[Poseidon]

Someday we will get there... Just like my photography business, last year I did 7 weddings, this year I already have 16 BOOKED! I won;t tolerate bashers either! And Spasse it is good to see you around over here, I remember you answering some of my "silly" noob questions too!... BTW post 1 more and you get 2000 posts!!! I think you get a years subscription to RHO or something like that when you hit that mile mark!

[middlemark]

Some great comments here, and thankfully the same respect that I feel

RC and another board [reeffreaks] were my first homes - one for the friendly natives, one for the volumne of information. I'll always have a soft spot for both.

RL is quite a place, as I recognize a number of people who I don't `see over there' much anymore - and the quality/experience of many on this board is a huge bonus, a high % of knowledgable reefers. Not easy to come by, IME - certainly less so of late.

Originally Posted by SPASSE

2 When the “Finding Nemo” movie hit the theaters, RC especially was hit by a tremendous influx of teenage and/or neophyte members who thought that they were experts and rather unwilling to listen to the advice of the reef keepers with real experience. The “old salts” became burned out by having their experience fall on deaf ears.

3 Subsequent reefkeepers see the “Blizzard” of contrary postings, by uninformed novices and are understandably confused.

Very true. It's been sad to watch personally ... as when I finally feel like I finally can understand higher-level discussions - and have to dig into the archives to find very many. [or come over, see all those people here ]

This `show and tell for so-called rare corals' has driven a lot of people underground as well, IMO. Somehow the fact these are all living creatures seems lost ... and it scares me what fodder we generate for those who would like to regulate our hobby.

Wouldn't take too many Acan or `purple monster' threads to paint us into looking like we [as a group] are not motivated by husbandry, intellectual curiousity, or any motives beyond status-display. Somestimes it almost seems like there's mid-life crises getting played out. $3k skimmers, $1000 Acan colonies, $150 for 1" frags ...

I guess I would think differently if folks weren't then going online and posting/`bragging' all about it. I'm happy for them - but there's only so happy I get after the 20th person orders a $100+ frag of something and is all excited. A year later, showing pics + with care info ... count me in as excited.

Which is sad, as when I have the rare opportunity to get some nice coral - I'm excited and would love to post it too. I guess volume and regularity of that have really burned me out to a degree ... if I would never see an `Acropora ID' thread again, I'd be a happy man.

Somehow it's become competition - and not the `healthiest tank with longest lived inhabitants' competition I thought I entered when I got into this hobby.

Originally Posted by Ninong

The problem is that if you correct all the misstatements of fact, people get uptight and think you are being too negative, but if you allow them to pass without comment, newcomers may think the advice is valid.

Sad but true.

[zhenya]

Originally Posted by middlemark

Wouldn't take too many Acan or `purple monster' threads to paint us into looking like we [as a group] are not motivated by husbandry, intellectual curiousity, or any motives beyond status-display. Somestimes it almost seems like there's mid-life crises getting played out. $3k skimmers, $1000 Acan colonies, $150 for 1" frags ...

Well said, Mark. Sadly, it seems that this is the engine that drives this hobby lately. Couple of years ago it were the table Acroporas and now it seems that some other exotic colored corals that so many are scouring vendors for.

I personally love to read threads discussing water flow, size of holes for closed loops and such...

Originally Posted by middlemark

Somehow it's become competition - and not the `healthiest tank with longest lived inhabitants' competition I thought I entered when I got into this hobby.

Interesting comment and it seems that we as a hobby achieved the knowlege on how to keep any coral we like and now the problem is just to pick the right colors for your tank...

[vtec si]

I Have nothing but respect for all boards staff and mods!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I DO SURF RC but I do get overwhlemed at the size of the board. I will say that it has alot of information of value there. I do not post on RC I just vist and read. I will say that I do post on RF with others that post here and they are a bunch of the nicest people too. But my heart is here at RL. I have been here for four or five years and we do have the most helpful people out there.

Martin