# General Topics > Member of the Month >  MOTW - Aug 18 -  Aug 24 2013 - Carlos (Mentat)

## Jen

Congratulations to this weeks Member of the Week!


Also - please send in the nominations.

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Mentat

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## Jen

*Monday*, tell us all about you! We know you obviously like amphibians, but we want to know about the rest of your life. 

Details about you, your life, hobbies, families, past times, favorite colors, poems you have written etc etc....just use this post to brag/boast/bore us how you please.

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## Carlos

Hi Jen, you were up early  :Smile:  !  !  First and foremost need to thank those who nominated me and supported it.  I'm happy to have good friends in here!  My life... could write a book about it  :Frog Surprise:  !  Well, will skip over the small stuff.. and most everything in this life is small stuff!  

Was born almost six decades ago in San Juan, close to Columbus second landing spot in the island of Puerto Rico.  Went through a frail childhood with a weak immune system and suffering multiple allergies and asthma  :Frown:  .  A positive side was that, I learned very young about struggle (to breath) and not giving up.  At home we were not allowed pets, so I kept free ranging pets in my yard.  At varied times had a female anole that ate cooked rice from my hand, a big toad that played with me, and birds that drank sugared water from a bowl in the window sill.  Oh and the native coqui frogs sang to me all through the night!  


My first captive pets experience was a mess!  At 8 traded some comics for 6 guppies a friend caught in a local brook and then proceeded to kill 5 the next day during their first water change  :Mad:  .  Bummer, had no idea chlorine in the tap would kill them.  So got dechlorinator and kept the survivor in a glass bowl, my 1st captive pet.  For my birthday that year got a 10 gal. tank set-up and an aquarium book, which started me on a long and rewarding hobby.   Most money I earned then went to fish hobby and my bicycle... happy and simple times  :Smile:  !


Fast forward to HS and by then had better health, so learned to swim and became a certified SCUBA diver.  Most my free time during summers was spent snorkeling around the San Juan and Condado coasts.  Also, got a part time job in a pet shop and had many pets in there including a 6 foot Boa that bit me  :Mad:  .  Socially I let my hair grow long (cut like Santanas earlier years), listened to rock, and drove my HS principal crazy.  The Vietnam conflict draft ends and off to college we go!  Few years pass and graduated with a BS in Biology (Botany) and later a MS in Marine Biology (Phycology); both from the University of P.R. at Mayaguez.  In college I experienced the ways of life away from home and had a crash course in professional social behavior.  While studying also worked part time in college labs and at nights taught in a local HS too.  Almost forgot, got married at 26... and divorced at 28 ouch  :Frown:  !  Somewhere in those years also learned Martial Arts (Okinawan Goju Ryu) and went all the way to Brown Belt.  Finished college as Reagan became president and there where no jobs in my field!  Me and couple other classmates applied everywhere; including NOAA, CG, Navy, etc.  So off to another adventure we go  :Smile:  !


Placed well in the Navy Officer Program test and was offered everything but pilot (glasses since childhood).  Reading the brochure with available programs, see that the Special Operations Community was in charge of the marine mammals and dived.  Hum... sounded similar to my field, so without further knowledge of what SPECOPS did; signed on the dotted line and joined the USN.   Off to Officer Candidate School OCS in Newport RI we go, and get into an intense military life training and also had to learn conversational English as fast as I could.  Guess the best way to describe that experience was that I survived it  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):  .  


Got commissioned an Ensign and then to Surface Warfare Officer School (SWOS) in the start of Newports frigid Winter, OMG it was cold  :EEK!:  !   Finished SWOS and off to Panama City FL for Dive School; where I ran, swam, and trained until pain was just a dull sensation... then we partied hard.  Drown proof and bad to the bone, got certified as a Deep Sea Diver and a Diving Officer.  Then off to sea to get my SWO qualifications.  Following that, spent a year of fun at USN EOD school program; the most mentally strenuous training Ive ever faced.  Through my career had many jobs but mostly earned a reputation for being a natural manager, never giving up, and making problems go away.   Also... got married again and sadly my lovely wife (RIP) died a year after  :Frown:  .  She was survived by her 8 year old boy and I became his guardian and raised him.  Now he lives and works near DC and has been independent for a decade  :Smile:  .  Several years later tried the marriage thing again and that one ended in divorce  :Mad:  !  My last duty station (a Commander then) was at the Pentagon and went thru the USS COLE and 9/11 events while there  :Frown:  . As a result of that tour, lost the love for my job and decided to retire and do other things.  Those 20 years in the USN SPECOPS community where a life in itself and an adventure the like of books and movies we see and read about.  At the time of retirement was well traveled throughout the Pacific and Latin America and veteran of several wars and special operations.  My areas of military expertise included EOD, Underwater Mine Countermeasures, and Anti-Terrorism  :Frog Smile:  . 


With military career behind, decided to go back to school looking to become a Shiatsu Practitioner (Japanese bodywork using finger pressure on bodys energy meridians).  Studied Chinese Medicine and Shiatsu for a year and graduated.  Then passed the national board exam and became a Certified Massage Therapist and a Shiatsu Practitioner.   After getting my license in VA, started a private practice and a few years later got to teach at a local massage school for a couple years.  Today Im retired and occasionally help out people with my Shiatsu and Body Energy knowledge on a volunteer basis.  


Love my frogs, fish, and miss a 100+ orchid collection accumulated during college and Sasha (RIP), my first and only dog . Currently live with my pets in peace and harmony!  Like to read, listen to music (all genres with non-violent lyrics), movies, dancing, and fast vehicles (have owned a couple street legal race cars).  Now that reflexes are not what they used to be, drive a slow and safe Toyota FJ Cruiser and still own my last two motor bikes.  Thats all folks  :Big Grin:  !

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## Lisa

Nice to "meet you" carlos! Thank you for serving our country faithfully for so many years. We are the land of the free because of our brave!

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## Carlos

Thanks Lisa, you are very kind  :Smile:  !

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## Jen

Yes, I head to work quite early!!

It was great getting to know more about you - one of the more interesting "MOTW" reads so far!

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## Heather

Hi Carlos! It's wonderful to finally learn more about the wise Mentat  :Smile: . You've sure had quite the history. It was a pleasure to read. Congrats on member of the week! 

Can't wait to see some photos!  :Smile:

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## Jen

*Tuesday*, tell us about your amphibians. How you came to keep them, mistakes/learning curves, species kept, breedings, how you found Frog Forum etc....we heard enough about you on Monday, let us hear about them frogs!

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## Carlos

> Hi Carlos! It's wonderful to finally learn more about the wise Mentat . You've sure had quite the history. It was a pleasure to read. Congrats on member of the week! 
> 
> Can't wait to see some photos!


Thank you Heather  :Smile:  !

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## Carlos

> *Tuesday*, tell us about your amphibians. How you came to keep them, mistakes/learning curves, species kept, breedings, how you found Frog Forum etc....we heard enough about you on Monday, let us hear about them frogs!


Hi Jen; here is the story of my babies!  Other than my childhood free ranging Toad and Coqui’s, never really had an amphibian until late 2011.  A local family owned pet store I do business with, had received 4-5 Pixies and they looked very cute  :Smile:  .  Started asking questions and when I mentioned it to my son, he searched the internet and sent me a link to your African Bullfrog Care Article.  Read that and after a few days mussing over it, prepared a 10G tank and went back to store for one.  Funny thing was, the reptile expert (guy knows a lot) told me the males would have larger ridges in the back, so I picked up the most “ridgy” one  :Big Grin:  .  Had lot of fun watching it grow like a weed and how interactive it was.  Also, became a member here and started learning about frogs and toads too  :Cool:  . 

Few weeks later got me a 2 in. Ornate Pacman that resulted being a Green Cranwelli.  Set that one in a foot square ExoTerra and although way more reclusive than the GABF, it ate and did well too.  GABF grew very fast and moved into a 15... then a 20L.   By early December it croaked and named it Stilgar (from a Dune novel character).  His growth rate would spurt, then slow a bit, and spurt some more.  By February the following year it was reaching 6 in. and was quite a character.   Pacman grew too and was around 3.5 in. then.  Started buying frog books and reading lots about them in the internet.  Found them frogs as interesting as fish, a lifetime hobby for me  :Smile:  . 

Then an unexpected event changed my life last year as I suffered an Isquemic Transient Attack, commonly known as a TIA or warning stroke  :Mad:  .  It affected my cerebellum and there were some remaining issues with balance and grasp.  Also, my Heart suffered a bit too  :Frown:  .  From 12 aquariums (including 4 salt water ones) and 2 frog enclosures went down to 3 aquariums and a betta tank because could not handle the collection anymore.  Sadly got adoptive homes for Stilgar, the Pacman, and many of my fish and invertebrates.

So after initial excitement, things have gone back into some kind of stableness.  Rarely loose my balance and stopped fumbling things in hands.  Take my meds daily, follow diet, and drink coffee  :Big Grin:  .  Still, missed the frogs and this April got me a cute Strawberry Pineapple Pacman I named “Fresita.”  Obviously became active in forum again and started helping out other African Bullfrog and Pacman owners in here  :Smile:  .

As many of you do, wanted to have more frogs, a vivarium, etc.  So got me one of those  enclosure made by Tetra’s to set it up for a White’s; but turns out it’s sold as a 29G but in reality is like a 22G and kind of low for a White's  :Mad:  .  A local shop was trying to get me a related frog, _Litorea aurea_, (Golden and Green Bell frog) that might be a better fit for that tank.  Appears they are seasonal because nothing has come up in a month or so.  Would also like to get 2 Ornates, one really dark brown and red and another bright green with very little markings  :Cool:  .

And that brings us to the present and my new frog challenge!  A bit over a week ago was visiting a pet shop and they where re-doing the reptile/amphibian area.  Start looking at the frogs containers piled up in a corner and see a little Pixie among the babies they usually retail.  Talking to a friend attendant find out someone got it there a year or more ago.   Apparently they wanted a GABF and this one stayed at 3 in. SVL so they traded it.  Hum... a miniature Pixie  :Cool:  !  That night stayed up late while cleaning up a 10G and set it up with false bottom, EcoEarth, Water dish, and a silk fern.  Next day I picked it up and think the following day Jen wrote me about being the Member of the Week... cool  :Frog Smile:  !

My new little one has turned to be a challenge so far.  Not because it’s sick, but because it has it’s ways and I’m learning them on a trial and error method  :Big Grin:  .  So far we have learned it does not like a solid substrate... not at all!  Two days ago, took the whole tank apart while frog soaked on a Pedyalite solution and converted it into an aquatic set-up.  Now we are talking!  Pixie perked up and ate a large night crawler!  Then it started moving around tank and checking things out.  Yesterday ate another large night crawler dusted with CA/D3 from tongs.  Still figuring this frog out, strangely; it appears to struggle while feeding doing little “fake” lounges and missing the food.  Maybe it’s still a bit stressed with me or only eats from tongs.  Will post couple pics tomorrow and have members try to guess the species and if male or female (I know but not telling).

Plans for the future are to set-up the 22 as an aquatic set-up with a power filter and some kind of water feature for the Pixie.  Also, got me an ExoTerra small low and would like to build as a mini-vivarium.  Once plants are doing good; will introduce a very small (around 1 in. as adult) frog/s. Any recommendations for inhabitants?  If that vivarium works out good... more will follow!  Thank you  :Smile:  !

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## Jared

Great to learn a little more about you  :Smile:   congratulations on member of the week!

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## Carlos

> Great to learn a little more about you   congratulations on member of the week!


Thank you Jared  :Smile:  !

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## Carlos

Hi Jen! Have medical appointment tomorrow morning so will jump the gun and post some pics now.  First my new Pixie, lets see what members think is species and if M or F.  Was told this frog is a over 1 year old (1.5?) and it's exactly 3 in. SVL.  Sorry for pic quality but they were taken with my cellphone and one through the top mesh (needed the light).







And here is Fresita (Strawberry Pineapple) as a cute baby and a bigger juvenile.

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## Carlos

Some pics of Stilgar my first frog (male GABF) as a baby and growing to around 5 in. SVL.  







And here is the second frog, a C. cranwelli Pacman.





Will upload some more stuff tomorrow afternoon  :Smile:  .

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## N3XU5

Congrats Carlos,

Do you have any advice on how I can get motw.

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## Jen

> Congrats Carlos,
> 
> Do you have any advice on how I can get motw.


Keep posting in other areas of the forum - not spamming and not just to increase post count - but genuine, creative, encouraging, knowledgeable, helpful posts and in time I am sure some one will nominate you.   Nominations are often in the form of  "So-and-so gave great advice/really helped me out/put together an awesome tank and I want to know more about them/their methods" etc. 

Carlos - your frogs are lovely!   I don't mind you beating me to the punch!   Hope your morning goes well!

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## Lynn

Hello Carlos,
Congrats on MOTW.
These photos are beautiful. 
Your 'charges' look very happy and healthy.
NOT SURPRISED  :Smile:  Of course

TTYL, Lynn

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## Lynn

BTW......my fav is Stilgar. Very handsome  :Smile:

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## Carlos

Thank you Lynn and Mark!  I'll answer your question soon Mark; want to make sure don't give you bad advice  :Smile:  !  Yes, Lynn, Stilgar was a little playful monster and it was hard to take my tanks and enclosures down and get my pets adopted.  Sold a lot of equipment too; but still got enough around for starting a few projects.  Will be posting in the vivarium section and ask you guys for help with decor.

OK; just had some nice homemade chicken soup  :Frog Smile:  and ready to upload more pics.  My left shoulder is unhappy because the Dr. gave it a shot with a big cocktails of steroids, painkillers, and anti-inflammatories.  Physical Therapy starts next week, happy, happy, joy, joy  :Frog Surprise:  !

A trio of _P._ t_erribilis_ that was for sale at a local store (such a temptation).



Green is nice, but I like these blue ones too:

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## SCF

I enjoyed the read Carlos, very interesting. Great pictures as well. Congrats on your new pyxie.

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## Carlos

Collecting and breeding fish for 50 years have had lots of different ones.  Here are pics of a few that gained pet status! 

Achilles (RIP), my Blue Bacara Kamfa, super powerful fish with carbide hard teeth that ruined it's aquarium side glass.



"Nightfall" (RIP) a Modern ZZ with Kamfa genes; awesome pearls and colors.



Briseis a female Vieja Fenestrata - _P. fenestratus_ (tried to cross with Achilles but he wasn't into that).



Pinball (RIP) a Vietnamese AC Kamfa (this fish had no immune system... zilch).



Plata a Silver Vieja (_P. argentea_) and a show quality fish!

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## Colleen/Jerrod

Great to actually know more about you Carlos! Love the pictures. Very interesting fish!

As for the Pyxi. I'd have to say male and it does appear to be a _Pyxicephalus adspersus_ that became stunted, BUT it may be one of the lesser known/seen species.  :Wink:

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## Carlos

Some of my saltwater critters!

Cleopatra, a Peacock Mantis Shrimp.



Smack, a Chiragra Mantis Shrimp.




Antenita, a Red Angler fish.



Blade, a Leaf Fish!



Sarah, a Townsend Angel (natural occurring hybrid between Queen and Blue Angels)



Zee, my first Moray (_Echidna polyzona_)

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## Carlos

> Great to actually know more about you Carlos! Love the pictures. Very interesting fish!
> 
> As for the Pyxi. I'd have to say male and it does appear to be a _Pyxicephalus adspersus_ that became stunted, BUT it may be one of the lesser known/seen species.





> I enjoyed the read Carlos, very interesting. Great pictures as well. Congrats on your new pyxie.


Thanks guys  :Smile:  !  Now got two votes for male, any other says?  IRT species, will try and take more pics today during maintenance and feeding.  But will give you couple tips in the meantime to throw you off:  the tympani has a white spot on it, the distance between eye and tympani is one eye diameter and the feet are slightly webbed.  On the other hand, the dorsal ridges are long and unbroken and the upper lip is barred.  No knowledge about frog's care before it got to pet shop.  They had it in a large plastic critter keeper in water with a flat stone to climb on.  Will go now and see if can get more pics  :Big Grin:  .

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## Colleen/Jerrod

> Thanks guys  !  Now got two votes for male, any other says?  IRT species, will try and take more pics today during maintenance and feeding.  But will give you couple tips in the meantime to throw you off:  the tympani has a white spot on it, the distance between eye and tympani is one eye diameter and the feet are slightly webbed.  On the other hand, the dorsal ridges are long and unbroken and the upper lip is barred.  No knowledge about frog's care before it got to pet shop.  They had it in a large plastic critter keeper in water with a flat stone to climb on.  Will go now and see if can get more pics  .


Description is of a Dwarf _P. edulis_. Hmmmm....Hybrid maybe.

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## Carlos

> Description is of a Dwarf _P. edulis_. Hmmmm....Hybrid maybe.


Exactly  :Smile:  !  Just changed it's water, fed it two huge night crawlers, and made him (called loud and clear a few times already and checked presence of nuptial pads) mad by taking pics.  Good news is, now it's eating the NCs from substrate without tongs help  :Big Applause:  .  Consider that a safety issue when feeding a Pixie since Stilgar would target my hand...obviously out of love  :Big Grin:  .

Ok, here are today's pics, sorry for quality, these are taken with phone.  BTW, decided to name this guy *Duncan* in honor of Duncan Idaho, Swordmaster for House Atreides in Frank Herbert's Dune novels. 

P. adspersus traits:  long unbroken dorsal ridges, and barred upper lips. 





Yeah, sure, get close and make my day  :Mad:  !




P. edulis traits present: small 3 in. SVL size (told age is over one year), distance between eye and tympanum is equal (or nearly so) to eye diameter, white spot on tympanum, and slight webbing between toes.





And finally do note Duncan's eyes do not look like either species.  The whole eye is black  :EEK!:  ! 

No matter what species is it, I'm starting to like it a lot  :Smile:  .  Still hoping it stays as is and I do not accidentally trigger a growing spurt that will make it a monster.  The short time Stilgar was with me, he ate a couple hundred dollars of food! 

Next is to start his new home buildup with a water base, rock slabs creating a tiered platform to climb onto and out of water, and a little land area in case he wants to go landlubber  :Big Grin:  !  A week or two from now, also plan to get a fecal and weight in.  Can use numbers later in case need to get to get de-worming treatment.  Thanks for reading and do let me know what you think is this Pixie  :Cool:  !

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## N3XU5

> Thank you Lynn and Mark!  I'll answer your question soon Mark; want to make sure don't give you bad advice  !  Yes, Lynn, Stilgar was a little playful monster and it was hard to take my tanks and enclosures down and get my pets adopted.  Sold a lot of equipment too; but still got enough around for starting a few projects.  Will be posting in the vivarium section and ask you guys for help with decor.
> 
> OK; just had some nice homemade chicken soup  and ready to upload more pics.  My left shoulder is unhappy because the Dr. gave it a shot with a big cocktails of steroids, painkillers, and anti-inflammatories.  Physical Therapy starts next week, happy, happy, joy, joy  !
> 
> A trio of _P._ t_erribilis_ that was for sale at a local store (such a temptation).
> 
> 
> 
> Green is nice, but I like these blue ones too:


Thanks Carlos!

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## Carlos

I know Jen is lurking around.. Good Morning Jen  :Smile:  !  Crazy shot the Dr. gave shoulder yesterday kept me awake most of night  :Frown:  .  I'm hungry, sleepless, and numbed out.  Will go wake up critters and make breakfast, then back for a while, then mow grass (maybe see a toad), then back again.

IRT question; if you have any about fish, algae, Mantis Shrimp, Global Heat (not a friendly "Global Warming" any more), or the meaning of life... go ahead and make my day  :Big Grin:  !

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## Jen

Haha  lurking am I? 
Lol the Thursday announcement usually goes unspoken as lots of questionsget ask ed during the week. 

I love love love love your pictures! They came out amazing!

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## Lynn

> Thank you Lynn and Mark!  I'll answer your question soon Mark; want to make sure don't give you bad advice  !  Yes, Lynn, Stilgar was a little playful monster and it was hard to take my tanks and enclosures down and get my pets adopted.  Sold a lot of equipment too; but still got enough around for starting a few projects.  Will be posting in the vivarium section and ask you guys for help with decor.
> 
> OK; just had some nice homemade chicken soup  and ready to upload more pics.  My left shoulder is unhappy because the Dr. gave it a shot with a big cocktails of steroids, painkillers, and anti-inflammatories.  Physical Therapy starts next week, happy, happy, joy, joy  !
> 
> A trio of _P._ t_erribilis_ that was for sale at a local store (such a temptation).
> 
> 
> 
> Green is nice, but I like these blue ones too:



I don't know how you could, possible , leave the Jr Mints without tanking them home !  :Big Grin: 
Are they bi-color or mint froglets? I think P terribilis - juveniles- yes? 
Great thread, Carlos !!

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## Carlos

> Congrats Carlos,
> 
> Do you have any advice on how I can get motw.





> Keep posting in other areas of the forum - not spamming and not just to increase post count - but genuine, creative, encouraging, knowledgeable, helpful posts and in time I am sure some one will nominate you.   Nominations are often in the form of  "So-and-so gave great advice/really helped me out/put together an awesome tank and I want to know more about them/their methods" etc. 
> 
> Carlos - your frogs are lovely!   I don't mind you beating me to the punch!   Hope your morning goes well!


OK Mark, Jen already gave you some good tips and there are some more in the MOTW sticky.  What I did was be myself and always make the forum experience pleasant and fun.   At least if you go by my standards will see it took time and effort.  Now, it meant to me lots because the members who nominated me and the moderators that supported that nomination are people I've learned from and respect.  I found the responsibilities for the week fun, revisiting my past, selecting pics, and introducing my Pixie "Duncan."  Now you asked for tips and here they are, but be aware this is what worked for me so you will need to fine tune it to your personality.

First and foremost I treat forum members as persons!  Behind each forum name, no matter how private or impersonal it sounds, there is a human being.  We need to be compassionate, emphatic, and respectful to everyone in the real & digital world, or we can loose our way in life.  Yeah, I know there is lot's of bad out there; but with few exceptions frog people are nice  :Smile:  .   Learn about frogs (read lots, many good books around) and care for your animals well.  Web information is a mixed batch and could mislead anyone starting anything, but there are good places to utilize.  Among a few I use are:  AmphibiaWeb; In Depth Information on Common Aquatic Clawed Frogs; International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature; Melissa Kaplan's Herp and Green Iguana Information Collection; New England Herpetoculture LLC - 10 Commandments of Vivarium Building; POLLYWOGS WORLD OF FROGS; and The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Do not make MOTW an objective above everything but rather be yourself, grow in the hobby, participate in forum, and eventually it should happen.  I had almost 2K post and probably over 1/2 of those are helping others when it happened!  When helping, read the original poster thread carefully and ask any questions needed to get the whole picture.  The sticky "Trouble in the Enclosure" is a great way to figure out problem areas, even if it ticks off some members  :Big Grin:  .  It's not about being the first or of creating a clinical thread.  It's about listening, feeling the sick frog, visualizing the wrong set-up; and then communicating and guiding the usually new member in a way they understand.  Remember, we are helping out the sick frog first and foremost. Sometimes it is about helping them do available options; not everyone has deep cash pockets or a frog veterinary available so sometimes we need to find a workable solution  :Smile:  .

If you go out the thread writer route; then need to read a lot so your writing is as perfect as possible.  Also, this and every forum article section has a flavor... a style.  Do read the present articles and learn that.  If for example I get a frog that does not have a care article; once experienced with it (including breeding and raising tadpoles to juvies) then would write a proposal which format is as close as possible to John's.  He writes excellent articles so if you want to get published in there... you got to beat him in his game  :Big Grin:  .  I haven't done that yet, but looking forward to it; only takes time... and $$$ to buy the frogs! 

Can also increase your member reputation by creating informative threads or at least ones that members find interesting, participate on, and give you positive rep.  No matter which way you go, have fun!  Take breaks as required so you do not burn out.  If another member(s) feels abrasive to you, avoidance is better than confrontation, because no one wins a forum flame war.  I can get in middle of conflict and defuse it; but have 3 decades of experience in that.  Do not create conflict and walk away from it when you can, not only here but in real life.  Hope did not bore you to death and good luck Mark and all others desiring the MOTW selection  :Cool:  !

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## Carlos

Well... my week of fame  :Big Grin:  is soon coming to an end  :EEK!:  !  Don't have videos of my frogs, but do have some of my three remaining fish.

Sunset is 13 in. long (without fins) Thai Rainbow Kamfa.  The marks on tail are scar tissue, he arrived home with internal nematodes.




Morning is 6 in. long (without fins) Thai White Dragon Short Body.




And my bad boy, Red is 12 in. long Thai Super Red Shock.  No hands go into tank, he loves me and is very interactive; but likes to bite everything and has razor sharp carbide hard teeth.




Enjoy  :Smile:  !

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## Hypnotic

They look awsome Carlos! Congratulations on member of the week!

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Mentat

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## Jen

I ***LOVE*** Red -  - have a soft spot for naughty boys lol

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Mentat

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## Carlos

> They look awsome Carlos! Congratulations on member of the week!





> I ***LOVE*** Red -  - have a soft spot for naughty boys lol


Thank you guys  :Smile:  !

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## Lindsey

Carlos, wow!  You Rock \m/!!
I have always enjoyed your friendly, gentle manner.   So nice to get to know you!
Thank you for sharing, and thank you for serving our country.  Love and big hugs to you!
p.s.- I have a feeling Mrs Right is coming around soon  :Smile:  (if you're so inclined, and it's not me, sorry!)

EDIT:  sorry that didn't sound right, I just had a margarita!  but you get the jist.

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Mentat

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## Carlos

> Carlos, wow!  You Rock \m/!!
> I have always enjoyed your friendly, gentle manner.   So nice to get to know you!
> Thank you for sharing, and thank you for serving our country.  Love and big hugs to you!
> p.s.- I have a feeling Mrs Right is coming around soon  (if you're so inclined, and it's not me, sorry!)
> 
> EDIT:  sorry that didn't sound right, I just had a margarita!  but you get the jist.


Thank you sweetie, you made my day and brought a smile to my face  :Smile:  !  Enjoy your Margarita, stupid meds won't let me have a nice Modelo Especial or some Cabernet with dinner  :Frown:  !  Oh well... such is life  :Big Grin:  !

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## Patsy

Can't believe I missed a new MOTW. Congrats Carlos, it was nice to read about your life. The pictures of your frogs and fish are beautiful. Sorry to hear about your TIA but it's good that you got treatment. I'm dealing with someone right now (which is probably why I missed MOTW) that ignored signs, had a stroke early this week and didn't go to the hospital. I forced him to go and he found out that he had actually had previous strokes that he was unaware of (or that he ignored). So I am so glad that you are here with us still to share your wisdom  :Smile:

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## Carlos

Thank you Patsy  :Smile:  !  Actually, I lost control of my left foot for 20-30 minutes and had palpitations (130 pulse) for couple hours.  Did not go to emergency room until the next morning when my sister chew me up on the phone and the Tricare appointment lady told me to hung up and dial 911  :Frog Surprise:  !  So I took a shower and drove myself to Sentara's emergency room where the ball started rolling... men  :Big Grin:  !  Did found out in there it's very important to reach emergency room within 4 hours of TIA, because they have better treatment options to prevent permanent damage  :Embarrassment:  .

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## N3XU5

> Thank you Patsy  !  Actually, I lost control of my left foot for 20-30 minutes and had palpitations (130 pulse) for couple hours.  Did not go to emergency room until the next morning when my sister chew me up on the phone and the Tricare appointment lady told me to hung up and dial 911  !  So I took a shower and drove myself to Sentara's emergency room where the ball started rolling... men  !  Did found out in there it's very important to reach emergency room within 4 hours of TIA, because they have better treatment options to prevent permanent damage  .


I'm Glad you're alright.

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## Patsy

Yes MEN! My friend had the stroke on Tuesday and I saw him Thursday and made him go to the hospital. He called himself a cab! I read that it's important to get to the hospital right away to prevent permanent damage. He came home today and his speech is better but he is having a real hard time walking. He lives on the floor above me so needless to say I will never sleep again because I will be listening to him walking around to make sure he doesn't fall!

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## Lindsey

> Thank you sweetie, you made my day and brought a smile to my face  !  Enjoy your Margarita, stupid meds won't let me have a nice Modelo Especial or some Cabernet with dinner  !  Oh well... such is life  !


Oh Yay!  I really do adore you!
I'm happy to bring a smile to your face, you deserve all the happiness in the world!

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## Heather

> Oh Yay!  I really do adore you!
> I'm happy to bring a smile to your face, you deserve all the happiness in the world!


Agreed!  :Smile: 

Carlos, you are one of the most caring and giving persons I have ever known. We here feel so thankful to have had you join us and we enjoy your thoughtful and insightful posts  :Smile: . Your encouraging words and knowledge never pass unnoticed  :Wink: . 

I truly enjoyed reading your bio  :Smile: . You are such a strong and positive person. I feel proud to know you and think of you as a big part of our frog family here and I know others here do also  :Smile: .

Thank you! And great photos, btw  :Smile: !

Heath  :Smile:

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