November 2007 spotlight..Paul Butler aka pcbs23...

[brewmaster15]

Hi all,
This month's Member spotlight is on Paul Butler,aka pcsb23 here on Simply. This is a spotlight that I really enjoyed doing as Paul is an admin here and a really good friend of mine.


questions...
1) Paul, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to participate here in our spotlight this month. Maybe we should start with a little background on you.. What do you do for a living?
It's my pleasure Al. I am the IT Director for a company called Panalux. This is a new company formed from my old company, AFM Lighting Ltd, and an existing lighting company owned by our new parent company Panavision. We provide TV and Film lighting services, not surprisingly to the TV and Film market. Some of the films we have done recently include Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and the James Bond movies. My job is based in London, which means I spend a few hours a day commuting. For the last few weeks I have been working from home, which has been very beneficial.

2)With the amount of time you spend on the forums and in the discus hobby, you must have a very understanding wife and family. Can you tell us a little about them? How do they feel about your discus activites?
Yvonne and I have been together for around 30 years, we recently celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. We have 2 daughters, one who now lives in Portsmouth with her partner and the other is still at home, though is now going to college. I am very fortunate in that all of the girls have enjoyed the fish tanks, almost as much as I do. When I am away on business or holiday my eldest moves back in to take care of the fish for me. She does a really good job too! Of late my youngest has been helping me in the fishroom as well. Because of my job, and the time I leave for work in the mornings, one of the girls will make sure that the fish are fed and check everything else is ok. My youngest will do water changes for me now too, if I bribe her

Yvonne usually comes with me when I go looking for new fish, she was at the recent Discus Show in the UK helping out Paul and Ange Lucas, well Ange really as Paul has been laid up of late. She enjoyed it so much that she is now wanting to get her own discus setup She has developed a really good eye for discus.


3)When did you first get involved in Discus? Any memories you want to share? The first time I saw discus was around 30 years ago, in a small lfs in Blackpool. He had got 2 on display in a tank that had just about every gadget imaginable on it. I believe these were probably wild caught fish, they were a wild blue I think. I asked the guy in the shop about them, he told me they were really expensive and almost impossible to keep.

I bought one, cost nearly a weeks wage. I managed to keep it alive for a few months. I then bought another, that lasted longer but still measured in months.

I remember thinking then that one day I'd own these fish, be able to keep them alive and hopefully breed them.

It was a long time in coming though, I got my next discus around 15 years ago, give or take a year or two (sorry poor memory). I initially got 2 Cobalts, then a couple of days later went back and got 2 more! About 3 months after that I added two more to the tank. At this time I only had the one tank, so in they went, no quarantine or anything. I guess I was lucky that time. They shared the tank with a plec, some gouramis and some neons. I hadn't the faintest idea what I was letting myself in for I had a short break from discus about 5 or 6 years ago after a disaster that basically wiped the tank out. It didn’t last long and that was when I got serious about it.

4)Do you have any other hobbies besides fish Keeping? I understand from my personal talks with you that you are a golfer? I still play golf, though I haven't been able to for the last 2 months, but hopefully I'll be playing again by spring next year. Currently my handicap is 14, which isn't too shabby when I don't practice and at the most play once a week. My ambition and intention with golf is to get back down into single figures, a lot will depend on available time and my body holding up.


5) What other fish do you keep?
I have kept most other types of fish at one time or another, except for cold water fish that is. I used to have a reef tank, that was very colourful, but not as fulfilling as discus. Now other than discus I mainly keep angels, I currently have some nice scalares I have been working with, but I really want some altums... I do have BN's and some nice wild caught sterbai's as well as few other oddballs, but the focus now is very much on Discus and Angels.

6) You've recently done some major renovations to your fish room... I think we'd all like to hear alot more about this project? What can you tell us? Got Pics? I have recently converted my garage into a fish room. I put a doorway through into the garage and sectioned a small area off for things like tools, storage and the tumbledryer, the rest has become my fishroom. I have very nearly finished it, and it has taken a lot longer than I thought it would. I have lots of pictures of when I was doing it too!

It is quite small really, but I have managed to squeeze in 2 systems, one is around 700 litres, or 185 US gallons, and the other is around 1350 litres or 355 US gallons. I also have a water storage tank in there that holds another 525 litres or 138 US Gallons. There is a very small amount of room for expansion, not sure yet what I want to add for now. I have hard plumbed as much as possible and put lots and lots of electrical outlets in too! I also insulated it as well as I could.

The good thing is I get my study back, as that was where most of the tanks were. I still have two display tanks running in the house though.


7) What lines of fish are you working with? Do you have any breeding pairs set up?Just at the moment I have no established pairs. This has been deliberate because I have not had the time to raise fry, so if a pair was forming I would split them up, occasionally left me with an unhappy discus or two but needs must. I am interested in the older strains, or variants of them and very interested in wilds. Over the next few months I will be deciding which strains I particularly want to work with, then I will move out the other fish I don't need.

8) Please Tell us about your wild planted display tank..
This is one of my true passions. I have kept planted tanks longer than discus and if I could have only one tank it would be a planted tank with wild discus in it. I have recently re-done this tank, a complete strip down and remake. I have tried to use plants and fish from the Amazon and South America. The discus and cories are wild caught, the BN's are domestic bred. I have used a mineral rich substrate because I knew I would have a number of swords in there. I will probably have to dose Fe for the Christmas Moss but I suspect the rest of the ferts will be naturally delivered It is a low light tank with only 120w of T8 lighting above it. It is 380litres, 100 US gallons, and there are two eheim cannisters on it, a 2217 classic and a 2329 professional,which also heats the water. It will take a little time to grow in, but I shall enjoy watching it do so . I’ve been quite disciplined on this tank, most times I pack in as many plants as I can, so far I am reasonably pleased with it. Now if I could only find “that” piece of driftwood or bogwood…

9) What do you feed and how often?
I try and feed as varied a diet as I can. I don't feed a lot of beefheart, maybe two or three times a week. The main foods I use are FBW, White Worm, compost worms when I can get them, various dried foods. I have recently been using the new Tony Tan dried foods, they seem pretty good at the moment too. I also feed Tetra Prima which is the UK version of Color Bits, and tetra pro as well as ZM granules. I've tried a variety of other foods, including cyclopeze and mysis etc, but they are the exception. Most of my fish get fed three times a day.


10) What kind of husbandry do you do on your tanks...wcs, tank wipedowns etc. I'm a water warrior basically I use RO water exclusively, reconstituted with minerals to the 150 microsiemens mark, except for my wilds, which are lower at 90 to 100 microsiemens. At the moment I am trying to establish a reasonable routine now the fishroom is up and running, fortunately for now I only have one system running! Typically though I have been doing daily water changes, even when knackered and home late from work I still do the w/c's. I wipe down each tank once a week, not necessarily all on the same day, and excluding fry tanks, they get wiped every day. I squeeze sponges once a week, sometimes twice if they look manky. Depending on which fish are in which tank/system depends on the amount of water that gets changed, the most it can be is 500 litres in one go though Other than using RO I keep things as simple as possible.

11) Filtration preferences..what do you use?
Sumps on my rack systems, they are far and away the most efficient way to filter tanks. Each tank will have at least one sponge filter in it as well. This lets me isolate the tank from the system if needed. Because each tank has its own drain it means that cross contamination is minimised. I like sumps because they can cope with very heavy bioloads, and you can hide all the heaters etc in there. On my display tanks I use canister filters, and as soon as my new eheim 2217 arrives they will all be eheim canisters. If I could fit sumps under the display tank cabinets I would run sumps there too! I find for qt/hospital tanks though nothing beats the simple sponge filter.

12) Now, Modesty aside...I know that you have taken some awards in discus shows....I believe in credit where its due...so lets hear about these awards and see the fish
I was fortunate enough to win three awards in the 2006 UK discus show, I was hopeful of getting at least a placing in what they call the hobbyists section, but I was genuinely gobsmacked when I won best of class in the Open Class for solid colours. Much more than I'd hoped for. That was with a Golden Albino.

This year wasn't as successful, though I am still pleased with picking up 2 awards for 3rd place, they were for one of my wilds, which was nice. I'll post pics of the winning fish a little later.


13) In the time you have been a member here you have been a tremendous help to many people on the disease board....I would like to ask you to describe your quarantine procedures in detail..so that more members can benefit from your experience.
If possible I qt in a separate room. It isn't always possible though.

I have separate equipment, so hoses, nets, buckets, towels etc... for the qt tank(s) Before and after working on the tanks I wash with an anti bacterial soap.

If the qt tank is an isolated system tank I put covers and splashguards in place to protect the other tanks (and vice versa).

If the fish are domestics then generally I will observe for a few days before any treatments, if they are wild caught I will do a PP or FMG treatment as soon as I can. I worm all of my fish in qt, generally use prazi, flubenol 15 or fenbendazole in food. Flubenol 15 can now no longer be obtained in the UK, so I am now using prazi and fenbendazole.

After that I do no other treatments unless I have reason to. I normally qt for a minimum of six weeks, though its not uncommon for it to be three months or more. Before fish get mixed I will put one of my least liked existing stock in with the new fish for two weeks, this way I can ensure that neither set of stock are carrying something the other isn't immune to. Thats it really.

14) We all have our own ethics when it comes to medication use.. can you elaborate on your views? What you use and don't use...and when?
I believe that meds should be a last resort. In my opinion far too many people in the hobby turn straight to meds rather than deal with the root cause. Over the last 18 months or so I have reconsidered many of the ways I use and recommend medication, particularly anti-biotics. I think anti-biotics are over used and also used in a way that encourages the bugs to develop immunity.

I am not a great fan of using salt in the aquarium for long bath treatments. There are some situations where salt is a useful medication, my preferred use of salt is as a short-term dip. Many people just seem to add salt to the aquarium at the slightest sign of illness, sometimes it can be a good thing but most times I’d save the salt for my French fries

I am fairly conservative in my own use of meds and very rarely use them these days. I always have a wormer and FMG on hand, and some times I am fortunate and have anti-biotics available, but these live safely in my fridge in the fishroom and are for emergencies only.

There are many ills imo that can be put right with good quality water.


15) Do you have any advice for hobbyists looking to buy discus? what should they look for? My first piece of advice is to do as much research as you can. Read books, forums and talk to people, but keep an open mind too.

Next, if at all possible go to the breeders place and have a look around. Don’t be afraid of asking questions, if the breeder or seller seems evasive or hesitant (unless they are shy), walk away! Ask how long the fish have been in the tanks, look at the floor of the tank, there should be brown or dark firm looking droppings, if not be suspicious!

Ask to see the fish being fed, they should take the food like it’s their first and last meal.

There are so many strains to choose from that walking round a breeders place can seem a little daunting, take a notepad and make notes about the fish you liked. If you cannot pick the ones you want on the first visit, make an appointment for a second visit basically take your time.

For people buying for the first time I would advise getting sub adult fish and also getting around six, this will give them less issues to deal with and they have more chance at success.

Raising three 2” juveniles to a decent standard when you are new to the hobby is like platting fog imo!

If you have to buy off the internet, phone the supplier and talk to them, most will be happy to spend five or ten minutes on the phone if you are genuinely interested, failing that email them, ask for photos of the actual fish you would get.

Discus should have a bright eye, good vibrant colour and an overall round shape, from head on they should look like an elongated oval, the fins should not have any fraying or splits, though sometimes in shipping this can and does happen. They should also have steady even breathing and gill movement. Pay particular attention to the body attitude, any flicks or twitches could signify a problem, leave them well alone.

16) You've been a member of Simply's University for a long time where you rate member's fish.... When you look at a fish what do you like to see? what turns you off? I like to see well proportioned fish with a good clear eye, nice gently rounded forehead and well balanced un paired fins. I like to see vibrant colour throughout and the fish striking a pose! The fish should present itself as overall round and healthy, it should look powerful yet graceful, almost delicate.

One of the main things that turns me off is a discus having a dull, lifeless eye that is too large for the body, often the same fish will have a muddy dull colour to go with it. I am not a fan of discus with cichlid humps, nor do I particularly like weak chins, but with these things there are degrees.

The other big turn off is poor body and overall shape. The eye and shape is the first thing that I see when looking at a discus.


17) Do you have a dream for this hobby and your role in it? What would you like to personally accomplish?Wow these are two very tough questions.

One thing I’d like to see in the hobby is an overall improvement in the quality available to the ordinary hobbyist. One of the ways this can be achieved is by education, that’s where forums like Simply with the DU and the experienced members on here can help. I have seen too many places selling very much sub standard fish, I have on many occasions approached the managers of these places to offer advice and guidance, sometimes to my wife’s embarrassment! They inevitably are charging far too much as well. I try and get the message out to people that there are better ways to start in the hobby than with often already diseased fish.

I believe that if people didn’t buy the rubbish that is on sale then these places would either stock better quality discus or sell something else.

As for my own personal accomplishments, well I do want to get back to breeding discus and angels. I will only let quality leave the fishroom. I also would like to help improve the hobby in the UK and elsewhere and make the hobby more accessible to all fishkeepers.

I’d really like to kill the myth that these fish are hard to keep. I will also continue to show fish and develop that aspect of the hobby.

18) Do you see any negative aspects to the Discus Hobby these days as compared to in its earlier years? Whats the most positive things you see?wow two more tough questions!

I see what I call a lot of mass produced dull discus making it onto the market place being passed off as quality. I also see a lot of designer discus being rushed onto the market, and whilst these are very exciting, may not yet be a true established, and therefore repeatable, strain.

Another of the biggest issues is the speed at which many people will dump antibiotics into their tank without a second’s hesitation.

From a purely personal view one of the things that really distresses me is deformed discus being sold as a specific type, I personally can see no place in the hobby for these abominations.

The positives are that many more people can keep these wonderful fish, healthy and happy, in fairly ordinary setups. When I started there was a Compuserve “forum” that was allegedly dedicated to discus, but no-one there would share information. The internet has made a huge difference, and many people have challenged the “difficult to keep” myth and found that discus actually do ok in most water types. Forums like Simply have probably saved many a discus, and kept many, many people in the hobby when in previous times they would have gone.

The advancement of treatment and husbandry is a big plus, I still think it has a long way to go, but it is moving in the right direction.

Above all else I see breeders in many countries no longer accepting the “it can’t be done” approach and producing high quality locally bred discus, that are healthy, robust and something to be prized. I take my hat off to them.


19) You've been a big help to Ryan and I on Simplydiscus and are an admin here.. You also own another forum, Bidka.org that just had its 1 year anniversary. ( a big Congrats there!!!BTW) .. Is there anything you'd like to tell Simply's members about this organization?Thanks Al, I’m glad I have been able to help, it’s fun working with both you and Ryan

And thank you for the congrats on BIDKA’s anniversary.

As for BIDKA, it all started just over a year ago when I was told it couldn’t be done! At first I wasn’t entirely sure of BIDKA’s purpose or if it would work. I know it sounds odd, but when I joined Simply I felt welcomed and at home. People were basically quite nice I am a member on a number of other forums, including some in the UK, none of them feel or felt like home. I didn’t feel involved or part of a community in the UK and maybe that is my failing.

With BIDKA I wanted to create a community that was quite relaxed, friendly and a place where people could have a bit of fun, and yet find information, advice and support. I think many Brits are quite reserved, and I felt by creating something new I could get many more involved with the hobby. Being honest, I really expected it to just peter out, but it hasn’t. I also want to create a platform that can be used as the basis for driving the hobby forward in the UK and, much like Simply has done, also embrace the international community. BIDKA’s membership has just topped 400 mark today, so it has a long, long way to go before it rivals Simply, but truthfully I don’t see it as a rival, and nor do I want it to be.


20) Have you had any mentors in this hobby, people that have taught you or been of help to you along the way that you want to recognize?There are a few people who I turn too. I am fortunate to live fairly close to Paul Lucas, we have many similar views and many conflicting views about how it should be done. Paul is very knowledgeable, and for the last six or seven years has been both a friend and a mentor.

Without wanting to make you blush, I also count you amongst those people I can turn too when I need advice, guidance or just another opinion on something. You have perhaps caused me to question more of the things I have taken for granted than anyone else, and as a consequence I am the better for it, thank you.

I’d also really like to thank the members of Simply for giving me an opportunity to put something back into the hobby that has captivated me for all these years. It’s been my privilege.


I think we'd all like to see some photos of your fish room, tanks etc.. so when you have time please do post as many as you can
I will happily get some pics up over the next few days.

I think thats about all I can think to ask you about Paul, Thanks for being here today to answer the questions and thanks for time you spend inthe Hobby and on SimplyDiscus.com

Al Sabetta,
Editor in Chief, Simplydiscus.com

[Kenny's Discus]

Paul and Al, thanks for the interview I really enjoyed reading it and getting to know him better now! The very best to you Paul and have fun with your newly built fishroom. Keep up the great work!

Kenny

[brewmaster15]

Paul,

Without wanting to make you blush, I also count you amongst those people I can turn too when I need advice, guidance or just another opinion on something. You have perhaps caused me to question more of the things I have taken for granted than anyone else, and as a consequence I am the better for it, thank you.

Friendships are 2 way streets...Thank you as well...for the site help, the contributions to the hobby, and most of all, the friendship.

You are a great asset to this Hobby my friend and a top notch guy as well.

take care,
al

[pcsb23]

Thanks Kenny, and Al you'll make me blush soon

Some pics of the recent fishroom, I will post ore later, just a tad busy now

[Kenny's Discus]

Paul I can see that you'll have your hands full with the beautiful new fishroom. It's also good to know that it's actually not so uncommon to convert your garage into a fishroom haha!

Thanks Paul and have fun!

Kenny

[Green Country Discus]

Al and Paul, very nice interview . Well stated questions and replies. It was informative, insightful and interesting to read. Thanks for sharing. Best of luck Paul with the new set-up and do share some pics!

[Kindredspirit]

Great Interview, Paul! The best yet IMO ~ I knew it would be that is why I voted for you. Actually, I think I nominated you!


Very Cool.

[pcsb23]

Paul I can see that you'll have your hands full with the beautiful new fishroom. It's also good to know that it's actually not so uncommon to convert your garage into a fishroom haha!

Thanks Paul and have fun!

Kenny

Thanks Kenny, as for the garage, well it's either great minds think alike or fools never differ

Al and Paul, very nice interview . Well stated questions and replies. It was informative, insightful and interesting to read. Thanks for sharing. Best of luck Paul with the new set-up and do share some pics!

Thanks Andrew, some of the questions really made me think I have attached a few more photos too!

Great Interview, Paul! The best yet IMO ~ I knew it would be that is why I voted for you. Actually, I think I nominated you!


Very Cool.

Thanks Marie

In my answers to Al's question I said I had a few oddball fish in my tanks, well how about this one?

[pcsb23]

I have been working with some angels recently, here are some fry and also the result of some of the work so far, Wonder what people think of it?

[AADiscus]

That was a great interview. I can't wait to see you posting pics of fry . You are a great help here on Simply and I didn't know you had your own forum. How neat is that! I'll have to check it out. Best of luck and I can't wait to see what strains you decide to work with.

[B-O-F]

Nice interview.

I have been looking for a good UK forum, Perhaps I've found it at last

[jeep]

Enjoyed your story Paul!! I'd like to hear more about your planted tanks and such. And, of course, more pics of your fish

[GrillMaster]

Nice interview you guys!! So we finally find out about the man who is "comfortably numb" Like others, I think you are an great asset to the forum, an definately a top notch guy!

Congrats on your forums anniversary! I think I told you that already...

You have got to be excited about the fish room. It is looking great! Though i dont think there is enough electrical outlets.

I remember when you set up the display tank with the wilds in it. It was a stunning tank then. Cant wait to see the updates!

Currently my handicap is 14

I can do that with my eyes closed!... Unfortunately when I keep them open it goes way up.

I’d save the salt for my French fries

You mean chips??

See ya on the boards...

tc
Mark

[Discus_KC]

Paul,

You are just a great asset for the forums and the hobby. Besides that, you are all class!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jack

[Kindredspirit]

I didn't know you had your own forum. How neat is that!

Where have you been? lol! I knew it was missing something ~ A&A!