Has forum advice helped you?

[ScottR]

Everyday, we read tank emergency questions: corals dying, bleaching, closing up, not coloring up, etc. Have you ever sought advice, used it and had success?

I’m curious to hear success stories from advice you’ve received. What was your problem and how was it fixed?

Care to credit someone here?

 

[brandon429]

my whole reefing perspective was changed when I read the peroxide thread at nano-reef.com
in 2011

ReefMiser saved my reefbowl from persistent GHA. nobody else consulted had as good of a working idea. it was the most importantl thread I'd ever read regarding the hobby. it may not be right for everyone, but it was the right chemical at the right time for my tank 9 yrs ago and it 100% turned around my tank into what I wanted it to be.

 

[Waterislife]

Most forum info is helpful for not doing something, meaning learn from others mistakes. Most success is your own trail and error.

 

[Jon Fishman]

This forum has been an amazing help..... I am broke now

 

[SallyWho]

Without these forums, I never would have gotten my tank off the ground (literally- I built my stand and needed help with parts of it). I've asked for and received help every step of the way, from hashing out my stand design, helping me with plumbing issues, reassuring me when I freaked out about little things, advice on quarantining and whatnot....There are too many members for me to credit, and I appreciate them all.

 

[ScottR]

One tip that has helped me, and I try to use to help others, is euphyllia prone infections. Euphyllia are prone to infections and need proper flow to rid of bacteria that accumulate in their crown. I used an iodine dip and increased flow on advice I got here. It helped a mass die off. I’m most thankful for whomever it was that posted that.

 

[Bpb]

Ive read alot and asked alot, but honestly, real applicable help has been fairly scant, but generally speaking, when ive screwed something up, ive been able to figure out how/why without consulting a forum. The value has been more in the world of general knowledge on science, practices, and products

 

[hart24601]

Forums have been amazingly helpful to me over the years, otherwise it would still be all just LFS advice! After you have been an active forum member and in the hobby a long time the amount of useful information gets less and less naturally because you have read most of it before and it becomes more about passing on your experiences. Sometimes there is a specific item you learn from a person like Randy, but if you have read all his articles over and over you already know it as most the questions are repeated. I have found at this point if I have a question there will generally not be many if any answers because by the time I ask it I have already searched extensively. The exception for me is disease, I have been pretty lucky and it’s not an area I enjoy reading about so if I have any issues I look for new information there.

 

[ScottR]

Forums have been amazingly helpful to me over the years, otherwise it would still be all just LFS advice! After you have been an active forum member and in the hobby a long time the amount of useful information gets less and less naturally because you have read most of it before and it becomes more about passing on your experiences. Sometimes there is a specific item you learn from a person like Randy, but if you have read all his articles over and over you already know it as most the questions are repeated. I have found at this point if I have a question there will generally not be many if any answers because by the time I ask it I have already searched extensively. The exception for me is disease, I have been pretty lucky and it’s not an area I enjoy reading about so if I have any issues I look for new information there.

Well said. I adhere to this thinking as well.

 

[PerplexyHexy]

@saltyfilmfolks helped me the most when I first started... and I know hes helped a bunch of people... Miss that guy and hope He is doing well... for the most part i use the forum to search for answers. I do my homework with which users I can relate to and see if their personality is like mine... then I reach out to them... Recently I have been picking @Rakie brain and have had the pleasure in discussing recent trends in the hobby... Hes a cool dude and I look forward to the random texts/updates I get from him... also @Salty.Reefer... Hes a local dude I met on R2R... Knowledge is huge in this hobby and I try to soak everything in as much as I can... I feel like I learn something new everyday on R2R...
Update: woops, I dont really have a particular story... sorry... hahahaha.
@saltyfilmfolks and @Dana Riddle knowledge in lighting is incredible... Both always gave me sound advice setting up my tanks and always responded to my questions. I think thats why I enjoy lighting in the hobby so much. Thats pretty much the first thing I learned about when I started...

 

[ScottR]

@saltyfilmfolks helped me the most when I first started... and I know hes helped a bunch of people... Miss that guy and hope He is doing well... for the most part i use the forum to search for answers. I do my homework with which users I can relate to and see if their personality is like mine... then I reach out to them... Recently I have been picking @Rakie brain and have had the pleasure in discussing recent trends in the hobby... Hes a cool dude and I look forward to the random texts/updates I get from him... also @Salty.Reefer... Hes a local dude I met on R2R... Knowledge is huge in this hobby and I try to soak everything in as much as I can... I feel like I learn something new everyday on R2R...
Update: woops, I dont really have a particular story... sorry... hahahaha.
@saltyfilmfolks knowledge in lighting is incredible... I think thats why I enjoy lighting in the hobby so much. Thats pretty much the first thing I learned about when I started...

That’s awesome for giving props. A local reefer buddy of mine that has been the most helpful is @ylreefer He’s not too active here anymore but he’s got decades of experience and has helped me tons and even gifted me a light fixture.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

This forum has been an amazing help..... I am broke now

Forums are a wealth of information, the hard part for a lot of people is the ability to discern between what's advertising and what are real accounts from hobbyists. When you read about someone having success because they got that expensive piece of equipment, then you have to have that expensive piece of equipment too.

The problem is that you paid for it and the person you follow was given to them for free.

For a lot of folks, it's hard to wade through threads and comments to figure out what's real. Either that or they're complacent about the underbelly of the hobby.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Forums are a wealth of information, the hard part for a lot of people is the ability to discern between what's advertising and what are real accounts from hobbyists. When you read about someone having success because they got that expensive piece of equipment, then you have to have that expensive piece of equipment too.

The problem is that you paid for it and the person you follow was given to them for free.

For a lot of folks, it's hard to wade through threads and comments to figure out what's real. Either that or they're complacent about the underbelly of the hobby.

I can see this being a concern, but I think the number of people sporting free equipment is few and far between. Most of us gotta pay to play. Besides, wouldn't this likely be a concern with reviews found anywhere?

 

[jaxredsoxfan]

I agree with Daniel. I dont see a lot of suggestions that a particular piece of gear is required. But I also understand and appreciate that if a particular piece of equipment was really beneficial for someone, I would expect them to say so. I think you will find that anywhere you get advice from.

 

[Bleigh]

I’ve gotten a ton of help. I think the glbifgest thing is when I don’t know what I don’t know. I alswyas post my ideas. People always have ways to improve them. I’m glad I don’t go blundering about (too much)’without any insight from others.

 

[Deiblerj]

This site has been my life saver! I jumped into this hobby...or I should say, got talked into buying a saltwater tank one night after a few adult beverages. $400 later I was looking at a tank half full of saltwater, sand, no fish, no rock, cheap lights, cheap filter, wondering what the heck am I doing?!?!

This site gave me all the information I needed to get started and more!

I’ve turned to forums about pests, corals, fish treatment, QT, equipment, pretty much everything I have encountered I’ve learned about on here!

I’ve even had support from the community to keep reefing even when I was down in the dumps and was ready to throw in the towel!

Great community here with lots of great advice!

 

[Deiblerj]

Forgot to mention...I’ve even bought some of my equipment off this site!

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

my whole reefing perspective was changed when I read the peroxide thread at nano-reef.com
in 2011

ReefMiser saved my reefbowl from persistent GHA. nobody else consulted had as good of a working idea. it was the most importantl thread I'd ever read regarding the hobby. it may not be right for everyone, but it was the right chemical at the right time for my tank 9 yrs ago and it 100% turned around my tank into what I wanted it to be.

I used peroxide it really helped

 

[Lazydayz]

I have been lucky enough to not need emergency advice (knock on wood). But this community has been an invaluable resource for me. Learning a lot about water chemistry and how to properly care for my livestock. More than anything though it is great being able to get on here and share this wonderful hobby with so many from around the world that love it as much as I do!

 

[Crabs McJones]

@HotRocks and @4FordFamily have been incredible with helping me with quarantine and fish disease. If not for them I'd likely have no fish today
Other users I'd like to mention who have helped me out over the years @Flippers4pups
@DSC reef
@Lovemyreef2015 your ID skills are unmatched
@KJ
@saltyfilmfolks
@kschweer
@eatbreakfast (simply because he reminds me to eat breakfast every morning oh, and his fish knowledge)
@dbl my mentor and very good friend
@jsker for his cabinet building geneous.

There are so many more but I'm getting old and my memory is slipping