# More Journals? discuss.....



## Dan Crawford (20 Mar 2009)

After a few points made about the lack of journals i thought it would be a good idea to have an area for you all to discuss it.

I don't generally do journals because of my hectic lifestyle. I spend a lot of time here during work hours LOL but when i'm at home i'm a very busy guy. I have five tanks to look after and that alone takes up far more time than maintaining one journal, let alone five! 
The whole ADA thing is a nightmare and i had my tank published in PFK before the ADA comp and i had no issues, that i know of anyway. I used a different shot with a different background so i should imagine that fair.
Journals are great and i love reading everyones, if not necessarily commenting.

To stick with the theme of more journals i'll do my best to keep my nano updated! (which one i hear you ask  )
........


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## Dan Crawford (20 Mar 2009)

repli8es from other posts....


			
				beeky said:
			
		

> I find it a shame that more people don't do journals. There may be a big impact when final shots or "tasters" are shown, but they're not journals. Empty tanks, substrate, various hardscape positions, initial planting etc are what people (IMO) want to see. They can then learn through others mistakes. I find it interesting to go back to the start of a journal and see how things developed. Some people don't have the time or cash to spend on doing a new scape every few months so seeing how plants grow and develop with hardscape over time is really important.
> 
> I must admit to becoming tired of hearing people aren't posting pictures because of a competition they're entering. No disrespect intended, it's just the way I feel. Although seeing the UK in competition is to be encouraged, if everyone was doing it, there's be no photos and no discussion.
> 
> Don't mean to offend.





			
				Superman said:
			
		

> The warts-n-all journals are great as it helps everyone share what they do and discuss ways to improve things.
> I'm hopefully going to be doing a new journal in a week or so with a few photos of the setup, although I've not done the usual 'pre-journal' thread to discuss hardscape as I want to give it a go myself first. I do plan to enter compeitions and I understand as long as the final tank shot hasn't been posted then that's fine.





			
				a1Matt said:
			
		

> I agree with all the comments re: journals. You only have to look at the post count to see their popularity.
> 
> and seeing as I have over 500 posts on UKAPS and no pics of my tank whatsoever, I feel somewhat of a guilty culprit!
> 
> On a more postive note this has spurred me on and I will start a journal in the near future


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## aaronnorth (20 Mar 2009)

Competitions do seem to play on quite a few people's minds. Personally i have entered, and i have posted the photo i have sent in. If they have a problem with it then i am not too fussed about it being rejected or whatever happens. It is still my hobby, and i dont strive to be competitive - although a little is always in everyone  

I recently went back over my journal and i was amzed at the change, and it brought back a few memories that had been forgotten - even picture posted from 2 weeks a go can be a big surprise.

I like journals because you can ask questions, and see the problems which people face, and find a solution to it. It is also helpful when people give you advice on what to do, to improve the tank and make it better. My tank wouldnt be half as good if it wasnt for all you guys  Thanks.

It would be nice to see more journals, or even just a few pictures every couple of months, particularly from some of the more experienced members (wink wink), as it seems to be mainly people who are relatively new to plants/ aquscaping, although i can understand many people do not have time.

Thanks.


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## George Farmer (20 Mar 2009)

Journals can be a great way of learning, for everyone involved.  I'm still learning from others' journals all the time.

I'd like to encourage more members to produce them and comment in them.  I will try to find the time to contribute some more when I can.


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## Aeropars (20 Mar 2009)

I think the rules of not showing tanks before entering into competition is simply pish.

Its strangling the devlopment of the hobby in this country because the people who are into it take it very seriously. Thats not a dig but an observation. As people start to get into it, or even look to get into it, they want pictures, not words on a screen. The teasers and arty-farty  shots are all well and good be people won't be hanging around forums and such like if theres no eye candy. Publication on a magasine I can understand although I dont think their is any harm in releasing photo's which would otherwise be used in a publication.

I for one will be doing a journal in the next week of my 40l nano.


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## JamesM (20 Mar 2009)

Dan Crawford said:
			
		

> Journals are great and i love reading everyones, if not necessarily commenting.


Even that right there can be disheartening for anyone else posting a journal though. Leaving comments for friends' journals only isn't fair to anyone taking the time to post.


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## Thomas McMillan (20 Mar 2009)

I don't think we have a lack of journals at all. I mean, if you wanna post a journal for your tank then you will, if you don't the you won't I suppose.

Simples 

I think it's nice to read through journals, and equally as nice when someone just posts amazing tank photos out of the blue. It's about what works for you and yoru style - e.g. Mark has his style of writing amazing yournals that we can all learn from and George has his style of shocking us all with a completely new scape out of the blue when we're least expecting it, none of these methods are better or worse than the other in my opinion.

However, I think the advantage with journals is that the scaper can get advice/opinions/critique and support from the forum members, and members can learn from the progress. 

As far as the competition side of things go, I've never heard of anyone getting rejected. I highly doubt that they're going to check up on every single entry. Just as long as you're carful with what photos you post then you'll be fine.


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## John Starkey (20 Mar 2009)

Hi all,i can sum up in two words why i dont do/keep my journal up to date,Time & crap photography skills but i will make more of an effort in future,i would also echo what some other members have already said,i do like to read as many journals as possible and reply to them as and when i feel qualified to do so,regards john.


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## Tom (21 Mar 2009)

My reason now is that maybe I can setup a nice looking hardscape, but when plants are added it will undoubtedly go wrong! 3 years doing this and maybe 4 "successful" tanks I've been pleased with, and now I can't do it for the life of me. Ad funnily enough, it all ties into when I ran out of ADA Ferts!!! That may or may not be the reason, coupled with my apparent incompetence with Tropica stuff!

Tom


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## Tony Swinney (21 Mar 2009)

I find the journals the most inspiring section of the forum.  Its great to see what everyone else is up to, and great to see how a scapes life starts out. Equipment selection, substrate laying, hardscaping choice and positioning, right through to plant choice, positioning and eventual pruning are all things I like to know!

As a newbie, the information and critiques that are within every journal helps to give me the confidence to have a go myself, and the responses and critiques that have been placed on my journals have undoubtedly improved the look of my tank (just look at the hardcsape in my nano   ) and given me a smile when someone says they like what I've done.

There is something great about seeing a 'finished' scape for the first time, but for me its not as interesting - I'd rather see how it got to be like that.  

Are the "previously unpublished"  competition rules due to copyright, as the competition organisers want to have usage of the image if it is successful ?  If that is the case, copyright applies to each image individually, so surely its only the case that the actual image you enter in the competition cannot have been published before ?  Or have I got it all wrong ???   

Cheers

Tony


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## a1Matt (21 Mar 2009)

Tonser said:
			
		

> Are the "previously unpublished"  competition rules due to copyright, as the competition organisers want to have usage of the image if it is successful ?  If that is the case, copyright applies to each image individually, so surely its only the case that the actual image you enter in the competition cannot have been published before ?  Or have I got it all wrong ???



I'd be curious as well to know the reasoning behind the "previously unpublished" competition rule.  Clarification in that area may well lead to more images being put online in many forums    I appreciate the rules may (and probably do   ) for different competitions.


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## Thomas McMillan (21 Mar 2009)

^ I think the reason also being that if the creator publishes the image that they are going to use in the competition beforehand then someone else could steal it.


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## JohnC (23 Mar 2009)

Hi,

I love journals, it is why i'm here. But to that reason i'm also here to see the more "advanced" journals. Tanks where things are working, styles, plant combinations, layout ideas, hardscape etc. I tend to skim over the more beginners ones (i include mine in that) as i've learned those tips already. Personally i think there are enough journals, but i suppose a persons opinion on that comes from how regularly they read these forums and how much new stuff there is to view each time.

I've been off this forum for a week or so and tomorrrow i've got loads of catching up to do. New tanks to browse, some photos to update on my journals and i think i'll pop on my 10L dennerle finally. Bringing my journal (and tank) total to 3.

I love peoples comments, i love peoples opinions good or bad on my efforts. i also love this hobby and enjoy sharing it somewhere other then in my living room (and bedroom).

Thank you ukaps for allowing me this and all your efforts.

And a big thanks to all those other journal writers for putting the time in for me to enjoy.

Best regards,

John


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## a1Matt (24 Mar 2009)

I think I am going to take a u-turn and not start a journal after all.  Reasons being.... first and foremost I do not have a decent camera, so can not put any good pics up.  Secondly I would not rate myself as an aquascaper at all so do not think my journal would inspire many people.  I hope it does not sound negative, I am quite comfortable with this.  It is just that as I posted to say I would start a journal I feel obliged to say why I have changed my mind now


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## Mark Evans (24 Mar 2009)

a1Matt said:
			
		

> . Secondly I would not rate myself as an aquascaper at all so do not think my journal would inspire many people.



that's not the point of a journal. the reasons i started journal was for the feed back. it's like have free judging...like in a competition. just syphon out the good comments from reliable scapers etc, and you'll improve 10 fold!

good or bad, people need to start sharing if this hobby is to get better and bigger in this country, fact! just look to Asia to see that!


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## Steve Smith (24 Mar 2009)

a1Matt said:
			
		

> Reasons being.... first and foremost I do not have a decent camera, so can not put any good pics up.  Secondly I would not rate myself as an aquascaper at all so do not think my journal would inspire many people.



I don't know mate, I think most people here are beyond the powder coated neon gravel and tacky ornaments, anything beyond this is worthy of a journal, if for nothing more than to get constructive feedback.

Photography is a part of aquascaping, but to my mind the full on artsy-fartsy shots should be mostly posted in the Planted Tank Gallery (a section which I think doesn't get too much traffic at the moment).  For journals I don't think you have to worry about amazing photographs.  As long as they can be seen and understood 

Anyhow, my 2p


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## John Starkey (24 Mar 2009)

SteveUK said:
			
		

> a1Matt said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Hi All,

i totally agree with the above,

regards john


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## Mark Evans (24 Mar 2009)

i'm guilty od the artsy fartsy stuff   but...



			
				SteveUK said:
			
		

> a section which I think doesn't get too much traffic at the moment)



as you sayed, if i posted my images in that section, those images may not get seen so i just post them on my journals.


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## Steve Smith (24 Mar 2009)

Don't miss-understand me, I'm more than happy to look at artsy shots in journals!  I love them!  I'm just saying that people shouldn't feel they can't post images because they're "sub-par".


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## Mark Evans (24 Mar 2009)

absolutely  Steve  , yeah, people should post regardless of quality, as many have said, it's about the images in journals where people learn, i to skip text unless it's george or someone, you know what they say is quality info, but a pic is a thousand words as they say.


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## Superman (24 Mar 2009)

SteveUK said:
			
		

> Don't miss-understand me, I'm more than happy to look at artsy shots in journals!  I love them!  I'm just saying that people shouldn't feel they can't post images because they're "sub-par".


TBH quick photos tell the story more as the thats the type of view we all see.


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## a1Matt (24 Mar 2009)

I see what you mean Mark.  I never thought about it from the perspective of getting feedback for myself. That is real good food for thought.  

I have also sat here thinking about the hobby advancing\getting bigger and I think you have hit the nail on the head with that one word 'sharing'.

I think it is not just limited to journals and the forum per se, but more public sharing as well.
Stuff like your diplay tank at MA, meetups at FOF, and the like.

Getting back to the journal discussion... I wonder what will have more impact on the hobby - your tank at MA or the journal of your tank at MA?

I would guess that both work in their own way giving different things to different people.


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## LondonDragon (24 Mar 2009)

I like journals and you can see from mine where I go into deep detail of what I have in the tank, what I change, my dosing, maintnance, etc.... 

When I started in the planted scene I read hundreds of journals, some good some bad some totally pointless but I read them none the less and you always pick up something from them. 

My aim was to get plants to grow properly and algae free, and straight away I found that my tank was inadequate for what I needed, many upgrades later and I am getting there, and if I had the finances to back me up I know what I would be doing now with my tanks, but I have to take it easy and one step at a time.

I created a journal not so much as to get feedback but more to try and explain how I got from the start and how I achieved my final tank and share my bad and good experiences, in the hope that when someone reads my journal they will learn from my mistakes and not make them, and also if I inspire one person to start a planted tank then I am very happy about that. From the comments I get I know I have inspired many people with no knowledge of planted tanks, like myself when I started to get into the hobby, to start their own and have better success than me 

I don't mind any sort of reply and I get many PM's from users asking for help, I always try and help everyone and when I can't I point them here to the forum where there are more people with superior knowledge than me, in the end I am just a noob and can only help with stuff I have experienced myself.

Sharing is great and photos help a lot, but some people just don't have the time or perfer to display the final product and not how they got there, in the end its their choice but I like to know when I see a great step up if the person had any issues with the tank to get to that stage, that is more helpfull than a nice looking final scape with some Photoshop touched up photos.

Keep those journals comming


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## Aeropars (24 Mar 2009)

saintly said:
			
		

> i'm guilty od the artsy fartsy stuff   but...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



But then again if the contents not in the right place then its never going to improve. Theres always going to be higher traffic areas on forums. All we can do is encourge people to view the less trafficed areas.


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## Mark Evans (24 Mar 2009)

Aeropars said:
			
		

> But then again if the contents not in the right place then its never going to improve. Theres always going to be higher traffic areas on forums. All we can do is encourge people to view the less trafficed areas.



true, but my images are a part of my journals to some degree. i go on sites where if you post in the wrong(but right) area your stuff never gets looked at. people need to see others work.whether it's in the right or wrong section.

BTW nicely put LD


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## Themuleous (26 Mar 2009)

I must admit its a great shame that the best aquascapers we have on here dont run journals for fear of not then being able to enter them into a competition.  Why did we all get into this hobby?  Most probably from others already in the hobby and seeing their work.  Seems a huge shame that that spirit of sharing isn't happening as much due to competitions, which ultimately mean nothing in my eyes anyway, the respect of my peers in the hobby is all the satisfaction I need, not a position in some competition results league table.

The forum is the poorer for it, unfortunately.

Sam

PS - I will at that I am more than aware of the time commitments people have, but a photo of a tank every now and then doesn't really take more then 10 minutes to post


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## Joecoral (26 Mar 2009)

My opinion is that, as many have stated, the better / most prominant aquascapers here are reluctant to post images incase they decide to enter it into a competition at some point, which I find quite disappointing as I love to read the journals and loom at the pictures from stage 1 to final scape. I understand the need for this however, as well as the fact that everyone has a life outside of UKAPS and various other constraints prevent them from being able to invest the large amounts of time required to keep a journal updated.
That said, I am not in this hobby to compete, I am in it mainly for myself and my own personal enjoyment, but also to share my acheivements and problems with others, in the same way I developed the passion for it in the first place from reading the journals and looking at the pictures posted by others.
Therefore I for one would welcome the creation of more journals with open arms.
My Â£0.02


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## scottturnbull (26 Mar 2009)

I'm not an aquascaper either. The main reason for doing a journal is so other people can benefit. Rarely does everything go smoothly when setting up a tank. We all run into problems from time to time. If it's a problem you haven't encountered before, the internet is fine. But there's usually too much contradictory advice. Journals have the advantage of providing a history. A history is much more reliable than some random post on a forum saying 'do this' or 'do that'. You can see with your own eyes the decisions that have been made, and the results. Whether they are good or bad decisions, they are useful to someone.


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## Ady34 (6 Feb 2013)

Thought it might be interesting to hear current views with 71 pages of journal heaven now available to access!?

For me the journals sub forum is what it's all about, you get everything in here, first timers to professionals and everyone in between....
when I first found ukaps it was the journals section that got me hooked, access to hundreds of planted tanks, all the information I could ever wish for to try and help me achieve my very own a slice of green. I loved the photos especially, seeing a scape from the ground up. I spent hours in here drooling and dreaming, it was great to see the variety of aquascape styles, and follow people's journey from start to finish, warts and all. It was great to see the ups and downs, its easy to see the 'final image' published somewhere and assume its not achievable 'for me', but seeing the transitions throughout a journal, to see how failings can be turned around, how it can go from bad to great again and all the time being told and shown how to do it was inspiring for me. I remember one of Tony Swinneys scapes being brought back from some hellish bba and I couldn't believe it. It inspired me and enabled me to go from wanting a healthy planted tank to actually getting one, learning how to grow the plants rather than the algae.....there's always more to learn and ways to improve and issues to solve but that's what I love about the journals they show you how.
Internet searches offer images and snippets, but to find a site like this with so much knowledge right there was awesome.....I was like a kid in a sweet shop....I still am 

Cheerio,
Ady.


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## jack-rythm (6 Feb 2013)

If I had the spare cash u would see a journal a day 

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2


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## niru (6 Feb 2013)

Hi All

I too agree that journals are great way to see, learn and appreciate. Not just for the readers but also a steep learning curve for the guys maintaining them.
Learning from each others' mistakes and successes is a very satisfying way to advance the hobby for oneself and others.

However I sometimes get a feeling that there are simply too many one-line posts simply congratulating the scape-maker. Rather than having the "like" button, many posts dont contribute anything substantial, only a "great job mate" kind of posts. While they are great to show your genuine appreciation, such posts dont add anything "more" other than lengthening the journal to umpteen number of pages. Digging out real progress from these posts can be taxing at times.

I am not discouraging, but hey, this is simply what I feel when I get a bit irritated on a bad day.... Guess there could be some protocol about commenting on the journal entries....

My 2 cents.

cheers


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## jack-rythm (6 Feb 2013)

I think the encouragement from a positive comment helps just as much. It takes a lot of courage for a begginer to post photos up of their hard worked tank and it really pays off when you get people commenting, even if it is just 'nice one looks really great' this is all part of the encouragement process, all though I see your point that dissecting relevant information is tough I still believe that it's a great factor of what ukaps is all about. It shows a great understanding of being supportive towards our fellow members and I feel if we didn't do this as much journals would become a thing of the past in the not so near future due to the lack of acknowledgment beginners would receive.. Although it is taxing to read positive comments on a bad day, I would just simply put this down to having a bad day and embrace all the positivity that hums around ukaps  

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2


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## niru (6 Feb 2013)

jack-rythm said:


> Although it is taxing to read positive comments on a bad day, I would just simply put this down to having a bad day and embrace all the positivity that hums around ukaps


 
Thats why I am hooked to the site during work hours so that I am inspired by the time I get back to the tank in the evening..


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## jack-rythm (6 Feb 2013)

niru said:


> hours


haha, yeah my uni work does suffer dearly lol


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## tim (6 Feb 2013)

I'm with ady on this the journal section is where it's at. So much info, pic's, inspiration, advice, ideas to borrow to make more of your own tanks, I've only kept fish for 3 years plants for two and was plagued by small tanks and bad advice then I discoverd ukaps and boy it turns your world upside down the knowledge,advice, ideas and aquascapes shared on this forum is immense, it's the only forum I use  it's hard to run a journal sometimes but gotta be worth it to look back on your achievements and see if you reach your goals, for me without journals I'd have nothing to do when I'm bored at work, so to all the members that run them, your time and effort is appreciated, thanks


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## jimwalsh (6 Feb 2013)

I am far from being an aquascaper, but the encouragement and positive comments and constructive criticism from members on my journal has been invaluable and has given me lots of confidence and support.

I would encourage all beginners to start a journal as it can be very useful to get you started and keep you motivated when problems arise.

This is my first ever fish tank and UKAPS has been a lifeline of sense, science and support. From the excellent guides to the matrix busting wisdom of Ceg, UKAPS is a unique resource that combines a welcoming newbie-friendly vibe with a professional  moderation team who should be very proud of what they have created and maintained.

To my mind the journals section is the most important area here both for seeing the art of the possible and getting feedback on your own efforts. Well done everyone!


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## Iain Sutherland (6 Feb 2013)

It's all about the journals for me, very informative and inspirational. Had it not been for journals from mark, viktor, George, stu etc (there are loads more....sorry ) then there is now way I would had the motivation to continue. 
Only things I'd like to see is sub forums within the journals... Hi tech, low tech, size etc just makes finding the inspiration relevant to your tank easier. But then I guess I would have missed all those random finds? ? 
Good time fillers at the mo too.


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## LondonDragon (6 Feb 2013)

Nice way to drag an old post from the dead  My first post here was the first post on my journal "The never ending" was only to show something I had done in the past, and then it kind of inspired me to carry on with the scape and moved it towards something else and that journal ended up going for years! lol was a great journey, provided help along the way and was pointed in the right direction also. Its always good to get constructive feedback, but remember the "Like" feature has only been here since 17th December 2012! But encouragement to the beginner is good as it pushes them on to do better, if you don't reply cause you don't think you have anything of value to contribute then the topic starter just thinks their work is no good and might just give up! So likes is good and a little encouragement goes a long way too  I would not be here otherwise!


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## Ady34 (6 Feb 2013)

Iain Sutherland said:


> Only things I'd like to see is sub forums within the journals... Hi tech, low tech, size etc just makes finding the inspiration relevant to your tank easier. But then I guess I would have missed all those random finds? ?


Yeah, it's a nice notion, but there's so much there down to individual interpretation and so much variety. Hopefully though the new 'tags' feature will help searches when people start using them lots. Stuff like tagging the hardscape materials, substrates etc should make finding more specific inspiration easier, maybe we could tag say 90cm or something too for rough sizes 
It's great having a look through the journals though, you find some real gems!


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## Ravenswing (7 Feb 2013)

I love to watch "AGA-level tanks" as to say because they are such a juwels and pure art, but IMO the salt of the hobby is see how ordinary hobbyist find their way to make progress with their home tanks. Journals are just right tool for this. Journals allows relaxed way to communicate to each other and everybody can see (from pics, hopefully) what are we talking about. I see journals as an extended way to play with your tanks and this hobby wich we normally do behind walls where no one else can see. This being said, Im always impressed, for example,  Mark Evans photos, they do show the real beauty of our plants and fish!


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## whatok (7 Feb 2013)

I'll be making a journal as soon as I get bits together. Its the only part of the forum I really 'browse'...


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## Derek Tweedie (7 Feb 2013)

i love reading the journals, I have learned a lot from the members here them being our big guns or the less experienced. Learned what to do and what not to do. I have kept fish for about 20 years and kept many species but not much in the way of plants and until Joined here I thought the only moss you could get for tanks was Java! 

There are some journals on here which are just an awesome read, with trials and tribulations and rescapes. I have a few of them in my bookmarks so I can re read them whenever I want inspiration. 

A lot of people don't have DSLR cameras (myself included) but you don't need them to take a decent picture. We are all aquascapers and we know how to be patient which is what you need to take a decent picture, I take about 10 shots but there would only be one I am happy with. All it needs to do is get a message across.

As for the competition side of things I feel that the IAPLC is biased towards the east in my opinion. Some of the tanks that get entered from here are stunning but don't  seem to do aswell as we would like them to do. But kudos to those who do enter you do the UK proud. 

Stepping of the soap box.


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## scapegoat (7 Feb 2013)

Love the journals section on here it's taught me so much! The whole forum has but the journals section seems to be the core of what this forum is about, seeing people go through the process of setting up, how to overcome problems and lots of advice from the experts. I've just set up my first journal and it's great to get peoples opinions and advice.


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