Thank you guys!

[Ron Sower]

I just want to let this forum know that I really appreciate everyone on here.  Why?, you might ask.  Because when you fish nerds start explaining something, you do it from the standpoint of helping others figure out how to do something without appearing one bit high-handed or trying to impress us with your vast knowledge of a subject matter.  You just come forth with plain everyday English with thoughts on how it worked for you.  No one is trying to impress anyone.

THANKS...!

[b125killer]

Thanks Ron, Your part of Mugwumps fish world too And contribute to this wonderful forum. Thank you! It is the great people on here that make it fun and knowledgeable. Thanks for everyone's help and advice.   

[PaulineMi]

Sweetest day is comin' up and we're feelin' the love around here lately.    And yep this is a great forum. All topics are treated with respect and plenty of humor tops it all off. <3

[Ron Sower]

http://www.mugwump-fish-world.com/index.php?topic=1884.msg16987#msg16987

I just read Aron's post after I wrote mine a few minutes ago.  I think it's interesting that this has come up independently and we both have sort of the same thoughts.  He makes good points.  I just keep looking for the good and find a lot of it here on this forum to be better than anywhere else.

I'm not trying to make the next few paragraphs about me at all. But I want to illustrate how it works for me!!!

I don't think that the spirit of giving and helping in this hobby has gone away.  It may have with some folks, but I still see it every week.  I give away a lot of stuff and I have so much given to me all the time form the hobbyists I visit & trade with.  A fish friend asked me to help him plantscape his tank, so I went over yesterday and he had a TON of vals growing profusely in it. I meaN, THICK GROWTH!!  So he started pulling them out and I told him where to move his other plants to give the tankscape some depth and a focal point.  About an hour later when we're finished he says, here...take all those vals with you and do something with them.  There are at least 30=40 beautiful strong plants.  So I brought them home and will sell them cheap or give them away to others.  I only want about 5 of them! If I get them sold it will pay for my gas going down to his house.  He's quite a ways from here.  This morning he sent me a photo by text and WOW! that tank is pretty!...even if I say so myself!! And his wife loves it too!

Here's another thing. Same guy!  ...You never know when the simplest thing is truly enlightening to a person.  I learned how to differentiate gender in livebearers when I was 10 and got my first aquarium and fish.  Easy-squeezy for fishkeepers...right?  Not for all!  My friend had some beautiful young Moscow purple guppies that I was picking up from him yesterday (from an earlier trade deal). He wanted me to pick out the trio I wanted because, as he put it, he wasn't real good at differentiating the genders.  As it turned out he didn't have a clue! So I explained the anatomical differences and you would have thought I'd given him the key to all the livebearer knowledge known to mankind.  Simple things to me...an enigma to him...until yesterday.  But his need wasn't there til then. Sure, I could have sent him to the interweb, but it was fun teaching again!!

And another thing...Not too long ago Aron wrote me that he and Lori had helped someone new in the hobby by getting them into a good sized tank with what they needed to start up the hobby for little or nothing because they didn't have enough money to do it right. So another good illustration that the hobby still has the givers and helpers working for it.  And what about when I order caves from someone on here and I get an extra one sent to me just for good measure? 

Enough blabbering for now.  There are many god people still in the hobby that are out to help!