rant rant rant rant rant

i appreciate the fact that people are learning. i understand that. like i said, i have made numerous blunders. but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. if people would just look BEFORE getting their fish, they would be a lot better prepared to handle the situations that arise.

that being said, this is a great place to get information. when your fish are doing well, why not sit down for a little bit and read up on the threads that have info on the fish you have? it seems like people panic, ask questions they could find answers to (there is a search feature here) and then disappear until the next crisis. ever look at petshrimp.com? the mods there dont tolerate ignorance at all. i dont think this site needs to go to that level, but please please please please please please please just read a little bit about your fish on your own. it will do you a world of good
 
Take a break :dive:!

I think you mix up two things. I wholeheartedly agree with your wish that people would inform themselves a bit more before they start into the hobby but, unfortunately, the reality looks different. And you have to deal with reality. It would be sad for a site like this to adopt the "RTFM" approach. It makes for a silent place, because it scares new people away.

The second thing is that I can sympathize with your emotion. Last time when I looked at the front page of the respective forums and didn't find a single topic that had not been dealt with already three times during the last week, I found it was time to take a break myself :).
 
I see no reason to get so upset over newbie questions. Just don't read or answer them if you feel so strongly about it. When I first joined this forum, I loved it (still do) because there are so many awesome people who were willing to help and give advice. One of the nicest and friendliest community I have joined.

Eventhough googling provides a wealth of info, it is always good to have a community to fall back on. Even after I google, I still check out or post for any additional info or experiences others have had here. It never even occured to me that some people will get upset over my newbie or stupid questions. I certainly do not mean to offend anyone here. I just care a lot about my fish & aquariums, and want to do the best I can.

Also, sometimes in emergency situations when there is something wrong with fish or tank, it is hard to search through the entire forum or look for stickies. Or maybe some of us are plain ol' lazy!! :)
 
some of us ENJOY helping people... no matter how small, insignificant, or common their(or your ;)) problem(s) seem. :)
 
I moderate 2 forums on different boards and have gone out of my way to pin/sticky a very exhaustive primer on the species covered they dont have to goggle its all right there.But I still get the same questions over and over.Most people seem incredibly lazy
and find it easier to ask a question.If it bothers you that much I suggest you just try to avoid the questions.Many people that come to sites such as this are new keepers with no idea whats involved tank+fish+water how hard can it be?then they freak when something goes wrong.I like to think we are a friendly group of keepers who want to exchange information and help others in the proper care of these fish.If it bothers you avoid repetitive newbie posts-Anne
 
The way I look at it is that this is a public forum, not a place of employment. You are not REQUIRED to read all the threads nor to answer them. Save your responses for those you deem "worthy" if you are irritated and leave the answering of the repetitive ones to those who are invested in helping out people who are struggling, uncertain, or new. I go through weeks where I do not always have the energy to answer every cycling question posted, but its my perogative to answer, read, or not.
 
On one hand I can see where you're coming from. People do need to be willing to research and learn for themselves. If all teh knowledge you need is spoon-fed to you, then you miss out on the "why" of the whole thing, and lacking that understanding can lead to problems later on down the road.

At the same time, I've been a member of forums where they are crazy about making people search before posting everything. It just takes a lot out of the forum, because 80% of all the threads that get posted just have the reply "use the search".
 
I understand your frustration but you have to remember that when you first start out more times then not you have been relying on info given at some pet store which usually screws up everything. Then there is an emergency that arises and people need help quick. They need answers fast because the lives of their fish hang in the balance. If the fish die because no one is willing to give them the time of day then they get sour on this hobby and want to just walk away from it.That would be a sad day if so many of us did that when we were first starting out with all of our newbie questions. We have all been there and hopefully have learned a little more since then. I don't think it is such an inconvience to help someone out when they are in a panic.

However, I do agree that people should do more research before they purchase fish. It would save a lot of heartache. Really though, in the beginning you are just so gung ho on getting everything going and having fish, it is easy to get talked into just about anything or give in to impulse buys which we have all done. Remember how you just couldn't wait until your tank was cycled and you wanted to put fish in it so bad? It seemed to take forever. The newbies just need a little help and sometimes to say just relax everything is going to be just fine.

Relax and enjoy the hobby and this great site. That is what it is here for.

Marinemom
 
Marinemom said:
Remember how you just couldn't wait until your tank was cycled and you wanted to put fish in it so bad? It seemed to take forever.
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No, I don't remember. My first 10 gallon tank was cycled with 9 guppies. As you mentioned, I was told that was ok.
 
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