Questions

[Freenow54]

I seriously wonder if my existence here is worth it . I have a lot of respect for a few members , but the conversations they have are quite frankly over my head because of my lack of formal education . The language used is not translatable for me. I believe the education system is responsible creating this impasse. I regard it as a reality that is not necessary . Is it not possible to talk in a discussion in layman's terms to welcome those of us who are not formally educated in that particular field ? I may just throw in the towel sadly. Lasse , Bean and a few at least try .Thanks . The narrowing of the group is becoming evident

 

[commod0re]

I totally understand your frustration. I feel like I can usually follow what people are saying but certain areas of discussion make me feel both blind and illiterate…
That said this is not my first “brand new to a hobby with lots of breadth and depth” rodeo so I assume that is largely due to me still being relatively new and inexperienced and that stuff that is currently mysterious to me will come with time

for people with lots of knowledge in a particular area the jargon comes naturally not only because they are comfortable with it, but also because it is truly more precise than plain language and for a person that knows the difference by heart that generally matters. A lot of people also take knowledge they have had for a long time for granted and assume that everyone knows it just as well as they do

It has always been my belief that anyone can learn just about anything they want if they are motivated enough. Different people have different starting points though and also digest new knowledge at different rates. Try not to compare yourself to people who have been living the reefing life for decades, they have simply had a lot more time over which to digest knowledge. Remind yourself that as long as you keep learning new things, you are making progress, and it doesn’t matter if that’s faster or slower, ahead or behind anyone else, because it’s your progress alone

Anyway keep at it, we will get there eventually as long as we don’t give up

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

I seriously wonder if my existence here is worth it . I have a lot of respect for a few members , but the conversations they have are quite frankly over my head because of my lack of formal education . The language used is not translatable for me. I believe the education system is responsible creating this impasse. I regard it as a reality that is not necessary . Is it not possible to talk in a discussion in layman's terms to welcome those of us who are not formally educated in that particular field ? I may just throw in the towel sadly. Lasse , Bean and a few at least try .Thanks . The narrowing of the group is becoming evident

I guess that's for you to decide, really. The only higher education I received was from the military. lol

If I read something I don't quite get, I use the internet to help figure things out. We're all here to learn from one another. :)

 

[Freenow54]

I guess that's for you to decide, really. The only higher education I received was from the military. lol

If I read something I don't quite get, I use the internet to help figure things out. We're all here to learn from one another. :)

The internet is full of lies unfortunatly

 

[Freenow54]

I totally understand your frustration. I feel like I can usually follow what people are saying but certain areas of discussion make me feel both blind and illiterate…
That said this is not my first “brand new to a hobby with lots of breadth and depth” rodeo so I assume that is largely due to me still being relatively new and inexperienced and that stuff that is currently mysterious to me will come with time

for people with lots of knowledge in a particular area the jargon comes naturally not only because they are comfortable with it, but also because it is truly more precise than plain language and for a person that knows the difference by heart that generally matters. A lot of people also take knowledge they have had for a long time for granted and assume that everyone knows it just as well as they do

It has always been my belief that anyone can learn just about anything they want if they are motivated enough. Different people have different starting points though and also digest new knowledge at different rates. Try not to compare yourself to people who have been living the reefing life for decades, they have simply had a lot more time over which to digest knowledge. Remind yourself that as long as you keep learning new things, you are making progress, and it doesn’t matter if that’s faster or slower, ahead or behind anyone else, because it’s your progress alone

Anyway keep at it, we will get there eventually as long as we don’t give up

In my past life I learned Latin. I totally absorbed it . I Appreciate your input

 

[DmitryB]

I had 4 years of college and there are many things - especially chemistry - that are confusing. But I'm slowly learning to understand certain things, but it's slow going. I've also decided I am not going to set up an Apex system because it's way too much to absorb while I'm trying to understand everything else. There is a lot to this hobby. Some threads are dense. But don't take offense and don't think people try to be snooty on purpose. Shorthand comes with time.

 

[commod0re]

You can always try asking people to explain what they mean in plainer language if you don’t understand what they’re saying, often people will be happy to clarify themselves especially once they realize you’re trying to learn from them. It will also get easier as you go to “see” how to separate real facts from misinformation, in the meantime you have identified some people you find trustworthy and so you can use them as your compass

I only have a little formal higher education myself and none of it terribly relevant to aquaculture anyway, but I have also always put time and effort into learning new things. imo your brain is a muscle, the more you exercise it by trying to learn new things the easier it gets to actually do it

 

[docscorals]

I get it. Coming to something new is not easy. And reefkeeping in particular is challenging. It’s part art and part science - there is no 1 best way to keep a reef tank as a result. And the science part comes from chemistry, biology, microbiology, and a little engineering thrown in for fun to manage all the equipment.

Don’t give up. I’ve been on here about a year, and with 30 years having different types of aquariums some of the peoples knowledge is still over my head (and I have a PhD). It’s because people get to know a lot about their specific technique managing their tanks. But I have learned that if you don’t get what they are saying, they are happy to explain if you ask! I’ve learned a lot on here about new techniques that way. Don’t feel like you need to know it all. The people on here are happy to explain and help you learn .

 

[Freenow54]

I had 4 years of college and there are many things - especially chemistry - that are confusing. But I'm slowly learning to understand certain things, but it's slow going. I've also decided I am not going to set up an Apex system because it's way too much to absorb while I'm trying to understand everything else. There is a lot to this hobby. Some threads are dense. But don't take offense and don't think people try to be snooty on purpose. Shorthand comes with time.

I dont think thatvatall theyvare allverybreponsivebut I feellke a challangedpperson

 

[JumboShrimp]

Stay. Enjoy what you can, participate when you choose. It's all good. We want you here.

 

[Reefer Matt]

I think many people overcomplicate reefing anyway. Some just like to just talk shop about their niche, and it’s okay to not understand them. Find what you like and keep practicing.

 

[DmitryB]

Stay. Enjoy what you can, participate when you choose. It's all good. We want you here.

There are threads I start reading and quickly leave because it's over my head.

 

[Fish Fan]

I think it might be important to consider that not everyone on R2R is a hobbyist, like I am. Many here are legit scientists, and they engage in conversation that most of us can't follow. However, I don't know of any one of those members that wouldn't slow down and try to explain things in layman's terms, if asked

I hope that helps!

 

[commod0re]

There are threads I start reading and quickly leave because it's over my head.

Me in >95% of threads related to chemistry and disease identification lol

 

[JumboShrimp]

If you count Kindergarten (), I went to school for 20 years. I probably don't understand 1/2 of what I read on R2R. But it's a fun place to learn and blow off a little good-natured steam. DEFINITELY my tanks are doing as well as they are because of tips-of-the-trade I've picked up here. Lots of knowledgeable people willing to share... but I don't push myself to comprehend the rocket science.

 

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

I think you'd be hard-pressed to try to find someone who doesn't feel that way about at least something related to reefing. IMO, everything in reefing requires patience and persistence. Even trying to learn new things on the forum. But in the end, as long as you enjoy it, the important thing is that you don't walk away from it. Everyone may be on different "levels" of reefing knowledge, but I believe everyone is still learning new things.

 

[keagan]

I feel completely lost reading anything related to electronics and reef pi and all that fancy spacecraft looking stuff. Same with a lot of the very technical chemistry talk. I think we all have stuff that comes naturally with reefing and stuff we struggle with. But at least with a platform like this we can struggle together right? You're one of the friendliest people on here the community would miss you.

 

[commod0re]

You're one of the friendliest people on here the community would miss you.

Agreed! The other day we crossed paths in the thread about UV, I found the arguments going on in there to be hard to learn anything from and expressed my frustration and you (@Freenow54) actually took the time to take responsibility for it (even though it wasn’t really your fault, but I appreciated the gesture) and apologized and you never see that happen online, I thought it was really cool of you. So I agree, you should stay, you are the kind of person I want to be confused about stuff alongside. Maybe we can help each other get less confused

 

[EnterName]

I'm pretty sure that, especially if you struggle to understand certain terminology, you can benefit this community by reminding everyone when something requires an explanation. I understand this might feel awkward, but asking questions will help so many people. I'm 100% sure you're not the only one who doesn't get every detail.

You could ask almost anyone on the street to explain their job, and within the first minute you would probably hear something you don't understand. When people deal with something daily, they simply forget that not everyone has the same knowledge. Especially on R2R, where you might be talking to a complete newcomer to the hobby or a highly educated specialist, it becomes very difficult to find the right tone.

 

[RobertK]

I seriously wonder if my existence here is worth it . I have a lot of respect for a few members , but the conversations they have are quite frankly over my head because of my lack of formal education . The language used is not translatable for me. I believe the education system is responsible creating this impasse. I regard it as a reality that is not necessary . Is it not possible to talk in a discussion in layman's terms to welcome those of us who are not formally educated in that particular field ? I may just throw in the towel sadly. Lasse , Bean and a few at least try .Thanks . The narrowing of the group is becoming evident

I am a highly educated person (but not in this field) and have been in this hobby for almost 30 years, and I don't understand half the stuff people talk about around here. I've been on this forum for a long time (and on RC for a long time before that) but mostly read threads in an effort to learn and don't post that much.

You are a lot braver than I am by participating in conversations about complex topics. Perhaps (and I mean this kindly) you sometimes wade into conversations and then find yourself in over your head? You are a valuable member of this community. Maybe instead of leaving do what I do for a while, just read the threads and learn what you can, chime in if you have experience to share, and enjoy watching other people argue with each other and be glad you are not a part of the fracas!