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Hello From Cardiff, Wales

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Offline TopCookie

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Re: Hello from Cardiff, Wales
« Reply #40 on: March 19, 2018, 12:28:50 AM »
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Quote from: Sue on March 18, 2018, 07:28:37 PM
Don't do anything to change the pH.

+1 from me...
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Offline Sue

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Re: Hello from Cardiff, Wales
« Reply #41 on: March 19, 2018, 08:33:31 AM »
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You'll find fish profiles use one or the other of those two units, now all you need to do is match fish to those hardness values  :)


Your water company's results show nicely why we always want hardness numbers not words. To a fish keeper, 110 ppm/6.6 dH is almost soft; we would never call it slightly hard. Soft to middling at most  ;D





Altering pH has a few problems.
pH tends to swing particularly with hard water. KH is usually high with hard water and that stops the pH altering, so you get an initial drop, then it swings back. This swinging pH is bad for fish
Adding chemicals to a tank is not something we should be doing routinely. Everything we add to a tank ends up inside the fish.
When water is adjusted, we can never do an emergency water change using tap water. There must be some 'altered' water (or the means of altering it) on hand at all times.
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Offline BT Bob

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Re: Hello from Cardiff, Wales
« Reply #42 on: March 19, 2018, 09:21:02 AM »
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I have to say, I was slightly surprised at Welsh Water's description of "slightly hard".

Never had a problem getting soap to lather, rarely get any scaling issues with appliances and can make some very nice home-brewed wine and beer here ;)

So, if you'd asked me, without looking at the numbers, I'd have said we were in a soft-water area - one of the things that's kept me from adding guppies, and the numbers now seem to bear that out.

Thanks again for everyone's help and advice - I'm blown away (though that may be related to the Beast from the East ;) )... :)
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Offline TopCookie

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Re: Hello from Cardiff, Wales
« Reply #43 on: March 19, 2018, 11:34:35 AM »
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Quote from: BT Bob on March 19, 2018, 09:21:02 AM
... and can make some very nice home-brewed wine and beer here ;)

I'm, beginning to think we must be related, lol...   :cheers:
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Offline Sue

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Re: Hello from Cardiff, Wales
« Reply #44 on: March 19, 2018, 11:42:17 AM »
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My brother-in-law did his PhD in hop chemistry, and when he later lived in Pentwyn he made beer from raw ingredients rather than a kit. He did also test kits for manufacturers. Now I know Cardiff water is perfect for beer making, that must be why all the beer drinkers raved about his home brew  ;D
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Offline TopCookie

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Re: Hello from Cardiff, Wales
« Reply #45 on: March 19, 2018, 12:27:39 PM »
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It's the only way to make great beer, from a proper mash...  :)

I don't do that hobby any more but used to be really keen, would compete at the local wine societies too, with both wine and beer...  Had to stop in the end though, as a deliberate decision...  I would come home from work and it wouldn't take long to go and draw a glass of ale - I absolutely piled weight on and got a little too comfortable with drinking on a daily basis...  In the end, for me and my character type, it had to be done and I quit the home brew completely...

Funnily enough, wine in particular is still an enormous passion for me (son of a Frenchman) but having to pay for it at regular prices creates a self policing thing and so drinking for the sake of it no longer happens...  I do miss those good old days though and have often thought back and been tempted to throw some vino together again...  :)
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Offline BT Bob

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Re: Hello from Cardiff, Wales
« Reply #46 on: March 19, 2018, 05:49:35 PM »
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Blimey, you folks are easy to take off-topic... ;)  :cheers: :cheers:

I do know know what you mean about drinking at home, though. When you can make a half-decent bottle of wine for around a quid a bottle, let alone the cost of a bottle of beer, it's easy to go overboard.

Now - let's get serious, and talk about whisky next.. :D
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Offline TopCookie

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Re: Hello from Cardiff, Wales
« Reply #47 on: March 19, 2018, 06:24:13 PM »
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lolol...  ya can't go far wrong with a wee dram of single malt, eh...   ;)

Ice...  for me, just a little... 
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Offline BT Bob

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Re: Hello from Cardiff, Wales
« Reply #48 on: March 19, 2018, 08:20:37 PM »
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Quote from: TopCookie on March 19, 2018, 06:24:13 PM
lolol...  ya can't go far wrong with a wee dram of single malt, eh...   ;)

Ice...  for me, just a little...

Oh......  :yikes: and we were getting along so well..... ;)

No ice for me, just a splash (literally) of water.

But to each his or her own.. As my late mother used to say, the world would be a very boring place if we all liked the the same thing.
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Offline TopCookie

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Re: Hello from Cardiff, Wales
« Reply #49 on: March 19, 2018, 10:42:16 PM »
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ok then, a large dram...    :))

Actually, I would be happy with a splash of water, just that I like the cooling affect from the ice - which I usually wait for to melt...  :)
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Offline BT Bob

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Re: Hello from Cardiff, Wales
« Reply #50 on: March 20, 2018, 12:12:12 PM »
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Quote from: TopCookie on March 19, 2018, 10:42:16 PM
ok then, a large dram...    :))

Actually, I would be happy with a splash of water, just that I like the cooling affect from the ice - which I usually wait for to melt...  :)

Whisky stones are the way to go... always keep a little bag of them in the freezer..
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Whisky-Stones-Dilution-Soapstone-Drinkers/dp/B011EFQQG6/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1521547904&sr=8-5&keywords=Whisky+Stones&dpID=513BuaRrfQL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
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Offline TopCookie

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Re: Hello from Cardiff, Wales
« Reply #51 on: March 20, 2018, 12:19:25 PM »
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What a brill idea...!!!  In a Scotch, I quite like the dilution anyway, just to tame that fire a little plus unleash layers of flavour etc...  However, I do like an occasional gin & tonic, for which ice really is a "must" but the dilution is a nuisance...  These stones actually look perfect for a classic G&T   ::)
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Offline BT Bob

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Re: Hello from Cardiff, Wales
« Reply #52 on: March 24, 2018, 11:31:16 AM »
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Back to fish....

I did a 40l water-change and gravel-clean yesterday, took the rocks and dogwood out and gave them a spruce-up too.

Tricky thing, using a syphon with 26 small fish in the tank. The Plecs and Corys got out of the way, but the bloody neons were a PITA - very inquisitive and a couple found their way into the tube  ;D

Took a few hours for the Corys to reappear from hiding, but they all seem happy enough this morning..
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Offline Sue

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Re: Hello from Cardiff, Wales
« Reply #53 on: March 24, 2018, 06:19:44 PM »
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My rice fish are like your neons, and bettas are even worse  ;D
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Offline Littlefish

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Re: Hello from Cardiff, Wales
« Reply #54 on: March 24, 2018, 08:20:10 PM »
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I find that my dwarf puffer and my tigers barb tanks are the most difficult to clean due to overly inquisitive inhabitants. Terrifies the bejaysus out of me that I'm going to do them some damage, but they insist on checking everything out.  ::)
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Offline Matt

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Re: Hello from Cardiff, Wales
« Reply #55 on: March 26, 2018, 11:45:50 AM »
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Afraid to say that I have had a puffer take a ride on siphon rollercoaster... to inquisitive for its own good.  Didn't seem to have minded though and just went straight back to playing with its tankmates once returned from the bucket. 

Both rams and gourami have taken an interest in the siphoning process at times though it is more to try and eat the gravel I think...

More worryingly I have started siphoning water straight out the back door into a drain using a garden hose... I probably wouldn't know id done it until it was too late... ill have to siphon into quality bucket and let the bucket overflow into the drain I think.
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Offline TopCookie

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Re: Hello from Cardiff, Wales
« Reply #56 on: March 26, 2018, 11:50:08 AM »
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It's the Cardinal Tetras and Amano shrimp in my tank which are the nosy little tinkers...   :o
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Offline BT Bob

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Re: Hello from Cardiff, Wales
« Reply #57 on: March 27, 2018, 07:49:54 PM »
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Syphon-wise, I bought one of these (Large) http://www.swelluk.com/fluval-easy-clean-gravel-cleaner/

They have a "filter" in the top so should trap any fish that head all the way up. So far, I've managed to clamp the tube and stop the flow if I see one heading up and they swim out.. So far, so good...
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Offline BT Bob

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Re: Hello from Cardiff, Wales
« Reply #58 on: March 27, 2018, 11:27:31 PM »
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As a follow up to this, on Sunday we added some more fish; a pair of Bolivian Rams and a pair of Butterfly Cichlid Rams. I asked the guy in the shop if these would be OK together and he said if they were added at the same time they should be fine.

Fascinated by their behaviour now. The Bolivians stay mostly at one end and the Butterflies at the other. Yesterday they were all on a real mad-one taking it in turns chasing the others around the tank, but have settled down today. None of the other fish seem bothered by them, apart from the Harlequins - and they're just shoaling more, which is fun to watch.

So, what we have now all seem to be middle/bottom dwellers and I'm wondering how we'd get on adding 1 or 2 top-dwellers, like Angelfish. I know they can be aggressive towards each other and smaller fish, but I thought if we got small ones, they might be OK.

Current stock:
10 x Harlequin Rasboaras
10 x Neon Tetras
4 x Black Corydoras
2 x Bristlenose Placs
2 x Bolivian Rams
2 x Butterfly Rams

Tank is 180l - 101x41cm x 50cm deep

As always, I'd appreciate any feedback/advice.
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Offline Littlefish

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Re: Hello from Cardiff, Wales
« Reply #59 on: March 28, 2018, 09:25:45 AM »
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I have hard water here, so don't have any experience with most of the fish you have in your tank.
I do have some bristlenose plecs though. Looking at your previous pictures I can't see any bristles on the plec I could see, so I'm guessing that your pair are either still quite young, or female. I'd suggest keeping an eye on them as they mature. When my BNs matured I had a male and a female. No fighting, but I did have to split them up due to the regular babies. Very cute, but they were laying eggs monthly  :o
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