Welcome to the New to the Hobby Forum

MASA · Post by **MASA** » Wed May 18, 2011 1:21 am

Welcome to the New to the Hobby Forum
The New to the Hobby forum is the ideal starting point for launching into the RTAW Forums. There you will find answers and links to all the basic stuff that we all need to learn when starting out in the hobby, as well as providing a chance for you to introduce yourself, and work out how the RTAW Community works.

Our aim for the New to the Hobby forum is to provide you, the new hobbyist, with access to a large amount of quality information in a friendly and non-confronting manner.

The “New to the Hobby” Forum is run by a Welcoming Team
It is the job of the Welcoming Team to participate actively in the discussions on the forum, to make sure everyone is greeted cordially, and to make sure that they receive an appropriate response to their questions.

In addition, we have a regular team of moderators who will concentrate on ensuring the guidelines are followed, as well as answering questions if they feel able.

Anyone is welcome to participate in answering questions on this forum, provided they comply with the guidelines listed below. However, please be aware that the Welcoming Team’s and Moderators’ major aim is to ensure that newcomers are able to access sound, non-confusing advice in a non-argumentative environment. As such, they are empowered to challenge what they perceive to be poor advice and inappropriate or argumentative responses. These may be removed if warranted.

See Guidelines for more details.

MASA · Post by **MASA** » Wed May 18, 2011 1:27 am

Guidelines

What Type of Posts Do / Don't Belong in the "New to the Hobby" Forum?
There are no hard and fast rules as to what type of post belongs in the New to the Hobby forum. It's purpose is to act as a place for newcomers to ask any question relating to marine aquariums regardless of the topic, without worrying whether it is a silly question or not. Whilst we strongly encourage all members of the board, no matter what their level of experience, to have done some research prior to posting in anywhere on RTAW Forums, there is an much higher level of tolerance applied to those asking questions in the New to the Hobby Forum. We understand that sometimes even when you try to research a topic it can still be extremely confusing trying to come up with the correct search criteria let alone understand some of the answers that you may find.

If You Are New to the Hobby

Take the time to read all the announcement and stickies topics at the top of the forum index, along with all the links provide in those topics. You will find that many of your questions are answered in them. These topics open up valuable information and research tools to you - please make use of them.
Posters are encouraged to research before asking questions. If you have a basic question, there is every chance that the question will have been asked before. Have a look around the announcement and sticky topics, and search RTAW Forums and RTAW Reefpedia. You may find just what you are looking for (and maybe more).
With that being said, it is understandable that you may not know where to start searching or may need extra help. If you cannot find what you’re looking for, then ask away. That is what this forum is for. It’s helpful if you can indicate what you have tried searching for, so the team can help you to build on what you’ve already found.
Ideally, your questions will be answered by the Welcome Team. However, if other people do choose to answer questions, they are welcome to do so. The emphasis is on the quality of the information, not on who answers. To save on repeated effort answering the same questions over and over, as much as possible we will try to capture answers to common questions within RTAW Reefpedia, and then answer questions with links to those reference in the RTAW Reefpedia, or to existing RTAW Forum topics or other generally reliable information.

If You Are an Experienced Aquarist / RTAW Community Member

First and foremost - thank you for giving your time to helping out those new to the hobby.
At all times we encourage you to remain patient and understanding in the way you respond to new RTAW Forum members. This community (and the hobby in general) can be daunting at times, and the amount of information present can seem overwhelming.
Whilst it is anticipated that the majority of questions will be dealt with promptly by the Welcoming Team, feel free to answer any questions you feel capable of answering. But first, check if the newcomer has read the announcement / sticky topics or tried the search function and RTAW Reefpedia before answering a question. If not, please politely show them the way. It is a good idea to link to the exact information or suggest search terms to use. Remember that many new members are not just new to the hobby but to the internet and search technologies.
It is important that the answers presented are clear and factual, and do not perpetuate the many myths that surround our hobby. If you do not fully understand the answers you are trying to pass on, please choose NOT to answer the question, and leave it for someone who does.
Where possible, answers to common questions should be presented as links to RTAW Reefpedia. If RTAW Reefpedia doesn't have the answer, or further clarification is required, ideally, RTAW Reefpedia should just be updated to cover the question or clarification and a link provided. The answer can be provided in the topic, but effort should be made to update RTAW Reefpedia so we can make the most of the answer you have provided for everyone else in future.
If you see a question you think has been incorrectly answered by another user, please politely post your opinion along with reference to other sources of information. If you believe it is a serious case of misinformation please alert a moderator by PM or via the Report button (top right just above a post). Please don’t start technical arguments in this forum. If you want to debate methodologies, take it to one of the other more appropriate forums.
Do not post unfriendly, argumentative or unhelpful answers or comments. All such posts will be removed at the discretion of the moderators.
If a user develops a history of providing inappropriate or unhelpful answers in this forum, they may be asked politely to refrain from answering questions in this forum.