Appreciation Thread

[Cinnebuns]

We all learn from each other which is an amazing part of this hobby and community. I'm curious whats some things people have learned from each other. Let's give each other some thanks for some knowledge we have gained while also getting a nice list of good lessons!  Just like previous threads, tag the person you choose and they then tag the next person! 

@Guppysnailand I tend to have some similar interests.  She also contributes a ton to this community in so many ways. One of which is with the reverse respiration development. I sometimes have a hard time reading long messages because of some pretty severe ADHD. I just mentioned it once and she did an amazing job of giving me a the cliff notes version which helped a ton snd allowed me to learn about the process!  I am extremely appreciative of that!  Thanks girl!  

Now your turn!

Oh, and feel free to tag someone appreciation for something you learned even if you haven't been tagged!

Edited January 9, 2023 by Cinnebuns

[Guppysnail]

That’s so sweet. Thank you. 
I learn so much from so many on this forum it would be impossible to tag just one person. @Cinnebuns our interests being similar I always read all your question threads for new information. I glean many tidbits. 
When I first joined the forum the best things I took away were those things that simplified and made made maintaining my tanks easier each being a game changer.  
The first major game changer was @Odd Duck and her water change system filling one huge tote and adding a pump to return it to the tank. I modified it based on my needs using @Zenzo pump video as a guide. At the time I was scaling back because I could not physically handle the maintenance and buckets. The scaling back I talked about in my journal. I now am back to 12 tanks vs 5 and still able to easily maintain the tanks because of this. 
I added a diy suggestion from @JettsPapa of a measuring cup with holes drilled to return the water without blasting the fish and substrate. 

@Chick-In-Of-TheSea for her awesome snail care sheet. Now I don’t have to go through writing out care notes to everyone who adopts my snails. 
@mountaintoppufferkeeperfor worm culture tips. 
@Fish Folk for the dedication and work to figuring out easy hatch methods for…everything and sharing it to help others succeed. 
@dasaltemelosguy for all the fabulous articles that answer so many questions I’ve often had but the current Brief History of Prime was a GAME CHANGER!  My tap is very high nitrate. My pathological inability to lightly stock and lightly feed makes excess water changes a necessity. No amount of submerged and emergent plants can totally control the nitrates. The Alternative Emergent Plants for Nitrate Control article made headway when I added over 40 lucky lucky bamboo but was not enough. 
With the article on Prime actually controlling nitrate I have been adding a single dose to my tanks every 3 days. Instead of all my tanks at 40 nitrate they are now at 20 and I can do 1x weekly water changes instead of added partials throughout the week. 
@Isaac M for the help designing a quick diy that was less intimidating when I wanted to learn how to hatch brine shrimp and the wonderful inspiration to start riparian plants other than pothos. 
@BuzzDaddy21 for their interest in slow flow plenums that finally prompted me to put UGF filters back in my tanks. 
@TeeJay just helped my design a trial diy surface still area for my honey gourami out of jugs. My kids hated it but being able to diy a trial saved me money on buying something they hate. 
This list goes on and on. The biggest game changer was having a community I could get ideas and help from. 🤗 

I am THANKING and tagging EVERYONE! That way more ideas might cross my path. 🤗
 

[TeeJay]

In about a month I will be back in the fish keeping life for a year. I haven't had a tank in almost 20 years. At that time I only really new about checking pH. In this past year what I have learned has been massive to say the least. Of course she tagged me before I could tag her and that is one @Guppysnail.

The amount of knowledge she has given me has changed my fishkeeping skillet. From late evening texts about an ammonia spike and what to do. To a bacterial bloom and how to handle it and not have a panic attack about either lol. To not chase the numbers on a little test strip but to pay attention to how the fish and the tank are behaving.

@nabokovfan87 and his time spent on filter mods that have helped me adapt and get better filtration and to not be afraid to make a cut here or some silicone there. Experimenting with cool water changes to trigger Cory spawning.

@Chick-In-Of-TheSea for her recent snello recipe for a tasty treat for snails and shrimp alike.

They all 3 taught me to think outside the box and to not be afraid to try new things.

 

[The endler guy]

On 1/9/2023 at 2:09 AM, Cinnebuns said:

. I sometimes have a hard time reading long messages because of some pretty severe ADHD. 

 

Hey I have pretty severe adhd as well!

[Tanked]

On 1/9/2023 at 5:56 AM, Guppysnail said:

I learn so much from so many on this forum it would be impossible to tag just one person. @Cinnebuns our interests being similar I always read all your question threads for new information. I glean many tidbits. 

Well said.  I also glean tidbits of information from the community's successes and failures, which lead to the rabbit holes and more questions.😵

 

 

[boylesdowntothis]

im rather new here having only joined in late august so ive been more of a spectator than a contributor. i joined because a representative from petco told me about a nitrate reduction post here that caused them to change corporate policy and i naturally found that intriguing. that was alternative nitrate reduction by @dasaltemelosguy although the new chronology about seachem prime may be a game changer as @Guppysnail has said

perhaps its the scientist in me distorting my perception or my lack of experience here but i feel reverse respiration is in its own category. what @Guppysnail, @Odd Duck, @OnlyGenusCaps and @dasaltemelosguy created there truly needs to be published where the entire aquatic community can learn about it.

but i learn from here almost daily. a beginner trying to avoid beginners mistake so many of you have helped me do just that. my fish and i thank you.

ps still trying to convince them to create a peer review version of rr for me to submit to jpl physics! (hint🙏) jpl joe

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

I have got to give a shout out to @Colu who has helped me identify and treat fish diseases. I leaned on @Colu quite a bit last year and they were always there for me. Together we saved 3 out of 3 black neons from columnaris!

@Guppysnail for helping me hatch mystery snails for the first time, learn about shrimp, and countless other gems of knowledge, plus sending me adorable magenta snails and plants and bulbs. @Guppysnail and @dasaltemelosguy for Reverse Respiration and information about Prime dechlorinator.

@nabokovfan87 for help with filters (with diagrams and manuals!), shrimp tank water change brainstorming, backgrounds, WORMS, and lots of other things. I thought my HOB was completely “dead in the water” 🤣 and with his help I got it going again AND got it optimized.

@TeeJay for help with shrimp advice and for Coffee with TeeJay and making me laugh with his silliness.

@Odd Duck , @xXInkedPhoenixX , and @Goldie Blue for sharing knowledge about betta care and preventative and reactive treatments and recovery. And @Odd Duck even helped me with some cat food advice too.

@modified lung for sharing knowledge on water chemistry, esp. how salt affects beneficial bacteria.

@Pepere for helping me set up my ink bird.

@Fish Folk for answering my random questions and @TheSwissAquarist for random advice and pup photos. And for a noble attempt at a Snow Murphy.

@Seattle_Aquarist and @Katherinefor help with plant nutrient deficiencies. And @Katherine was an active participant of the baby snail fan club when I was hatching them. 🙂 

It’s very hard to list everyone but you guys know who you are!

Edited January 10, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 1/9/2023 at 6:57 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

pup photos

Always plenty of those. 
Thanks to you for posting interesting things and ideas!

[mountaintoppufferkeeper]

I nominate @Beardedbillygoat1975 to this thread for suggesting I contribute a puffer article to amazonas. Pretty cool experience. I would have never considered contributing without that being suggested and encouraged to do so. Secondarily for living the red tailed puffer dream so I can copy that set up myself 🙂.  Pretty much everyone else on this thread for the many many pieces of knowledge graciously passed since my arrival to the forum. 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

Too kind @mountaintoppufferkeeper. 

There are some Amazing aquarists on this site and all the people above have enriched my life in numerous ways over my couple years here. You don’t realize how far you’ve wandered in the wilderness until you come in from the proverbial cold and join this site and GSAS. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 1/8/2023 at 11:09 PM, Cinnebuns said:

I sometimes have a hard time reading long messages because of some pretty severe ADHD.

I apologize for my inability to edit words down. 😂

I am a writer.... Not an editor, that's for sure. Unless it's a technical document.

I could tag a few people but there's a few I really, really want to highlight.

Everyone's favorite @Seattle_Aquarist for the time and patience to work with us on our plants and share such incredible information (and photos).  The detailed analysis is extremely helpful, even if it's not my tank. (There are quite a few people that also fit this category as well, but I will always forget someone 😞 )

Secondly, @Colu for trying to help us all get our fish through illnesses, even when dealing with their own at home. It's a much appreciated effort to try to help and you do try to help so many people here. It's fantastic.

 

Finally, @Odd Duck

For the many hours discussing fancy moss and one of the people that made this forum a comfortable place to be when I really, really needed that. One day I'll have the tank I dream of, but seeing those plants, the elegant moss, getting tips on where to find some, it's such a small thing, but the trajectory it sent me on has been helpful for me and I've learned a lot because I stuck around.

Edited January 9, 2023 by nabokovfan87
mobile forum weirdness

[JJenna]

I'd like to tag pretty much everyone for all wealth of information you have shared with the group. I appreciate all the people who have taken the time to read and answer the questions I have asked over the last few months. It takes a village to make a good aquarist, and this is a sweet little village that recognizes that each person has something to offer the group, whether it's a smile-inducing meme or a scientific article.  

[Odd Duck]

Wow, what a great thread!  Just another sign about what a positive experience this forum is about!

Thanks so much for all the tags!  I can’t even put into words how much it means to me for so many to tag me and express their appreciation.  I’ve never found a forum that was so accepting of everyone, or so many people that are so kind and so generous with their time and expertise.  There are so very many people that contribute that it’s impossible to tag everyone.

I do want to tag @dasaltemelosguybecause I think he has been the main driving force and the one doing the supportive hardcore research and calculations behind a couple of the most significant contributions to the forum and aquarium care in general in recent times.  Along with @Guppysnailfor her parts in these ventures along with her kindness and generosity of spirit that helps keep the forum heading in the right direction.  @dasaltemelosguyhas also given me ideas on how to do a few things in my tanks (the magnets to hold my woodscape in my angelfish tank, for instance) that I’m not sure would have been possible any other way.

I have learned (and relearned) so much since joining this forum.  Despite my decades of experience with aquarium keeping, I had taken about a decade or so away from fish until about 2.5 years ago when I rescued 4 fish from one of the dirtiest, nastiest tanks I’d seen in ages.  This forum is part of an ongoing learning process that is never boring, there’s always something new to learn, and the contributions from a variety of people abound.  I’m very happy to have found a forum where people can feel comfortable asking questions and don’t need to fear being ridiculed or put down.  Not to mention that multiple experts will soon step up to help.  I don’t remember ever seeing a question not get at least one response and often multiple within just a few minutes.

I can’t even list all the people that have had an impact on me and whose posts or messages I look forward to reading every time I see something new from them.  I feel very privileged and honored that so many feel I’ve made a helpful contribution here and there.  Thank you!

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

@Cinnebuns this thread was a great idea.  But we don't know how to tag "one person".  😅  Thanks for creating this!

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

I tag @everybody cause everybody here rocks in their own way!

[Cinnebuns]

On 1/10/2023 at 11:39 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

@Cinnebuns this thread was a great idea.  But we don't know how to tag "one person".  😅  Thanks for creating this!

Haha I think that's a good thing!  A sign of how helpful everyone is!

[FLFishChik]

There are just so many that have helped me on my journey: @Cinnebuns, @Chick-In-Of-TheSea, @Beardedbillygoat1975, @Guppysnail, @Irene, @nabokovfan87, @Odd Duck, @TeeJay, @Zenzo .. and most of all @Cory for all of the hundreds of hours of helpful content! If I forgot to mention anyone, I am so sorry! But I’ve gained so much helpful advice- always kind and supportive, never mean or judgmental and that in an of itself is priceless. It’s made getting into, learning, and moving further into this hobby so enjoyable. I truly appreciate each and every one of you and can only hope that in the future, even if it’s just ONE newbie- I can make the beginning of their hobby as wonderful as you all have made mine!