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
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- JohnH (John)
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Before I start I'll mention that this sort of thing has been mooted before - in many different guises.
In past years it has always been possible to have a 'get together' to get to know the people we converse with, almost daily, because the ITFS would hold biennial Fish Shows and latterly Fish-related Auctions in the year the Show wasn't happening (if that makes sense) but since these seem to have now become a 'thing of the past' that opportunity to meet others of a like mind has rather passed (for the time being - at least).
One option to get to know other Forum people is for us all (or as many as would be interested to) to join up with the ITFS and come to the meetings every month (a great suggestion - even if I say so myself).
Other than that I was rather thinking along the lines of Stephane's suggestion of a 'fishy' car boot sale, but slightly different.I just thought we might think about a sort of social event at somewhere a little way out of the City where we could have a bit of a 'meet and greet' and we could all get to know one another a bit better.
As I said at the beginning, something along these lines has been mooted on more than one occasion but it has always failed ultimately - despite getting lots of positive reaction.
Quite likely this will go the same way, but it's worth suggesting - nonetheless.
What do youse think?
John
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We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.
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- anglecichlid (ciaran hogan)
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Anyone with a aquarium can keep fish,
But it takes real skill to be a fish keeper,
And it's spongeBob,
SpongeBob lives in a pineapple under the sea
BLANCHARDSTOWN
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- Gonefishy (Brian oneill)
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- hammie (Neil Hammerton)
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Best thing to do imo is suggest a date time and location and take it from there!!!
No matter where it is in the country someone wont be able to make it or will have to travel to it!
Id suggest midlands somewhere
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- igmillichip (ian millichip)
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ian
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- Miamiheat (Stephane Lemaire)
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- irish-zx10r (James feenan)
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Something fishie going on here
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- Miamiheat (Stephane Lemaire)
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- Eric (Eric Corcoran)
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Ah no it sounds like a right plan if we can make it happen
Eric
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- padraigr (Padraig Rooney)
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Its just a way to ensure that people who say they will go actually commit in a small way & are less lightly to pull out. This strategy was recently used at my school's recent 30th reunion, nobody objected & the night was a great success. Just my thoughts for what its worth.
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- LemonJelly (Johnny Cowley)
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A way to ensure success in an event like this is to charge a nominal amount say €10 per head payable in advance which could be put into a kitty & used for finger food on the night.
Its just a way to ensure that people who say they will go actually commit in a small way & are less lightly to pull out. This strategy was recently used at my school's recent 30th reunion, nobody objected & the night was a great success. Just my thoughts for what its worth.
My school couldn't pay me to go to a reunion

Good idea but it might be hard to collect funds, given the nature (and geography) of the forum.
"The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of your life; your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you.They're freeing your soul."
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- hammie (Neil Hammerton)
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Id hate to see them again!!!!
There isnt enough money in ireland to make it worth that pain and anguish!!!!!
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- tetdiscus (Maritess McCarthy)
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- JohnH (John)
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I think PadraigR's suggestion seems quite a good thing to take on board - but we should just hold off on making too many details for a while as this is still very much in the infancy stages.
Likewise with the vicinity of the venue, this could be decided once we knew how many would be fully interested and from where they would be coming.
We also have to consider times etc too - after all James turns into a pumpkin at 9.30 so this must be taken into account.
Something else came into my mind (careful John, not too much thinking) after reading tetdiscus' plea that we meet in Cork - if this project could get off the ground there's nothing to say that different regional social events couldn't be organised? - But I fear perhaps this is a classic example of 'running before learning to walk' so let's leave this open for a while to see how much more interest can be forthcoming then we can, if it looks like taking off, start to thrash out details later.
So, please, any further ideas and suggestion?
John
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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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- paulcavan (Paul Gileoold)
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- Miamiheat (Stephane Lemaire)
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Well, after the first day of being suggested the response so far is very encouraging.
I think PadraigR's suggestion seems quite a good thing to take on board - but we should just hold off on making too many details for a while as this is still very much in the infancy stages.
Likewise with the vicinity of the venue, this could be decided once we knew how many would be fully interested and from where they would be coming.
We also have to consider times etc too - after all James turns into a pumpkin at 9.30 so this must be taken into account.
Something else came into my mind (careful John, not too much thinking) after reading tetdiscus' plea that we meet in Cork - if this project could get off the ground there's nothing to say that different regional social events couldn't be organised? - But I fear perhaps this is a classic example of 'running before learning to walk' so let's leave this open for a while to see how much more interest can be forthcoming then we can, if it looks like taking off, start to thrash out details later.
So, please, any further ideas and suggestion?
John
Perhaps starting with a date on the thread, then a list of the people who "would like" to attend including where they would be coming from. And based on that information decide on a location that accommodates the majority.
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- Ski (Alan McGee)
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great idea i am not allowed out after 9 pm though
lol
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- tetdiscus (Maritess McCarthy)
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- JohnH (John)
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Just a little 'prompt' to get this back onto the first page, I'm rather assuming that - since there have been no further responses for five days we possibly have no further interested parties?
It will be left open for suggestions/ideas until Monday then after then we'll decide if the proposal has picked up any momentum and whether we want to proceed further with it.
John
Location:
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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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- JSleator (Jason Sleator)
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- Eric (Eric Corcoran)
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Eric
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- tetdiscus (Maritess McCarthy)
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It's not going to be easy for the organizers, imo.
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- LemonJelly (Johnny Cowley)
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"The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of your life; your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you.They're freeing your soul."
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- carlowchris (chris)
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- JohnH (John)
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Id be intersted......espically if the venues next door to a lapdancing club
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I misread this first time around and thought you wrote "...a Tapdancing club..."
Oh dear, must get some new glasses or a new monitor (or both).
As the responses seem to have pretty well fizzled out I think it's time that those who have expressed an interest start to liaise in order to try to both decide upon a location for this proposed meet-up but equally important to try to mutually decide upon a date - or at least a rough time scale to work to.
Logistically this could well develop into a bit of a nightmare for whoever becomes the nominee to try to organise this so perhaps that should be step one - to request a volunteer to take on the role of trying to organise the event?
Over to youse.
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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- JustinK (Justin Kelly)
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great idea i am not allowed out after 9 pm though
lol
I don't know what your laughing at, he's serious !
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- hammie (Neil Hammerton)
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great idea i am not allowed out after 9 pm though
lol
I don't know what your laughing at, he's serious !
Same position lads!!!! H I D has me on a tight leash
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- irish-zx10r (James feenan)
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great idea i am not allowed out after 9 pm though
lol
I don't know what your laughing at, he's serious !
i have choice sell a tank or go on a night out

Something fishie going on here
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- Ski (Alan McGee)
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great idea i am not allowed out after 9 pm though
lol
I don't know what your laughing at, he's serious !
i have choice sell a tank or go on a night out

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- Miamiheat (Stephane Lemaire)
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Athlone
or Kikenny for a more southern event is needed
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