Originally Posted by Bacffin
Is there a guideline sticky that helps us newbie’s know what to post?
Actually yes there is. One that I like is in the Disease forum written by a former mod JWTrojan44:
It's important to be as specific and detailed as possible with your problem, much as you would with a family doctor when you are ill.
Some things to be included in your original post/question;
1. State the problem as you see it and provide details.
2. List symptoms...white spots, not eating, labored breathing, etc.
3. How long the fish has been exhibiting these symptoms.
4. What is in the tank; other fish, live rock, corals, inverts.
5. State the tank size, and how long the tank has been up and running.
5. Diet; what are you feeding the fish, and do you use any supplements like selcon, zoe, zoecon or garlic.
6. How long have you had the particular fish and have there been any new additions.
7. Was the fish quarantined prior to placing it in your main tank, and do you have a quarantine tank that you can use? EVERYONE SHOULD!!!)
8. Have you tried any treatments thus far before posting here. And, if so, describe what you have done.
9. Water parameters!!! ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, temperature and salinity. These are very important to know. Please don't say "my water quality is good". Give real numbers. It could be the key to solving the problem.
Some of these things may not seem relevant but they are, and many of them can aid the moderators and members knowledgeable in disease to quickly give you advice that will aid in getting your fish back to good health. It's almost a sure bet that these questions will be asked if you don't provide the information, so save time and frustration and be as inclusive as you can in your first post.
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Much of this information is very helpful when dealing with a problem. Many of the repetitive things like tank size, filtration and hardware can simply be written up in your word processor and cut and pasted repeatedly. None of us are perfect and many of us do not know each others experince in the hobby. If say a known poster like Bang Guy or NMReef were to tell me that their water checked out fine I wouldn't question it, otherwise many of us do wonder. So many other posters say their water is fine but they are only testing ammonia, nitrites and nitrates and they think they are alright with these numbers, come to find out its a reef tank and they don't know how to test for alkalinity or calcium and the overlooked magnesium. The list goes on. As long as we help each other out, ask questions and go through a process of elimination we should all be alright. We should all be paitent and ask the same questions as many of these threads go on and on. Most important is the water paramiters. Unless we can actually see those numbers those trying to help will always wonder, always ask "what do you mean by water checks out"? "What did you test for"? It will always be thus.
Thomas
You right on that. I think there was a thread awhile back on what got people's attention and what turned people off from answering a post, and that was on there.
