[NoSump]

I understand that some of the posters on this site also participate on the Reef Central site.

I have been participating on this site for a few months, and have also occasionaly taken a look at RC. I have found that the quality and detail of the helpful advice on this site far surpasses what is provided on RC. The RC posts and responses are usually very brief, and frequently contradicted by five other posters within the first minute of posting. The depth of knowledge on this site is impressive.

I just wanted to thank the people on this site who have been so helpful to me, even if I don't agree with your politics This site has been the most valuable resource that I have found in the hobby of reefing.

Chuck

[Reefland]

Chuck,

Thanks a million for the kind words!

RC is a very valuable resource and contains more information that one could dream however it is very easy to become overwhelmed when searching for advice as like you mentioned, so many people are saying so many different things.

We are glad that you call Reefland.com Home.

[Poseidon]

WOW!!! Thanks for the vote of confidence!

I call this home, but I do go visit the neighbors every once in a while...

[zhenya]

Chuck,

Like Scott said, Rc is a vast resourse of information within its so called expert forums and some other very interesting forums as well. I do appreciate that you find Reefland so helpful and make it a home.

[almostdiva]

In general, I find people here to be more respectful and helpful than "the neighbors" are...

I have NEVER been dismissed or patronized asking a question here, and I can't say that's true on RC.

I do consult the "experts" forums on occasion, but find the general posts here to be of a higher quality overall.

Also -- you guys take WAY better pics!

[scubadude]

Originally Posted by almostdiva

Also -- you guys take WAY better pics!

LMAO!
So your just using RL for their pics.....I see how you are!

I wish I had time to browse ALL the reef boards all day, but I dont....there are 2 that I mainly browse RC and RL. ReefLand was the very first board to help me and I do feel that I can speak more freely here, not to mention all the freinds that I have made here. I cant say that RC has had a bunch of members PM me their phone numbers to talk about certain topics....but guess what. RL has! Awww man im all choked up on feel good now!

Can we all hold hands and sing kumba ya now?

[Papa Doug]

Originally Posted by scubadude

Can we all hold hands and sing kumba ya now?

Awwwwwww.

[Ninong]

I like both Reefland and Reef Central. Five years ago when I joined, Reef Central had more of a neighborhood feel to it because there were only 900 members instead of 90,000 like they have now. At that time AquaLink was the largest board with about 7,000 members. Reefs.org had 2,500 members and Reefland had 300 members.

[Ninong]

One thing that I have noticed about Reef Central now that it has a very large membership is that a lot of the posts seem to be coming from teenagers who enjoy responding with their opinions whether those opinions are well-informed or not. That's not to say that the opinions of teenagers are any less valid than the opinions of older people, only that younger people are often less restrained in posting things that are not supported by the evidence.

A good example of this would be when you respond to someone's question about the suitability of a certain species that they are considering for their reef aquarium and then you get half a dozen posters behind you responding that their green brittle star has never harmed anything in their tank and they highly recommend them. Or you suggest to the topic starter that a 55-gal tank is really a bit small for keeping tangs and then someone comes behind you to say that he has five tangs in his 55-gal tank and they are all perfectly happy.

Some people will admit that they do things just to prove the accepted advice wrong. These are the people who will try to keep blue ringed octopuses in a reef tank, for example, or seven tangs, including some of the largest species, in a 90-gal tank. You have to be able to recognize that not all posts are created equal and make your decisions accordingly.

We had one member who not only made one attempt to keep a blue ringed octopus in a reef tank, he made two attempts!!! His first octopus escaped the tank into his room and subsequently died before he could accidentally step on it and his second octopus was eaten by his anemone! I think he got his feelings hurt when we told him he needed to have his head examined.

[Reefland]

And it's difficult for the seasoned hobbyist that truly want to help to monitor all of those threads and correct the misinformation in them.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by Reefland

And it's difficult for the seasoned hobbyist that truly want to help to monitor all of those threads and correct the misinformation in them.

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.

Commenting about other people's observations is a lot trickier. Often the problem is that they attribute incorrect conclusions to their observations. If you tell them that what they are saying is not supported by the evidence, they will get all bent out of shape and tell you that that's not the way it works in their tank.

This comes up all the time with threads about whether a particular animal is reef-aquarium safe or not.

[SPasse]

Hi All,

As a moderator on Reef Central I should probably avoid posting to this thread. But that has never stopped me before.

1 What has happened at RC is rather akin to what happened to me personally in my career. 20 years ago, I and a hand full of engineers etc. founded a company that today is a $350M/YR company. The personal satisfaction, and “manageability” of the startup days is something that I often long for. What I don’t miss is the lack of resources that we had in those days.

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.

4 I have nothing but praise for my fellow moderators & staff at RC. The reason that RC is so huge today is the result of some very savvy organizational decisions made several years ago and a ton of effort by some very talented people. I would be honored to have these people part of any endeavor that I am associated with in the future.

I started out on in terms of internet boards, at Reefland and was for a time also a moderator hear. I will always be grateful to Scott for introduce me to this aspect of a hobby that I had been participating in since around 1976. I will always have a soft spot for Reefland.

Regards,

Scott

[Reefland]

Scott,

I have nothing but respect for the staff and management of RC as well. I think what they have done for the hobby is nothing short of spectacular and will forever be grateful to what I have learned from the site. It was a pleasure to have you as a moderator on our site, and a definite loss to our community when you began to pursue larger opportunities. RC however is a better place with someone as dedicated as yourself.

I hope that the efforts Gene and I are putting towards Reefland.com will help renew the luster that we once held in the reefing communities.

[zhenya]

Originally Posted by SPASSE

As a moderator on Reef Central I should probably avoid posting to this thread. But that has never stopped me before.

Scott, that would be neagative thinking. I don't believe this thread is to belittle RC in any way, like Scott(Reefland), I have nothing but atmost respect for John and stuff of RC. The work and everyday grind must be unreal with 90K members and they do it every day.
Resources that they offer is unmatched so far( but we are trying... ).

I personally think that people here feel a bit more at home in terms that they get somewhat personalized responses. And, not many people will try to belittle or make fun of someone for being a newbie or for asking "silly" questions.

[scubadude]

Very well said Gene

[Papa Doug]

Originally Posted by SPASSE

The “old salts” became burned out by having there experience fall on deaf ears.
Scott

Part of the reason I post much less and left TRC. Although I miss the TRC daily gossip.

[SPasse]

Zhena,

When I said As a moderator on Reef Central I should probably avoid posting to this thread. But that has never stopped me before.

I was commenting that it might not be completely kosher for a moderator at “the other board” to post to this thread.

Also, If there were to be critical comments (towards RC) I didn’t want to have a chilling effect of the “free exchange of perspectives” Indeed I actually appreciate the possible insight that such dialog might provide.

Regards,

Scott

[zhenya]

Hi Scott,

As a moderator on Reef Central I should probably avoid posting to this thread. But that has never stopped me before.

I knew exactly what you were trying to say but You are a member here as well and was a member of the staff too. So, I agree with possible insight that such dialog might provide.

I don't think "chilling effects" would've been productive and I'm not sure Scott(Reefland) or any other Moderator would've allowed anything to be posted to lead up to it. RC is an awesome business model and great support to the hobbyists everywhere, cheap shots at something like this won't do anyone any good. It was a first site that I joined and I too will always have soft spot for RC and its staff members.

Cheers,

Gene.

[Papa Doug]

Heck, I have argued on behalf of RC on more boards than I care to count. The RC bashers seem to be abundant. Guess success breeds that. I have defended them so much on some, that I dont post much on those boards anymore.

Complaints ranging from to large, , to the mods authority and rules. All things which, IMO, I love about RC. I echo the same comments as Gene. Although AL was my first, I migrated with the originals to RC and still consider it my home in a way.

Although Canreef, my Canadian board and Reefland, now seem to be my main places of residence.

[zhenya]

Heck, I have argued on behalf of RC on more boards than I care to count. The RC bashers seem to be abundant.

Doug, I think we had couple here as well some time ago...I don't think Scott looks kindly on this sort of stuff and pretty much ends all the hupla pretty quickly.
I do believe that staff on RC feels the same way about bashers and looks at them the same way we do. I mean there's always be disagreements with policy and moderation of the site but I always felt that it is a private enterprise and if you don't like it...leave.
"That's all I have to say about that", said Forrest Gump...