Achilles Tang

Over the distance, there loomed a HUGE TOWER....

Anyway, since you have taken the trouble to point out several things about myself, I will answer you in brief. Any further need to expound, we shall do it in PM so as not to dilute the topic. Well, making friends is very much up to your EQ. Some people readily make friends and some can't. Yeah... I am in the marine biz for quite some time now so its natural that I utilize this forum to do sales as do most of the advertisers here. It's probably a testament to the effectiveness of this media since every person who comes here is a potential customer. Is there an unspoken or written rule that I cannot have commercial interests or be in the marine hobby trade if I am running a local reef club? Do I have to run this board purely out of my pocket & kick out my advertisers? As for other people who does seem to want to be engaged in some sort of enterprise, yes, it does seem to be a problem when it brings out the ugly side of people when they form alliances, or have supporters who sometimes try to bring down a competiting product or support their friends'. And some people who try to fleece others and some who profiteer. What do you propose we do about this problem? I think actions speaks louder than words and I almost certainly try to prove with evidence what I claim to know. Anyway, I believe in sharing and teaching but not forcing people to accept my words as gospel truth. If I have done so and you are offended, I apologize. Every Human interaction guarantees that there will be some favoured more than others, be it in your own family, workplace, place of worship, at the LFS, at the coffee store etc etc. Its up to the individual to deal with it, and there are bigger issues around the world like racism that are more difficult to deal with. As this is the first time I am hearing that I am lucky that people are still surfing SRC in spite of my rules & regulations, then I must count myself as the luckiest man on earth because the number of people joining SRC is still increasing rapidly. The way I do things here, you can call that 'Administrative Perogative' or Owner's Rights... the rules are meant to keep things in order... if not SRC will have anarchy and be an extremely messy place. If you like freedom of posts without any guidelines or restrictions, I can refer you to some boards which are less governed with inhibitive rules like SRC. I thought the complaint would have been that I am slacking in my job recently! And yes, if there are posts that may be errant, please highlight it to me or the Mods who will rectify. Please understand that there are hundreds if not thousands of thread replies to monitor and there's only 3 of us... who are not present 24/7. "Boss" is a nickname given to me by a few people who can say it in jest or in sarcasm (i never know)... of which I am quite uncomfortable with and have told a few people to quit calling me that. I know BOSSES are hated at times... even I can't recall that I love every boss of mine in my past careers. If you have felt that you need to call me boss for whatever reason, please don't. I'm glad you don't. As for taking care of others, please define 'others' and 'taking care of others'. If you mean everyone else here in SRC (except friends and customers), then do you mean that all the time I have taken to run this place, put up with threats and complaints, the vulgar emails, the tips, advice and information that I have helped others with all this past years have been a waste of time and totally unhelpful? WOW! I'm must be the most sadistic person on this earth to do this to myself!!! Are you just like me, talk like me and dress like me? I feel like Slim Shady. Never mind. You are saying everyone active here in SRC is just like me. Or am I just like you because logic dictates that you here in SRC. It's either an insult or a compliment. I am confused. Nope. As evidenced by me keeping this thread by you and replying. But can i suggest that you talk to me on PM or call me on the phone on any further replies? Thank you very much for sharing that I am part of the problem and awaiting your suggestions on how I can be part of the solution (via PM of course). Yours sincerely, AT

Hi Mr Acroporidae Welcome to SRC and thank you for your positive feedback on how to improve myself. Certainly, someone who has been using SRC for mostly sales purposes will be in certain position to give good personal feedback. I believe you must know me very well as a friend or do most of your feedback come from people you hang around with who knows me very well? Anyway, I have never said I was perfect and have never said I am placed on Planet Earth to please 100% of everyone 100% of the time. Placing myself on the frontline and in the spotlight, I know that I will get criticism of every word I speak and activity I engage in. I am prepared to deal with it and I am prepared to take every word of yours to improve myself. If there is something you wish to highlight about my failings, please PM me and I will see if there is truth to what you are transmitting and if need be to change myself for the betterment of myself and not just to please other people. No government on Planet Earth is perfect and will come under fire from both the left wing and the right wing for whatever policies they implement. Certainly how I run SRC will never please everyone. BUT it is also unfair & immature to blame me & SRC for how certain people behave themselves outside. I brought this topic up for us to take at hard look at ourselves (and that includes me of course) and see how ugly we can become as human beings. This topic is for us to evaluate ourselves on how we interact with one another in this small community and whether we are part of the problem or the solution. Since I am part of the Administration of my own forum, I decide how I run the place (and that includes if I do commercial activities here if it helps to bring food home to my table and help run this club) and if people are unhappy, they can vote with their feet by leaving and never coming back, anyway, the club is free for all to come and leave. Some have made full use of the forum and left. Some have stayed and contributed and will still continue to contribute. Some use the forum for their own selfish purposes like just to sell off things but have never gave anything back but ask for more in return. A general question one can ask thyself is: Why are you here and what's your motive?

A turkey baster can also suck things out like parasitic nudibranchs and flatworms... but a powerhead can't. For detritus-moving... a tunze stream beats everything flat!

Your fishes will learn to avoid the 'cone' and swim everywhere but around it. Some fishes like tangs and anthias would actually enjoy 'surfing' the 'wave' but for small tanks like yours... err..... I think not. "Wheeeee...... SPLAT!*

Placing your stream is not just about the technical specs. It's about placement. You have to play around with positioning until it doesn't: 1. Blow tissue off corals. 2. Spurt water out of the tank/create salt spray 3. 'Dig ups' the sandbed. 4. Create 'whirlpool' effect and blow tiny bubbles all across the tank. You have to learn how to secure it firmly in place so it doesn't do any of the above yet be easily acccessible for cleaning. Often than not, I see reefers use rocks to diffuse/divert the water flow or aim it diagonally across the tank to bounce off the opposite walls.

Ok. Enough of this shit. I will say it once and for all. You guys obviously can't get along and any form of interaction inadvertently breaks down in no time again and again. How many outbursts and clashes do you want? Do you all enjoy it so much? If you guys who cannot see eye to eye with the people who form the OTHER clique here, STOP ALL COMMENTS immediately... and this I include talking amongst yourselves online with direct or indirect references to the said party above. No comments on criticisms or encouragement on both sides of the fence are to be made so as to avoid further trouble. Anyone who breaches this common sense rule WILL BE suspended of their posting priviledges. And go read my thread about why SRC is going downhill.... you guys are part of the problem and not part of the solution. If you can't hold a decent conversation with one another without bringing up the hurt/injustice/sarcastic remarks done to one another, then STOP talking about/to one another!!!! This thread is NOW CLOSED.

When did it appear? I'll keep a watch on it too!

What's happening here?

Read through some of the above... so the feelings that SRC has changed alot are more widespread that I thought. If the senior members were to speak up, I am sure we'll get an even ruder slap. When I said to take a long hard look at ourselves, it mean to reflect on our ownselves first before looking at others (for the one who asked what this means). Comments were made that I have 'lost' control of SRC throughout time but my defensive reply was... "How could I control what makes up the character of a person? How can I control his motives, mood and objectives everytime he/she posts a comment? How do I say that post made is out to invoke a negative response and delete it immediately? (unless it was obvious?). Friends who see the crap I went through in all the politics & revengeful activities of certain individuals in the industry and those in SRC who are helping them against me have time and time again told me to detach my feelings of hurt and not to react by posting in SRC.... I tried very hard not to but I did on several occasions to mainly warn them that I was aware of their actions. For that, these friends have my eternal thanks. But more often than not, people fail to realize that I am human also, hence my occasional outbursts. For those who think that I'm trying to get sympathy here, I'm not. I have already been hardened so much that my heart is stone cold. Would you guys believe me if I tell you that there are people out there who wants SRC closed down because I/We are a threat to them? And these are not people outside SRC but people who are in SRC, who are part of this community, who have benefitted before from SRC. SRC for the record, will forever be here and will not be easy to bring down because IT SERVES THE PEOPLE and IT IS MADE UP OF THE PEOPLE... not just me. Like I said since the day I started this club... I merely turned the ignition key but you guys are the ENGINES!!! But seriously, how do I control how people talk? Don't forget SRC has grown from a handfull of people to now about 3000 registered members... and believe me when i say that there are a LOT more people who don't/have not register yet for some reasons! SRC had strict rules since the beginning so much so that people complained that it was stifling. I implemented the Warning System of yellow-carding someone first. This system hopefully would remind users that they were to conduct themselves well in this community. SO has the control system failed? Can it be improved? Do we need more STRICT Mods who are no-nonsense people watchers? Are the mods expected to be even less human? I think the answer can be found when individually, we all make THE EFFORT individually. So ask ourselves these: Must we change for the better.... YES! Can we change? YES!!! Can we be nicer and better people? YES!!! Can we all INDIVIDUALLY play a part to make this place a little better?? YES!!!!! Can we all contribute more as INDIVIDUALS to help our fellow men? YES!! A little harder now: Can we all learn to be a little less selfish, revengeful, jealous towards our fellow men?? Can we learn not to be so suspicious of one another? Can we all learn to be more forgiving? Can we all learn not to be so proud and superior? Can we all learn not to be part of the problem and be part of the solution???

Yes Storm, we have brought this up as an issue... so lets stop glossing over this 'gang/group/clique' thing. We have a waking up to do and solutions to find.

What do you propose?

oops... did you say in-cabinet? Hmmm... well, then the cabinet has to done first but you have to brief the main cont do reinforce the bottom part and built in the electrical stuff and cater for ventilation at the top of the structure. I suggest that you cater for more working space in that section of cabinet where the tank is going to sit in.

Yo cute ape! Logic dicates that you have to get the foundation/flooring in first, the hole hacked properly, the electrical works done before the tank moves in. After which the facade can come in and cosmetically complete the built-in-wall concept.

Ask not what the club/forum can do for you and ask what you can do for the club/forum. You ALL know what this club is all about... if not please read the Welcome Message. Its not about self but also about others. Yet everyone comes to the forum for their own purpose and agenda and our character/maturity/motives dictate our actions. Just ask why ugly characteristics are on the rise and all the nice people have all gone. Are you part of the problem or are you part of the solution? As for some of you bringing up the 'commercialism' of this forum.... need I remind again that this forum is privately-owned by me but set up for a public service. This forum has benefited a LOT more people than it has ever benefitted me, monetary or otherwise. Bear in mind that I have received far more misunderstandings, backstabbings, gossip, outright hostility and sabotage and even faced vulgarities for my efforts in running this club and promoting the reefkeeping hobby in Singapore than any one of you as guests in this forum. I have never said I was perfect but yet the expectations of me are so much higher and I am expected to please every single one out there. Fair or unfair? I have seen friends become enemies because of sensitivity and gossip. Rivalry amongst individuals cause divisions amongst a group. Competition in trying to make money from SRC amongst individuals has caused immense unhappiness with one another. My decisions in running the forum as I see fit include forbidding the mention of individuals/businesses which have outright hostility against me and I see no reason why my forum should benefit them in any way! Please RESPECT this fact. I want to highlight to everyone to TAKE a good hard look at YOURSELVES first before taking a hard look at someone else. If you can't control yourselves, and you can't be part of the solution for a better community, you are part of the problem. And even those who sit on the sidelines, I believe you have all learnt something in your time here... isn't it time to contribute something back? Not for me.... but for your fellow hobbyists. Think about that.

Pebbles you mean? If I had a bicycle still, I may have requested or it... but then again, my feet are too big.

Wow! Amazing response! Let's hear it from the old-timers.... I am sure they have a lot more to say.

Moving this to the Pest forum. AT

Take a walk down Arab Street?

No problem. They stick to their own kind. No guarantees with Coral Banded Shrimp... very aggressive.

Visa.

From my experience, peppermints are hardy shrimps and they are extremely GOOD HIDERS. It took me a few weeks to find them and I needed a strong torch and 'hunting' late in the night to spot them. Your peppermints are properly still alive if there are no predators around and if they were acclimatized well in the first place. They are usually upside down under ledges so you have to angle upwards with the torch... They are usually active only at night.

Peppermints work. Full stop. No way in hell you can get behind rocks and in crannies where your hand can't reach. The other biological control is using a Copperband... but it will also make short work of some of your inverts, especially tubeworms. And there could also be some corners it can't reach. If you are really fed up.. you can remove the rocks and then kill the aiptasia manually by brushing it off, boiling the rock, burning it etc.

As the matter has been clarified... it is appropriate to close the thread and to also take some time out to TAKE A LONG HARD LOOK AT OURSELVES!!!!.

Hmmm... anyone taped it down? I seldom watch TV these days!