Question about builds

[apex003]

At the risk of being flamed to death and banned: why does this forum have so many build threads? Of the 25 non-sticky threads on page 1, I counted 19 builds. And these seem to push the coral specific questions down. I counted 19 out of 25 threads on page 2 that are SPS related, non-builds.

I like looking at nice tank builds as much as anyone, but there are several other forums dedicated to all sizes and flavors of builds. I know that SPS folks tend to build to higher specs than average, but how about an SPS dominated build sub-forum so that questions about SPS keeping have a place to stay?

Or perhaps this thread will just get pushed into history by "wow! nice!" comments in all the builds...

 

[newbie2]

Lol. I've been thinking this for a while. It would even help when you are looking for a sps build thread or other coral specific thread. There are tons of great builds jammed into regional threads and "reef discussion" too. Not sure how this would be remedied though. Think of the man hours needed to reorganize :S

 

[joshky]

Understandable question.

I personally feel that sub forums are an unsuccessful way to fix this problem. They are overlooked by many and I think that if it were to be done, activity would decline over a period of time as new people stopped popping in to post. While I'm sure some threads go unanswered, I believe most get responses. Even then, most questions can be answered by using the search feature or google - so starting a new thread is more of a convenience and not a necessity. This is of course, all in my opinion and yours may vary.

 

[DaveRaz]

I started one to track my progress, not necessarily for atta boys. Plus I learn a ton from the many build threads. Living through someone else's experiences, ups downs helped me get dialed in.

 

[GroktheCube]

The only real solution I can think of is perhaps starting a "Tank Builds" forum in the "General Interest" category.

I started a build thread to document my progress and serve as a photo-journal of sorts to help me track my progress over time.

I know I've found build threads and tank-journal type threads to be very useful. They can help document cause and effect, and show what helped different reefers produce results. I think SPS keepers are a bit more likely than most to be concerned with optimizing their tanks, which is probably a big part of why you see so many build threads.

 

[markalot]

The build threads in here are generally for SPS specific tanks, where people experienced with SPS can help. I have a mixed reef, my thread sits elsewhere, and gets very little traffic. :lmao:

IMO SPS keepers have some specific needs and experiences and this is the best place to get help and build advice.

A forum for people who are obsessed with keeping SPS corals.

 

[Myka]

I like that I can come to this forum and see nothing but SPS tanks and SPS questions. I don't have to visit any other part of the Reef Central website.

I've also wondered why there aren't specific sub-forums for each type of tank journal considering the size of RC, but I haven't wondered it because I thought it would be an enjoyable change. Ha!

 

[M007]

Tons of great up to date info in the build threads as it applies to SPS. I would hate for them to get lost in a sub forum. It's also a nice way to keep up with fellow SPS keepers, meet new ones, and collectively enjoy the fruits of their labour.

 

[Mark75]

I feel your pain, but don't have a good solution.

Being relatively new to sps keeping I am interested in question=answer type post that always seem to get lost in all the build post, but also enjoy seeing the builds.

I think the problem is there are not enough new sps keepers to keep the forum active with questions, without the build post the forum would not have very much activity.

I have found lots of answers "hidden" in the build post, just takes a lot of reading to find them!

 

[Pife]

I think it's great having them mixed together. I would bet there are very few new questions to be asked. I have never understood why I can read the same questions week after week by different people. I like the build threads as you can typically find out people's methodology in how they are keeping sps and the trials and tribulations that got them to that point. I also like getting Atmore from people that I know also have successful sps tanks rather than anybody..

Just my opinion.

 

[sahin]

The build threads in here are generally for SPS specific tanks, where people experienced with SPS can help. I have a mixed reef, my thread sits elsewhere, and gets very little traffic. :lmao:

IMO SPS keepers have some specific needs and experiences and this is the best place to get help and build advice.

A forum for people who are obsessed with keeping SPS corals.

I like that I can come to this forum and see nothing but SPS tanks and SPS questions. I don't have to visit any other part of the Reef Central website.

I've also wondered why there aren't specific sub-forums for each type of tank journal considering the size of RC, but I haven't wondered it because I thought it would be an enjoyable change. Ha!

Tons of great up to date info in the build threads as it applies to SPS. I would hate for them to get lost in a sub forum. It's also a nice way to keep up with fellow SPS keepers, meet new ones, and collectively enjoy the fruits of their labour.

I feel your pain, but don't have a good solution.

Being relatively new to sps keeping I am interested in question=answer type post that always seem to get lost in all the build post, but also enjoy seeing the builds.

I think the problem is there are not enough new sps keepers to keep the forum active with questions, without the build post the forum would not have very much activity.

I have found lots of answers "hidden" in the build post, just takes a lot of reading to find them!

I think it's great having them mixed together. I would bet there are very few new questions to be asked. I have never understood why I can read the same questions week after week by different people. I like the build threads as you can typically find out people's methodology in how they are keeping sps and the trials and tribulations that got them to that point. I also like getting Atmore from people that I know also have successful sps tanks rather than anybody..

Just my opinion.

+1

Most of my SPS keeping knowledge has been garnered from build threads.

As to specific questions getting lost; I dont believe it does. The SPS forum can sometimes be very busy and other times quiet. If a thread doesnt get replies it either because the people viewing the forum at the time dont know/dont have time to answer/or the question has been asked many times before or is too general or basic and sometimes yes, the build threads are more popular so some threads get left behind; but that just goes to show that a lot of the traffic is due to build threads.

Personally, if I notice a thread that hasnt been answered I try and help.

Consider this: if it werent for the SPS build threads a lot of traffic to this forum will reduce. I spend 95% of my time on RC in the SPS forum because of build threads.

 

[dkeller_nc]

At the risk of being flamed to death and banned: why does this forum have so many build threads?

Actually, there's an easy answer to your question. By definition, a build thread will have lots of posts and lots of updates (unless the author abandons the build), and they tend to last for years. Contrast that with a newb Q/A thread, or a troubleshooting thread - they get activity for a day or two, and then usually abandoned. Since the forum software sorts threads by last posting date, then build threads will dominate on the first page.

That's the functional reason; a more general reason is that reading build threads and looking at tank/coral pictures is a heck of a lot more entertaining than troubleshooting/coral husbandry/complaints-about-stupid-frag-names type threads. Add to that - most SPS keepers aren't newbies; they've been in reefing for a long time, and usually don't have the type of basic chemistry/lighting/nutrient control questions that one finds in the Reef Discussion and New to The Hobby sections.

 

[markalot]

Another thing I'd like to add.

I just hit the 1001 page button on the forum pager and traveled back to 2007. This forum has just a ton of great information, builds over the years, different people experiences with those builds, etc. etc. Just sticking to the first page is missing so much of what the SPS forum is all about.

 

[.Chris.]

Most of the information I receive is from build threads. It tends to go something like this:

-Topic Creator posts beautiful tank and corals
-First few posts are: WOW NICE TANK
-Then we get those asking about the system, and specifics about their nutrient control/export
-More WOW NICE TANKs
-Debates on the merits of one method against another, etc.

Take Sahin as an example. The last few pages on his thread are debating the benefits of siporax/matrix as denitrifying media, and the specifics of how it happens. There are lots of example of this.

I had an hour long conversation with another member of Reef Central yesterday (and we do this fairly often) where we almost exclusively talk about information gleaned from various builds.

I'm sure if you post a specific question, it'll be answered promptly, but sometimes uncovering why someone's tank is so successful and seeing if their results can be duplicated in another tank is profoundly more illuminating.