This forum not as helpful

[ginty]

What has happened to thos forum. When i 1st got an aquarium 3 and a half years ago. This forum helped me.
Ive put posts in this last week about an ill fish with no reply.

Peppered cory with white mark on head - Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community

I can anyone answer whats happend to this forum. In my opinion it is no help anymore which is very disappointing as i once loved this aquarium. It was a great help and was great advice

 

[nirbhao]

Could it be that you're just becoming more knowledgeable and therefore there are fewer people in general who have insights more advanced than yours?

 

[Brookster123]

Could it be that you're just becoming more knowledgeable and therefore there are fewer people in general who have insights more advanced than yours?

Haha doubtful. The scape of this changes month to month, year to year. I will admit the depth of knowledge ran a tad bit deeper in the years past.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[TMaier]

I've noticed the ill fish forum has less replies. Personally I have never been able to save a fish so I keep my trap shut.

 

[54seaweed]

first you need to understand we are between 2 holidays so many members are out of town visiting friends and family . 2nd you posted your question yesterday afternoon remember we are viewed world wide everyone has different time zones . so your questions can be viewed possibly the following day . answers don't appear instantly because you posted a question , remember this is a forum not person to person . you need to have patients a answer can take up to 24hrs but due to the holiday season it can be a little longer .

 

[ginty]

first you need to understand we are between 2 holidays so many members are out of town visiting friends and family . 2nd you posted your question yesterday afternoon remember we are viewed world wide everyone has different time zones . so your questions can be viewed possibly the following day . answers don't appear instantly because you posted a question , remember this is a forum not person to person . you need to have patients a answer can take up to 24hrs but due to the holiday season it can be a little longer .

I posted my original post on friday. The post your on about was my 2nd post.
And as i say i used to get replies in a few hours. The fact this forum is world wide should mean you get a reply pretty quickly because of time zones.
I used to get replies within a few hours

 

[ginty]

Could it be that you're just becoming more knowledgeable and therefore there are fewer people in general who have insights more advanced than yours?

I wish i was becoming more knowledgeable about the aquarium. Lol.

When you have an ill fish. The priority is to try and help by all means possible. And if i couldnt make a diagnoses id come here and it used to be fantastic, but ive noticed its getting slower and ive ended up joinin other forums to get the help required.

 

[flchamp89]

I've noticed the ill fish forum has less replies. Personally I have never been able to save a fish so I keep my trap shut.

Im with TMaier. Ive saved a couple or got lucky. Im not into meds.

 

[coralbandit]

Ah you asked so here's my take on it...
Too many childish and happy happy instead of knowledgeable responses...Seems it might be better to kill fish then hurt someones feeling along their already tough educational experience....This is not the place to get expert experienced advice on much , but those places are harder and harder to find for me daily...
There are a few still here who posses the skill to ignore the fact that we will be treated like children for saying something someone doesn't like...
It quickly loses its charm ...
Many members seem ungrateful IMO to be honest from an experienced person who does offer advice. You try to make a suggestion and they say it doesn't don't look exactly like that or whatever...
I stand by you can lead a keeper to water but you can't make them change it...
This is such a shame for real. As more and more business get bought and driven under by their competition we will all have fewer choices of product or quality.

To quote another forum favorite of mine[NavigatorBlack] Welcome to the Hotel California!
I'll look at your fish link like Brook did.Seems people can't even take a hint...
They get defensive you asked for help? Patients does help but I hear you!

Save​

 

[Andy Sager]

One of the best things you can have in your fish keeping is a way to get instant answers when it comes to diseases or potential diseases. This comes from books on the subject and not necessarily the internet or internet forums.
One book that is very helpful is this one: https://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Fish-Diseases-G-Untergasser/dp/0866227032

It's an old book ( and now rather inexpensive) and some of the recommended medications are no longer available but what it has which is invaluable, is a diagnoses chart. Multiple symptoms in an "If this then that" format. What it enables YOU to do is go to your local fish shop and say " I have a fish with THIS problem. Do you have this medication? " instead of looking for someone else to diagnose your problem and possibly get it wrong or just somebody wanting to see their name on a post and offer any information right or wrong.
Fish keeping is not really a social event while fish keeping experiences is. What happens in your situation can just as easily be a regional situation as water is not the same everywhere and local information is usually the best information. There is a lot of information often necessary to diagnose a problem correctly. A picture is just the beginning. This is where that book comes in real handy.

No, this forum is not as helpful as it once was but then again, as previously stated, many people with the more experience have moved on to other places so as to converse with others who are more experienced and who better understand the reality of fish keeping. It's their HOBBY and not a passing fancy. I've read many opinions expressed on this forum that are not based on facts and I have been part of many of those threads, trying my best to offer the benefits of my 50+ years of fish keeping experience to correct them. After a while the results are not worth the effort. THAT is what you are seeing.

My suggestion, get that book.

 

[nirbhao]

I just bought that book (moments ago) for $1.08!

I think one thing that I've found different with this forum and others is the courtesy policy. I was on another forum that was much more active before this, but people were MEAN. Someone literally told me that I don't deserve to keep fish because I had bought a dwarf gourami and put it in a 10 gallon tank while waiting for the 29 gallon to cycle. I had made the mistake of taking the advice of these person working at the LFS, and doing so earned me pages of scorn and bile.

It was like that with everything. I could do no right. Finally, I thought I got it. I followed advice exactly. The response from the person whose advice I had taken was that she wouldn't have done what I did.

So maybe places like that are better for experienced fish keepers who have no patience for those of us who are imperfect. I can't say, being imperfect as I am.

I do know that I've spent a lot of time at the library and researching scholarly articles online, and this forum has been very helpful for the application of the information I've found there.

 

[coralbandit]

https://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Fish-Diseases-G-Untergasser/dp/0866227032
One of it not the best disease book.
Must have if you are not good with disease...

 

[Delapool]

(will try not breaking the work computer this time).


As someone who has been going through the unanswered posts for years these are a couple of observations:


1> We all have to start somewhere. If the interest is there in treating sick fish then research and answering sick fish threads will quickly see you gain skills. Give it a go as the payoff is immense.


2> Unanswered posts only display on the website (that I know of). To me, more people are using the app so if you can post more information (not just a bump), this will help people see the thread and maybe something in the new post will ring a bell.


3> Unanswered posts relative to online members is imo about the same. There is a case of fin rot sitting unanswered that I couldn't get to last night and in many cases I've found posting something/anything will see the thread become active. For OP's remember that posting a reply on sick fish thread can take effort (eg research). I've had answers that I thought utter rubbish but I appreciate the time taken to reply. Once a thread gets started, posts will flow.


4> It can be easy to get frustrated when you can see the problem e.g. that goldfish stocking in a small tank is never going to work. This is a general observation and a personal one where I've been utterly fed up and e.g. resolved never to reply to another sick goldfish thread which is never going to improve as the tank conditions are not suitable. However, I consider my replies are all about "teaching someone to catch fish". Take a deep breath and have patience. Posts must remain civil. E.g Despite my feelings on hybrids, I will give it my best shot for the tank (note this doesn't prevent pointing out the issues some hybrids have).


5> These threads come up every so often and I can appreciate either the lack of replies, slow response or replies not thought helpful. In every answer I have seen, people are genuinely trying to help and do want to help. Some threads are simply tough to answer. Disagreements and conflicting information will occur.


6> Here, I would say there has been a loss of aquarium keepers due to tough work conditions. So while the forum is world-wide, I know Australia is less active in fish-keeping. Hopefully it picks up.

 

[54seaweed]

well said

like I also said earlier a lot of your fellow members are traveling for the holidays and this slows our forum answers drastically , a lot of our members are enjoying the holidays and family so reply times will be longer please understand this.

happy holidays
seaweed