New and Frustrated To Others like me.

[skybears]

OK so i have been on here for almost 1 mo. There has been many moments where my brain has gone LOCO from reading all the different post on this and that ( wanting to learn the most I can)and always come up with (these ARE NOT true meanings of anything it's an example) the AMP's tp PTO's to the G3 better then the GFO4's. SO first thing is getting the Lingo, acronyms. it is sticky-ed in the new to SW agu. can't figure out how to paste the link. ( another challenge on my plate) I printed it out and it goes with me everywhere. then there is the is the amazing knowledge that everyone has a opinion, their way of doing it. I love hearing those but when it comes down to it, make your own mind. It could be using many tips from others to make it work for you. i have logged out many times going to bed with my brain dreaming of " what did they mean by that" my amazing Saltwater aquarium is going to look amazing. I get on in the morning ( retirement is AWESOME at times) and start asking question.....many questions. There are times where you will get a lonely threat link that you already looked at and that still do not know the answer that I originally needed help with. Be patient, I have asked a few questions that don't get reply's so i ask it again but phrase it in a different way (more for male understanding)and that tends to work, if not make a tread in all caps(not really) but tag people in it like (OH how do you tag, i just learned this. It's a goldmine) just add @ in front of the name like this @cameronh (sorry you where the last on my mind) and that gets some person's attention that you REALLY need help.
So end in end, don't go to bed frustrated, it will all come together. maybe we need a sticky thread " the new helping new" we can get together and work our newbie minds so the oldies don't feel like we are pestering them. ( having to edit this )( EDIT AGAIN) everyone is here to help and i feel that everyone tries. I was just stating a few things that might help......others like me. I did not mean to step on someones sand, i was just letting people know that to hang in there and don't get frustrated.
thank you everyone for everything you do!!!

 

[jsker]

LOL, thank you.

 

[Jisko]

here is the link
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/lingo-commonly-used-acronyms-0.57652/

 

[melypr1985]

Your pretty darn funny! That said... I, for one, don't want any newbie here to feel like they are pestering. All questions are good questions. If any newbie is having a hard time finding the answer they need there are a few options available to you.

1. The search feature. It's in the upper right hand corner and you can search for any topic, thread, word you need and even narrow it down to the person who posted it. If that doesn't work...
2. Tag someone. Yes, put the @ in front of the name you want and they will get an alert. Make sure to spell their name correctly. If you start it off you'll get a pop up that shows several name starting with those letters and you can pick the right one out of that. If that fails...
3. Tag the reefsquad. Here's how to do that. Put the # in front of reefsquad... Like so: #reefsquad and we will come a runnin.

Hopefully that helps those who need it. Ask all the questions you want or need. We are all here to help each other.

 

[skybears]

Your pretty darn funny! That said... I, for one, don't want any newbie here to feel like they are pestering. All questions are good questions. If any newbie is having a hard time finding the answer they need there are a few options available to you.

Yes there are "options" but i am the first newbie to tell you that sometimes those just don't work ( from experience )

 

[Salty1962]

No pestering at all, I know everyone is here to help in any way possible. That is what drew me to this site after being on them all. Sometimes it can get pretty deep but like you said, be patient and hang in there, the experts will get around to answering your question, eventually

 

[Salty1962]

What

Yes there are "options" but i am the first newbie to tell you that sometimes those just don't work ( from experience )

What needs to happen for it to be better?

 

[Jisko]

I'm a newbie but I love sitting on the forums reading threads trying to learn. I do however ask a lot of questions and believe nearly everyone here is either trying to learn, help others or a mix of both.

 

[skybears]

this was NOT suppose to be a sour blahh blaah thread. it was (me talking with others) just a note to people that there IS help (turn your chiller on) and that others are willing to try to the best of their knowledge to help. I was SAYING be patient it will happen. DON'T get frustrated.

 

[FlyinBryan]

I researched for a good 4 months before firing up my first tank. Acronyms are fun i.e. Cuc, gfo, po4, alk, kalk, Ca, Mg, pH, no3.
It takes time. But it gets clear over time.
I started totally new, 5 years ago.
I've built several tanks. My latest one a 90g was a move tank in my parents basement I go and see every 2 weeks or so and it's doing awesome. Only because I learned so much from my lfs, forums, and learning how to be truly hands off. That took about 2 1/2 years.
Gl and hang in!!

 

[Valkyrie]

The only help that no one can provide for me, is experience. The hardest part of being on the forums as a newbie is getting through all the different opinions of the more experienced. Ya know the saying, "Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want", it's the truth.

 

[skybears]

I researched for a good 4 months before firing up my first tank. Acronyms are fun i.e. Cuc, gfo, po4, alk, kalk, Ca, Mg, pH, no3.
It takes time. But it gets clear over time.

I have been researching for 10 mo and still HAVE NOT put up my tank. but all in all I think my thread needs to be deleted, people took it very WRONG and i was NOT intended (in any shape or fish) to be taken as it was

 

[Valkyrie]

I don't think anyone has taken it in a bad way. I think everyone is continuing in the same positive manner, too.

 

[Jisko]

Everyone just needs a hug ^_^ haha

 

[Salty1962]

this was NOT suppose to be a sour blahh blaah thread. it was (me talking with others) just a note to people that there IS help (turn your chiller on) and that others are willing to try to the best of their knowledge to help. I was SAYING be patient it will happen. DON'T get frustrated.

I'm cool

 

[Vincent100]

Iv just read the whole thing and you said nothing wrong ........it's all good

 

[stevo01]

There are lots of ways of doing things, that can net the same results. Old and new should always keep an open mind to this. The particulars of dos and donts as well as specific guidelines are usualy set by the experienced.

Maybe old dogs learn new tricks, but generally the young pups are in more need and guidance.

 

[Brew12]

Yes there are "options" but i am the first newbie to tell you that sometimes those just don't work ( from experience )

In my opinion this will always be true. There are just too many variables in a reef tank. What works in a nano tank won't necessarily work in a 250 gallon tank. SPS tanks will react differently than mixed reef tanks. Some people run refugiums with macro algae, others run algae scrubbers. People run sock filters (cloth or mesh), use different salts, dose Kalk, 2 part, trace elements, vinegar or vodka. Some run carbon, GFO, and other filtration media. People feed flake, frozen, pellets, algae sheets, and other options which they feed 5 times a day to once a week. Everyone has different aquascapes, flow patterns, lighting types and schedules. People live in new houses, drafty houses, warm and cold climates, no sumps all the way to full blown fish rooms.
It only makes sense that what works very well for one system would be a complete disaster when used in another system.

What needs to happen for it to be better?

That is an excellent question. I know I find the people who explain the science behind their posts to be the most helpful. Once that is understood it is much easier to figure out how it will impact your system. That is probably not true of the average reefer. I know my son just develops that blank stare when he starts reading posts on how H2O2 causes electron exchange within prot....zzzzzzz.

I think it is important for those of us with new systems to explain our systems as well as possible. It is important for those responding to understand our systems and do their best to make sure the advice actually applies in our situation. One huge hurdle is that us new people may not even understand what information even applies to the questions we ask.

What needs to happen for it to be better? That is a question we should all consider and see if we can work towards making it happen.

 

[Paul B]

I never knew about tagging and putting one of these silly things anywhere @.
There so much stuff on here I will never know because I am also retired so those @ and tagging don't work on my computer and if I tried to use that on my phone it would probably just call the fire department.
I have been doing this a while and I can say that I don't give much advice anymore because virtually all of my methods are old school, or antique school and I am to old to argue with too many people at once. I normally get PMs if someone wants to ask me something that I may have an opinion about.
When the hobby started and there was only 3 of us and we were in different states and there was no internet, computers, cell phones or credit cards, this was much easier. Now as you found out there is too much information and much of it was formed as a rumor last Tuesday and now is perceived as fact. Before you take advice try to find out if the person at least has a tank and it was set up before a week ago and has kept the thing many times that you are trying to keep. The vast majority of people in this hobby started this year so be careful and I hope you have the very best luck because this is probably the best hobby with the friendliest people there are.
My other hobby is trying to guess the phone numbers of Supermodels

 

[DeniseAndy]

I have worked with many "newbies" and the hardest thing to get over is the overwhelming amount of information. While that can be a great thing in this day and age, it is hard to decipher for those just starting out. It gives me a headache just trying to figure out new acronyms that appear. Let along text talk.

That is why I always recommend a few really good books to read first. They are not overwhelming and great at helping understand the basics. My favorite is the "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert Fenner. This is just a great stating point and guide.

Also when asking questions for newbies, try to give as much as possible on your tank, set up, additions, etc. It helps us decipher the problem. Always give your parameters (specific gravity, temp, nitrate reading, phosphate reading, magnesium and calcium reading if available). If just set up, give the ammonia and nitrite numbers too. Then make sure to tell us what equipment runs, flow, light, and what inhabitants you have. Then also, what have you done lately. Anything from feed, move rock, add fish, add clean up crew, anything (paint in house) dust, vacuum,etc).