How do you vet information you receive here on Reef2Reef?

[ShakeyGizzard]

I can't seem to find my tank pics or build thread... I do like to ride coat tails though, I think of myself as a sugar glider with no wings.

if you cant find them go take new ones

 

[BeanAnimal]

Kris, I started with "Lampert Ks Marine Magic" salt in 1971. Probably not available any more. That and the water that flows under the Brooklyn Bridge.

There is probably a reason they don't sell that.

My first SW FO tank was with water from Myrtle Beach - There was only one LFS that sold SW fish supplies and most of it was to maintenance guys who took care of the displays in the restaurants. I was poor, salt was expensive. UGF and Wet Dry bio balls were the rage. At one point I had the main FO tank with LFS fish (groupers, and a Naso Tang and snowflake) and an "from the ocean" tank with small spot and crappie and a baby flounder at one point. I think pinfish too. Oddly - the "from the ocean" tank did really well and we never lost a fish. They all ended up back in the ocean eventually.

I could not afford fish usually... but people would just show up with them. "Hey, here is a case of beer, and I bought you a fish". I was the only person anybody knew with a saltwater aquarium in the living room. Everyone thought it was awesome.

 

[BeanAnimal]

if you cant find them go take new ones

While I do enjoy looking at photos of other peoples progress, I have no need or desire to post photos of mine or start a "build" thread. It is just not my thing. If that is what it takes to be credible, then count me as not credible. I am perfectly fine with that.

I think you will find that in my 20+ years of forum participation, I have actually only started a tiny handful of threads in my 30K odd posts and most of those are DIY instructions for various items that may be of interest to other DIYers. I don't DIY stuff anymore really and therefore have little reason to start threads. I simply ride coat tails and comment in others

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

The bad thing about forums to me is you hardly ever meet the people you talk to. Information that is handed out can be good or bad, even if the bad was not intended to be that way. I don't hold grudges ( at least not for long) if a discussion turns ugly. There are a lot of people who don't want the unknown public into there personal life, I completely respect that. on a flip side, if you want to see me and the wife fishing out of Mexico beach Florida, we were catching sharks but was not fishing for them. link below

Catching Sharks While Fishing Off Mexico Beach Florida

 

[Paul B]

Shakey, very cool video. My wife doesn't like fishing but she likes to SCUBA dive with them and eat them

(Bora Bora)

 

[Dom]

As a old person and this forum being about saltwater aquariums I'm going to answer with an old saying:

With a grain of salt.

Please explain; I'd be interested in learning how I can use salt grains as a way of vetting information.

 

[BeanAnimal]

The bad thing about forums to me is you hardly ever meet the people you talk to. Information that is handed out can be good or bad, even if the bad was not intended to be that way. I don't hold grudges ( at least not for long) if a discussion turns ugly. There are a lot of people who don't want the unknown public into there personal life, I completely respect that. on a flip side, if you want to see me and the wife fishing out of Mexico beach Florida, we were catching sharks but was not fishing for them. link below

Catching Sharks While Fishing Off Mexico Beach Florida

I was a board member of our club for over a decade. Myself and a few other board members, with the help of club members, fully Planned and executed one of the most successful MACNAS held. Anybody who knows me, knows that I am not shy. I used to present to the club once or twice a year about various topics, mostly DIY. I ran many workshops for meetings as well. Acrylic fabrication, fragging, diy fish food, etc. However, I never felt the desire to get on the club or event speaking list for MASNA but have been asked. Some people want to be recognized and followed. I just do my thing, and ”likes” is not it.

 

[jda]

I purchased (may still own) reefgurus.com
This came up years ago after the Ron Shimek - Anthony Calfo RC blowup (you were there or weren't). Paul from Oceans Motions, Myself, Mr. Wilson from RC and several others contemplated building just that a fully moderated GURU question and answer forum. Similar to web web media, but minus the awful layout. It was before quora, or other "get answers" type of sites. None of us had the time (or real desire) to take it on, other than talking about it.

I have proposed a curated forum on this site... anybody can post but only a pre-approved list of people can answer. The OP and the curated posters are the only ones allowed to post. That way, people can have the choice of general discussion or curation. It has never gotten any traction. Nobody has even really offered any reason why they don't want to do it. There are people who browse on here that don't help much because they don't want to deal with the thumb suckers and riff raff that comes and goes.

I once thought of writing a bash script to parse through old WWM posts and format them better... never got around to it. I also wonder if they would get mad if somebody did this and posted elsewhere.

 

[tnw50cal]

Please explain; I'd be interested in learning how I can use salt grains as a way of vetting information.

I'm sorry are you just playing Dom?

 

[Reefer Matt]

I have proposed a curated forum on this site... anybody can post but only a pre-approved list of people can answer. The OP and the curated posters are the only ones allowed to post. That way, people can have the choice of general discussion or curation. It has never gotten any traction. Nobody has even really offered any reason why they don't want to do it. There are people who browse on here that don't help much because they don't want to deal with the thumb suckers and riff raff that comes and goes.

I once thought of writing a bash script to parse through old WWM posts and format them better... never got around to it. I also wonder if they would get mad if somebody did this and posted elsewhere.

I like that option, and also suggested it. But how, and who decides the criteria for qualifications to answer posts? That may be their hangup.

 

[jda]

I like that option, and also suggested it. But how, and who decides the criteria for qualifications to answer posts? That may be their hangup.

It doesn't matter. You give it a go and evolve along the way. If somebody is going to get hung up on this, then it will never work. If it was my board, I would pick and also ask a few others for their opinions.

This is kinda like picking a leader... if you don't know how then you don't know how... but the good ones know how to do it.

IMO, curated forum is the next step in keeping this relevant. There are too many other places where people can go for a free-for-all, confirmation and all of that.

 

[Reefer Matt]

It doesn't matter. You give it a go and evolve along the way. If somebody is going to get hung up on this, then it will never work. If it was my board, I would pick and also ask a few others for their opinions.

This is kinda like picking a leader... if you don't know how then you don't know how... but the good ones know how to do it.

IMO, curated forum is the next step in keeping this relevant. There are too many other places where people can go for a free-for-all, confirmation and all of that.

I guess we can all start our own forum. I already did in my area. But they like fb groups instead. It’s a never ending battle too, because someone will always disagree with whatever the advice is. The truth is, there is more than one way to be successful in reefing. No one knows for sure what will help the other person by just looking at pictures and sentences. We all have a best guess, but some are better than others.

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

I was a board member of our club for over a decade. Myself and a few other board members, with the help of club members, fully Planned and executed one of the most successful MACNAS held. Anybody who knows me, knows that I am not shy. I used to present to the club once or twice a year about various topics, mostly DIY. I ran many workshops for meetings as well. Acrylic fabrication, fragging, diy fish food, etc. However, I never felt the desire to get on the club or event speaking list for MASNA but have been asked. Some people want to be recognized and followed. I just do my thing, and ”likes” is not it.

calm down dude, I quit talking about you along time ago, but to each his own

 

[BeanAnimal]

I have proposed a curated forum on this site... anybody can post but only a pre-approved list of people can answer. The OP and the curated posters are the only ones allowed to post. That way, people can have the choice of general discussion or curation. It has never gotten any traction. Nobody has even really offered any reason why they don't want to do it. There are people who browse on here that don't help much because they don't want to deal with the thumb suckers and riff raff that comes and goes.

I once thought of writing a bash script to parse through old WWM posts and format them better... never got around to it. I also wonder if they would get mad if somebody did this and posted elsewhere.

WWM is (was) mostly the local Pittsburgh crew and original club and reefers here
Bob is pretty much the only one who remained and I think he let it go 3 or 4 years ago.

I have not talked to Anthony Calfo in quite a while, we just don't catch up very often. I talk to Adam often, but he is no longer in the hobby. I don't ever talk to Steve or the others. I think most have left the hobby.

There is a lot of good information packed in the mess.

Several of us have proposed cleaning it up and presenting it in a better format. It is Bob's site to do what he wants and I think it is just more trouble than it is worth for anybody to mess with. I honestly have no clue what Bob's position is on it these days.

 

[jda]

I guess we can all start our own forum. I already did in my area. But they like fb groups instead. It’s a never ending battle too, because someone will always disagree with whatever the advice is. The truth is, there is more than one way to be successful in reefing. No one knows for sure what will help the other person by just looking at pictures and sentences. We all have a best guess, but some are better than others.

I only think that is true given the current environment.

FB is an equivalent to the message board. Neither offers anything different from the other aside from some interfaces and convenience.

WWM was awesome and helped a ton of people learn about the hobby because it was curated. The advice on the backs of bottles and on manufacturer websites have replace this to the detriment of the hobby, IMO. A national place with some vetted people to help them likely would be of service and draw a crowd that has nowhere else to go. The vetted group does not have to be the Colonels Secret Recipe or the ingredients for Coca Cola or anything - people don't often know much about the authors of books that they read (that well) and they can be a great start.

 

[BeanAnimal]

I only think that is true given the current environment.

FB is an equivalent to the message board. Neither offers anything different from the other aside from some interfaces and convenience.

WWM was awesome and helped a ton of people learn about the hobby because it was curated. The advice on the backs of bottles and on manufacturer websites have replace this to the detriment of the hobby, IMO. A national place with some vetted people to help them likely would be of service and draw a crowd that has nowhere else to go. The vetted group does not have to be the Colonels Secret Recipe or the ingredients for Coca Cola or anything - people don't often know much about the authors of books that they read (that well) and they can be a great start.

Back at RC we had a whole section of "expert" forums.
Randy, Anthony, Ron, etc.

They were not curated, but close enough. That too comes with its own issues. Anthony and I are friends, but we don't always agree on reefing, sometimes not even close. Likewise, I would never argue Biology with Dr. Shimek, but would certainly argue his application of and the conclusions or opinion drawn from it in some instances. If you remember back in the day, there were some insane fights between rather well informed "experts" both staff and forum members that were a result of those "expert" forums.

As it stands here. Randy's forum has very little of that. So who knows, maybe it was the "experts" chosen and their personalities that were the catalyst.

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

I only think that is true given the current environment.

FB is an equivalent to the message board. Neither offers anything different from the other aside from some interfaces and convenience.

WWM was awesome and helped a ton of people learn about the hobby because it was curated. The advice on the backs of bottles and on manufacturer websites have replace this to the detriment of the hobby, IMO. A national place with some vetted people to help them likely would be of service and draw a crowd that has nowhere else to go. The vetted group does not have to be the Colonels Secret Recipe or the ingredients for Coca Cola or anything - people don't often know much about the authors of books that they read (that well) and they can be a great start.

What happened to it ? (wwm)

 

[nereefpat]

WWM is (was) mostly the local Pittsburgh crew and original club and reefers here
Bob is pretty much the only one who remained and I think he let it go 3 or 4 years ago.

I have not talked to Anthony Calfo in quite a while, we just don't catch up very often. I talk to Adam often, but he is no longer in the hobby. I don't ever talk to Steve or the others. I think most have left the hobby.

There is a lot of good information packed in the mess.

Several of us have proposed cleaning it up and presenting it in a better format. It is Bob's site to do what he wants and I think it is just more trouble than it is worth for anybody to mess with. I honestly have no clue what Bob's position is on it these days.

Bob Fenner?

He passed away.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Bob Fenner?

He passed away.

That would be correct, and I have no idea how that escaped my brain, for it was a long topic of discussion between a group of us a few years ago. I know the site was down for a while, and I can't remember who worked to help get it back up.

 

[jda]

What happened to it ? (wwm)

It quite being and never evolved... it is still there, but in the past tense.

The idea is needed today, IMO. Maybe it is just me who believes this and I should give up.