Another Gathering?

[timebomb]

hello all , i'm alan. Just want to check with u guy will there be a smiliar gathering of some kind that is the same as this. Joined this place a bit too late so i didnt get the chance to see any of you guy. Hope for a gathering again soon Cheers

Alan, we don't know when we will hold another gathering. Honestly, we are not even sure if we will hold another gathering at all. The last gathering went very well but we need to have good reasons before we organise another one. We held the last gathering because:

1. Many of us have been talking to each other for some time in this forum but have never met so a gathering was a chance for us to meet each other in person.
2. There were many new hobbyists who wanted to buy killifish or killifish eggs so a gathering was a good opportunity for those with excess eggs to sell off some of their fish/eggs and for new hobbyists to acquire them.

Although some new members have expressed interest in buying killifish or eggs in the Trading Post sub-forum, they are too few in number. The new members here are also not "chatty" enough. Maybe they are just shy or something but frankly, it would be quite pointless to hold a gathering to meet people who hardly ever say anything in this forum. In order for a gathering to take place, the newbies must be more active.

Some of them told me that they know little about killies so they don't have anything to share. Or perhaps the stricter rules here scare them so much they rarely want to say anything. I would agree that the culture here is very different from other aquaria forums but I wouldn't define the rules as being strict. We try to make this a friendly place for everyone and the rules are there to keep it so. If it's only the regulars who post all the time, chances of another gathering being held in the near future would be very slim.

The regulars here don't need gatherings to meet up as many of us meet often privately. Gatherings, when they are held, are primarily for new members. I hope they can understand this.

Loh K L

[PohSan]

Dear all newbies (which includes me),
Before I started to keep killies, I have already posted a few questions in the forum. If you write in good English and sign off with real name, chances are regular here will be glad to answer your question.

Regards,
Ong Poh San

[timebomb]

If you write in good English and sign off with real name, chances are regular here will be glad to answer your question.

Just to clarify what Poh San wrote, we don't insist that everyone write in good English when they post here. We understand that not everyone have a good command of the language so it's perfectly alright to write in poor English. As long as we can understand what you are writing, it should be good enough. After all, this is not an English test or something. My English sucks too, just as much as the next guy

But to write in sms short forms or Singlish is strongly discouraged. This is because there are many members here who live in foreign lands. We don't want them to feel left out in discussions. Common courtesy dictates that we write in a language everyone can understand.

Loh K L

[alan]

Killies sure is a very beautiful yet rare fish in singapore, i dont seem to see many type but i remember seeming some at the last gathering place hee , i guess i go tommorro let hope there will be another session for sharing of the wonderful killies fish that most people in here like

Cheers

[joel]

Hi,

I'm also new to this forum and has indeed benefited from the information and the help from Au, especially.

I agree with timebomb that there must be a good reason to have a gathering. Maybe once we have the 'enough' number of new members we can organise another gathering ?

'enough' number = 20 ?

[timebomb]

'enough' number = 20 ?

Joel, it's not so much about the number of new members but rather, how keen are they? Quite a few people who sign on as members in this forum don't ever say anything. I don't know if they lurk and read the posts but if they only want to lurk, they shouldn't sign on as members. After all, anyone who surfs into this forum can read all the posts without having to register themselves as members.

Having said all that, I have to let you know that I'm not keen on holding another gathering so soon. The last one was held on 29th of November, barely less than 2 months ago. It would be too early now to talk of another gathering.

What I'm concerned about though, is that the newbies here who are looking for killifish or killifish eggs may not be able to acquire what they are looking for. The number of serious hobbyists in Singapore are too few in number. Other than Au, Sia Meng, Ronnie and Gan (aka Turaco), I don't know of anyone else who have many species for sale or giveaway.

I have a few species too but I'm reluctant to sell or part with them. It's not so much about the money but I have to admit that I'm getting weary of inviting complete strangers to my house and having to "entertain" them for a few hours each time. I used to sell my fish actively about a year ago and the people who have been to my house are generally nice folks. Many have become my good friends but nice folks or not, I find it all to be very time-consuming. It could be perhaps that I'm more busy than before but I find I don't have time nor the energy anymore to help the newbies get the fish they want. These days, my prority is to run this forum well and make it interesting and informative for everyone.

I think it would be a good idea if the regulars here put their excess killies in a fixed place so that the newbies can go there and buy them. Karin Leow's fish shop (Far East Aquatic) at Simon Road would be a good place for everyone as it's close to Kovan MRT station. Karin Leow's shop was also the place where we held the gathering so most are already familiar with the location. I haven't speak to Karin about this yet but I'm sure she wouldn't mind. You have to work out with her yourself though how much you want to sell the fish and what's the percentage of her "commission".

I left many film containers of brine shrimp eggs with Karin so that those who want them can buy it from her. Before, people turn up at my house just to buy one or 2 containers of brine shrimp eggs. I like to help people but there's a limit how much I can do. I hope the new members who are looking for killifish or brine shrimp eggs can understand this as I treasure my privacy and I can't let this hobby interfere too much with my family life. I think this would also be true for the other serious hobbyists here. Most are married folks with children. Work and family committments will make it hard for them to find the time to help the newbies. Leaving our excess killifish, eggs or brine shimp eggs with a fish shop would be a good solution for everyone.

Loh K L