From the Editor: Getting Aquaria Help on the Internet...

Looking for an answer? We’re here to help you find the answer! The internet is a vast and somewhat overwhelming, if not confusing, place; and many of its strengths are also its weaknesses. There is a good deal of similarity between our hobby and the internet - too many acronyms and technical terms, rapid growth, and too many unanswered questions.

The answers to your questions lay around you, somewhere, if you could only figure out exactly where. Luckily, we know where most of the answers lie, and all you have to do is find the specific answer you’re looking for.

THE FIRST place to look, in almost all cases, is the Aquaria FAQs. A FAQ, for those of you who don’t know, stands for Frequently Asked Questions, and usually takes the form of a file or two answering all the most common questions on a particular topic. You are lucky enough to have a hobby where a good number of individuals have dedicated a great deal of time to create a set of documents, the Aquaria FAQs and Reef Keepers FAQs. These are better than many books in scope, detail and are filled with current information.

I can not stress enough that the FAQs are always your first step and you should not proceed to other possibilities until you have reviewed them. This is only the polite and reasonable thing to do, as most common questions are answered right in the FAQs, and many people have put a lot of effort into them. Although many experienced hobbyists on the net are very giving of their time, and might even want to answer every question, there just isn’t enough time and energy to do that, especially considering the explosive growth of the internet over the last couple of years.

Beyond the FAQs, there are many sites with information to be had on a vast array of topics in the aquaria hobby. You can find the most rewarding in the RTO Pipes ERMALinks, which has the Essential Reef and Marine Aquaria Links to other sites, and descriptions of the contents, so you can easily find what you're looking for.

At this point, if you still can’t find the answer, it’s time to seek the help of other hobbyists on the net. You may feel that your search through the FAQs and other internet sites came up empty, and you have wasted your time, but this is NOT the case. There are three almost certain benefits:

1. you’ve learned something else along the way,
   
2. you’ll be able to phrase your question in the best possible way, which will lead to the best possible answer, and
   
3. you now have a
   familiarity with the FAQs and other sites, so that you will have an easier time finding the answer to your next question.
   

Usenet news groups in the *.aquaria structure are the most popular and available forums for interacting with other hobbyists, and here is a guide to finding your way around the *.aquaria groups. Please review the .aquaria Turf FAQ for information on getting the most out of the newsgroups. The next best forum (which is very popular, offers greater interactivity, and is populated twenty four hours a day and seven days a week) is the FishRoom discussion MUD, a real time “virtual” world exclusively for the discussion of all things in the Aquaria hobby. The FishRoom Web-side Companion is a good introduction and guide to FishRoom.

Please try to keep in mind that when you choose a forum in which to get your answers, choose the one where the knowledge exchanged benefits the internet aquaria community.

Here at the Reef Traders’ Outpost we’re dedicated to providing informative and helpful articles and services.

Thanks for your support,
Todd Zebert