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
Fish Show Photo Competition.
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As an aside to this thread I will later be announcing a little "extra" photo Competition for pictures taken at the Show.
So, everyone:
Charge up your camera batteries (or buy new ones)
Clear plenty of space in your Camera's memory
and get ready to join in the fun next Sunday.
Further details later on.
John
Right then.
More details during the week but very basically anyone attending the Show on Sunday is being encouraged to bring a camera and take plenty of snapshots.
You will then be encouraged to enter the one you like best into a "Mini-Competition" and all entries will be thrown open for judging by all Forum members in the usual way.
There will be a prize for the winner - but I don't know yet what it will be.
As stated above - more details later in the week.
John
wolfsberg wrote:
I don't have a camera.
I could borrow Gill's, but it's purple.
Purple, my favourite colour for a camera.
John
darrencurry wrote:
Sorry John is there any rules on flashing "lights" as i don't have any other option "on my camera".
Here are the Rules Darren,
"No Photography or Filming may take place before or during judging".
So yes, you can use a flash at the show since access will not be permitted until Judging has ended.
John
Mossy wrote:
dont have a camera either but i have a photographic memory
Sorry, I wasn't able to transfer the posts en masse but I've copied and pasted the parts which are relevant.
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The hall is bright with natural light so a flash shouldnt be needed.
Ahh,
You know us professionals, daylight's never enough!
:o)
John
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A small amount of (very minor) Rules for this one:
1] Subject matter must be entirely relative to last weekend's Show and the picture submitted must have been taken at this year's Show - 2010, either during Saturday's preparation day (but not During Anton Lamboj's talk).
2] Only one picture can be submitted per person entering the Competition and only those from existing Forum Members will be accepted.
3] Entries must be submitted by midnight on Sunday May 31.
The prize for this has not yet been confirmed but will be announced later.
So, as I saw lots of cameras in evidence, we're expecting - well, hoping for, a large amount of entries.
Please send them to the usual address:
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Good luck everyone.
John
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It's very disappointing that we only have three (very good) entries so far.
I noticed lots of visitors there with cameras on Sunday - don't be shy, get your entries in before Midnight this coming Sunday.
Any questions, please don't hesitate to PM me.
I'll be back later with details of the prize.
John
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The prize for the winning entry is a Betta Cube tank, just right for a colony of smaller Shrimps.
I 'borrowed' these images from a US Marine Forum...I really hope they'll forgive me - I don't have time to photograph the actual prize.
John
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Here's a picture of Darren Platty getting a well-deserved and well-earned hour's kip in a side room of the centre on Sunday.
Entry 5:
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I would have been crippled if I slept on a desk.
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You only have until Midnight tonight to get them sent in.
That's a great little tank as a prize, I wouldn't even mind one myself.
John
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Voting time
Here are all the entries (in order)
Entry 1:
Entry 2:
Entry 3:
Entry 4:
Entry 5:
Entry 6:
Entry 7:
As usual, no-one can vote for his/her own entry, one vote per member and votes only accepted from Active Forum Members.
Please send the number of the image of your choice to:
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Closing date for entries will be Midnight Wednesday June 2.
Good luck, and well done for submitting your entries everyone (who did).
John
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Check out the angling section, it is fantastic
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You don't have to have attended the Show to cast a vote - you just need to be a (fairly) regular Forum member - short reminder too, to add your Forum user-name to your voting email - saves me a lot of checking back.
Please send the number of the image of your choice to:
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It was fairly close at the end, but Darragh's superb picture of Daniel's male Betta Splendens got (not surprisingly) the verdict over Darren Platty having his forty winks.
Congratulations Darragh, a worthy winner indeed.
John
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Just to point out before any comments from the Gallery, the winning Darragh is not me.
Daragh
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guess which one..
once i saw the betta i knew it was all over
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Thanks, I'm delighted to have won the little nano tank, I wanted one when I saw them at the fish show.
I have to say the betta was a beautiful fish and photographed really well and it's a shot that I am really happy with.
I wonder is Daniel breeding that Betta has he would look superb in the that little tank

Thanks
Darragh
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Jay
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The answer is I tried to breed him a while back.
Hes great at building bubble nests

Unfortunately, every time I opened the hood of the tank to release the female, the change in humidity of the airspace between the hood and the water caused the nest to start to pop.
Then it just fell apart.
With the chance that they might jump (and 2 thirsty cats in the house) I dont want to risk leaving the tank without a hood.
I also dont want to leave him with unsupervised access to the female, in case he kicks lumps out of her.
For the moment they are in 2 seperate tanks.
Congrats again, I only wish I could take photos that well.
- Dan
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The method I always used with Splendens was to keep the female in the breeding tank and let her become well established there - fed well, they very soon became nicely ready to spawn. Many people believe the evidence of that is the appearance of the 'egg-spot' at the vent, I'm personally not altogether convinced as all the females seemed to have this all of the time - but I'm no expert so would not argue.
At this point the male would be introduced (after dark, with lights turned off immediately afterwards).
Next morning, all being well, a nest would be built and nature would take its course.
To add a bit of substance to the nest I would float a small piece of bubble-wrap (bubble-side down) which the male would inevitably build his nest underneath.
After spawning is completed you really should remove the female for her own safety, but fear not, any loss of nest-bubbles will soon be replaced by the male.
You will be able to see the eggs and watch them progress.
As with any new 'protective' fish-parent sometimes it takes a few goes to get it right - other times it's immediate success...but keep at it if at first the male fails, it's great to bring up a batch of Siamese Fighters - until the males begin to develop...that's when the headaches begin...
Good luck with breeding them, that really is an outstanding male. I would be in the queue for a pair of youngsters too.
John
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Follow me up to Carlow
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