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Is the APD _too_ technical?



Frank Hillman recently wondered:

> Hoenstly folks, you are guys are in F-16s and I'm in a Piper Cub.  I
> learn a lot from reading your posts and enjoy them (may not understand
> them all the time) and I will remain subscribed just to learn but is
> there an equivalent for us dabblers who aren't into UGH, bleaching the
> beejeebers out everything that goes into the aquarium and fighting
> sinister algae types threatening to take over the world?  I'm not talking
> about a news service (they're not much better than some of the message
> boards) but a forum such as this?  Anyway thanks alot

I agree that sometimes things around here can get pretty deep (remember the
"blue water / white bucket discussion?) but this list has some of the most
experienced and well respected aquatic gardneners among it's participants. I
doubt that there are many aquarium related topics that _someone_ on this
list cannot tackle. For most of us, it is this wealth of expertise that is
the true worth of being here. Being able to discuss problems with the likes
of Karen Randall, Neil Frank, George Booth, Paul Krombholtz, Dave Gomberg,
Erik Olsen, and a whole host of others of similar reputation is a big plus
for this list. In addition to regular aquarists, there are _real_ chemists,
botanists, biologists, and engineers here.

One of the most valuable aspects of the APD is that unlike the USENET
newsgroups, misinformation posted here tends to get shot down relatively
quickly. We may not always agree, but Cynthia tends to at least keep us
polite. This is probably the best place to learn how to become a better
aquatic gardener. When I first discovered the USENET newsgroups I thought
that they were terrific (this was long before the WWW even existed) but
looking for advice there can be problematic for the simple reason that
anarchy reigns - things can get out of hand rather quickly when nobody is
able to exercise any control over the nature of the discussion.

Please don't let the technical nature of some discussions discourage your
participation - everybody has the ability to participate and learn from this
list. If you have a question or a problem, post it and ask for help, or if
there is something that you would rather see discussed, make a suggestion to
the group.

James Purchase
Toronto