What exactly is SimplyDiscus and why is it here?

[brewmaster15]

IF you have been a member of this forum awhile you already know the answer here..But we get many members and guests that visit us and they just don't know exactly what we are and why we are here. They may have found us in searches for discus or following a link from somewhere. I thought I would share my vision for the forum and why it is here.

This started many years ago as a place where a group of discus fans got together to talk fish. It rapidly expanded over the last 15 years to what you see today. Its a place that offers information on Keeping Discus. It offers help with keeping them alive and well, and help with all manner of their care, water requirements, breeding tips and info, and disease help. It does this by relying on the help and experience of a community of discus keepers. Those with experience helping those without it in the hopes of bettering the hobby in general. Thats pretty much what we are and why this place exists. But its more. Its also a close community that has many friendship webs in it. WE all start as strangers in this hobby but over time, many friendships form.Thats a key foundation of a forum like Simply Discus. Many here have become friends.Some of us, were it not for the distances involved would probably be hanging out in person often, spending Holidays together.

As the owner of this forum, this sense of community and friendship is important to me. Its one reason I have kept this forum going all these years. SimplyDiscus is about the fish, yes... but its also about the fish keepers. Its also why I insist on civility here. I understand the scorn that some have about political correctness, as it can be taken too far, but civility and politeness can never be. These open the door to discussion, debates and often times..understanding when there was none. I welcome everyone that comes to this forum, and hope that one day they will not only learn about the discus we all enjoy so much, but I hope these members will in turn share what they have learned with others and I also hope that they will make connections with the other members here and that those connections grow into friendships. There is more to this hobby than the fish...never forget that.


Thanks,
Al

[White Worm]

Great Post Al,
I agree and it sounds right because I stumbled upon Simply years ago when I was looking at colorful freshwater fish for an aquarium I just purchased. Came across pictures of Discus on the web and ran out to the local fish store to buy a couple and tossed them in not knowing anything. Of course, I killed them... Decided to purchase some online (cheap) which unfortunately came from a shady supplier. I killed them...Decided to do some further research and here I am. Met Kenny in Person many years back and then met John. Once I saw actual Discus in fish rooms and the care required, I was on my way. All of the techniques I use today came from this site and the fish family within. I don't keep discus at this time but I do keep angels which are pretty similar but don't require the pristine conditions that of discus. I've seen many come and go over the past 12 years and I too have taken a break at times, but it seems we always make our way back. I do plan to get back into discus as soon as I can talk my wife into expanding her angel program to include discus. I keep looking at Kenny's imports and it's only a matter of time.... Mike

[two utes]

Nice work Al!
Congratulations again to you and your teams on the 15 year milestone....That's an achievement in itself.
I'm so glad I found this forum as it has helped me in many ways, and like you pointed out not just with fish keeping.

Keep up the great work you all do on this forum everybody :)

[Clawhammer]

Thanks Al, for creating this forum and setting such a great example. The camaraderie on this forum is like no other. In a online world where relative anonymity often allows for one's demons to emerge, this site instead has daily displays of compassion and selflessness. What a great thing you have created Al, where people from all over the world can come together and connect over their passion for life and nature.

[Second Hand Pat]

When I first joined Simply I had not gotten into discus and decided to get wild discus from John. The wilds keepers embraced me and guided me along the way. These first experiences are captured two threads called Pat's Wilds Journal etc and reflected the community spirit on Simply. This spirit is very much alive and well today and one of the reasons this place is still alive. Many thanks to Al for maintaining this place, it's goals and standards but mostly it's wealth of information and community spirit.
Pat

[Disgirl]

I consider you all to be part of an extended family to me. I have made so many friends here, and really look forward to and enjoy getting to see many of you every 2 years at NADA. Thanks Al, this is such a good place to be for so many reasons!
Barb

[adrian31@outlook.com]

It is an admirable vision, well said.

[Jenene]

Love this post Al. Thank you. I have been kind of out of the loop with the end of school craziness but I stumbled upon this very valuable post. I started out looking for information to start my tank almost one year ago. Not only did I find what I needed but with the help of the community, I now have a beautiful group of healthy, large discus in the middle of the house that bring joy to every person that crosses my threshold. Along with that came the friends. These friendships are unique since we already have something we have a passion for. These friends, you know who you are ;) - have changed my life. I have never been happier. It reflects in everything I do and who I have become. I could have never imagined how powerful this Forum would be on the day I first discovered it. There is just something so wonderful about a pm, an email, text, a google chat or Facebook private message popping up because someone you met here is thinking about you- has a funny story or just needs to ask a question or someone to talk to.
The icing on the cake was meeting Al. I was lucky enough to make the trip down to meet him, his amazing family and some wonderful members. I felt like I had known them for a very long time. It was sad to leave knowing it will be awhile until we meet again.

This really is a big family, it's messy sometimes and needs intervention unfortunately from time to time. :argue: However, what a great reminder to be kind to each other and be as respectful as you can even if the "cousin" is kicking your leg under the table. Hopefully the "cousin" is reading this thread as well! :)

[brewmaster15]

Having been thinking alot about the hobby the last few months I wanted to add to this thread a bit and bring it back to the forefront a while. I know alot of people turn to social media like facebook for many of their interactions, which is fine. The facebook machine is big and its easy to keep tabs on all your friends both in the hobby and outside it with social media like facebook and twitter. They have their place and its a growing one. SimplyDiscus obviously has a facebook group as well, everyone under the sun does, but our forum functions differently. Its much like an archive...a library of sorts, or even for some its like a center of higher learning. You can actually read everything here thats taken place since 2002 when we first opened our site. From our stats today...

SimplyDiscus Statistics

Threads
97,737
Posts
1,191,931
Members
62,655


Almost 100,000 threads and almost 1.2 million posts. Thats an insane amount of information mostly related to our hobby. People can go back and read it all. Novices can tap into the experiences of thousands of experienced hobbyists. Experienced members can go back and check out discussions that they had and even add to them. Thats something you just can not get with facebook and twiitter and any of the newer forms of social media. They exist in the present time largely. They do have their place, but our place and function is different. I know many read here as guests, many are members and they now browse the forum as they do facebook, reading but not posting. Thats the trend. I would encourage you to :log in though and start posting again. When you do, you add to the hobby in a permanent way. Your posts and threads become pages in our book... a book you can always read and one that becomes a reference for others. Fill the book people... for us today and those tomorrow. :)

al


from 2002.... when we hit 1000 members.

113286


Pretty darn cool when I think about.

[Ryan925]

Having been thinking alot about the hobby the last few months I wanted to add to this thread a bit and bring it back to the forefront a while. I know alot of people turn to social media like facebook for many of their interactions, which is fine. The facebook machine is big and its easy to keep tabs on all your friends both in the hobby and outside it with social media like facebook and twitter. They have their place and its a growing one. SimplyDiscus obviously has a facebook group as well, everyone under the sun does, but our forum functions differently. Its much like an archive...a library of sorts, or even for some its like a center of higher learning. You can actually read everything here thats taken place since 2002 when we first opened our site. From our stats today...

SimplyDiscus Statistics

Threads
97,737
Posts
1,191,931
Members
62,655


Almost 100,000 threads and almost 1.2 million posts. Thats an insane amount of information mostly related to our hobby. People can go back and read it all. Novices can tap into the experiences of thousands of experienced hobbyists. Experienced members can go back and check out discussions that they had and even add to them. Thats something you just can not get with facebook and twiitter and any of the newer forms of social media. They exist in the present time largely. They do have their place, but our place and function is different. I know many read here as guests, many are members and they now browse the forum as they do facebook, reading but not posting. Thats the trend. I would encourage you to :log in though and start posting again. When you do, you add to the hobby in a permanent way. Your posts and threads become pages in our book... a book you can always read and one that becomes a reference for others. Fill the book people... for us today and those tomorrow. :)

al


from 2002.... when we hit 1000 members.

113286


Pretty darn cool when I think about.

Very interesting Al. Thanks for the info helps to put things in perspective when you see those numbers. I for one am not an FB'er at all, although I drive by that enormous thumbs up sign on a weekly basis lol

[Jack L]

i find forums organized like this better than fb pages for info.

[HappyFace]

This is a really great post <3

[Filip]

Great post Al . I agree with you that this is a center of higher learning with a vast library of discus books , compared to the social media discus groups which only exsist in the present moment .

I just hope , for the sake of this hobby , that there are still plenty of people out there who understand and are ready to contribute to the value of this forum and its library of knowledge .

[Kingdom Come Discus]

I feel so blessed to have been a part of this community for the last ten years.

It takes a whole lot of time to keep this place going well. I want to thank not only Al but all the moderators and the regulars who have always taken time from their day to help others. I have seen members come together many times to help those in desperate need. The generosity of the people here is second to none.

And yes the friendships developed here is my favorite part. I have been so fortunate to be a part of all this, the experience is priceless!

Thank you Al and your crew for all you do!

[kalawai]

This is better than any books about Discus period. I just want to say Thank You to Al and the crew!