Lazy hobbyists

[Dragen Fiend]

Personally, if people were not lazy. We would run out of discussions. It has its purpose. I love seeing reignited posts and sometimes its the same info. Sometimes its the same people. And sometimes its the same people with different info they just learned.

 

[smokin'reefer]

Seems like asking a question is part of the research.
People new to the hobby have so much info to digest it makes choosing fish a whole nother encyclopedia of compatability, growth rates and max sizes.
Has anybody here try to make sense of a compatability chart? This fish can go with that except for???
I appreciate threads on help picking fish so you can get an overall picture of what you want to create in your ecosystem. And also helping with the order you need to add fish (calmer fish before the aggressors.).

My experience is gathering all the info whether it be fish or corals and then when I go to lfs I still wind up bringing something home that I need to do more research.

I get the feeling I'm not the only one.

 

[Biokabe]

From my own perspective:

I've been in the hobby for 16 years now. Not as long as some people, but longer than most. In the course of those 16 years, I've seen "common wisdom" be overturned and replaced multiple times as people learn and find out new things about the animals we keep. Simple example - not fish-related directly, but when I was starting out everyone was desperately trying to get a 0 nitrate tank. Across multiple forums, it was one of the most discussed topics.

How can I get my nitrates to 0? I have 5 ppm nitrates, how can I get rid of that last 5? Help, my nitrates are at 25 ppm, it's an emergency!

And now, of course, we "know" that it's best to keep our nitrates above 0.

And as a newbie, you have far less of a knowledge base than most of the forum-goers. So not only do you not know what is right, you also don't know which of the research you can find is still accurate and which has been supplanted with new knowledge.

On top of that, every situation is somewhat unique. Again, people don't know what they don't know, so there could be unique factors with their tank that would make common advice incorrect. In light of all that, I can't fault someone for asking for help from people who have been doing this for a while rather than defaulting to an Internet that has become increasingly unreliable.

 

[reeferab]

New reefer here. I have a 20g. Even though I never asked what to add I was tempted. I ended up adding a dragonet sold by my LFS, they told me it would be fine. Needless to say, it didn't survived on my less than 1 year old system. I also added a lawnmower blenny. When the algee was gone I couldn't get it to eat vegetable pellets. By the time I got nori it was too late.
Tank size is a limiting factor. Maybe I should have asked the question. A few pointers to do my own research. I will take someone asking what to stock with over someone asking how to not kill something they already got.

Yeah unfortunately had the same experience. Bought a scooter blenny (dragonet) without knowing better for my nano 4month old setup. It was already looking super skinny on inspection when checking at home. Didn’t survive very long and never found the body.

I know the onus is on me to do research rather than impulse buying fish. However lfs did suggest he would be fine and happily takes frozen food.

Reading forums and asking questions would have really avoided buying… lesson learned the hard way unfortunately

 

[larrysaltisfun]

I’ve learned a slew from R2R experts Randy Holmes Farley, Jay Hemdal Vette Guy MN Fish, w31OLDS the list goes on. I’ve been doing this hobby for a while, but only recently have I’ve been really paying attention to doing it correctly. What a difference it makes. To see the camaraderie and to see the differences of opinion amongst authorities in this forum….. you can’t get that experience doing your own research on the Internet or in the library. When you have a full-time job and you have a sick fish or a chemical problem in your tank sometimes you’ve got to get an answer ASAP, ….. the response time is amazing here. No question seems too trivial everyone contributing wants you to be successful with your tanks!

 

[DCJ]

If there was reliable and up-to-date information out there, maybe people would be able to get by on research

But looks at what we have. Books that were cutting edge when they were published can't keep up with the kind of information we can get from finding research papers online, but there's a learning curve right there trying to translate science-ese into real people speech.

Trying to get info from a site that sells fish? How can you trust info from a business who's whole purpose is to make a sale? Some of those 'species facts' are nonsense, or glaring issues are just not mentioned, like specific feeding requirements. Even something as simple as tank size!

Some people don't have a local fish club, and even then, if the 7 people you know have anecdotes about the behaviour or upkeep of a specific fish, that's just multiplied in forums.

Forums are a place of concentrated knowledge and experience.

I also think it's a huge disservice to people here who give up their precious time and effort to offer help to others, which is always worth it's weight in gold.

We have access to actual experts in their topics here, and they do it all for free? Answering the same questions over again, with all the little differences and nuances that each fish keeper brings?

In the real world you'd have to pay for personally tailored advice like that, which knowledgeable people are giving away here for free and in abundance, just for love of the hobby.

It's so rare to find such authentic, genuine offers of help with nothing in return except our appreciation, especially in a hobby where there's so little consensus and such huge scope

FW has seriously fish to help with stocking. Reefing doesn't have anything except MAYBE Live aquaria, and you can't ask them questions. Can't even filter searches by tank size properly.

When/if forums like these shut down, new reefers like me are going to be lost, the hobby is going to suffer and most of all, so will the animals we keep.

 

[Steven Garland]

Why have 100 threads of asking same thing when can have 101..102..103 ? Majority of people dont want to invest the time to use google or the search bar here,but why would you when you can have the gratification of someone else doing the research for you ? Just the world we live in these days. Its sad really.

 

[zbrusko]

You have a valid point. However, I’m mostly referring to the simple questions like “Can I add another skunk shrimp or is that a problem?” A little reading and self research would be more beneficial than asking a forum. BTW the answer is no they would fight to the death.

User experience is often much more valuable than the same recycled info on the internet. Asking others about their experience is research.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I don't mind the lazy questions.

But don't get me started on the bad grammar, paragraph long sentences, spelling mistakes and typo corrections that make some posts illegible. At least make the lazy question readable lol

 

[MoshJosh]

I will add that doing online research can lead you to the same fish over and over causing you to miss out on some less common but more interesting fish.

 

[DeepDiver55]

I dont agree that asking for recommendations is a sign of laziness - theyre looking for guidance from experienced people. We’re able to talk from our experience. When I ask I’m looking for ideas. May find something I’ve never heard or seen or hadn’t considered. If I get multiple recommendation for fish X that may be the 1st fish I research. IMHO there’s a lot info out there especially if you’re relatively new to the hobby. Narrowing selections saves the inevitable information overload.

 

[Staghorn]

Great!!! I got just what I was asking for. A little fire. Thanks for responding. I’ve been in this hobby for over 60 years. (I’m 85). Sometimes one has to poke the bear!! Thanks again.

Sir, aren’t you a little old to be starting trouble? Lol

 

[CKW]

Great!!! I got just what I was asking for. A little fire. Thanks for responding. I’ve been in this hobby for over 60 years. (I’m 85). Sometimes one has to poke the bear!! Thanks again.

Sir, aren’t you a little old to be starting trouble? Lol

Heck, I’m a little old for a lot of things