Cichlid forum division?

[MbunaBrotha]

Hi, I'm fairly new to posting on this forum, but have been reading for easily over a year. The one thing I don't understand is the "Cichlid Discussion" category. The sticky on the thread says the Cichlid Discussion has opened for a trial run.... in 2006. Thats 7 years ago! I'm pretty sure the "trial" run is long over, and I think we can take some things learned during this "trial" run and improve The category is a great idea since there's a vast array of cichlids and enthusiasts, but the world of African and South/Central American cichlids is completely different, to the point where I believe it would be a HUGE benefit for all us cichlid freaks if there were a simple divider or sub-categories for the two.

In the sticky, it was said that people should use terms in their thread that will distinguish between the two genres, but one look at the category and you can see that does not happen. Threads titled "ID This" and "Look at My Fish!!!" do no help organizing the thread, yet it seems the majority of the titles are vague and I spend the majority of my title sifting through topics that don't apply to my genre instead of enjoying the topics that do.

Just an idea! Organization is the key to anything, and I believe this idea will not only add much needed organization, but make the two individual communities stronger as a whole!

Thanks!

 

[HUKIT]

It's been brought up a few times and I've always felt it's not needed at this time, there simply is not enough traffic in the cichlid section. Other larger forums such MFK need the separation since they're getting a thousand threads a day in those subforums, not separating their forum would have new threads on page five before they may get a response. Just my opinion.

 

[MbunaBrotha]

It's been brought up a few times and I've always felt it's not needed at this time, there simply is not enough traffic in the cichlid section. Other larger forums such MFK need the separation since they're getting a thousand threads a day in those subforums, not separating their forum would have new threads on page five before they may get a response. Just my opinion.

I get that theres not much traffic in the section, but I myself opted not to post (or even register) for a long time due to the category not being split. No one wants to sift through stuff that doesnt apply to them in order to read threads that do fit their genre. A simple split or division would make it so much easier on the eyes and the brain in my opinion, many people would feel more at home and comfortable than they do now. The cichlid category is just a complete mess and to fix that would be to the whole forums benefit. Who likes or tolerates a mess? Its just a hassle.

When ya think about it, South/Central American Cichlids should not be combined in a tank with Africans, so why should the topics be combined? The potential for posters to be confused and take SA cichlid advise to the bank and raise their pH to 9+ in their African tanks or cross some other advise that isn't compatible between the two can lead to an accidentally wiped out tank.

 

[Oscar98]

Hi, I'm fairly new to posting on this forum, but have been reading for easily over a year. The one thing I don't understand is the "Cichlid Discussion" category. The sticky on the thread says the Cichlid Discussion has opened for a trial run.... in 2006. Thats 7 years ago! I'm pretty sure the "trial" run is long over, and I think we can take some things learned during this "trial" run and improve The category is a great idea since there's a vast array of cichlids and enthusiasts, but the world of African and South/Central American cichlids is completely different, to the point where I believe it would be a HUGE benefit for all us cichlid freaks if there were a simple divider or sub-categories for the two.

In the sticky, it was said that people should use terms in their thread that will distinguish between the two genres, but one look at the category and you can see that does not happen. Threads titled "ID This" and "Look at My Fish!!!" do no help organizing the thread, yet it seems the majority of the titles are vague and I spend the majority of my title sifting through topics that don't apply to my genre instead of enjoying the topics that do.

Just an idea! Organization is the key to anything, and I believe this idea will not only add much needed organization, but make the two individual communities stronger as a whole!

Thanks!

Ya i agree too. I get that AA doesnt have as much traffic as mfk but it would still make it a LOT easier to go through posts. I myself am a new world cichlid guy and dont really want anything to do with africans. I spend most of the time trying to find a post that intrests me.

 

[Rare]

If you build it....they will come.

I wouldnt mind having a split myself

 

[Loading...]

If you build it....they will come.

I wouldnt mind having a split myself

Please split it

 

[MbunaBrotha]

I'm happy to see people agree with me. I think the sole reason theres not much traffic in the cichlid section is because they're lumped together when the communities have nothing in common and many fans of one genre have zero interest in the other, like Oscar said and I agree! This is one of the most frequented and popular aquarium and hobbyist forums available, and I'm positive that if they were separated, the cichlid threads would go wild! As Rare said, "If you build it... they will come." I bet they'll come in massive numbers too, as both cichlid communities are wildly popular and sought after!

 

[bud29]

Does this mean we should split getting started and general discussion into separate subforums because lots of stuff in there doesn't apply to you? I get what you're saying, however the cichlid section is by far not the most popular subforum in the FW area. IMHO sifting through some inapplicable information just seems to be part of forums That being said, there is a point in which segregation is needed - however IMO the cichlid section has not yet reached that point. And, as a side note, minor conglomeration has never inhibited my interest to post somewhere. There MAY be a spike in posts if separated, but I don't think it would be as massive as some think.

 

[HUKIT]

. The cichlid category is just a complete mess and to fix that would be to the whole forums benefit. Who likes or tolerates a mess? Its just a hassle.

It's hard to call something you've been a part of a short time a complete mess. I couldn't disagree more(since I've been posting in there for 3.5 years), cichlids is a family classification not specific genus or location of fish. So where would cichlids from Madagascar or hybirds go? Another sub-forum? The entire forum could be broken down by your logic, what about the brackish aquarist don't they deserve their own subforum too?

When ya think about it, South/Central American Cichlids should not be combined in a tank with Africans, so why should the topics be combined? The potential for posters to be confused and take SA cichlid advise to the bank and raise their pH to 9+ in their African tanks or cross some other advise that isn't compatible between the two can lead to an accidentally wiped out tank.

That logic and specific example makes absolutely zero sense, they would combine their continents of cichlids because the forums groups them together? And who has their PH at 9, what South American cichlids can't adapt to a higher PH(curious since I've bred discus at nearly 8)? Even wild caught cichlids slowly acclimated will adapt to a steady high PH, silly examples in my opinion.

Ya i agree too. I get that AA doesnt have as much traffic as mfk but it would still make it a LOT easier to go through posts. I myself am a new world cichlid guy and dont really want anything to do with africans. I spend most of the time trying to find a post that intrests me.

The Cichlid forum averages anywhere from 10-15 new threads per day, I don't see anyone wasting alot of time on that.

I think especially newcomers benefit from having the ability to look and search in one category rather than two, this is more important in my opinion for new aquarist looking for information. I also enjoy reading about ALL species of cichlids rather than just a specific region.

Lastly there are Cichlid specific subforums(social groups) to discuss your continent of choice, here's one I made to discuss only new world cichlids. There are some great topics in there with lots of information and a little fun too! This is by far the most active social group on the forum, why not start or join one?

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/groups/54-south+and+central+american+cichlid+society.html

 

[MbunaBrotha]

Very polite. Sorry for being new to a forum and suggesting a valid idea. A good idea is a good idea no matter where it comes from. If you don't have African or South American cichlids, this discussion doesn't affect you. But for those people that do have these fish we basically want nothing to do with one another. There's already a few that also find it to be a hassle.

I also was a member for about 2 years on another name when I had tropicals, "itssas" was my name i believe, and have made quite a few transactions with members in the classified section. However when I transitioned to cichlids and started using this name elsewhere, I found that many other forums were more useful in the particular subject and opted to not sign up here due to the condition of the cichlid section. I didn't think there would be such hostility about a suggested improvement. I bet those 10-15 posts per day would increase greatly if the cichlid thread was a bit more organized, thats all I was saying... Seems I'm not the only one either.

I believe newcomers to both the forum and the hobby in general should have the most specific information as possible to make educated decisions, not two continents worth of cichlid information to sift through. The hobby is already tough enough for a lot of people, why make it harder

 

[bud29]

Very polite. Sorry for being new to a forum and suggesting a valid idea. A good idea is a good idea no matter where it comes from. If you don't have African or South American cichlids, this discussion doesn't affect you. But for those people that do have these fish we basically want nothing to do with one another. There's already a few that also find it to be a hassle.

I also was a member for about 2 years on another name when I had tropicals, "itssas" was my name i believe, and have made quite a few transactions with members in the classified section. However when I transitioned to cichlids and started using this name elsewhere, I found that many other forums were more useful in the particular subject and opted to not sign up here due to the condition of the cichlid section. I didn't think there would be such hostility about a suggested improvement. I bet those 10-15 posts per day would increase greatly if the cichlid thread was a bit more organized, thats all I was saying... Seems I'm not the only one either.

I believe newcomers to both the forum and the hobby in general should have the most specific information as possible to make educated decisions, not two continents worth of cichlid information to sift through. The hobby is already tough enough for a lot of people, why make it harder

Dividing into several subforums does seem to take the opposite effect though at some point. I am a member on a forum that has INSANELY specific subforums, it makes the whole place seem bigger and "scarier" so to speak. With slightly more generalized subforums, more people will probably enter that subforum, so potentially more people reading your thread. As I said, there is a point for division but now IMO is not the time. By the logic presented, shouldn't FW general discussion be divided due to the mixing of threads about fish with ranging care needs and Geographic locations? The division of the Cichlid subforum is not a bad idea, however I'm sure this idea has been floated in the past with site staff; due to the separation not yet having happened, I am inclined to believe that they too feel there is not an urgent need for division at this point in time.

Also, just as a note, if anyone wants to find specific information in a subforum without randomly scrolling through pages, there is an excellent search feature which I urge you to utilize. At least in my case it has helped me a great deal when trying to find information on here.

 

[MbunaBrotha]

Understandable. I'm not fussing over it anymore, just would have made things very nice and tidy! oh well... cheers to trying!

 

[mfdrookie516]

It's being discussed by the staff. Closing thread to avoid any ruffled feathers until we've made a decision.