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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

Fintastic Aquatics

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05 Apr 2016 09:50 #1 by JohnH (John)
It is with much regret that we have learned that Fintastic Aquatics, a long-time sponsor of our Forum - is no more.
The regret is - not because we have lost another Forum Sponsor - because the fishkeeping community in Ireland has lost yet another independent fish shop.
This is a real shame as they had great plans to renovate the premises and re-open bigger and better but seemingly when the process of renovation got under way it was found by the property owners that it was beyond economic repair and so the shop had to close permanently.
We only learned this yesterday and have now regrettably had to remove the Fintastic Aquatics banner and the shop from the list (now, we're afraid dwindling) of Forum Sponsors.

To those previously involved in Fintastic we wish you well in any future projects or alternative employment.

ITFS Forum Admin.

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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05 Apr 2016 12:27 #2 by AquaticGardenDan (Daniel Madziag)
John is there any way to contact them, maybe they still have some bits and pieces.

Thanks
Daniel

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05 Apr 2016 12:34 #3 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic Fintastic Aquatics
I don't think so, I heard that one of the lads now works in Seahorse Aquariums, but that was only a bit of 'second-hand news'.

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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05 Apr 2016 13:33 #4 by LemonJelly (Johnny Cowley)
Really sorry to hear about this. I've been calling into them basically since I I started in the hobby about 12 years ago, although it was FishFX back then. Really nice bunch of guys who knew their stuff and if there was anything they DIDN'T know, they didn't bull$#!¥ about it. Best of luck to the lads with whatever they do next :cool:

"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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05 Apr 2016 15:00 #5 by robert (robert carter)
Only visited the shop once but a nice bunch of guys so wish all of them the best for the future

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05 Apr 2016 17:58 #6 by hammie (Neil Hammerton)
Shame to see another shop gone to the wall!
Had only good dealings with them! Very generous with time and experience

Wish them nothing but good luck for the future

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05 Apr 2016 20:26 - 05 Apr 2016 20:27 #7 by jeff (Jeff Scully)

I don't think so, I heard that one of the lads now works in Seahorse Aquariums, but that was only a bit of 'second-hand news'.

John


Liam, from fintastic aquatics is working for sh now that's a fact I've know Liam many of yrs and was talking to him a couple of wks ago out their, one of the nicest lads you could ever meet, not sure if anything is left from shop most if not all was sold off for buttons just before or after Xmas
This shop was only 10/15 mins from my house it will be sadly missed

Where the tongue slips, it speaks the truth.

A life making mistakes is not only more honourable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing at all.
Last edit: 05 Apr 2016 20:27 by jeff (Jeff Scully).

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05 Apr 2016 20:45 #8 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic Fintastic Aquatics
Thanks for putting us straight on that one Jeff.

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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05 Apr 2016 20:52 #9 by jeff (Jeff Scully)
No probs

Where the tongue slips, it speaks the truth.

A life making mistakes is not only more honourable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing at all.

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05 Apr 2016 21:08 #10 by fishmad1234 (Craig Coyle)
Yeah Jeff was a handy spin down I think it started faltering after they moved across the road used to be down there 2 to 3 times a week I remember the first fish I bought down there Black ghost knife fish

at the end of the day it becomes nite

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06 Apr 2016 17:50 #11 by jeff (Jeff Scully)
They had a great set up across the road alright and ur right think after they moved it started to decline a bit, but it wasn't their fault the whole town was getting worse and still is, their is less and less people shopping around now

Where the tongue slips, it speaks the truth.

A life making mistakes is not only more honourable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing at all.

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06 Apr 2016 21:08 #12 by fishmad1234 (Craig Coyle)
Yeah it's a dead zone these days Jeff


Supposedly the council got millions to do it all up new shops ect but they probally spent it all on that 10 million + library they built :huh:


Regards
Craig

at the end of the day it becomes nite

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07 Apr 2016 13:41 #13 by hammie (Neil Hammerton)
I was up in Athlone towards the end of last year and was surprised at how quiet the place was! I kinda thought things were recovering not getting worse! I had no idea that so many towns (outside the main cities) were so bloody derilict and devoid of business / life! To see the local councils allowing this to happen without stepping in to try keep business alive is alarming to say the least! I know our local town is coming back into its own now, but the business's struggled for years to keep going!

Something needs done to stop the small business decline and the lack of help from local councils

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07 Apr 2016 13:59 #14 by LemonJelly (Johnny Cowley)

I was up in Athlone towards the end of last year and was surprised at how quiet the place was! I kinda thought things were recovering not getting worse! I had no idea that so many towns (outside the main cities) were so bloody derilict and devoid of business / life! To see the local councils allowing this to happen without stepping in to try keep business alive is alarming to say the least! I know our local town is coming back into its own now, but the business's struggled for years to keep going!

Something needs done to stop the small business decline and the lack of help from local councils


My understanding of the situation in Dunlaoghaire is that there's an attitude at both local/council level of not being willing to change anything. The town has been dying on its @r$e for years now and yet it has so much potential... lovely coastline, a harbour, beautiful parks and houses and some great amenities (the library, theatre, the harbour, the dart, a cinema). Its surrounded on all sides by more affluent, better run areas. Being a fairly large town centre in the middle of all that, it's hard to understand why there seems to be resistance to any kind of development especially since the modern trend is against people wanting to head into Dublin for shopping.

"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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07 Apr 2016 15:00 #15 by fishmad1234 (Craig Coyle)
I think dundrum carrickmines has a lot to do with the shopping side of the decline down there especially with the Luas it makes it easier to go to them places I was in the shopping centre about 2 months ago and there was only 4 shops open in the whole thing.

The treatment clinics for addicts down there doesn't help lure people in.

It does be like an episode of the walking dead down there.

I agree it is a lovely location with potential to flourish again the seafront is really all that's left down there there is nice restaurants down by the dart station an then further down by sandycove.


It's a shame really


Regards
Craig

at the end of the day it becomes nite

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07 Apr 2016 15:14 #16 by LemonJelly (Johnny Cowley)

It does be like an episode of the walking dead down there.

That made me laugh :laugh:
Stillorgan was going the same way after Dundrum/Carrickmines opened. The difference is that they pulled up their socks and did all they could to change. Now the place is thriving again. And it's honestly nowhere near as promising a location as Dunlaoghaire!
Definitely a shame.

"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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07 Apr 2016 20:33 #17 by igmillichip (ian millichip)
Although DL is only down the road from us, we haven't been there for a while.
It was turning into a ghost town some time ago.................traffic wardens hiding behind dustbins ready to put fines on cars; rather high per-hour parking charges and difficulty to find parking spaces quite etc etc
really don't help.

But, hey, at least there is that new fancy building on the seafront...........

A pity to see yet another aquatic shop bite the dust. I'm not sure where Dimitri is.............one of the people ex of Fish Antics in Monkstown.

Yeah, LemonJelly...........we have recently moved up the road to Stillorgan and the shopping centre is buzzing quite nicely now.
Proof that pulling up the socks can do a great job.

But, hey..............at least DL has that nice fancy build.......ummmm!!! said that already :D

ian

Irish Tropical Fish Society (ITFS) Member.

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11 Apr 2016 19:45 #18 by Homer (Kevin)
Replied by Homer (Kevin) on topic Fintastic Aquatics
Ah sure didn't ya know we are in an amazing recovery!!!

Kev.

The Glass is always greener on the other side.


It's NOT "Chee lick", NOT "Chee Chee Licks"!!! Cichlids is pronounced as "Sick Lids"!!!!!

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14 Apr 2016 23:08 #19 by Aroshni (Lydia Olivera)
Such a pity, the shop was a nice place. I'm gonna miss going there and talking with Dimitri.
Wish them the best in future.

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