No such thing as a stupid question...

[hedonic]

This forum is a great source for those of you who are just getting your feet wet in this hobby. The archives have threads that span the gambit on the hard to grasp specifics of keeping a marine fish tank. There are still a lot of nuances and seemingly small questions that plauge the mind of the newbie, as I very well know. I also know that I felt stupid asking some questions that, after learning the answer, seemed obvious. But, that does not mean asking the question was stupid, infact if some of those questions had not been asked I might still be running into the preverbial wall (

), and repeating the same mistakes over and over. So when I see every other thread in the New Hobbyist section start with 'this may be a stupid question' I feel sympathy for those of you who are asking them. I just wanted to encourage anyone reading this that if you have a serious question that is bugging you don't worry about asking it. That is why I began posting on this forum as I am sure many others have. Keeping a saltwater fish tank is a fun and rewarding hobby, but it is most definitly a complicated one as well! Read all you can and ask questions if you have them, that is why we are here. A serious question is never stupid, it is a neccesary obstacle to understanding. These are just my thoughts after a few months of posting. Let me know how you feel about this, do any of you feel there is a stupid question (with the caveat that it is a serious one)?

 

[kdfrosty]

I'd like to throw in my $.02 also....
Try searching for a topic before posting a new thread. Many questions have already been answered 50 different ways. It may save you time over waiting for a response from a new thread.

 

[jdragunas]

yes, i totally agree with KD. It really will save you time by researching the topic first before asking the question... you'll find that 9 times out of 10, someone else has asked the same question, and there's already an answer for it.

And i totally agree with hedonic as well. Whenever i see someone that starts a thread with "this is a stupid question" i reply that there's no such thing as a stupid question, or that the only stupid questions are the ones that aren't asked. You can't assume that your question is stupid and therefore not worthy of asking, because in the long run, the answer to that question may be the difference between life and death...

 

[kdfrosty]

We were all noobs once, in fact some of us still are.

 

[hedonic]

I know that researching a topic first is the desired way to go about it, but often people are not aware that such things exist. Which is why I began with the the Archives, which has threads that answer most things. But such is the nature of forums like this, and the music recording forum I post on. Nobody who is getting started on the forum searches anything, often they just post for one question then stop. That is why, for me anyway, this message board exists. Repititous posts and repititous answers seem the nature of the beast when answering most of the beggener questions, but they still need to be asked. Maybe I'm to too patient

 

[jdragunas]

no, not at all. I just said it because i know some newbies may read this post, and then they may be like "hey, i can search the threads before posting? I didn't know that! I'll do that from now on". That's all

 

[snailheave]

there are stupid questions, trust me.

 

[tizzo]

Yeah, like why isn't porcelain sound proof?? Did OJ do it?
But as far as what hedonic said, I completely agree!! And if we all used the search function, there would be no more questions to answer!!

 

[maeistero]

i usually go through the first page or two of search results and then get impatient. that's when i post a repost question. it's not worth wasting an hour when there's 20 people just waiting to answer you within the same time period.
but yes, definitely search at least 10-20 results. chances are usually one search result will have 50 or so answers as opposed to posting another thread and going with what 2-4 people might have to say.

 

[jdragunas]

i actually do both. What if i find an answer on a previous post, but people have different opinions now?

 

[adam747]

I personally do not think there is such a thing as a stupid question. People ask questions, though they may seem dumb on this site, but they dont do it just to post! They have questions! We were all newbies at one point. In my 4th hour period, I have science and there is a sign in there that says Even Einstein Asked Questions.

 

[mongaupt]

yes one stupid question would be should i put water in, lol. i found out that this site has any anwers you might need or need to get right away. everyone on this site helps each other and i dont think i was even given any bad ideas for anyone on here. if someone posts a bad idea someone else would answer right away stating that it would not be a good idea. thanks everyone for your help. keep looking for you answers before putting anything into your tank. have a plan for the tank and set goals, might take a alot of money and time to start but you be total happy when you know whats ahead and if your tank is going in the right direction. Make sure you let the tank settle and cycle before you start putting any livestock in. like everyone keeps telling me keep reading, even if you think you have it down. be prepared for anything that might happen, Easy way to stay out of trouble is to do the proper water change from every two weeks to every month. check you levels daily, to make sure no waste is rising and to make sure you tank is healthy. thanks alot everyone for you help.