C.R.E.A.M.

[pwmin]

the moral of the story is if you have questions, don't hesitate to ask. I don't really think there is anyone, CE or not, that thinks they are too good to help anyone out...beginner or experienced cichla fanatic. Make sure you do your research first though as many questions have been asked over and over. Arguing about whether or not CE is elitist doesn't get anyone anywhere. We're all here to help each other out and to elevate the cichla game.

 

[ArttyFish]

the moral of the story is if you have questions, don't hesitate to ask. I don't really think there is anyone, CE or not, that thinks they are too good to help anyone out...beginner or experienced cichla fanatic. Make sure you do your research first though as many questions have been asked over and over. Arguing about whether or not CE is elitist doesn't get anyone anywhere. We're all here to help each other out and to elevate the cichla game.

I think what Hulon is possibly saying about C.E. is he is trying to say he has many years experience raising cichla. There has been a big popularity of cichla owners that are just starting out to keep these species and there are long term keepers who have been raising them for years. If Hulon says he is C.E. he might be stating he has been in the game or has quite some years of experience raising cichla so he might know a bit more than a possible newbie about cichla. I would definitely want to listen to advice from a person that has say like 10 plus years in keeping cichla then a person like like 6 months in.
Although the advice might be identical, hearing it from a veteran or experience person just give me more confidence. It is just like respecting your elders in the real world. They have lived longer than you and have more life experiences. But it seems young people these days and with the internet technology so dominating their lives, they think they are the smartest and knows it all. Cichla keeping really isn't hard and should be kept simple anyways.

 

[TimTheBadass]

I agree Hulon is definitely amongst the elite. He has a lot of experience and is also extremely helpful and supportive of other cichla lovers. I just feel it's pretty disrespectful to other very experienced keepers to have this members only club. I believe it's up to every one on this forum to decide for themselves who the elite are.

 

[HULON]

I wish ArttyFish can be C.E. I have a few years of cichla keeping experience and will help out any future or current Cichla keepers with any questions. Peacock Bass are an awesome fish to raise but they demand a huge monster tank as adults and if you can't give them that, you should avoid keeping them. Well unless you plan to grow em and sell em later.

This is really silly. C.E, C.R.E.A.M all these things show great creativity don't get me wrong, but creating a hierarchy is really unnecessary and i mean its really only been happening more recently then prior. I see that there are children on this forum and well they act like children. I see that there are also adults, most of which act like adults. More of us need to act our age. Funny thing is if we object we are immediately labeled as "haters" which is just silly as well. Labeling people for their opinions is a very low act, specially for an "adult".

And I mean honestly its not a prize or anything special to be able to raise a fish to adulthood thats should be one of your goals when raising your pet. It's kind of like giving gratification for a common task you have to do, like breathing. I mean you don't have to raise your fish to adulthood, it may die but that was one of the initial reasons. Sure it may be a bit difficult and costly in the long run but you chose to do so.


Beginners helping each other will always happen, it may not always be the best advice but with experience comes knowledge. The idea of having a more experienced hobbiest assist another is one i greatly approve and do myself so in return i gain experience. We are always learning even the best of us, you can't deny it and it's good that we are because otherwise this hobby would be much more boring then it is.

Well said Henrry, For me personally, I am at the stage of trying to own and collect the rarest of the rare cichla that we are all C.R.E.A.M.ing about. No Pun Intended...but with all the demand, prices of rare cichla is going through the roof and it is unbelievable. I believe it is forums like this that causes the price to go sky high due to people talking about them and the vendors are listening and their prices go up. I know shipping prices didnt go up much but demand went up so suppliers and vendors are cashing in like the stock market. So guys like me have to fork out tons of cash to obtain certain species. You have to pay to play.

I must say. I'm not down with this hierarchy and elitism. I've raised a group of tems and monos from fry to 14" and I'm almost there with a kelberi and pinima. My question is if I want to tag my sig with C.E. as a symbol of my achievement why do I need to ask permission from HCR or boosten?

Don't get me wrong I have massive respect for these guys and many others in this forum. However I feel there knowledge is best served helping fellow cichla keepers not judging them.

I think what Hulon is possibly saying about C.E. is he is trying to say he has many years experience raising cichla. There has been a big popularity of cichla owners that are just starting out to keep these species and there are long term keepers who have been raising them for years. If Hulon says he is C.E. he might be stating he has been in the game or has quite some years of experience raising cichla so he might know a bit more than a possible newbie about cichla. I would definitely want to listen to advice from a person that has say like 10 plus years in keeping cichla then a person like like 6 months in.
Although the advice might be identical, hearing it from a veteran or experience person just give me more confidence. It is just like respecting your elders in the real world. They have lived longer than you and have more life experiences. But it seems young people these days and with the internet technology so dominating their lives, they think they are the smartest and knows it all. Cichla keeping really isn't hard and should be kept simple anyways.

I agree Hulon is definitely amongst the elite. He has a lot of experience and is also extremely helpful and supportive of other cichla lovers. I just feel it's pretty disrespectful to other very experienced keepers to have this members only club. I believe it's up to every one on this forum to decide for themselves who the elite are.

Hey Guy's I believe i misspoke to some extent last night And i am just saying this as HULON and let me kinda roll back here 3 years i had been out of the hobby probably 12 to 15 years got back in i knew nothing of computers two years ago i was looking at a you tube vidio and saw Dmacks vidioand something in it said something about MFK I looked around and joined Immediatly and also ran out and bought some Orino So if you think ive got ten years of Cichla Keepinng under my belt you would be wrong for sure !!!!! As far as fishkeeping ya i have a decade plus in that for sure ..But i have to say without MFK and SOME highly dedicated guys in all spectrums of fishkeeping her on MFK Guys that i go to for thier specific knowlage in certain area's of the hobby And i will toss a couple names around of people i go to for specifics like in set up filtration i go strait to Chompers or NC nutcase as an example for the simple reason the have great Ideas and different ways of going about filtration then most of us and like to think outside the box and that's a fact about me I try to go straight to were it is happening and tear it appart then put it back together that way i know exactly how it works and why....OK back on subject here CREAM and C.E's are not a club not Elite or Elitists for that matter in my Personal opinion CREM to me means YA I love Cichla and a C.E. means OH THAT GUY HAS BEEN AROUND A WHILE AND CAN LEGITAMATLY ANSWER ME A QUESTION FROM PERSONAL EXPERIANCES not from someone who said wo said who said .......And directly to ya HENRY Why is it silly to love what you do for a hobby and Basicly advertise it????????????????????? I have not seen you post for months and yet the very thing you dislike you hopped on quiker then gresed lightning Man why is that ?????? And Jose you to i think your a good guy why you jumpin on the bandwagen of haters Bro ??????????I know for a fact your better then that give me a call bro i shot straight to your defense just a while back and you know exactly what i am talken about And one more thing you know exactly who hennry is And Tim i hurt that you think that by me having C.E. in my sig somehow means that i think i am better then anybody else I LOVE FISHKEEPING AND YA I THINK I KNOW A LITTLE ABOUT IT BUT IF I SPEND THE NEXT TWO DECADES DEDICATED TO KEEPING I KNOW FOR A FACT EVERY DAY THERE WILL BE SOMETHING NEW TO LEARN LONG STORY SHORT GUYS I PERSONALLY FEEL HURT THAT YOU FEEL THERE IS SOMETHING MORE TO THIS THAN THE LOVE OF FISHKEEPING MFK AND GOOD FRIENDS THAT WE ALL CAN TURN TO WHEN SOMETHING HAS US BACK ON OUR HEALS ....Isn't that what MFK is all about ???????????????????????????????????????????? I just hope this clarifies how i feel at least i really just don't get why this is happening here

 

[jcardona1]

And Jose you to i think your a good guy why you jumpin on the bandwagen of haters Bro ??????????I know for a fact your better then that give me a call bro i shot straight to your defense just a while back and you know exactly what i am talken about

Not at all Hulon. I think you took what was said here a bit out of context. The last thing me or anybody else is doing is hating, and especially on you. We've spoke privately many times and I have the utmost respect for you; you exhibit a passion that few do and you're a humble, down-to-earth guy that doesn't raise his nose to other members like many people here do.

Try to view things from the outside looking in, from somebody brand new to cichla, or better yet, brand new to the hobby. MFK is already a tough crowd without the labels and 'groups'. Then add to that an artificial 'elite' group, and I think it does more harm than good with regards to this section's image, and could be a little intimdating to hobbyists.

Again, please don't take this the wrong way. These are just the opinions of an outsider

 

[TimTheBadass]

And Tim i hurt that you think that by me having C.E. in my sig somehow means that i think i am better then anybody else I LOVE FISHKEEPING AND YA I THINK I KNOW A LITTLE ABOUT IT BUT IF I SPEND THE NEXT TWO DECADES DEDICATED TO KEEPING I KNOW FOR A FACT EVERY DAY THERE WILL BE SOMETHING NEW TO LEARN LONG STORY SHORT GUYS I PERSONALLY FEEL HURT THAT YOU FEEL THERE IS SOMETHING MORE TO THIS THAN THE LOVE OF FISHKEEPING MFK AND GOOD FRIENDS THAT WE ALL CAN TURN TO WHEN SOMETHING HAS US BACK ON OUR HEALS ....Isn't that what MFK is all about ???????????????????????????????????????????? I just hope this clarifies how i feel at least i really just don't get why this is happening here

I had no intension of upsetting you Hulon. I think you misunderstood what I was saying. I don't think you are claiming you are better than everyone else. I believe you tag your sig with C.E. as a symbol of your accomplishments in the hobby.
Do you not believe myself and other experienced keepers should have that same privilege.

If this is the case Hulon i should be C.E. as well

LOL!!! You need to talk to High city or Boosten for that Brother

I didn't expect comments like this from you bud and I think this is what got people a little pissed. I don't think there is any place for this kind of segregation in OUR forum.

It's invetations only Brother ...You could put it in your cig but WE will all know .....

Just take it as a lesson that a couple of what may seem light hearted comments can be quite insulting to some people. I've been there myself on a couple of occasions.

Finally let me stress that I don't feel ill of you and I strongly appreciate the help and support you've given me.

 

[HULON]

Not at all Hulon. I think you took what was said here a bit out of context. The last thing me or anybody else is doing is hating, and especially on you. We've spoke privately many times and I have the utmost respect for you; you exhibit a passion that few do and you're a humble, down-to-earth guy that doesn't raise his nose to other members like many people here do.

Try to view things from the outside looking in, from somebody brand new to cichla, or better yet, brand new to the hobby. MFK is already a tough crowd without the labels and 'groups'. Then add to that an artificial 'elite' group, and I think it does more harm than good with regards to this section's image, and could be a little intimdating to hobbyists.

Again, please don't take this the wrong way. These are just the opinions of an outsider

Ya see now Jose first off thanks second i feel exactly the Opposite yes MFK itself is intimadating to someone not unlike myself two years ago and when searhing this forum for friends with fish simular to what i WANTED to keep i got nothing but love from guys that had CREAM in thier sig and quite the opposite from alot of others scoffing snickering at my rediculas questions that by the way made sense to me at the time but as i gained knowlage know how all of the sudden Some of those same people (are) (were) ask my opinion on problems or just the simple how the heck do you get your fish to eat so much LOL!!!! Or simply have respect now were there was none .....It C.E for me is like a sticker on my shirt as corny as it may sound That says hey this guy knows his way around a tank maybe i will ask him like i say i still really don't see it but that does not seem to be the way everybody feels but again you can please most of the people most of the time but not everybody all the time I really for the life of me just don't see it Cream to me MEANS YAAAAAA MAN I AM A CICHLA KEEPER

 

[HULON]

I had no intension of upsetting you Hulon. I think you misunderstood what I was saying. I don't think you are claiming you are better than everyone else. I believe you tag your sig with C.E. as a symbol of your accomplishments in the hobby.
Do you not believe myself and other experienced keepers should have that same privilege.





I didn't expect comments like this from you bud and I think this is what got people a little pissed. I don't think there is any place for this kind of segregation in OUR forum.



Just take it as a lesson that a couple of what may seem light hearted comments can be quite insulting to some people. I've been there myself on a couple of occasions.

Finally let me stress that I don't feel ill of you and I strongly appreciate the help and support you've given me.

Well sure Tim The thing i guess that is troubling me is you have really shown any interest or anything that i can remember before ???????? I wanted to meet these guys and went straight to them by pm and Said Hi I'm hugh i love the way your cichla look can i come to you if i have questions and most if not all said sure you bet I mean really am i just totally missing something here ????????????

 

[hennry]

Hey Guy's I believe i misspoke to some extent last night And i am just saying this as HULON and let me kinda roll back here 3 years i had been out of the hobby probably 12 to 15 years got back in i knew nothing of computers two years ago i was looking at a you tube vidio and saw Dmacks vidioand something in it said something about MFK I looked around and joined Immediatly and also ran out and bought some Orino So if you think ive got ten years of Cichla Keepinng under my belt you would be wrong for sure !!!!! As far as fishkeeping ya i have a decade plus in that for sure ..But i have to say without MFK and SOME highly dedicated guys in all spectrums of fishkeeping her on MFK Guys that i go to for thier specific knowlage in certain area's of the hobby And i will toss a couple names around of people i go to for specifics like in set up filtration i go strait to Chompers or NC nutcase as an example for the simple reason the have great Ideas and different ways of going about filtration then most of us and like to think outside the box and that's a fact about me I try to go straight to were it is happening and tear it appart then put it back together that way i know exactly how it works and why....OK back on subject here CREAM and C.E's are not a club not Elite or Elitists for that matter in my Personal opinion CREM to me means YA I love Cichla and a C.E. means OH THAT GUY HAS BEEN AROUND A WHILE AND CAN LEGITAMATLY ANSWER ME A QUESTION FROM PERSONAL EXPERIANCES not from someone who said wo said who said .......And directly to ya HENRY Why is it silly to love what you do for a hobby and Basicly advertise it????????????????????? I have not seen you post for months and yet the very thing you dislike you hopped on quiker then gresed lightning Man why is that ?????? And Jose you to i think your a good guy why you jumpin on the bandwagen of haters Bro ??????????I know for a fact your better then that give me a call bro i shot straight to your defense just a while back and you know exactly what i am talken about And one more thing you know exactly who hennry is And Tim i hurt that you think that by me having C.E. in my sig somehow means that i think i am better then anybody else I LOVE FISHKEEPING AND YA I THINK I KNOW A LITTLE ABOUT IT BUT IF I SPEND THE NEXT TWO DECADES DEDICATED TO KEEPING I KNOW FOR A FACT EVERY DAY THERE WILL BE SOMETHING NEW TO LEARN LONG STORY SHORT GUYS I PERSONALLY FEEL HURT THAT YOU FEEL THERE IS SOMETHING MORE TO THIS THAN THE LOVE OF FISHKEEPING MFK AND GOOD FRIENDS THAT WE ALL CAN TURN TO WHEN SOMETHING HAS US BACK ON OUR HEALS ....Isn't that what MFK is all about ???????????????????????????????????????????? I just hope this clarifies how i feel at least i really just don't get why this is happening here

Alright, first let me say this. Your post, was incredibly hard to decipher. So, if I say something out of bounds its probably because I could not understand what you meant. However, based on what I could comprehend I say this:

Almost all of us (people who keep cichla and joined MFK) came through means like you have mentioned.

Its great that you have had people assist you, showing you ways of bettering your hobby. I'm pretty sure that is one of the intentions of this site (sharing the experiences and knowledge between users).

Well my opinion on C.R.E.A.M and the whole "elitist" thing is like J mentioned. Viewed in the quote below.

Try to view things from the outside looking in, from somebody brand new to cichla, or better yet, brand new to the hobby. MFK is already a tough crowd without the labels and 'groups'. Then add to that an artificial 'elite' group, and I think it does more harm than good with regards to this section's image, and could be a little intimdating to hobbyists.

I agree 100%, in the past not sure if you were around but this forum in particular had many issues. This being a good part of it. I do believe you know what i am talking about. If you don't then ask your buddies, as I rather not get involved again.

And yes, we all know who hennry is .

 

[HULON]

Just take it as a lesson that a couple of what may seem light hearted comments can be quite insulting to some people. I've been there myself on a couple of occasions.


I had know idea That you felt that way Tim ...And I am a paint contracter for a living Tim Maybe that's why i never thought twice about what i said but working for and with the public everyday even tho i own my own buisness i have many Bosses everytime i get a contact singned it's a different Boss Most people are Nice and Pleasant but beeelieve me i have learned to have thick skin not everbody is NICE....