A Thought/Suggestion on fish/plant profiles

[Diztrbd1]

Hey Shawn, first I would like to say , this is the first and only forum I have ever been a active part of. You do a great job with this site and with all the knowledgeable & great members here, I see no need to be apart of another forum as I can get most any answer I need about the hobby right here from local people. However, I notice from time to time there are post from members about getting info or tips on a new fish or plant they got or are thinking about getting. Which also when I am getting or thinking of getting a new one, I usually have to do a google search for detailed info on them, which takes me to other forums. I have never seen it suggested here, tho I might have missed it & if I did miss it, please feel free do delete this thread lol. But, I was wondering is there any chance of us getting a section for fish and maybe plant profiles? I think this would be an awesome addition to our great forum, if possible and not too much work lol I like the way the ones are set up on badmanstropicalfish.com & plantedtank.net. Simple profiles with basic info & a pic of the fish & plants. Plus the members can interact & comment their tips and experience on them. I think many would find this very helpful & fun. And also keep us from having to go elsewhere to get info & maybe even draw new local members (who are searching for info),to our great site. Anyway just a thought/suggestion

Cheers John

[Nicklfire]

+1 for spelling my name right

Thanks for all the props, i have a great staff here that helps more then most people can even begin to fatham.

YOU (the members) are what makes the site so i'm just along for the ride.

I think that's a great suggestion, and i have been thinking of it for a long time. The only problem that has been stopping me from doing it in the past is...TIME. What you suggest is a GREAT idea but... it just takes time to do..THAT is something i have not had TONS of.. or enough to focus alot of it on a database..

Finding members to help along with a project such as that would be what i have to do. We have GREAT sponsors and VERY smart members here who i'm sure i can get to help out with a project like this.

Maybe even if i just did a subforum called (plant species, Fish Profiles, Frag profiles) and made it so only select people could start a thread in that particular forum... then maybe it could work.

i'll talk to my staff about this and see if they have further suggestions, thanks so much!

[Diztrbd1]

lol wasn't sure about the proper name spelling, got it from other post , so I kinda cheated

as for you just being along for the ride, I'm quite sure there are many who would disagree with that, I see you as the driver/mechanic as opposed to a rider lol
But you are right in that you have a great staff & we definitely have some great members & sponsors here

I kinda figured it was a time issue , I know you are very busy and busy with this site as well so I totally understand. It is definitely alot of work I am sure. If you ever did decide to go that route ...count me in to help, I would definitely help out the best I could But as that appears to be a future thing if it were to happen , I think the subforum idea is a super idea as well and could be a good start in that direction. Sorry to have suggested more work for you Shawn lol but thanks for coming up with a possible solution

[jobber604]

I agree with John. It's just an added option for a "one stop place for all the information" even if the thread is full of links to other sites...it would just save googling.

But i guess the thread must be locked or controlled by mods or assistants so that it doesn't get inandated with chatter. One thread with links to "PLANTS...profile etc etc".

This is an awesome forum; i've been with a few other ones before, not the same as this one as long as it's all positive and constructive feedbacks being posted.

Thanks again.

[Bok]

There was a member that had an extensive Webshots gallery for plants. Did that get lost in the crash? Sorry, don't recall the name.

[Smiladon]

I agree with John. It's just an added option for a "one stop place for all the information" even if the thread is full of links to other sites...it would just save googling.

But i guess the thread must be locked or controlled by mods or assistants so that it doesn't get inandated with chatter. One thread with links to "PLANTS...profile etc etc".

This is an awesome forum; i've been with a few other ones before, not the same as this one as long as it's all positive and constructive feedbacks being posted.

Thanks again.

Totally agreed on this.

I also agree that it is a VERY time consuming task to do for one person.

If I may, I would like to suggest the following steps to get this up and running:
1. Shawn creates the framework (a thread and/or a new database etc) - keep in mind that this is a good chunk of work; setting up a proper framework is also time consuming, especially if it is a separate database.

2. Mods should control the main "Profiles" thread so that its clean.

3. Users/Members can submit information about the fish profile(s) to the mods (or a separate team just for this if mods are too busy) and the mods/team goes through the profile for accuracy reasons. Once it passes, the mods/team can publicly post it on the thread.

The user submission can be either public or private.

We should also come up with a "Profile Template" for the users to work on. Example for fish:
Scientific Name:
Common Name(s):
Native Origin:
Max Size:
Minimum Tank Size Recommendation:
Behavior towards own kind:
Behavior towards other fish (small and big in size):
pH requirements:
Recommended tank mates:
Common tank mates to avoid:
Breeding behavior:
Pics of show male, female, fry, juvie:
Growth time to adulthood:
etc
etc

Above is only an example, more things should be added and some things above could be removed, but we need a template to make it standard.

Definitely a great idea and I am sure we can get this up and running as we have lots of great members here with lots of information to share.

I can definitely contribute with information on a few african cichlids (including personal experiences if it is allowed in the template )