What gets me here (I'm a newb) is in some of the threads where people are asking questions, someone will post a fairly succinct reply and three posts later in the thread someone will give exactly the same advice
WHY? Don't these people read?
Agreed.
Equally annoying though is when you open up a section and there are 2-3 or more threads all on the same subject that are very close together. If i want to start a thread, the first thing i do is make sure the same sort of thread i am about to do isn't already on the same page- i sort of just find it polite this way, as so not to rob the other thread of its originality or somthing.
I'd actually disagree with this point. I think sometimes it is important to have more than one person opinion on particular issues. If the opinions are the same, then it can often hit home exactly what should be done.
I disagree also. I think it is important for anyone with a problem to get a good answer AND reinforcement of that answer. I used to hate it when I was a total newbie and posted a problem and only got one reply back. It may have been the right answer but I didn't know that. If you are standing around the local LFS with a few friends and someone asks a question about a problem they are having and the one of your friends answers it correctly, will you just keep quiet because the correct answer has been given? No, you would almost assuredly reinforce that by saying "I agree"? Same thing here.
I sort of agree with you but what I was trying to say is it is annoying when for example you go into the emergency section and there are 4 threads all on whitespot with the same issues- or like when you go on the livebearer section and there are 5 threads on "is my platy pregnant" or "help, guppy fry!" or something. I think its great people can share so much knowledge on fish here but some people don't appear to even look at other people’s threads or posts before they post their own issue. I know that if everybody here actually used the search engine or read the pinned articles no one would actually have anything to ask or discuss because it had already been done before, but at the same time some people really just don't seem to look at all and expect everyone else to cough up the info for them even if all you have to do is look at the thread below yours and get your answers.
Other sorts of threads that make me sigh are "I have a 20gal what should I put in it threads".
Now sometimes these threads are really good and interesting to participate in but sometimes you just feel like the person is just not bothering to research anything at all and just randomly calling up fish species; research is a major part of fish keeping and I do think it should be at least encouraged to a certain extent with people.
Sort of what I am trying to get at for example is this type of thread;
"I have a 20gal tank what should I put in it"
"What sort of fish are you into?"
"How about some guppy’s and albino Cory’s?"
"I don't like guppy’s and cory’s they are boring, would danios and tiger barbs be ok with a common plec?"
"Common plec will get too big for the tank, there’s not enough space for the barbs either and the danios won't mix with them"
"Oh. What about some male and female bettas?"
"You can't mix male and female bettas together as they will stress each other out and fight"
"How about some swordtails, khuli loaches and a bristlenose plec?
"I like bristlenose plecs but I want some big and interesting fish for the tank"
"You can’t really have big fish in that tank as it’s a small tank"
"How about some guoramis?"
Etc etc etc...
This sort of thread can go on forever, if I were to improve things those I’d do these pointers;
a. You have the 20gal tank and want to do a thread, the first thing you do in your post is describe what sort of fish you are into- you don't have to be an expert at listing fish family’s or scientific names, you can just describe what sort of looks/appearance you like in your fish say whether you want quiet peaceful community fish or something that is really active and zooms around the tank or something that looks unusual like an oddball. Writing down this basic info really helps people trying to help you out a lot, there are thousands of types of fish that will go into a 20gal so its quite hard to suggest anything without knowing what you are looking for.
b. When people start suggesting you fish and you look at pics of the suggested fish on the Internet and like them, then you should start researching their needs. People will hardly ever tell you all there is to know about a particular fish in this sort of thread, all they do is suggest it based on their knowledge of the fish, the rest is up to you to do the research unless you want to start another thread on that particular fish. There are a lot of pinned articles on keeping certain types of fish and hundreds of fish listed with pics and info on them in the fish index on this forum so looking up a fish's needs is not difficult at all
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c. If you are a newb to fish keeping make sure you know how to do a fishless cycle, what to look for in water stats when testing water quality and what the stats signify/mean, how to look after your filter and substrate, when to do water changes and how much and the importance of using dechlorinator and making sure the tank filter, heater and lighting are all powerful enough for the tank. Then you need to know how to look after your chosen fish.
d. Remember that some fish can live for a very long time if well looked after, goldfish and clown loaches can get to 40yrs old, common and sailfin plecs to 20-30yrs old, albino and bronze cory’s to 11yrs old etc...There’s nothing wrong with rehoming fish that you don't want anymore as long as you make sure they get good new homes that fill their needs, but fish are still pets and I do think you should at least try to keep a fish as long as you can. Fish keeping is what you make of it, it is not something that entertains automatically but it is something where you can get a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment out of it- I believe that if you honestly make the most out of your fish keeping experience and chose your fish well and enjoy your tank setup you won't get bored of your fish ever
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