Looking for a Mentor?

[FroggyFox]

Hi everyone. This thread is a good place to request or browse through and find a 'mentor' in some area of fishkeeping.

I would like to invite MFT members to post in it saying what areas they feel they have expertise in answering and would be open to getting some extra PM's on the subject from people...whether they be new members or members who would like some more info on your specific subject.

I would like to caution any newcomers to MFT that even though this could be a way to start being involved with the board members...that many/most times a thread in the public forum will get you a faster and more well rounded answer. We would love for you to introduce yourself in the introduction forum and get involved with the community.

Please remember that the self proclaimed "mentors" who post here are still only human...YOU are the one ultimately responsible for your fish and doing the appropriate research. If you get an answer from a mentor that you dont like...you could try another mentor, but the best solution would probably be to start a thread in the public forum instead. Please keep in mind that the mentors are volunteers and have a life outside of MFT, so spamming them with several messages a day or getting into frivolous arguements with them wont be tolerated. If a mentor is having a problem with a member, please PM me.

[FroggyFox]

I will start...and if everyone could try to put as much information in in kind of the same format, it would be easier for people to scan through. (maybe copy/paste)

Summary: I am open to getting PM's from anyone, but I dont have any real specialty areas with fish. I would rather focus on board issues.

If anyone has questions about my personal tanks (a tanganyikan tank, an amazon biotype tank, a betta tank and a little saltwater tank) I would be more than willing to answer questions about them.

In these areas I rate my knowledge as a : (score 1-5 and add notes)
Plants: 0
Livebearers: 4 (esp. guppies)
Cichlids: 3 (tanganyikan only)
Bottom Feeders: 2 (otos and cories, pictus cat, shrimp, apple snails)
Gourami/Betta: 3 (have a betta, never had gouramis)
DIY/Equipment: 2 (have used UGF & HOB filters, different size tanks, no experience with special lighting, 1 DIY cichlid decorations project)
Chemistry: 3 (I have the basics down, have set up/cycled 5 tanks)
Saltwater: 1 (just started with Salt)
Brackish: 0
Diseases: 1 (have only ever had to treat one outbreak of columnaris, and a little fin rot)
"Critters": 2 (have had ghost shrimp, accidentally bred apple snails, have some native snails.)

[lordroad]

I'd like to reiterate Froggy's point... those of us who feel we have some knowledge in areas are also learners, just like everyone else. I know I for one plan to PM a few other people on subjects like plants and saltwater, areas I'd like some 1 on 1 help with.

Anyway, I can help with ich outbreaks and/or cycling issues and just getting started out. I've had success with both the heat/salt method as well as the traditional medications.

I keep two small glass vases (1.5 gallon and close to 2 gallons) with live plants. If you're interested in starting a similar unfiltered, unheated system for your home or office desk, I can help you. What fish you can stock, what fish to avoid, water changes, etc...

I'm also a proud black ghost knife owner and I'd be happy to share my personal experience with these remarkable fish.

Plants: 2 (I keep a ten gallon planted with moderate care plants)
Livebearers: 2 (only guppies)
Cichlids: 2 (discus, angelfish, kribensis, oscar, convict)
Bottom Feeders: 3 (clown and kuhli loaches, otos, royal and common plecos)
Gourami/Betta: 2 (bettas, limited with gouramis)
Equipment: 3 (multiple systems, 2 ten gallons, 1 55, a 3 gallon eclipse, 29 gallon, 1 pico reef vase... I use whisper and penguins, and I can help you with modifying your filter cartridges; I also use compact fluorescents for a ten gallon planted tank)
Chemistry: 2 (Same as froggy, I have the basics down)
Saltwater: 4 (strictly nano and pico tanks, I'm clueless on the big systems)
Diseases: 1 (Ich and some discus problems)
Critters: 3 (I've kept African clawed frogs "Grow-a-Frog", ghost shrimp and also a brackish fiddler crab)
Do-it-yourself: 1 (compact fluorescent screw-ins, filter cartridges, unorthodox tanks)

[Orion]

I don't care one bit to offer help to others. I've found that I learn quite a bit even about subjects I thought I knew a good amount about by helping some one else.

I like to make the most out of what I already have. Be it plants, DIY or fish. Always open to the new and unusual. I love my planted tanks, and have a few fairly nice low maintance displays. But my love for the planted tank is met if not surpassed by my love for Tanganyikian cichlids. Luckily for me, I have been able to combine both. I currently have Neolamprologus brichardi, N. brevis (shell dweller), N. multifaciatus (shell dweller), and Julidochromis dickfeldi 'Midnight'.



In these areas I rate my knowledge as a: (score 1-5 and add notes)

Plants: 3 (Kept many different species under many different conditions. My biggest drawback here would be that I never got into the chemistry part very much. I have kept both high tech, and low tech tanks)

Livebearers: 2 (kept them mainly as a filler fish)

Cichlids: 4 (Primaraly Lake Tanganyikia, but also about some of the other lakes in africa, as well as some riverine species. Moderate amount of knowledge on SA/CA.)

Bottom Feeders: 2 (I have kept Corys, Some Fancy Plecs, few loaches)

Gourami/Betta: 2 (I have kept Bettas, and dwarf gourami's)

Equipment/DIY: 4 (Have tried or used many different types of filtration systems, heaters, air pumps and lighting systems. I love a good DIY project. From a new canopy or a stand to a simple mod to a filter. I always have ideas, some good, some down right dangerous. But thankfully most of the time I use common sence. Did I mention that I hate to spend money if I have something that I can use that I already have?)

Chemistry: 3 (I also have the basics down, but know how to tweak the water if need be.)

Saltwater: 0

Brackish: 2 (I have kept simple brackish tanks before. Only stock I kept have been crabs and mollies/platties. Not much to speak of really.)

Diseases: 1 (Can't offer a whole lot of help past minor bacterial and fungal external infections)

Critters: 2 (Fiddler crabs, Red Claw Crabs, fresh water eels (spiney fish), apple snails, ghost shrimp)

[FreeFloat]

I'll jump on this bandwagon too, since I don't mind giving out advice... even though I'm still learning myself for certain things.

Summary: Like others here, I don't mind gettnig PM'd either. I have some fish experience but I tend to focus on those few fishes that comprise my tanks. When I expand my tanks to include different kinds of fish, I gobble up knowledge on the new fish, then settle down to keeping them healthy.

See my signature for a brief rundown on my tanks.. (I update my signature whenever I have a significant change)

In these areas I rate my knowledge as: (score 1-5 and add notes)
Plants: 2 (I have a planted 10g with DIY CO2)
Livebearers: 3 (guppies)
Cichlids: 3 (Malawi mbuna only)
Bottom Feeders: 2 (plecos)
Gourami/Betta: 0
DIY/Equipment: 3 (I have HOT & HOB filters, different size tanks, a variety of interesting DIY fluorescent lighting some uglier than others, and a DIY CO2 container for my planted 10G)
Chemistry: 3 (I have the basics down, have set up/cycled all my own tanks as well as successfully moved cycled tanks between households 3 hours apart with NO loss of adults or fry)
Saltwater: 0
Brackish: 0
Diseases: 1 (just a but of fungal stuff and fin rot - my fish don't seem to get sick much yet, knock on wood)
"Critters": 1 (if you count the miniature snail 'infestation' I can't ever be completely rid of

[seastaar88]

Summary: i've been keeping fish for five years now. my specialty is in keeping native fish (weening them onto commercial food, collecting fish, etc). anyone can PM me. i'm very supportive to newbies looking get into the hobby and strongly believe that any question is of value and importance. so if you're "that kid" i'm more than willing to help you out with cycling and getting started. hey, we've all been there. it took me a year without any help from these forums to figure out what i was doing

In these areas I rate my knowledge as a : (score 1-5 and add notes)
Plants: 1
Livebearers: 0
Cichlids: 0
Bottom Feeders: 1
Gourami/Betta: 1 (used to keep a betta)
DIY/Equipment: 3.5 -- i know my equipment, both FW and SW setups.
Chemistry: 3 -- i understand what perameters *should* be and how to correct them when they are out of whack.
Saltwater: 2.5 -- can help with invert "cleaner crew," live rock, salinity, equipment, etc, but not so much fish.
Brackish: 2
Diseases: 3 -- i'm pretty good at dianosis and treatment
"Critters": 2 -- SW inverts

[Avalon]

First and foremost, I'm a plant guy. I'm not sure what I care more about, the plants or the fish! Seriously, my perspective is that if the plants are healthy, the enviornment for the fish will be too. I've been able to successfully grow 99% of the 60+ species of plants I've owned. I'm also familiar with a fair amount of "tank busting" cichlids, particularly my Green Terror, which I've had for over 3 years. I've also bred Jaguar cichlids.

My main focus is doing things right the first time, even if it means spending a little more than originally planned (with good reason; sometimes shaving the "extra" off somewhere else to do so). When dealing with living things, they deserve the best shot at life as possible. However, working with people and understanding their personalities, needs, desires, resources, and helping them choose the best choice in their current situation is an uncanny ability I possess. If you're not willing to put forth the necessary effort and thought, don't PM me, as I'm not going to hand you anything on a silver platter. I'll show you the door, but you have to walk through it.


Plants: 4.5 I keep plants in every tank. Well versed in high-tech & low tech planted ecosystems. I can't aquascape to save my life, but I have a strange way of making other people's aquariums look nice. I'm just weird like that.
Livebearers: 5 for Mollies & Platies (kept them both for years & years)
Cichlids: 4 for Central American (primary) & some South American; moderate discus knowledge; intimate Kribensis knowledge
Loaches: 4 for clown's and other common loaches
Catfish: 4 for otocinclus and common plecos
Equipment: 3 for being well versed in what I use: Marineland, Eheim, and Hagen filters; Coralife lighting fixtures; pressurized CO2 systems; various stuff I play with at the LFS
DIY: 3 for CO2 and retrofit lighting
Chemistry: 4.5 Most comes from planted tank knowledge
Saltwater: 0
Brackish: 0
Diseases: 3 Have sucessfully treated ich, intestinal parasites, fin rot, reviving fish from poor water conditions
"Critters": 1 Amano shrimp...all the rest are fish food imo.

[PreciousGems]

Summary: I'd be happy to answer any questions through PMs, emails, or otherwise. I've been breeding bettas for almost three years now and have also kept community tanks. With general aquarium things such as cycling and stocking, I guess I'm okay, but certainly not an expert on anything other than bettas.


In these areas I rate my knowledge as a : (score 1-5 and add notes)
Plants: 0
Livebearers: 2 (guppies only)
Cichlids: 0
Bottom Feeders: 2 (plecos, cories, snails, ottos)
Gourami/Betta: 5 (Bettas, 0 on gouramis)
DIY/Equipment: 1 (basics only)
Chemistry: 2 (basics only)
Saltwater: 0
Brackish: 0
Diseases: 4 (I haven't had many fish with diseases, but have researched all about them and know cures/tricks to curing)
"Critters": 0

[phOOey]

I would be glad to help anyone who had any questions. I have kept quite a range of fish over the years, i keep live plants in all my tanks and have bred my multies.

Plants: 3 ( i have a planted 40g, i know about ferts and how to care for many species of plant, but plants from asia is where most of my knowledge is )
Livebearers: 3 ( have kept swordtails, platies, guppies, know the basics for all the them, livebearers are pretty simple )
Cichlids: 4 ( mainly Tanganyikia shell dwellers, aswell as SA/CA cichlids, not quite so good on other african species though )
Bottom Feeders: 3 ( have kept clown loaches and RTS )
Gourami/Betta: 4 ( kept many types of gourami and a few bettas, know quite a lot about them both )
DIY/Equipment: 3 ( have used UGF, HOB and Cannister Filters, not so good on DIY )
Chemistry: 3 (I have the basics down, have set up/cycled 3 tanks)
Saltwater: 2 ( know some stuff about beginner fish, some corals and maintanence, but thats about it )
Brackish: 1 ( only know a little bit of which i've read on tinternet )
Diseases: 2 ( only ever had to treat for ich, fin rot and bubble-eye)
"Critters": 2 ( kept amano shrimp, mystery snails + MTS )

[zanoshano]

Summary: I am open to getting PM's from anyone, but I dont have any real specialty areas with fish. I would rather focus on board issues.

Im open to PM's, IM's, glad to help to the best i can..feel free to Im me at any time.

In these areas I rate my knowledge as a : (score 1-5 and add notes)
Plants: 0
Livebearers: 1 (not mutch, had some guppies?)
Cichlids: 2 (have a african cichlid tank)
Bottom Feeders: 2 (SW mostly)
Gourami/Betta: 3.5 (have had many bettas, never had gouramis)
DIY/Equipment: 1.5 (used Ug & HOB's, different size tanks, little lighting experience)
Chemistry: 1 (few basics)
Saltwater: 3.5 (have a 38 G reef, settin up another)
Brackish: 0
Diseases: 1 (dont have expericence with too many, just the basics)
"Critters": 2 (clean up crews, etc.)