PlanetCatfish.com

Hiya.
I'm just wondering where is this your glorius knowledge about fish come from. I'm reading every new post on this forum since it is for me great source of new and very interesting info. And I just got no idea where you get this all from? Pturley wrote that he did a report about fish in college. May I ask you what kind of study have you done? And Silurus I think (I propose that from few posts) is working in museum of some sort, may I ask you also how you get this wonderful job? And Sidguppy is a teacher, am I right? I just cannot understand how you know this all. I know that great part of your knowledge is experience which can be get only during a long time of keeping fish and I'm still very young and know nothing but you all here are a gurus for me, could you give me any advice what kind of study should I done to work in aquarium hobby since I love it much more than anything else. I'm study math for 3 years now, it is interesting but I cannot see me counting for all my life :] This all sounds stupid I belive but hey I want to know more and more about fish hobby :)
Thanks in advance.

I'll kick off here, because I'm most likely the least educated of us, most chaotic, and working on a job because of sheer bluff -I bluffed my way into this- and not following the rules.

after highschool, I studied in 'college' (it's very different, education, from UK or US; so it's kinda hard to compare), call it teachers' school.
I did biology (no surprise here) and chemistry as my second choice (back then, you had to choose 2 subjects; that's changed now). The first two years I was the best of my year, after that there were some major changes in my private personal life, and there was a LOT of math involved in 3th year chemistry as well. I'm a disaster at math....
Add to that my impatience with incompetent idiots, aversion to arrogant egocentric academics, a big mouth and a very stubborn, headstrong and individual personality: in short, I fluked. I quit after five years steadfastly refusing to bootlick anyone into granting me a degree or complying with their idiotic requests. never had a degree whatsoever.

And I already took 2 years longer on highschool than usually, because of math and gross misbehaviour ....
likely, that's why I'm a good teacher; the kids aren't nearly as nasty as I was (most of the time; the ones that DO get me up the wall are really good at it), and I know almost all their tricks; I was bad.

So all my fishknowhow has another source: life.
I started when I was about 9 years old with catfish (2 cory's), and I'm a few weeks short of 40 now .
I read any book I could get my hands on, visited lots of places, read papers written by Ishbrucker and Sands years and years ago, and even ran into Isaak at one occasion. We gave presentations about keeping catfishes back in 1986-88 already, with lots of help on the facts by the man and others....and I've been fishkeeping now for 30 years.

Actually, right now -september 74 I started- I can say a small celebration is in order!

and I'm like SPONGEBOB when it comes to fishy fats; whenever I come across interesting things, be they in a book, on the web, in my own tank or from the mouth and brain of real honcho's like HH, Dinyar, Sands, Ishbrucker and others...it sticks!
Add to that the many, many cats I've had over the years, and you probably get the picture. my fishkeeping involved a LOT of 'trial and error', mind! I don't want to think about the truckload of money it involved in 30 years or the mound of dead fish I left behind me, while in the 'learning process' sometimes unexpected, sometimes of sheer stupidity by yours truly.

that's about it;
Sid

thanks for a reply Sidguppy :D
well about a math there is nobody bad in it at all. But you have to remember one thing when a strange looking exercise you get to do "freedom is a feature of true master". That single sentence changed my life, i was really bad in math in few first years of my education process and then new teacher of math told my this sentence. From that time I'm the best in math, i never stress :). however i got not very high degrees here on university (i was first in my school in highschool hehe when we are talking about math :P), becouse I hardly do exercices how teachers want, i do them with my own method :P thats what get them crazy :] and that what you said about bootlickers :] high degrees get almost only bootlickers(here on university) :] its stupid :( but it seems it will never change, sad :(
Yeah 30 years of keeping fish is a great ocasion to celebrate!! I wish you next 30 years in this wonderful hobby with even greater successes!
I started 14 years ago, when I was 7 my grandfather bring me a little 10 galons tank with 5 neon tetras and a common bristlenose, I got this tank till today :D, it is not glued by silicon but glass is keep together by iron stellar and seal up by putty :). And a true tank I have for 7 years now :D I love it and I'm learning a lot of new things about fishkeeping :D
Well I had the highes degrees in biology untill I had to learn about humans, I hate it :] and I got the best degree in the end of highschool only becouse in last term I got genetics :D. It looks that I have to learn biology and start second studies :D hyhy thanks!

Worton,

While it looks like fun working in a museum, being a graduate student studying systematic ichthyology (which is what I do; this means that my museum "job" ends when I graduate) is a pretty good way to ensure that you have great difficulty finding a job in your field of study.
Not much of a demand for systematic ichthyologists worldwide. You must want it real bad to embark on such a course (me, I'm just stupid and now it's too late for me to back out...).

Since the other two named in this post chimed in, I guess should as well. First off, a humble "thank you". There are many, many more people on these forums equally or more deserving of notice and credit for their contributions.

As you enter into University, if I can offer you a couple bits of advice: Study EVERYTHING that might possibly interest you in college (even Human Physiology). As electives took additional Chemistry courses, EEB:(Ecology,Evolution and Behavior), Molecular Biology, Advanced Cell Bio., Engineering courses, additional physic courses, Fish and Wildlife Management courses (Behavior, Physiology, Limnology and a couple of others) and just about anything else that interested me. It took a bit longer, but it was well worth it. Since I was paying my own way anyways, I thought I might as well enjoy it.

To sum it up into one statement:
Read all you can, study everything that even remotely interests you (you may find you like it a lot more than you think!), ask questions, don't accept the advice of one person as the final answer and most of all, seek out your own conclusions.

:D thank you guys thank you very very much :D, as you suggested Paul I will check out what types of courses I can take in my university (however I think that I wont find a lot :] but I will try :))
Silurus, well I didnt think about future yet so seriously but I think that it is true: mature life can kick my ass :] but if you do what you love everything will be ok :D
and I noticed one more feature :D you all are very humble :D that is great feature :D
Thank you again :D maybe some day I will be so good as you are :D

You guy's are way to modest!

It's something to do with pet keepers being like their pets...

Jools

hehe :)

then I should be a complete and utter #$%@#$%@#%, because of all the Tropheus and treto's in my tank!

what? I am?
darn, there goes the disguise!

should have known you guys were onto me