping around for price's i have my eye on a fluval tank but its hard to come across might have to get it in England!

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12 Mar 2010 09:41 #14 by fourmations (NIall SMyth)
hi all

this is a related thing that puzzles me
about cycling with fish

people say things like "Ive never lost one"
how do we know the long term effects
or how the fish actually feel?

we all know ammonia and nitrites are harmful
so why do it!? especially when there are other options

can fish could be in distress without showing symptoms?
im sure they can! humans can have serious illnesses
without showing symptoms

im no expert, am i wrong?

rgds

4

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16 Mar 2010 16:12 #15 by Gerry The Chip (Gerard)
Hi lads, i have my tank set up since thursday and iv been puttin water in from my 65 litre i have plattys in it also to help it cycle quicker, i was thinkin of addin the 65 litres from my small tank and the filter(Fluval u2) would i then be able to add the rest of the fish?

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