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
Angelfish
- Xaribdis (Lorcan O' Brien)
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However, the original fish we left in the tank now seems to have a new growth on the end of the anal fin. It looks like a soft fungus-like white ball. I'm worried the fish is ill, but can't find anything regarding a disease with this as one of the symptoms so have no idea what to do.
Has anyone experienced anything like this or have any idea what it could be? The fish doesn't seem to be distressed, but I'm pretty sure this isn't right.
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- dar (darren curry)
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Check out the angling section, it is fantastic
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- Viperbot (Jason Hughes)
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Jay
Location: Finglas, North Dublin.
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- dar (darren curry)
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Check out the angling section, it is fantastic
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- Viperbot (Jason Hughes)
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Location: Finglas, North Dublin.
Life
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- mickdeja (Mick Whelan)
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Follow me up to Carlow
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- DJK (David Kinsella)
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If you cannot source Protozin, I have a bottle on hand here which you can have. I'm the one who donated the 'gunk' to help cycle your new tank if you remember.

Also do not forget to remove your carbon sponge (if used) during treatment.
Angelfish are a hardy specimen normally and I'd be confident it will 'pull through'.
All the best
Dave
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- Xaribdis (Lorcan O' Brien)
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Obviously I'm quite concerned about the whole tank now. I think we stocked the tank too quickly. It's only running just over a month... including the cycle. I was stocking it very slowly, but my mate got impatient and decided to dump half a rivers worth of fish in in one go! What's done is done, but I presume this could be part of the issue, yes? Particularly since I'm starting to get the first traces of ammonia since I put in the first fish. Am I correct in saying that this could cause stress and reduce the immunity of the fish? Even with repeated water changes (up to twice a day) I can't get a zero reading (it's on about 0.25ppm).
Any further advice would be very welcome.
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- Viperbot (Jason Hughes)
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Jay
Location: Finglas, North Dublin.
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- JohnH (John)
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This is why the recommendation is always to build up fish stocks in a cycled tank gradually.
Extra fish means extra food - some of which remains uneaten (however little) but food taken in means excrement coming out and a newly cycled tank has to adjust to the extra bioload gradually. The bacteria will have settled at the required level for the small amount of fish - then your pal adds a goodly amount more and that bacteria cannot cope - it needs to multiply accordingly.
Try not feeding the fish for 48 hours (it won't harm them significantly) and thereafter underfeed for another few days...gradually building up the amount and hopefully this will help improve the water quality - but keep up with the daily water changes until things settle back down. Too much food, in my opinion, is far more harmful than too little.
Keep the Forum informed as to how things progress.
John
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N. Tipp
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.
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It's a long way to Tipperary.
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- DJK (David Kinsella)
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I'm not experienced with the API product ammonia lock but it may help.
How much water are you replacing up to 2 times a day!! This sounds too much to me no matter what percentage you are replacing for what you are actually doing is removing the good bacteria which you have painfully built up with your fishless cycle. I would limit your changes to 33% weekly, adding a cycle product after the change. This will help to correct the problem.
Also keep feeding to an absolute minimum or even stop for a couple of days.
Dave
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- DJK (David Kinsella)
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If you need some more 'gunk' and some seeded filter media as Jay suggested, just give me a shout.
Always here.
Dave
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- Viperbot (Jason Hughes)
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Jay
Location: Finglas, North Dublin.
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- derek (Derek Doyle)
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i absolutely believe that organic aqua used for at least the first month will save a beginner a lot of money and prevent stress and hassle for both fish and fishkeeper.
with the advent of organic the grind and hassle of new tank syndrome and cycling should be a thing of the past.
30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish
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- Gavin (Gavin)
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dont make me come over there.
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- JohnH (John)
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John
Location:
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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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- derek (Derek Doyle)
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everytime i read a post about someone going through the torture of cycling a tank and stressed and dieing fish i get really annoyed, knowing that it is absolutely avoidable. i feel like replying in 2 inch letters "use organic aqua at least for one month".
make fishkeeping easy and stressfree and save yourself money.
30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish
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- JohnH (John)
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We will have to agree to disagree on this.
I'll leave it at that.
John
Location:
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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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- DJK (David Kinsella)
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Viperbot and John H even though they conflict a bit. I just go that little bit furthur offering him all
that he needs in the practical sense.
Dave
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- derek (Derek Doyle)
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Ah well, with all the 'experts' out there, the bottom line is, that the fish keeper made the most common mistake for a beginner which is very understandable. He has got some good advice from myself,
Viperbot and John H even though they conflict a bit. I just go that little bit furthur offering him all
that he needs in the practical sense.
Dave
which experts would that be?
30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish
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- Xaribdis (Lorcan O' Brien)
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After the patient build-up and lack of any problems, I could really slap my mate for throwing sh*t straight into the fan! But it's his birthday, so I'll let him off and rant here instead!
Any more advice would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks,
Lorcan
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- derek (Derek Doyle)
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ring dmitri at fintastics 2145442 and he will help you sort the tank out very easily, which will allow you to get back to enjoying your fishkeeping.
30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish
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- Viperbot (Jason Hughes)
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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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