Aquarium Basics or Advanced Information

[Lord Vernadian]

Would it be reasonable for all of us to begin developing a new category in the top left that is devoted to helping new aquarists set up their aquariums solely for Catfish? I feel as though this would be extra helpful for even some advanced aquarists who don't know everything yet, and as much as I would like to say I do myself, I don't know all the basics. It is still quite reasonable to just head over to some other website I suppose, but do we want to create a reputable source of information? The last site I used to be a part of that had that kind of thing was aquaticcommunity.org/com and that site was practically abandoned. It had basically everything and now I think it's being hacked or its systems aren't being maintained properly. It's sad really. I used to know some really active people and then they disappeared. aquariumforum.com is pretty good now. I am just hoping for a new site with some extra information on the actual fish tanks and not just the Catfish, but is this site primarily about the fish or the aquariums in the first place? I'm basically suggesting a new massive project that might take a year or two, but everything on the site seems like it's pretty great right now, I'm just saying that it seems to be missing the basics on aquaria in general. Not every site has all the good, reputable information we all like to try and find nowadays.

[Bas Pels]

The thing is - while the fish don't care where they are, the needs are the same, it is hard to come up with help without naming products - products which are for sale in America but not in Europe, or vice versa.

Therefore the helpee might not be helped by very solid advice.

[Narelle]

Have you gotten to browse through the articles in Shane's World? There are some in the Catfishology section that cover some of these topics.

To me, this being more of a specialist website, too much space dedicated to information for beginner hobbysits would feel a little out of place. I would argue that the ideal aquarium for a catfish is one tailored to the species's needs, so providing the Cat-E-Log information is an ideal starting point to determine how best to keep them.

I also imagine it's likely pretty rare for someone that's never kept aquariums at all to get excited enough about catfishes to start here - I don't think a fish that hides, as most catfishes do, is typically a beginner's first choice. So would a beginner's section see much use?
Would posting in Tank Talk or the relevant section in Husbandry and Repoduction for the species of interest in not accomplish the same thing?

Personally, I kind of like not having debates about core fish keeping methods here because I think my philosphies often differ from others. Animal husbandry practices don't have concrete optimal methods, there are differing opinions. An aquarium care reference beyond what's already here would have to take a stance on matters of opinion.
(How often to water change? Maximum acceptable ppm nitrate? Do you account for pH when choosing species to keep/adjust your pH to suit your fish or keep the species you want regardless of your tap conditions? How do you determine minimum tank size? Minimum group size for social species? What's the best filtration method? Substrate? Decor/furniture?)
Its nice to have a fishy space where those topics aren't the focus. I'd rather be able to geek out with people that can also appreciate my favorite fishes than butt heads with them over husbandry philosophies.

[bekateen]

Have you gotten to browse through the articles in Shane's World? There are some in the Catfishology section that cover some of these topics.

I think this is the key to @Lord Vernadian 's question. There has never been a general "how to" section here for beginners, but there have long been the articles on "how to" on the Shane's World (SW) page. In fact, a specific set of articles are called "The Catfish Basics Series."

Also, there are many SW articles on tank setup, feeding, breeding, etc., for most of the more commonly kept catfishes. That's where I'd direct the beginner, plus the Catfish of the Month (COTM) pages for specifics on one species or another.

To me, this being more of a specialist website, too much space dedicated to information for beginner hobbysits would feel a little out of place.

I would look at this website differently. I look at the information as a two-pronged approach to sharing: 1) The Shane's World articles are excellent for beginners, and 2) the forums are where beginners are able to ask specific questions. I myself was an absolute novice on catfishes when I joined. I started in the hobby back around 1970 (+/- a year or two). My brother and I used to breed lots of cichlids, but we didn't do much with catfishes back then... except a "plecostomus" in one tank that actually was a plecostomus (back when Hypostomus were the commonly imported plecos). It wasn't until about 2013/2014 that I discovered catfish could even be bred in an aquarium, after my albino corys threw eggs all over my tank. After that I was fixated on corys, and it was then that I came here for advice (https://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/vie ... hp?t=40936).

So while this website and forum is not set up to be a place like some other websites to have a library of topics for tank setup tailored to one fish or another, I think the info is here and is accessible. My number one recommendation for all new visitors and members would be learn how to search the forums for existing stories addressing their questions before doing anything else. When I've brought up questions in the past, I can almost always find the same question being asked by someone 1, 5, or even over 10 years earlier. Searching the forums can yield lots of good info.

For that very reason, to help others behind me, I've on a few occasions, started my new questions by reposting my search results on the subject before revisiting my questions seeking new answers. A good example of that is here:
https://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/vie ... hp?t=42552 (with this sub-post being a classic example of what I mean: https://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/vie ... 36#p289836).

Another example is here: https://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/vie ... hp?t=42492

Cheers,
Eric