Originally Posted by
FirefightrEMTP
http:///forum/post/3214958
If I can make a suggestion, I think that this will help.
On a medical forum that I am on, the people who have been on the forum for a while will really push the use of the search tab. Every time a NOOB came on and ask the same redundant question, whoever felt the need to answer usually replied with search i.e. "High Nitrates" or whatever.... I honestly knew from the beginning of being on the forum that I better search before I ask, which I don't think is stressed that highly here.
Just my 2 cents, but I think it could help.
~grace
The only fear that I have with "use the search" replies like SO SO many other forums use is that most of the current and a lot of the new hobbyist panic when they see something wrong with their tank and will seek a first response first act type of answer. I visit a lot of tech forums who use the "use the search" phrase a lot and for a noob it can be very frustrating, although usually to fix a tech problem and medical problems the methods are standard.
With our tanks everything is different, for instance I for some odd reason can keep green star polyps, everything else lives, they die, why? no one can tell me. Because each tank is different, each setup is different, using a search in this type of environment won't help much in problem solving.
Instead maybe a Sticky forum with other useful threads for instance "The Dreaded Diatom Bloom" thread. Where someone has taken the time to initiate a detailed discussion on something and then an intelligent follow up was commenced.
You would tell someone with a FOWLR, No Skimmer, or Sump a completely different way of handling a situation than a person with a full Reef and all the gadgets. Sending someone on a wild goose chase to "find" a tank similar to his and similar problem is nearly impossible, and would lead to even more panic.
I do think that there should be a rule if you have a issue you need to list relevant tank parameters. Size, lbs of LR, Substrate, CUC, Sump, Fuge size, Life of the tank, life in the tank, corals, when problem started, pictures if possible etc.
Posts that have "How do I get rid of this algae" and never list anything else is annoying and leads to the next 10 posts (that would be read by a searcher) being questions back to the original poster instead of solutions.
End of Rant.
