if your realy nice i will tell you about my 35 years of fishkeeping! yes 35 years,(so how long have you been in the hobby ? dont be shy tell all)
so yes i have had some hardships, but i have also had some goodships as well but i will tell you this. I have enjoyed every year that i have tried to provide optimum conditions in my tanks, yes i know i have failed at certain times and yes that has hurt(in my mind & heart as well as my pocket) but do you know something ! if i can learn then WE all can, so come on ask me questions and the WE can ask you all aswell

Wow, that's a long time. It's been a little over 30 years since I had my first tank but I wasn't always active in the hobby. I kept tanks from when I was about 10 or 11 up to when I was 34 and work didn't permit it. I spent about 6 months on the road per year. I retired from the Air Force 8 years later and then started back up again, that was a little over two years ago.
best regards
mike

i know what you are saying but thankfully i was lucky when i joined up (at 16 yes i was a boy soldier, but you know somthing i'am proud of the fact, as its made me who i am today) as it was my dad who got me into keeping water(that fish can live in) oh man his fish house was a joy to behold (god do i miss that) he was quite happy to look after my fish while i was on manouvers or what ever, and yes sometimes when i got home my dad claimed some of my catfish, said somthing like i did'nt know how to look after them propley, nowt to do with he liked them that much

Do you have pics of yourself in uniform? I've only got one on the web and it was near the end of my career...looking a little old, a little tired. It was shortly after Iraq began and the hours, days, weeks and months began to blur. Here's mine. This was taken out in front of my bungalow by RAF Mildenhall over in Suffolk. I know what you mean too. Duty gives a man resolve. Honor hardens that resolve. And the service teaches one to view fellow men and women in a different light altogether.
best regards
mike

amen to that !
no dont have many pics/photos left, my mum & dad have a few but they not digi ones so its a bit harder to put them on here, just need to go to cyprus to get them of mum & dad, might just do that and have a holiday at the same time

Sheep (sheep its ment to say sh*t) that makes me wanna find my passing out parade pics
tell ya whats wierd though the amount of x-service personel on these boards wierd or what

Nice pic , I so tried to get my oldest daughter to go into the Air Force... ah but no, "we're not gonna do what dad wants" I even took her to headquarters, had lunch with the Inspector General (my boss at the time) and went to Lackland where I stopped some of the TI's to talk to her and explain what would happen. From there we went to the personnel headquarters at Randolph AFB where I had a few friends who also talked with her. After that, we went straight to the nearest Army post so she could see the stark contrast.... maybe that's what sold her on the Army Now after she's out of the Army... she says "dad, you know, I think you were right, I probably should have joined the Air Force" Like no kidding you big yutz wanna be rebel-gonna hate it in the morning!
mike

LMAO! I knew a bunch of guys at Hunter Army Airfield, and they all told me to jump off a bridge before I thought about joining the Army. I took their advice. My enlistment was short lived, but I have never regretted it. My dad was excited when I told him that I wanted to join the military, and even more upset when I told him I was out. So, that was depressing. I'll not elaborate on why I am out, just know that it was not because I intentionally got pregnant while I was in tech school. Any who, while I was in tech school (good ol' 343rd Security Forces), I married my now husband. We've been married for over 4 years. LOL And the MTLs said it would last more than a few months.

I've got some pics of myself when I was in the US Marines. They're about 5, 10 or about 70 pounds ago. I'll have to see if I can scan them for you. Let me go dig them up

I have a tech school marriage too.... And yes, I heard many of the same things you must have. However, after being married more than 25 years, I think I'd have to say they were wrong. Advice is cheap, commitment is forever.
mike

hmmm, does that mean I'm committed? It used to be that meant something like a hospital, no, that's not it, an instituion I think was the word. Maybe it was a ward. Now what was that? Who are you and SOMEONE answer the damn phone!

Mpp:

You and clunk have more in common than you think.

Clunkster just happens to be one of the most knowledgeable pleco guys I've ever come across. He's a Pleco-Pedia!

Thanks Gary,
I'm always willing to learn and share. I still have much to learn and expect to enjoy it along the way.
best regards
mike