Originally Posted by timg

and on a closing note for this discussion, I have a little motto that I have lived by all my life, and Bryn, you would be well advised to adopt it:

"Don't knock it unless you've tried it!" When you have been keeping fish for as long as some of us have, you will realise that things are not always black and white, right or wrong. Sometimes we all have surprises, and nature has a wonderful way of intervening without invitation. The world of fish keeping is still evolving and we are all still learning. New breeds are being found, developed and bred, new methods are being found to enhance, improve or protect species. You should never have a closed mind with fish, because they adapt and change all the time.

If a word of advice is needed, then it's open your mind to the possibilities, and learn from others. Never criticize others, but evaluate their information and accept or reject it by choice, not arguement. Listen to the advice given on here, because as a rule, it's sound and good advice. Join a conversation but be thoughtful about how you respond. It is very easy to upset someone, especially if they are trying their hardest against difficult situations, which many newbies on here are. No-one has all the answers, no-one knows everything, everyone can be informed of mistakes and we all make them. It's the way they are informed that can make a friend or enemy.

When I was your age, I was very busy with earning a living and bringing up children, but still found the time for pets and fish. I didn't have the wealth of knowledge available today, I never had a computer and the internet was still in it's infantsy. I learned the only way I could, through making my own mistakes. You have a wonderful advantage here. You don't need to make mistakes, because we already have. You can ask anything, and somewhere, someone has the answer. This is how the forum works, and it works well. It is just about the largest and most active of it's kind. It relies on members being considerate, polite and courteous to each other, and this works very well. Young and old alike come here for advice and to offer advice and help, let's not spoil it with a silly disagreement.

My views are well known to the members here, and my talents and abilities are, I believe, respected. By the same token, I respect others' knowledge and abilities. We don't condemn each other, but work together to solve a multitude of problems for each other. If you don't like my setup, then that's your preference, but why make it personal? I responded to your comments not through anger but through knowledge and that's my tool. I state facts because I know them to be facts that I can prove, not because I read it somewhere or someone else said it. I have worked very long and very hard to build my home into a wrap-around aquarium because that's what we wanted. I don't force or tell others to do the same! I never recommend things that I don't know about, and am always very careful how I word my responses to anything. Whenever there is a response to be made, it is to help or offer advice to solve a problem or just reassure or praise the poster.

Don't knock what you haven't tried, it'll do you well in the long run!