1. Forum
  3. Tropical Aquariums
  5. Tropical Freshwater Fish
  7. comment on googling
×
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

comment on googling

More
12 Oct 2009 16:03 #1 by derek (Derek Doyle)
comment on googling was created by derek (Derek Doyle)
although googling can be very useful when looking for information on a particular fish, sometimes what we google can be outdated, misleading or downright inaccurate. the same applies to believing everything we read in books.
for example i was googling to find some info on the l66 plec. and the results indicated that they had not been bred in aquaria, when i know personally at least 3 irish people alone who have spawned and raised these fish. also i was reading a fairly current book by a catfish expert who stated there was no record of cory robini or heraldshultzi being spawned when over 20 years ago i and others were breeding these species.
looking on catfish or cichlid sites or books there can be numerous inaccuracies and wrongly identified and confusing pictures and captions.
most of the best tips or info i've gleaned over the years has come directly from other fishkeepers based on their own experience's. the internet and good literature can be very interesting and educational but we should not believe everything we read as gospel.
anyway hopefully this might provoke some response or other points of view.
30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
12 Oct 2009 16:33 #2 by PAULHARTE25 (PAUL HARTE)
Replied by PAULHARTE25 (PAUL HARTE) on topic Re:comment on googling
hi derek,i'd definitely have to agree on that one,was googling marines at the weekend and every site seemed to contradict the other,i was more confused by the time i finished,just gonna have a chat with the lads at the lfs,they've never put me wrong yet,both big fishkeepers themselves,definitely just better off talking to someone thats done it before you,just my two cents worth

paul

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
13 Oct 2009 19:50 #3 by derek (Derek Doyle)
Replied by derek (Derek Doyle) on topic Re:comment on googling
thanks for the comment paul. obviously nobody else has a view on this subject. :angry:
30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
13 Oct 2009 20:06 #4 by Acara (Dave Walters)
Replied by Acara (Dave Walters) on topic Re:comment on googling
I think that there are so many people around the world keeping the same species under such different conditions,water parameters,tankmates,etc,etc,that there is bound to be plenty of cases where some fish won't perform according to the text books,so you will get a variety of experiences.Nothing in fish-keeping is set in concrete,what works for a keeper of 1 species in 1 tank,may be the total opposite of what works for another in his tank of the same species.It is,after all nature,and as such,can vary dramatically.
I was also interested to read of the 'amazing braking news' in pfk a couple of years ago,of a guy breeding clown loaches in captivity for the 1st known time.A guy has been breeding thwem in NZ for years.Not everyone tells of their experiences online.Reminds me of a guy in NZ many years ago who built and flew a home-made plane,he was a bit eccentric,and although there were witnesses,he didnt publicise it,was just his 'hobby'.Some time later a couple of brothers flew in the States,making history as the 1st to fly by powered flight.
As you know,some id'ing of species can be extremely difficult,and often impossible,so guess some mistakes are innocent enough.
And then there are the folk who just live in fantasy land and post these fantasies online,claiming them to be fact.
Theres a huge wealth of knowledge on the net,but of course we have to learn what to believe,and what to discard.
always on the lookout for interesting corys.pm me if you know off any!

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
14 Oct 2009 00:05 #5 by derek (Derek Doyle)
Replied by derek (Derek Doyle) on topic Re:comment on googling
Acara wrote:

ITheres a huge wealth of knowledge on the net,but of course we have to learn what to believe,and what to discard.


thats exactly my point.

unfortunately we often take anything in print as gospel, when it's just a viewpoint not always well researched.
forums are a good way to discuss problems and sucesses and to give and get advice, but again we must take some of the advice with a grain of salt.
what i would like to see is people not too intimidated to post for fear of ridicule, but equally not too sensitive to the possibility of criticism or contradiction, as long as its fair and/or constructive and not snide or deliberately hurtful.

any other views?
30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
14 Oct 2009 01:03 #6 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic Re:comment on googling
I would welcome any comments from anyone - as long as they are based on their experiences...I have to find myself agreeing with Sean Connolly's dislike of people who search on Google and the like for answers to questions on the Forum and then put their findings down as if from themselves.

I believe questioners are asking Forum members for their opinions based on their personal experiences - if they want second-hand answers they could get them from the search engines themselves!!!

And it appears to be becoming more prevalent of late, sadly.

Only my opinion, of course - but that's what you asked for.

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.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • 2poc (2poc)
  • 2poc (2poc)'s Avatar
  • Visitor
  • Visitor
14 Oct 2009 08:00 #7 by 2poc (2poc)
Replied by 2poc (2poc) on topic Re:comment on googling
Have to admit I hate it when people read something somewhere, have no experience but take it as gospel & preach at people.
It happens all of the time.
American forums are especially bad like that.

The thing about the anomonous nature of the internet/forums too is that very often it incites mob like behaviour.
As soon as there is someone being ridiculed lots of people come out of the woodwork to join in the debacle.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
14 Oct 2009 11:58 #8 by Tom (Tom Brecknell)
Replied by Tom (Tom Brecknell) on topic Re:comment on googling
What is Googling, is that when you are ogling at somebody you shouldn’t and hope you don’t get caught.....:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
14 Oct 2009 12:01 #9 by Tom (Tom Brecknell)
Replied by Tom (Tom Brecknell) on topic Re:comment on googling
I personally use Google on subjects that I know little about to help me gain the basics and then I will go to somebody with actual experience if possible.

Which helps me in my discussion with somebody, and in turn helps me get a better understanding.

Tom.B)

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • 2poc (2poc)
  • 2poc (2poc)'s Avatar
  • Visitor
  • Visitor
14 Oct 2009 12:03 #10 by 2poc (2poc)
Replied by 2poc (2poc) on topic Re:comment on googling
Tom wrote:

What is Googling, is that when you are ogling at somebody you shouldn’t and hope you don’t get caught.....:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:


Tom I have found the solution to that in the case that its your wife that catches you.

You say 'Did you see the state of her hair'

or 'My God, what was she wearing'

Alternate between these two and that is all you need.

:laugh:

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • scubadim (scubadim)
  • scubadim (scubadim)'s Avatar
  • Visitor
  • Visitor
14 Oct 2009 12:33 #11 by scubadim (scubadim)
Replied by scubadim (scubadim) on topic Re:comment on googling
Hi,
I can only agree here,there's nothing more frustrating for me than somebody being completely misguided by "specialists" on the net!
Had a few customers through the years crashing their tank following advice given on the net.
Everything has to be tried and proven i suppose,Derek and others on the forum are people that i would trust with their knowledge/experience.
ID fish is hard enough,how many times will you see a picture of a fish with the wrong name!even sometime the fish is upside down on the pic.
On the other hand,it is also true that depending on your location,fish keeping can be completely different from one country to another.
The internet is a mine of info but anyone can do/say/write....anything about anything,sometimes excellent stuff,sometimes.......complete B......T!
that was my little input :)
Dimitri.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
14 Oct 2009 12:39 #12 by Buster (Damien Byrne)
Replied by Buster (Damien Byrne) on topic Re:comment on googling
I agee totally . I am only in the hobby 6 months and was using the net as my main source of info until I found the forums but having said that there is still the possibility of being mis directed.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
15 Oct 2009 11:45 #13 by derek (Derek Doyle)
Replied by derek (Derek Doyle) on topic Re:comment on googling
some interesting points and i'm heartened that i'm not alone in my occasional distrust of the web and the written word.
i deal with many fishkeepers and am often dismayed with the stuff they quote and believe based on what they have read or googled.
when i offer advice (with 30 yrs experience) i often use the words probably and usually, because there are few definites and still a lot to be learned.
30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  1. Forum
  3. Tropical Aquariums
  5. Tropical Freshwater Fish
  7. comment on googling
Time to create page: 0.066 seconds
Powered by Kunena Forum