FishChannel Forums / Community Forums / Announcements

Popular Fish

FishChannel Moderator — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:19:24 GMT

Hi everyone,

Our parent company is looking into creating a line of Popular Fish bookzines. They would focus on either 1) a popular single species such as the betta 2) a popular fish family such as cichlids.

So what do you think should be on there? Fresh- and saltwater welcome.

Thanks for your help.

F.M.

When conflicts arise on our forum

Community Moderator — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:04:41 GMT

*These suggestions were originally written by Pepper’s Pa on the BirdChannel Forum, but have been edited for use here by Community Moderator.*

There are rules and guidelines created and posted here to help make this a safe and respectful forum to visit. There are two rules, “1. Communicate in a friendly and respectful manner” and “3. Don’t instigate arguments” that we’ve had some recent difficulty in following. In an effort to help all of us, below I’ve written some ideas that you may find beneficial in dealing with and preventing conflicts here. If needed, I hope you find this of some help.

When we are exchanging electronic communications here on the message board, it’s easy for something to be misinterpreted. Our ability to communicate through our written words does not convey the full message that is included in the tone of our voice, our facial expressions and our overall body language. When we take away all these signs that can be understood when we are talking face to face, our words often are read as different than the message we thought we were sharing.

We’ve all likely seen what can occur when our messages here are misinterpreted. Misinterpreted messages often escalate to stronger disagreement, hurt feelings, people taking sides in arguments and other negative situations that create stress and anxiety in many of the members and visitors to our message board who have been exposed to negative posts and threads.

In an effort to help all of us, I’m going to share some ideas and suggestions that you may find helpful and useful in keeping this a message board where you always feel welcomed, comfortable and look forward to visiting. These are not presented in any priority and are only numbered for organization.

These first ideas for your consideration deal with what to do if there is an active conflict or disagreement occurring:

1) Don’t infer the worst about a post – It’s easy to read a post and think it is against your opinions, comments or you personally in a negative and disrespectful manner. Before jumping to a negative conclusion, consider why (what benefits or pleasure) the person posting may gain from what is written and you may realize what was written doesn’t make sense to you. Instead of responding to it, consider what the member may have been trying to say. If you still feel it is something that violates the rules of the message board, send a private message to a moderator to look into your concern and intervene if that is needed. Also, not every member has the same skills at writing. Some are more skilled in writing clearly than others. In addition to those who have spent a lifetime writing in English, we have a worldwide membership including international members. Some of these members may use English as a second language or write in broken English. Posts may sometimes appear demanding or rude, when that was not the intent of the writer. Do not misinterpret writing skills as disagreement or antagonism towards you.

2) Don’t get involved in an argument or heated discussion – It is very hard to remain or appear to remain neutral when you add a post into an active disagreement. Anything you say can easily be misinterpreted in the “heat of the moment” and an increase in the intensity of the disagreement may occur where you find yourself dragged into it. If you see an argument or negative interactions developing or occurring, please consider: Sending an immediate private message to the moderators sharing the name of the thread, where it is located and a brief description (There’s an argument between members.) of the problem. If you know how, providing a link (hyperlink) to the post will be very helpful. If you feel you must do something more, in addition to contacting the moderators, make a short, neutral post such as “Do we want/need to consider a timeout?”

3) Keep it short and simple – Though we often feel the need to expand on our thoughts, when emotions are high often choosing to say less is the best and most successful path to follow.

4) Remain neutral – You may feel very strongly about one side or the other of a conflict or you may feel it’s important to offer support to one of the members in a conflict. Please don’t take sides, it may keep the conflict going or escalate it as more members become involved. If you feel you must give your support to a member, do it in a private message, you can still show your support in this way.

5) Disagree positively – It’s common that members have different opinions and a friendly discussion can help clarify both members’ opinions on a topic. We tend to approach our differences in opinions by being negative towards the opposing opinion instead of being positive about our own. When we focus on the positives, we are focusing on ourselves while when we are sharing negatives against the opposing opinion the person may feel it is more personal and less about the opinion. Example: Consider this situation. A member posts that he is wondering about the tank size needed in order to add new fish to his community. The current tank is, by general standard, too small to add any more fish. Example of a negative reply: You need to get a bigger tank if you plan on adding those fish. It is cruel to keep that many fish in that size tank. Example of a positive reply: You may want to consider getting a larger tank than your current tank. A larger tank would provide your community with more opportunities to hide, explore, swim. You’ll be giving your community the chance to be active, happier and live a longer and more enjoyable lives. Both replies have said the same thing, but in decidedly different ways. Which would you hope to receive?

6) Treat others as you’d like them to treat you – Didn’t we hear this at a young age and isn’t it still true?

7) Emoticons (, , ) – There are many choices of emoticons that we can include in our posts. The problem is that each person may consider an emoticon means something different. Does mean I’m laughing with you or at you? Though our words may not come across as clearly as we hope, adding emoticons may also add confusion.

8) Jokes – When a conflict occurs, we all have different approaches to try to defuse the tension. Some people are direct while others try to bring a lighter approach or attempt to joke or be silly. Though this may work for some people, it may have the opposite effect for others. People may feel that their concerns are being ignored or thought of as frivolous.

9) Focus on you and your actions – There is only one person whose actions you can control and that is you. Write about yourself using “I” statements and not about the other person with “You” statements. Write “I think . . . “ and not “You think . . . “

10) Let your actions represent you more than your words – There is no stronger way to present your opinion than by your actions and not your words. Your day-to-day interaction with other members here gives the best representation about the person you are and the opinions you value. By choosing to participate, you may be validating and strengthening a conflict. Choosing to not participate may be sending the strongest message you are able to deliver and help defuse a conflict.

11) Don’t forget the original post – When a conflict or disagreement occurs, we often forget that a member had originally asked a question or had some other reason to begin the thread. Instead of allowing emotions to control the tone and direction of the thread, ask yourself, “will what I’m about to write help answer the questions or needs presented in the first post?” We all want to offer what help and support we can provide to every member, don’t allow emotions or disagreement to block the help we may provide.

12) Beware of trolls and spammers – Trolls and spammers are people who come to a message board for the sole purpose of disrupting it and getting an emotional response to their posts from the members. These antagonistic people are usually new members and are made happy if we respond to their ridiculous posts. The very best thing you can do is to not give them the emotional response they desire. Respond to them with a post such as, “This post appears to be from someone looking to disrupt our message board. Please do not respond to this thread. I have contacted the moderators to look at this thread.” To give you an example of a troll’s posts, here’s one that actually occurred here. One of this troll’s least offensive posts was on how to treat a new bird. It was suggested that the best way to get a new bird adjusted to a new home was to place it in a small sealed box, then scream at and bang on the box. Yes, this was one of the least offensive posts by this troll. If you see what appears to be a post from a troll or spammer, do not give them the response they desire. Be calm and immediately send a private message to the moderators informing them of post/thread in question.

The following may provide you with some things to consider before or after a heated conflict occurs.

13) Private messages aren’t always private – Messages that you thought were sent privately to another member in confidence, may accidentally or on purpose be shared with others. If what you share with another person is not what you want to spread on the message board, then your best choice may be to not share that information. What you keep private and don’t share with others will remain private.

14) I don’t mean to offend anyone . . . – We’ve all seen this or similar statements at the beginning of a post. If you have to start by saying you don’t mean to offend, it usually means you consider what you’re posting will be offensive. If you feel you need to include these words in a post, you really should not be writing that post.

15) Random acts of kindness – This was a catch phrase a few years ago . . . but it’s still very valuable today. Look for opportunities to offer praise to other members. Congratulate members when they’ve made a breakthrough with their parrot. Thank members when they’ve shared something that is helpful to you. Share with members that you appreciate what they bring to the message board. Praise a skill or talent that a member shares that amazes you. Congratulate a member on successes or special days in their life. Goodwill goes a long way in developing and maintaining a friendly and respectful message board.

16) Apologies – If you are involved in a conflict with another member that takes place in front of everyone, when emotions cool you may want to apologize to everyone. That’s not needed and may reignite the conflict and turmoil. If there is a member or two who you really feel there is a need to apologize to then do it in a private message. Keep it short and simple, “I am sorry for my role in our recent disagreement and I wish my comments had been friendlier and more respectful.” Don’t attempt to explain why you were so passionate or to defend the position you had taken in the conflict.

If we strive to keep every post we write friendly, polite and respectful it will go a long way in keeping all our interactions friendly, polite and respectful. I hope something shared here will be of help to you if you observe or are involved in a conflict here.

Fish eCards

FishChannel Moderator — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:44:22 GMT

Hi Fishkeepers,

Make sure to send all of your friends and family a FREE Fish Holiday eCard!

http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-community/fish-ecards.aspx

F.M.

Beware of this site

sassy829 — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 19:53:44 GMT

Just wanting to warn other fish people out there. Do not order fish from SomethingsPhishy.com. I paid over 60 dollars for "overnight" shipping but it took 2 nights and a day for my fish to arrive. They are all very stressed and I am pretty sure 1 of the discus is going to die. It was in the 20s here and there was barely a cup of water for 2 inch discus so it was frigid and polluted. I bought 6 tetras, they were all in one bag and they either beat up on each other for 2 nights and a day or the fish were shipped to me with shredded fins and tails. Furthermore customer service told me if I wasn't happy I should order my fish from somewhere else. They won't offer a refund or replacement if the fish die because of the horribly long and not well packaged trip. Customer service stated they only guarantee live arrival. I will definetly order from somewhere else and I recommend you do the same. I tried repeatedly to put a true review of my experience on the site, and it keeps getting deleted. Now since I kept trying to put my review up I can't even access the website from my computer anymore.

Thanksgiving eCards

FishChannel Moderator — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 08:57:50 GMT

Happy Thanksgiving,

Don't forget to send a free fish eCard:

http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-community/fish-ecards.aspx

F.M.

Responsible Fishkeeping Initiative (RFI)

David Lass — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:21:28 GMT

For the past six months or so I have been working, with the support of BowTie (FishChannel.com, Aquarium Fish International, Freshwater and Marine Aquarium, and Pet Product News International), Blue Zoo Radio, and some other industry folks (NexPet, SERA, and Hi-Q), at creating the Responsible Fishkeeping Initiative (RFI) . We in the hobby and the industry have to acknowledge that there are some fish that are really not appropriate for all but a very few dedicated hobbyists.

The RFI is very simple -- red tail cats, pacu piranhas and iridescent sharks (the "Big Three") all get much too large for any ordinary hobbyist to take care of, and they make up 90% of the fish that stores and public aquariums have offered to them as "donations". When the hobbyist with the 2' long red tail cat finds that the local fish store and nearest public aquarium don't want the fish, they often just release the fish into local waters. Not only is this illegal -- and stupid -- but it is only a matter of time before some politican's mother goes to wade in her favorite local lake, and she finds a huge alien-looking fish, dead, washed up on the shore. She calls her son, and her son initiates a bill to make it illegal to keep any fish that is not native to that state. HR6311 is in the Federal legislative process, and if passed this bill would essentially put the aquarium hobby and industry out of business. California already has a law that bans a fair number of aquarium fish. And I bet you didn't know that it is illegal to sell neon tetras in Massaschusetts? Yep. The law says that it is illegal to keep, buy or sell "piranhas and their relatives", and both piranhas and neon tetras are in the same family, Characidae, which makes neons, technically, illegal.

Stores can join the RFI by taking "the pledge" that they will 1) not sell those three fish, and 2) that if a hobbyist has a fish that they can no longer keep, they can bring it into the store, and that the store will try to rehome the fish, and if that is not possible, they will humanely euthanize the fish and dispose of it.

Those of you who are successfully keeping any of the "Big Three" fishes, or any other huge fish in a sufficiently large volume of water -- my hat is off to you. I hope that everyone will support the RFI -- to learn more about it, and to sign up all you have to do is to go to:
www.fishchannel.com/rfi
We have RFI posters for local fish stores, and bumper stickers for hobbyists.
Thanks.
David Lass

eQuarium Additions

FishChannel Moderator — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:23:01 GMT

Hi everyone,

The eQuarium now has many more items for you. New fish, inverts, plants, accessories, etc. Make sure to go in and check it out. Don't forget you can also add your Create-a-Fish to your eQuarium.

http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-eclub/default.aspx

F.M.

Aquatic Plant Profiles

FishChannel Moderator — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:35:47 GMT

Hello fishkeepers,

We have expanded our species profile section with the addition of Aquatic Plant profiles. We tackled some of the most common, and some not so common, plants. This will be an ongoing project, with more plants to come, but check them out and let us know what you think.

http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-species/plant_all_landing.aspx

F.M.

Scavenger Hunt

FishChannel Moderator — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:43:03 GMT

Hi Fishkeepers,

The first ever FishChannel Halloween Scavenger Hunt is now on! Go to this page to read the instructions and start looking:

http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-contests/scavenger-hunt.aspx

Enjoy,

F.M.

New Categories

FishChannel Moderator — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 08:32:13 GMT

We're getting close to having the new forum setup done and we just wanted to check with all of you about what we're planning and get some final input.

In freshwater, we will be adding a ponds and invertebrate section, and in saltwater we will be adding an invertebrate section.

We are also thinking about adding some fish specific sections in freshwater and would like to know what you think. The specific sections you have mentioned were: Bettas, Goldfish and Cichlids.

Do you think we should add these sections? Should we add only some of these?

Thanks in advance for any input.

F.M.

New fish on the list

garylex — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:47:30 GMT

lebiasina uruyensis
venezuelan carp

this fish is a black banded fish, yellowish-grey, white bottom.
from 0.5 cm to 5 inches (10-12 cm)

New Articles

FishChannel Moderator — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:41:06 GMT

Hi Everyone,

Our new exclusives went up today. Make sure to check out the new Fish Health exclusive on Marine Algae and the new Below the Surface on Monos and Scats (really interesting life cycle).

Also, the new Beauty Below the Surface contest went live today, so make sure to enter. You get 1,000 Fish eClub points if you win!

F.M.

Site and Forum Maintenance

FishChannel Moderator — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:23:12 GMT

Notice: FishChannel will be temporarily unavailable for several hours, Thursday/Friday, starting at 1 am Eastern Standard Time (10 pm Pacific Standard Time). We will be updating our system and appreciate your patience.

F.M.

New Fish Book

FishChannel Moderator — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:27:39 GMT

Hello fishkeepers,

FishChannel's parent company, BowTie Inc., is working on a new fish book and we want your questions. This will be a beginner fresh- and saltwater book by one of my favorite television pet-personalities Marc Morrone.

So, we'd like for you to use this opportunity to ask Marc questions for inclusion in this book. Marc has many, many years of experience with all types of aquarium livestock.

Here's a funny clip of Marc trying to wrangle all of his animals!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5X6lVv_mL4

Ask your questions in this forum and they will be submitted for possible inclusion in the book!

Thanks,

F.M.

Email Function and Subscribe Feature

FishChannel Moderator — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:22:38 GMT

Hi,

We think we fixed the email problem. You should now be able to click the "report!" button and that will notify a moderator of a problem post. You should also be able to email one another through the forums and also now subscribe to posts.

Please let us know if you are still having any problems.

Thanks,

F.M.

Win a 16 Gallon Complete Setup!

FishChannel Moderator — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:05:45 GMT

Hey Fishkeepers!

Starting Saturday December 1st the new Beauty Below the Surface monthly contest starts anew. December's winner will receive a Tetra Water Wonders Aquarium Kit. This is a 16 gallon glass aquarium, that offers clear, undistorted viewing of your fish. A super quiet Whisper Filter is included, along with 50-watt heater, AquaSafe water conditioner, and TetraMin Tropical Flake Food. Free TetraCare Online and Toll-Free Assistance program is also inside the kit, making it an all-inclusive set-up.

So go get your camera, take your best pic, and upload it to our Beauty Below the Surface contest running December 1 - 31.

Good Luck!

F.M.

July AFI 20th Anniversary $50 Winners

FishChannel Moderator — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:23:41 GMT

The July AFI 20th Anniversary Contest $50 Raffle winners have been posted. Check it out now to see if you won.

http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-contests/20th-anniversary-winners.aspx

The grand prize winner is in the September issue of Aquarium Fish International.

Good Luck,

F.M.

Forum Rules

Animal Network Admin — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:46:34 GMT

Welcome to Our Community!

These are just some basic rules you should follow so we can all enjoy our time here!

You must have a full understanding of all the rules. If you are unsure about any rule, do not hesitate to ask a moderator. If you receive a warning and are unaware of the rule, it is assumed you falsely agreed to the rules during registration, which could result in a ban

When participating in our community, there are a few simple rules we ask each member to follow:

1. Communicate in a friendly and respectful manner.
It’s OK to share your opinions and to disagree, we simply ask that you do so without attacking another member in the process.

If you believe you have been personally attacked in our community, don’t respond with an attack of your own. Instead, e-mail the moderator to alert us to the problem.

2. Keep it clean.
Profanity and obscenities will not be tolerated. This includes masked profanity where letters are substituted with special characters.

3. Don’t instigate arguments.
Content intended to inflame or disrupt the community is not allowed. This includes harassment of fellow members and the community team, links to inappropriate content, racial, ethnic, religious, or other slurs as well as any name-calling. Any violation of federal or state law will not be tolerated and may result in immediate suspension from the site. For further information regarding the terms of use of this website, please see http://www.fishchannel.com/corporate/terms.aspx.

4. No solicitations.
No unsolicited or unauthorized advertising. This includes promotion of items for personal financial gain, as well as promotion of an item or issue for the purpose of mass communication. Further, mass posting or ‘spamming’ the community is not allowed.

Soliciting means you are persuading other members to buy something, try a new service, visit another website, etc., where the members may or may not have interest in doing so.

The private messaging system is for you to exchange advice, learn, and have fun. Using the private messaging system and message board as a means of mass communication for solicitation is strictly prohibited. Report abuse to the moderator by forwarding the private communication. We must have proof to stop future abuse.

5. Don’t share personally identifiable information.
To protect your privacy and to ensure your online safety, we ask that you do not post personally identifiable information. This includes phone numbers, address, instant messaging screen names (AOL, ICQ, Yahoo, MSN, etc.) or web addresses leading to such information. Further, we ask that you do not share someone else’s personally identifiable information.

6. Don’t post copyrighted material.
We ask that you do not post any copyrighted or trademarked material unless you have the express written consent of the owner to do so. The website is not responsible for any posts that infringe on copyright laws. If a copyright has been broken, you may be held legally responsible.

7. Respect our community team
The community team does its best to maintain the integrity and standards of the community areas. Should a problem arise in the community, we ask that you assist the community team by paying attention to its posts and following any directions the team provides.

8. Signatures
Your signature is not to exceed 500 pixels by 200 pixels.

500 x 200 pixels

If all the contents of your signature do not fit into the above space, your signature is too big. The lone exception is text. Text may go further right than the edge of the box because it wraps naturally. However, all images must fit in this area. You may have as many images in this area, but they can't exceed the boundaries, and no one image can exceed any boundary.

Your total signature images must be less than 100K in size. To find how large your signature is, right click your image and choose "Properties" to see what your file size is. Please note: Animated images are big in file size.

The rules and guidelines of the community apply to signatures as well.

9. External links
Linking to other sites is allowed, however, please adhere to the above rules when posting links.

10. Keep on topic
Please keep all postings and subject matter relevant to the thread topics. This is a forum where all members share and give advice and information. It is not a place to gossip, rant, or rave about subject matters not pertaining to the discussion.

These rules are here for your protection. They ensure we maintain a fun, safe and supportive environment where members can talk about the animals they adore. Members who continually break these rules are subject to account suspension and are no longer eligible for participation in our community.

Now that you know the rules, we invite you to join in our community and look forward to your participation. Welcome!

Did a new member level get added?

Hailey — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 06:33:59 GMT

I just noticed that my member status changed to "Fishkeeping GURU"...cute...lol. I have no idea how long it has been that way. What post count do people need to hit to get it?

Flying Fish!

FishChannel Moderator — Thu, 22 May 2008 08:43:15 GMT

Raw Video: Fish Flies for 45 Seconds

May 21 - A Japanese TV crew has filmed what is believed to be the longest ever flight of a flying fish caught on camera. The fish is out of the water for 45 seconds.

This is pretty remarkable. The fish is actually flying. I always thought they just left the water and glided. I've seen many of them and the ones I've seen only stay out of the water for a couple of seconds.

Here's the link: http://usatoday.feedroom.com/index.jsp?fr_story=FRdamp273193

F.M.

New FC Design

FishChannel Moderator — Wed, 14 May 2008 10:40:15 GMT

Hi Everyone,

We updated the look of FC with new tabs, a more squared off look. Just curious if anyone noticed and if you like it, or liked the previous design better.

F.M.

Are Your Fish Sick?

FishChannel Moderator — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:00:08 GMT

One of the most important roles that your Local Fish Store (LFS) and we here at FishChannel.com have in making you successful at keeping fish is giving advice when your fish are sick and/or dying. The problem is that in order for us to help you, and your fish, we really do need a few pieces of information. The most basic information is "The Big Four." They are the pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrates of your tank. The reason these four measures are so important is that most problems with fish start with the water conditions rather than some exotic disease or parasite. The Big Four are the basic way that you can tell us, or your LFS, about the water conditions your fish are in.

The answers to the Big Four are ACTUAL numbers. Please do not say, "They're Fine" or "Everything is OK." If everything was OK you wouldn't be asking us or your LFS for help. There are very simple test strips to measure the Big Four, or you can take a water sample to your LFS and have them test it. WHAT IS CRUCIAL IS THAT THE ANSWERS FOR THE BIG FOUR ARE NUMBERS! Don’t allow the fish store to tell you that “everything is fine” or “it’s a little high.” Get the actual numbers.

Happy Mother's Day

FishChannel Moderator — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:13:29 GMT

The new Fish Mother's Day eCards are now available.

Check them out here:

http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-community/fish-ecards.aspx

Happy Mother's Day!

F.M.

Fish Radio!

FishChannel Moderator — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:20:54 GMT

Hey fishkeepers!

If you don't get enough fish talk on these forums, there is now a fish radio program. The first of its kind!

It really is a great show to listen to. You may recognize one of the regulars on the show, your very own FishChannel Moderator David Lass! So congratulate David on this fishkeeping breakthrough and tune in to Reece's Blue Zoo Fish Radio Program!

To learn more about Reece's Blue Zoo, click here.

F.M.

Forums Down

FishChannel Moderator — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:42:20 GMT

Hi Everyone,

We had a technical glitch today. As you may have noticed we have lost the last five days of information. We are working to recover this information. We are sorry if this causes anyone any inconvenience.

Thanks,

F.M.

Forums

Armand — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:35:54 GMT

I think there should be a community fish and a breeder forum.;)

New forums!

fredburger999 — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 14:43:55 GMT

The new ones are: R.I.P., Ponds, and Invertabrates. Wonder why we don't have a breeder's section *hint hint*

10,000 Forum Member

FishChannel Moderator — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:15:42 GMT

Hi Everyone,

FishChannel is proud to announce that the forums have rolled over from four-digits to five-digits. 10,000 forum members! Thanks to all of you who have signed up over the years, either through the old aquariumfish.com forums or through the FishChannel.com Forums and Fish eClub. We are proud to announce that we have reached the 10,000th member milestone!

FishChannel would like to congratulate the winner: NIKKO.

For simply being at the right place at the right time, Nikko won a great prize courtesy of Marineland. A 37-gallon Eclipse® Deluxe Show Combo Kit and a Heartland Aquarium Stand.

To view the 10,000 Announcement page, Click Here>>

F.M.

Congrats OctopusLover!!!!!!!!!!!

jfish13 — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:03:02 GMT

Seems pretty fast. But octopuslover is a senior member. Congrats.

Congrats GoldBarb!!!!!!

jfish13 — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:39:25 GMT

Congrats GoldBarb!!!!!! I saw you are a senior member. Thanks for being here you help us a lot! Congrats.:):w00t:

Moving threads and Pinned topics

FishChannel Moderator — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:35:40 GMT

Hi Everyone,

You may have noticed that there is only ONE pinned topic in each section. We are trying to organize the forums. All of the topics that were pinned are on this list.

Sorry if this causes anyone any inconvenience.

F.M.

Pinned Topics

FishChannel Moderator — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:23:32 GMT

Welcome to the FishChannel Forums! Below you will find links to Frequently Asked Questions and important topics from the FishChannel Forums. Before asking a question on the forums, first make sure you look at the list to see if it has already been covered. Please read the following links below: Official Rules and Regulations, Are Your Fish Sick?and Information needed for other members to answer your questions.

If you have you see a topic that you think should appear on this list, please let the FishChannel Moderator know, via PM or by posting the URL for the topic in the Suggestions Forum.

Official Rules and Regulations

Your New Tank...Needs to be cycled! Must Read First!

Are Your Fish Sick?

Information needed for other members to answer your questions

Abusing Private Messaging

Step-by-Step Instructions for Deleting PMs

How to Post Pictures

Video Clip Challenge
Link to great fish videos.

Show your tanks!
Pictures of members tanks.

Basics for taking great pictures

Freshwater Stocking Guide: A Reference for Beginners
An Answer to the Question "How Many Fish Can I Keep?"

Ich: What you've always wanted to know.
An in depth explaination of Ich and how to treat it

Fish Food

What's the difference between pH and Hardness
How are they related & how are they different?

Stocking List for a 10 Gallon?

The A to Z of FishKeeping

Signs of Nutrient Deficiencies
Chart & Definitions

Dechlorinated Water And Cycling

Community Safe Shrimp

Spring/Easter eCards

FishChannel Moderator — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:26:51 GMT

Happy Spring!

The new Spring/Easter Fish eCards are now available. Check them out and send them to your friends and loved ones.

Remember, you get eClub points for sending eCards!

F.M.

Congratulations

FishChannel Moderator — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 14:54:01 GMT

Special Milestones:

Congrats to princessotfu for being bumped up to a Senior Member.

Congrats to Hailey for her 10,000th post!!!:w00t:

Do any of you think we should have a new level beyond Advanced Member for Hailey and her 10,000? Maybe Super-Advanced...

Congrats!

F.M.

Valentine's Fish eCards

FishChannel Moderator — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:37:13 GMT

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Don't forget to send one of our FREE Valentine's Day eCards.

F.M.

Message Board Will Be Offline

Fish Mod — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:17:20 GMT

Hi everyone,

The message board will be offline for routine maintenance tonight, 2/13, from 9 PM PST to 10 PM PST. Thanks for your cooperation and patience!

Fish Mod

Thread Hijacking

FishChannel Moderator — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 09:50:06 GMT

Hello,

We'd like to remind everyone to stay on topic and not hijack threads. Staying on topic is actually very important and is one of our rules (#8).

To stay on topic and not hijack mean: To keep the original poster's question in mind when you are replying to a post.

Posts are too commonly getting way off topic from the initial topic. Please start a new topic if your post has little or nothing to do with the original post.

This is beneficial to all of us, as often great information can become buried in a post thats title now has nothing to do with the conversation.

Thanks,

F.M.

New Moderator?

ILuvMyGoldBarb — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:36:59 GMT

Do we have another new moderator here?

Abusing Private Messaging

FishChannel Moderator — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:47:26 GMT

We've received a few reports of several people using the private messaging system to recruit members to another forum. This is strictly prohibited and those caught doing this may be BANNED.

Because of privacy laws, messages sent through the private messaging system cannot be tracked. To help crack down on those abusing the message board, we're asking that if you receive a private message that solicits another message board or website, please report this to us.

You can use the report button located on each post to alert the moderators, or go to the FishChannel Moderator's profile and send a PM or e-mail. We want everyone to have an enjoyable experience here and those abusing the forum only hinder on your positive experience.

Thanks for your support,

F.M.

Forum Question

FishChannel Moderator — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 10:37:34 GMT

Hi everyone,

We have been looking at the organization of the forums lately and wanted to know what your opinions are. Do you think there are too many forums? Do you think there are not enough forums? Are there pinned topics that should be removed? Should we remove a forum or put it higher towards the top of the page or lower?

Any ideas or feedback are welcome. If you don't feel comfortable posting your ideas then PM the FishChannel Moderator. We really want to know what you think, because this is your community and we want you to be happy. Lets make this what you've always thought it should be.

F.M.