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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

How much water and how often?

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04 Feb 2016 09:50 #1 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered)
Just reading one of the other posts and it got me thinking...

How much water do all you guys change and how often?
Also what are your weekly NitrAte readings?
And finally do you encounter much algae growth?

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04 Feb 2016 10:56 #2 by robert (robert carter)
20 to 25% every Tuesday ,nitrate level about 10/15 ppm .

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04 Feb 2016 11:00 #3 by robert (robert carter)
sorry just to finish ,no green algae but do have a small amount of black beard algae which I am trying to deal with now ,very unsightly

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04 Feb 2016 11:24 - 04 Feb 2016 11:30 #4 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered)
Siamese Algae Eaters will destroy hair,bush and beard algae Robert

Crossocheilus Siamensis
fishprofiles.com/profiles/marine/Cyprini...socheilus_siamensis/

Dont confuse it with the similar looking Thai Flying Fox www.seriouslyfish.com/species/epalzeorhynchos-kalopterum/
That fish is a tank terror and wont eat algae...

Sometimes fish stores refer to the real Siamese Algae Eater as a Flying Fox too...This is where the confusion arises...

I also reckon if you got your NitrAtes down below 10 (with larger weekly water changes you would put another dent in your algae growth!

Meant to also say SAEs need to be kept in little groups and eventually get big (6 inches) but that takes time...
Last edit: 04 Feb 2016 11:30 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered).

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04 Feb 2016 16:28 #5 by Jonlate (Jon Late)
I was just reading these last few posts as well, but thought I would ask it here.
When changing water from the mains you would have to use something to take out the chlorine etc.
Do you need to do this if you take it from the attic water? Would the chlorine have evaporated out so its safe to use from the tap?

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04 Feb 2016 16:53 - 04 Feb 2016 16:54 #6 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered)
Always use dechlorinator when changing water from any source!

You are tempting fate if you dont!
Last edit: 04 Feb 2016 16:54 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered).

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04 Feb 2016 18:48 #7 by ted30 (Damo Mac an Bhaird)
You could kill your aerobic bacteria by not declorinating your water. A big no no!

Location: Carrickmacross, County Monaghan

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05 Feb 2016 01:59 #8 by alan 64 (alan)
I cahnge alot of water weekly on my tanks if ya want robert you can drop into me one of the evenings and il show u the setup and maybee ye can get a tip or two i have been through many diffrent ways of doing mine but i have a good routine now

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05 Feb 2016 09:35 #9 by Ski (Alan McGee)
I do 75% a week on two tanks. Heated and primed before water goes in.

Needed for big messy fish and never had a problem with this schedule

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05 Feb 2016 12:18 #10 by hammie (Neil Hammerton)
The 350 gets a 100l change weekly
The 190 gets a 75litre change weekly
The marine gets a 20% weekly change
The 2 snake head tanks get a waterchange once every 3 or 4 months

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05 Feb 2016 12:57 #11 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered)
Ski how do you find the algae growth levels in your Piranha tanks? Is it a problem to keep algae under control with such messy fish?

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05 Feb 2016 13:00 #12 by Ski (Alan McGee)

Ski how do you find the algae growth levels in your Piranha tanks? Is it a problem to keep algae under control with such messy fish?


I don't get much at all. Every month or two i give the glass a wipe but that's about it

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05 Feb 2016 16:39 #13 by alan 64 (alan)
How are ur pirahna ski sometimes i think maybee il get rid of my discus and get pirahna

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07 Feb 2016 19:10 #14 by robert (robert carter)
spent a while today trying to make water changes less work ,so have made up a u shape pvc unit to hang over the tank with pipe in the tank allowing a maxium 50% change the other end is connected to 9 metres of 20mm hose that reaches out the back ,tested today and works brilliant . the pipe that goes into the tank has a small sponge over it ,so no fish getting syphoned out. no more carrying buckets around the house . now the filling is a problem because of the shape of the kitchen mixer tap ,so floated the idea to the other half that we need to change the tap, so a visit to ikea is on the cards

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07 Feb 2016 20:13 #15 by wylam (Stuart Sexton)
Nice work.

Multi tasking: Screwing up more than one thing at a time.

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08 Feb 2016 22:21 #16 by Q_Comets (Declan Chambers)
Items I have found ease water change work. Garden hose attached to gravel vac, no buckets. 100L water butt and air stone no dechlorinator and you can heat if required. Submersible pump, buckets for out is not too bad but buckets for refill is a pain in the a@&e.

Cold 260l change 100l weekly
Tropical 180 change 50l weekly

Both have water with air stone for 24 to 48 hours no heater.

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09 Feb 2016 12:34 #17 by robert (robert carter)
have just ordered a new kitchen mixer tap from a uk company off ebay 25.00 euro including postage same tap in ikea 100 euro ,will be able to fit myself ,so that's my water changes made easy .

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09 Feb 2016 17:26 #18 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered)
Excellent...Watch yourself develop serious Multi Tank Syndrome now :P

You wont ever look back now Robert...Welcome to sitting back, relaxing and having coffee or a beer during water changes!

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09 Feb 2016 18:16 #19 by robert (robert carter)
I know and their is no known cure to medical science

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15 Feb 2016 09:13 #20 by robert (robert carter)
well the new kitchen tap has arrived this morning so will fit it tomorrow night before doing my water changes ,so buckets are into the shed only to be used for washing filters out ,cant wait to try it . thanks to all for giving me the push I needed to make things easier .

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15 Feb 2016 14:37 #21 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
Pics would be great..i generally do 200 litres weekly on my 5ft tank...done in two lots..100 litres each time...winter i let it sit in a container for 24 hours at room and increase temp if required...in the summer its the garden hose in...i use pond grade dechlorine which is more concentrated and lasts for ages.

Gavin

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15 Feb 2016 14:49 #22 by robert (robert carter)
hi Gavin , will be draining out the back door and filling off the new mixer tap . 30% about 100litres weekly . just be carefully with the pond declorinator its very strong and a slightly different composition , a mate of mind that has pond and tanks had a problem with it ,so is back with the tank one . incidently in 30 years of keeping koi have never used a declorinator in the pond and no problem . will post a few pics when I get a chance and if I remember how to do it .

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15 Feb 2016 15:36 #23 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
Truth be told I certaintly havent always used the dechlorinator at all times lol...but no ill effects ever...the level of concentration on the pond does mean you need to be careful alright but ive never had any issue with it..the same is the case for anything like melafix also...
The time saved now will make a big difference for you id imagine.

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16 Feb 2016 17:34 #24 by robert (robert carter)
well just having a cuppa as I watch my tank refill after a 30% water change ,new tap fitted , no leaks and not a bucket in site, the draining system I made up now fits the mixer tap for refilling . its just so easy and much quicker now . :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool:

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16 Feb 2016 18:33 #25 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered)
Happy days!!!!! :cool:

Buckets of fun!!!! LOL :crazy:

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16 Feb 2016 19:05 #26 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
Some pics please!

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16 Feb 2016 19:31 #27 by robert (robert carter)
new tap and water change system

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16 Feb 2016 19:39 #28 by robert (robert carter)
more pictures

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17 Feb 2016 06:15 #29 by paulv (paul vickers)
Love your group of clown loaches, great fish to keep.

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17 Feb 2016 09:55 #30 by robert (robert carter)
clown loaches are probably my favourite fish ,you need to keep a few in order that they don't hide

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