WWMInput7

To WetWebFotos Input 1, WetWebNews Input, WWM Input 1, WWM Input 2, WWM Input 3, WWM Input 4, WWM Input 5, WWM Input 6, WWM Input 8,

Wet Web Media Input #7

I would like to help (editing WWM) - 01/23/2006
Just read this on "Today's" questions, and would like some clarification, "Editing WWM, Stresscoat use FW 1/22/06". This lady is asking how to start
helping (which I am asking also) and you suggest "Easiest would be for you to download any number of consecutive FAQs files,
> edit, and send to me to place/replace the existing>
Bob". Where are the FAQs to download? I really do want to help, I am surprised with myself at how much I want to do this.
Thanks for your time,
Agnes
<Oh! Most all "Related FAQs" that are more than one file... for instance "Goldfish Systems"... could be all downloaded, "fixed", winnowed through...
and re-sent (to me) for posting in place of the original files. Cheers,
BobF>

As seen on WWM.. Or, 'The humorous side of WWM'. 1/13/06
1) lightly stocked <20/30/40/55 or insert yours here> gal (Lightly
stocked being two Ocellaris Clowns, a Flame Angel, a 2 in. Yellow
Tang, 2 in. Purple Tang, and a 3 in. Gramma..
2) Note: New Tank..
I have had them in the tank for roughly a week and everything's going great.
<Except the dying part, right?>
3) Note: Another new tank being cycled with fish.. Bob's sign-off message..

4) Note: This is the opening paragraph.. As it turns out, Brian's the bright one...
Hi Bob,
<Brian>
 I have a 54 gallon corner reef that a lady who is a total dummy "looks after" because my parents don't trust me.
<...?>
5) Note: This is a FIVE (5) gallon tank we are dealing with...
I introduced a couple of Percula Clowns after a few weeks but within
2 days I had lost them.
<The term a couple kind of scares me. This is only a five gallon
tank. I could not recommend
two clownfish for this size tank. You could perhaps safely keep two
very small gobies,
but definitely no other fish.>
I checked my water quality and everything was okay (same values as above),
<As I said, ammonia and nitrite must be zero.>
so I then introduced a small Sailfin Tang
<Oh my God!>
6) Note: Another opening letter to WWM..
Hi Steve (you are probably going to get fed up hearing from me)
<We shall see. :)>
7) Note: One of the most classic sign-off's I have read to date..
<Mike... all this is answered on WWM... please don't send such
illiterate messages to us... and no HTML, please. BobF>
8) Another Classic.. (re: God/s)
<Heeee Heeee! I put invisible friends like the Easter Bunny and Santy Claus in the same box. Good luck, life to you. BobF>
9) Note: new tank, no fish.. The proper way to cycle a tank IMO.
<Ah, the cry of spouses of hobbyists with new tanks everywhere...
I would suggest you add a couple of clownfish-shaped food clips and
point to them next time she asks.>
10) And the last.. A great read..
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/puffystory.htm
Thanks for all the memories and hopefully many more to come!
Craig

Stress Coat & Improving WWM 1/8/06
Hello once again! I recently was talking with someone who once owned a pet store and I mentioned how expensive and sometimes distressing it has been
keeping the "small fish" tank at the restaurant stocked. Usually what happens is that I buy app. 10-14 new small fish to replace ones that have died in the main
tank and quarantine them in my 10 gal. q-tank at home. Within a week about half of these fish (although sometimes as much as 90% and (even more rare) as few
as 0) die of no visible cause.
<... not good>
By which I mean that they are swimming, breathing, and eating normally when I check them and then 6-8 hours later when I
check them again someone's dead and stuck to the filter intake with no visible parasites, fungi, or bacterial growths or signs of such. In other words, a dead
fish that looks just like a healthy live fish except for the stiffness and lack of movement.
 Now, this is something that I have always considered to be beyond my control- I have done my part by providing a clean (and yes, I do know my H2O
parameters and yes they are all "ideal"), cycled tank with plenty of cover, and regular feedings. I have always believed that these fish were dying from
stress due to how they were caught, shipped, unpacked, stored (overcrowded), caught again, and finally released into my tank.
<For the most part, yes. Better to look elsewhere for better initially healthy stock>
(I unfortunately must buy from Petco or PetSmart because I am unable to reach any fish-only store on a regular
basis.) However, the gentleman I spoke with assured me that if I were to start using Stress Coat (or similar product), my fish survival rate would greatly increase.
<This is likely so>
Now I know that the stores always add a squirt to the bags before performing their magic with the rubberband (why is it so necessary to put those on so tight?
<Better too tight than loose>
I mean, one twist less and I could get the darn things off without scissors and the fish would still be safe safe safe.), and I have always
considered that to be enough. In fact, I seem to recall reading somewhere on this site that some of the slime coat "replacing" agents actually cause the fish to
produce slime by irritating them with some toxin or other.
<Some do, yes... not ones from the "larger companies" though>
(Darned if I can find that info. again, though. I gave up after 20 something pages mentioning
Stress Coat, 12 or so of StressCoat, and checking 50 or so topics out of 212 in the Equipment and Dry Goods Forum. I also re-read a number of general articles
on set-up, stocking, and health and disease without coming across it. Perhaps I hallucinated it.)
<Likely written by myself... in pieces on Acclimation, Shipping>
Inducing a slime coat by stressing the fish doesn't seem like a good idea to me, so I have avoided all such products. So, will Stress
Coat (or some related product) actually cut back on my fish loss?
<Is worth trying. Will likely help here>
Or is this just product hype? Is there a consensus among those of you who answer these questions?
<Mmm, don't know the others here well enough to state>
 Unrelated to my question, but with direct bearing on my search for an answer, it seems to me that your wonderful, magnificent site may be on the
verge of containing too much redundant information! I love this site and am deeply, deeply indebted to all the information provided on it. I mention this
because it seems that the ever-increasing bulk of information on here may eventually get in the way of your primary goal (which I believe is to help those in the
hobby/passion as well as those entering it to better care for their charges through the dissemination of useful information.) Now, I realize I may be
stating the obvious to you, and if you are tearing at your hair, muttering 'tell me something I don't know,' I apologize! But here are my ideas to help deal
with this problem. a) dump some of the old stuff. Since there is likely nothing new under the sun, even in fish keeping, and despite your best efforts people
keep asking the same questions, only a certain amount of redundancy is necessary. I do believe some redundancy IS necessary- for people to learn and really
absorb new information correctly, they need to see it given a number of times, preferably in different ways or used in different situations. b) Rather than
posting all questions in the FAQs (if that is what you do), try to weigh whether that question has been answered enough times before posting a reply- still
reply if you want to, of course! Just don't add the information AGAIN to the site if it's there 20 times or so. c) Take a good look at the FAQs- do they
imply that certain information is missing from your general articles?
<Good points... mainly this "editing" has not been done for a lack of time available... Am not willing to give up other "things" including pet-fish writing, travel, photography, "the business of life"... and work pretty much to exhaustion daily as my routine already... Would you like to give this some of your time? Will gladly replace parts of WWM you are willing to winnow>
Most people are likely to read your articles before asking a question, especially with the gentle prompting the site gives when one clicks "ask the WWM crew a
question". I know this is time-consuming, but perhaps one or two people who currently answer questions could instead be dedicated to that task?
<A few folks have written "new article content" and this an ongoing goal of our on-line 'zine (Conscientious Aquarist). I have placed several hundred of my articles and book segments, some 14k images... takes time my friend>
 Those are just my thoughts. I hope I have not come across as lecturing or something equally horrible. I only wanted to mention this because I think
it might help keep the site manageable for those of you who work on it and for those of us who turn to it when in need. Thank you for your time!
<Your comments and suggestions are well-regarded... am thankful for such careful, useful input... At the end of the day, my only excuse/explanation is that of the handful of hours I am willing to "put into" our collective effort here, that I endeavor to do the most important (respond to and place FAQs), and spare some ten percent or so of resource for such "strategic" work. What we have currently is a reflection of doing so for years. Cheers, Bob Fenner>
Sincerely,
Sarah Orris

Re: Stress Coat & improving WWM - 01/09/2006
> <Good points... mainly this "editing" has not been done for a lack of time
> available... Am not willing to give up other "things" including pet-fish
> writing, travel, photography, "the business of life"... and work pretty much to
> exhaustion daily as my routine already... Would you like to give this some of
> your time? Will gladly replace parts of WWM you are willing to winnow>
Aaaah, would that be "be careful what you wish for, you just may end up with the opportunity to do it yourself"? :)
<Heeee!>
It is a daunting prospect for me since I am not sure how much there is to winnow through. Or how to start.
<Easiest would be for you to download any number of consecutive FAQs files, edit, and send to me to place/replace the existing>
My first inclination would be to start with the FAQs and throw out old info that keeps
getting repeated (and repeatedly asked)- "my water is cloudy- your tank is
cycling", for example. I guess, with some communication and some help I would be willing to try.
<This would be grand. As a "warm up", if you are inclined, feel sufficiently knowledgeable, have time... I welcome you to aid us in responding to queries themselves... freshwater, marine... your choices>
There are certainly some areas of articles that I have puzzled through that could use a judicious extra sentence or two. (I used to be an
editor for a research journal, I have strong feelings about such things.)
<Oooh, this is a propitious meeting... for sure>
 Out of curiosity, when you use google to search the site, is there any order by which it searches?
<Mmm, a question either for Google (oh why didn't I quit college and start a search strategy company...) or one/s more aware of such things. We use Google's software en toto... I know not how it actually works.>
Specifically, does it go through the articles before going through the FAQs? Or could it be made to happen that way?
<Would be handy... I suspect their model acts as a consecutive accumulator of crawlings, searchings... such that it places the more often viewed pages first...>
To keep using my stress coat search as an example, perhaps I would have found the information myself if the first few/several 'hits' I got back were from the
articles instead of the FAQs. Oh dear, I'm sorry, there I go again. The ol' brain just keeps ticking away. Sorry!
<No worries. This is indeed instructional...>
 So, if you like, I guess I could look over things more closely and tell you what I think. Thanks for all your invaluable advice!
<And you for yours>
Sarah Orris
PS I can't remember if I ever told you, but the goldfish I had with the constant bloat and septicemia died not too long after I wrote you- I did not do an
autopsy, but some gentle probing revealed a large lump inside her- something inedible? a growth?- which was likely the source of all the trouble. Poor thing.
<Much more likely the latter. Bob Fenner>

A card from Claude Declercq (Claude re-produces WWM in French) 12/30/05
Dear Best Bob and staff,
<Bonjour Claude!>
You have been sent a Jacquie Lawson card by Claude Declercq.
Please click on the following link to see your card. If your e-mail program has not displayed this as a link, then please copy the following into the Address or Location bar of your Internet browser.
http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=SR32778541
Alternatively, please visit www.jacquielawson.com and select the Pick Up Card option in the menu. Then enter your card code, which is:
SR32778541
If you have any problem at all viewing your card, please click here:
http://www.jacquielawson.com/help_1.asp
<Happy holidays, New Year to you and yours as well my/our friend. Bob Fenner>

Greetings from one of the old guys 12/13/05
Bob,
<Erik>
This is the first time I have been to your web site.
Wow, you guys offer a lot of information in one place. I see your name all
the time, and enjoy selling the Conscientious Marine Aquarist book when a
store asks for the best book out there. Keep up the good work, I just had
to say Hello. I have not seen you at a show for a while.
Merry Christmas!
Erik Hinkston
Central Pet West
<Thank you, and to you and yours my friend. Glad to find you still in the trade. Bob Fenner>

WWM's Lack-Of-Profit Isn't Quite Non-Profit - 12/11/2005
Hi Guys,
I recently met a woman named Leslie McCarthy, a bay area educational advocate. She was taken with our website, and referred it to a friend, whom
manages the David and Lucile Packard Foundation which manages awarding grants to Conservation and Science oriented organizations. Is WetWebMedia set up as a non-profit, or does a non-profit branch exist? There may be a grant we qualify for if so. http://www.packard.org/ <http://www.packard.org/>
Happy Holidays, -Ryan
<We're not a registered non-profit, but are "unprofitable" (Heeee!). BobF>

REAL Fish Names: Taxonomic Classification/Latin Names…resources 11/28/05
Hello
<Hello Jay C.>
Where can I find a definitive list of taxonomic classification on the WWW. I would prefer one that is searchable i.e. I could type in the name of the organism and it would return the phylum, subphylum etc all the way down to species.
<If you are speaking of all animals in general, honestly I am not sure. However I assume that you mean aquatic life, if so please see here: http://www.fishbase.org/search.php .>
<<Whenever I want to find the taxonomy, I use the keyword "taxonomy", and if I have the species, or at least genus, add that as a search keyword. Easy peasy lemon squeezy via Google. There are also sites that are specific to particular sciences, many of these do require a fee for access, much like university libraries, etc. Marina>>
I have spent over 2 hours searching this morning and cannot find anything so comprehensive.

Thank you in advance for your time.
<No trouble at all.>
Jay Cochrane
<Adam Jackson.>

Re: Small Marine Systems, Blessings in Thanks 11/5/05
Thanks a lot Adam.
<No trouble.>
Your website was referred to me by a guy at the fish store I bought my live rock from and I need to thank him as well.
<Oh yes, very good.>
I spent all of last night going through the FAQs and learned more than I did there than through those months of book research.
<Oh yes keep reading.>
So as a Hindu, I am obligated to state the traditional Hindu blessings along with my thanks.
<Thank you.>
May you live a thousand years. May you father a thousand sons.
<Oh, gosh. I hope not.>
Same goes for all the male members of your crew. I won't extend both blessings to your female crew since a thousand sons may be a bit hard on them,
<<Yes, thank you, two are enough. Marina>>

but the thousand year blessing works.
<Thank you, Adam J.>

I'd Like to use WetWebMedia.com for a Masters Project - Donate Time, Results 10/12/05
Mike/Bob:
<Matthew>
I'm a programmer and a user experience professional here in the Chicago area. I'm also working on a Masters degree in Human Computer Interaction.
The reason I'm writing to you and to WetWebMedia is that for the course I'm in, we're looking to take a web site or subject matter that we're interested in and improve them based on several design theories and practices. This includes prototyping, user testing, and development of a solution.
<Okay>
I'd like to use wetwebmedia.com for my project and donate my time and work to Bob and the team as gratitude for all the information and enjoyment you have provided me. I've been running aquariums for years
(much to my wife's dismay).
If you're interested, please feel free to contact me here or give me a call at 847.405.XXXX. I'll provide more on my programming and professional background, class description etc.
Thank you for your time,
Matthew Dragon
Technical Architect - Content, Strategy and User Experience
<Mmm, am grateful for the help, innovation. Will gladly review what changes you suggest. We are not willing to grant you access to our server however. Bob Fenner>

Re: I'd Like to use WetWebMedia.com for a Masters Project - Donate Time, Results 10/12/05
Bob:
<Matt>
Thanks for the response. I would not be requesting or needing any access to your content, servers, or code in anyway (outside of what the public can access).
<Ah, good... am sure you understand our apprehension/s re.>
The project is more about how an end user interacts with the information architecture and visual design of the web site (or user interface).
<And we've agonized over how we might improve same... Again, grateful for your input>
I'd be doing things like competitive analysis, business and technical requirements, prototypes/wireframes and user acceptance testing.

My goal of these first emails was to introduce myself and get your permission to use the likeness and logos of wetwebmedia.com for use within this project (ONLY).
<Certainly>
I am hopeful that as I produce documentation and concepts, that I could get your feedback/opinions.
<Oh yes. Gladly>
Also, if you ever had a 'dream' of what wetwebmedia.com might become (if you aren't at that point already). If you ever had a thought of future functionality or items that you'd like to see tested, don't hesitate to comment or just shoot me an email.
<Will do>
I honestly feel that I owe your site quite a bit and this project presented a chance for me to give back. Any interaction I get from you or anyone on your team, will only improve the usefulness of a solution.
Matthew Dragon
P.S. Other than being placed in my portfolio, you would retain all ownership of anything that I produce.
P.P.S. If you do ever need coding help or have a question about how something works, I'd be happy to answer, debug, or do whatever you might need help with (just an offer to keep in your back pocket).
<Am cc'ing the folks here who know much more than I re such... Thank you again. I look forward to hearing your ideas. Bob Fenner>

Re: I'd Like to use WetWebMedia.com for a Masters Project - Donate Time, Results 10/12/05
Bob and Crew:
<Matt>
I'm attaching a high level competitive analysis. This is not a detailed analysis, just a point by point comparison between your site and some others of my choosing. You'll notice I did not include any web sites that were topic specific (reef sites, freshwater, etc). I tried to cover sites and publications that cover the array of aquarium topics.
<Is summat unreadable... can it be sent in another way? Perhaps try fennerrobert@hotmail.com address...>
If you have any questions on the document itself, please don't hesitate to ask. Also, if you have any comments on the results, let me know. Also, is there a subject line or tag I can use so I can clarify communication?
<This will work... or whatever else you'd like. I review all ultimately>
Thanks for your time,
--matt
<Thank you for your efforts. BobF>

Re: I'd Like to use WetWebMedia.com for a Masters Project - Donate Time, Results 10/12/05
Answers marked with --MATT--
--matt
<<And Sabrina here, now.... Chiming in at Bob's request, as we're sitting here in front of computers instead of diving today! Gah! Must.... finish.... answering questions! I suppose my responses will be in these nifty double-carrot thingies.>>
Bob and Crew:
Here are some wire-frames that I've generated for what the site should look like. This does not take into account the 'natural and free flowing' back end structure of the content. Do not consider coloration, this is strictly information architecture.
<Very nice... I do want to drop a "login" from this though... no need, desire to track folks>
--MATT--
This wouldn't be to track folks. It would allow them to integrate with an online chat, a forum, and a system of sending messages to users.
<<Matt, due to the very nature of our webforum and our very vehement desire that freedom of speech be upheld by omitting heavy-handed moderation found at most if not all other chatforums, I feel (and Bob seems to agree) that it is best that the forum be only loosely associated with the main site for the time being, and certainly not an integrated part of it. It just gets too aggressive.>>
There would be no tracking and a standard privacy policy would be enforced. This will allow you to respond to and let them know you've responded, from your site, without them having to leave WWM and check email etc. From a usability standpoint, this makes the site more personal.
<<Mm, in a way, yes, but having participated on sites that have done the same (ReefCentral, for one) I really don't like this approach. Plus, then there's the back-end work of maintaining a user database (however little time that might take up.... really, I for one prefer to completely omit any sort of a user/login system.>>
The more in touch a user is with the site, the more likely they are to make it their first choice for information.
<<I also fear that it would turn away folks that would be under the impression that they would have to actually create/use a login just to make use of the information of the site. We do have lots of youngsters and non-computer-literate folks that frequent the site, I believe.>>
While I completely agree that tracking users isn't a primary goal, offering that information, in the form of basic metrics, is always an attractive piece to lure sponsorship.
<<Hmm.... I can see (somewhat) where you're going with this point, and do agree that it would help for gaining sponsorship - but I feel that it is unnecessary, and perhaps in a serious way detrimental.... Not to us, but our user base.>>
--ENDMATT
I'm sure you will have questions as to what each item is etc.
<Yes>
--MATT--
Let me know what questions you have, I'll answer them as best as I can.
--ENDMATT--
Also, I've tried to create at least 1 new revenue stream (outside of your banner and Amazon honor system channels).

--MATT--
An event calendar (a single fee to have your event listed)
A store directory (a monthly fee to have your store listed)
A club directory (a discount banner channel)
If you have other thoughts, let me know
<<Ah, I see. Integrated with the login system, I imagine? Much of this, though, we prefer to offer free.... store directory/links, club links.... Also, anything above and beyond what we maintain now is a virtually impossible prospect, with Bob being the main man spending (literally) *hours* a day on the site - and the rest of us that also handle some of the back-end work spending hours a day or week just on maintenance, aside from question answering.... This is all voluntarily done, no pay - and time is very, very valuable in this (and all) endeavors.... Increasing the amount of time necessary to spend maintaining the site just isn't possible right now.>
--ENDMATT--
Let me know your thoughts and thanks for allowing me this opportunity!
<Thank you... Am looking forward to running duplicate sites, getting others input. Bob Fenner>
--MATT--
I need to find the power cord for my old server, for now the test site is only run when I start it up from my laptop. I wanted to find a good window to run my site downloader, so if you have a maintenance window,
please let me know. It processes requests on a once every five second interval, so it won't DOS <denial of service> your site...promise.
<<I can discuss with my husband hosting this mirror/test site on his server if you like.... Just let me know. I really, really like the frames/templates you propose; this is very nice, and will likely help navigation in the site tremendously. I am absolutely delighted to see this.>>
--ENDMATT
<<Wishing you well, -Sabrina>>

Thank You 10/6/05
No question, just a very big thank you for your work and wonderful site. I am in the final stage of setting up a 65 gal tank. I've used the book and this site extensively for research, guidance, and advice from other aquarists. I have yet to find a question that is not in one (or more) of the FAQs. Excellent job, and thanks so very much!
<Ah, most welcome in kind. Thank you for your kind, encouraging words. Bob Fenner>

Not sure how to respond to people like this 10/3/05
Bob,
I was curious if we could use another fellow WWM crew member. I have
another club member that is an experienced Clownfish breeder and coral reef
care keeper. He has over 3000 posts on ReefCentral for helping people and I
think he would be a great asset.
Let me know your thoughts
Eric
<Thank you for this introduction. Do have your friend contact me with
particulars... BobF>

Re: I'd like to use wetwebmedia.com for a Masters project and
donate the time and results 9/30/05
Bob and Team:
In time, the documents will get larger in size (especially when we move
into prototyping). I do not want to Spam or overfill an email account.
Therefore I'm in the process of building a development server. I expect
it to be up and running by the end of the month. The URL will be
http://wetwebdev.servehttp.com/ running Apache, PHP, and MySQL. I will
set up a directory so that you can download files via HTTP and not have
to worry about email storage limits. Also, if it is possible for your
development team to export the database into a .sql file, I can make the
site dynamic. However, I do not need this (I can use a web crawler to
scrape content).
Also, I apologize about the readability issue and have attached a copy
in PDF format. If you can't read PDF files, you can go to
http://www.adobe.com and get their free reader.
More documents to follow,
--matt
<Jason, Zo (?), am sure you understand this... me... no. Can we do this?
BobF>

Re: I'd like to use wetwebmedia.com for a Masters project and
donate the time and results 9/30/05
There is no WWM database to export to SQL - except for WetWebFotos.com, where
the articles are grotesquely out of date (but definitely capable of SQL
export, since this site runs on MySQL->Java->Apache, an architecture very
similar to Matt's proposed MySQL->PHP->Apache.
WWM, however, is entirely static. There is no database backing it.
With that in mind, Matt - best of luck writing a crawler to scrape content off
WWM. I tried it once, and it was an exercise in hair-pulling futility, due to
the organic, unstructured, unplanned nature of WWM (part of its "charm" I'm
sure, it's very "homegrown"). So anyway, I gave up before the nightmares
started making my ears bleed. And while I'm not claiming to be a programming
superhero, I HAVE been doing it professionally for many years.
I don't mean to be discouraging. If you think there's some way I can help,
please speak up.
-Zo
<Thank you for this Zo. BobF>
Zo
(I hope that's okay that I call you that..)
Interesting...so you edit flat files on the doc_root? Any thought of
implementing a CMS?
--matt

Re: I'd like to use wetwebmedia.com for a Masters project and donate the time and results 10/4/05
Bob and Crew:
For my project, I'm generating a conceptual (and eventually
prototypical) version of what I think WWM could be. In many cases, this
will be a drastic shift from what you are doing today. I'm not
considering changing or modifying the things you do today. I'm more
interested in how your wealth of knowledge and ad-space is used in
conjunction with your articles. I've seen in many cases your authors
recommend or comment on products and services as well as best practices
and 'gotchas'.
Also, the concept of a content management system seems to be the point
of shift that I'd be looking at. While the method of scraping WWM may
ultimately be an slow and 'hand driven' affair, I see it is a step in
converting to a new system. I've modified a java tool (jobo [
[http://www.matuschek.net/software/jobo/] so that I can easily select
text and save it as the crawler runs through your site. I didn't see a
robots.txt file, so I'm going to assume that I can crawl the entire
doc_root. If this is not the case, please let me know.
The only other thought I have is why you are using Java if your files
are static? Are there dynamic aspects to your site that you'd use the
Java engine for?
Thanks for your time,
--matt
Sorry to confuse you regarding the Java, Matt.
There are two different sites. WetWebMedia, and WetWebFotos. WWMedia is wholly
static, managed by FrontPage. WWFotos is dynamic, MySQL->Java. It is a
full-blown CMS custom written by me with some valuable contributions by
JasonC. Unfortunately the content in WWFotos is grossly out of date. It mostly
just runs the forums these days.
Whether it's okay for you to copy the entire WWM site with a crawler, I'll
leave up to Bob. It is his content, by-and-large, with a handful of articles
from other contributors, and of course the invaluable "FAQs" generated by the
crew en toto.
-Zo
<Mmm, can crawl but we need to coordinate time frames for back-up... BobF>

Popeye/Invert. IDs/interested in helping/WWM 9/29/05
Hello to all.
I recently had to do a major move for my fish, a couple of days later I
noticed one of my clown's eyes was bulging. He had got caught in the
net during the move and the water and sand was greatly stirred causing
quite a mucky mess. So I am guessing that the Popeye was due to an
injury received, then being in the messy water for a minute didn't help.
<Well-stated>
I immediately removed the fish and placed him in QT. It has now been
near 2 months. I started off using melafix (hahaha-what a waste!)
<Agreed>
since it indicated that it is helpful for Popeye.
<Scam!>
Then I got into the FAQ's on this site and started adding Epsom salt (no longer adding melafix), 1
tbls per 5 gal. Wow! What a tremendous help! So now, I realize my fish
can be in QT for quite some time, however.... when do I know that it is
safe to put him back in his display tank? The eye started to look as if
it was going to fall out, that was before the Epsom salt was added. The
swelling went down and it has been at an idle position for a few weeks
now. Will the eye go back into 'socket' or what should I expect in a
general scenario?
<The eye may never fully "shrink" back... If the fish is otherwise healthy, I would go ahead and return it to the main tank>
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Another thing if you have spare time.....
Any locations (I am looking into books as well) recommended for ID of
various growths? I believe some of the growths to be sponges of some
sort, but there are some worms that I am unfamiliar with and a creature
of some sort that has grown out of a tube (I can not explain this one,
too odd for my vocabulary. I'm hoping the fact that it has a tube may be
helpful in guiding me, haha far fetched but I'm hopeful) But the
worms.....maybe you know this one without seeing an image. When
looking at the rocks all you see is little thread like strings spread
out. They sometimes reach from one rock to another. There are a great
deal of these little "strings" appearing to be a greenish color. Upon
further inspection, these strings are attached to the top of the body of
a worm (like a mass of stringy hair)....the worms are orange in color
ranging from small to quite large. I have taken a syringe and squirted
water in that area....when doing this, debris floats up. It is like
these worms gather uneaten food, and gunk and just set in it. Thanks
for the patience in my attempt to explain. I am looking in to a digital
camera, maybe when I do this one of you will be interested in viewing the pictures.
<Mmm, we have a bunch of Invertebrate Identification files, and Ron Shimek has done a great job of writing up guides to such unknowns and his work is largely published, accessible on the Net... additionally, he, Anthony Calfo and I have printed ID works on invert.s, and there are many such scientific and popular diving references... many of which are cited at the ends of my articles posted on WWM, and available through SeaChallengers.com, Amazon...>
Ok.....one last thing! : )
I am throwing ideas around in my head. I am interested in starting some
sort of salt water research/business. I don't want to jump into this, I
am still young and have lots of things to learn. However, it is very
interesting and enticing. I believe I could do great things with it and
would like some input as to how feasible this would be to accomplish, especially not living near a coast.
<Many possibilities... and exciting!>
What would be the best way to go about learning what I need to know (i.e. the scientific names,
medications, etc.) other than trial and error.
<T and E... too long and costly... Reap the benefits of those who have come before... read, voraciously, widely... with a discerning mind... directed toward discovering "needs" in the trade... to exploit, develop>
I am not sure exactly how you go about choosing members to respond to e-mails, and I am sorry
if I am bluntly butting in, but are you looking for any more help? (I think that is one of the best ways for me to learn is by teaching others)....just thought I'd throw that in there while it was on my mind.
Thank you!!!!!
Codie
<Always looking for help. Please tell me/us a bit about yourself... your area/s of expertise, time availability (we have many young and not friends who have school, other commitments that they must focus on foremost)... It is obvious you have a good grasp of English, a desire to help. Bob Fenner>

Re: Bob, willing to join/be of service if possible 9/20/05
Bob,
 I suppose I didn't really ponder how difficult it might be to just "hit
the ground running". The last thing I wish to create is another headache
for you all. I understand that it would be against better judgment to have
just anyone access the content at will, with no real accountability.
<Yes...>
 It seems that a copy/paste routine would mean that you would have to do "double
work" in placing/replacing after I edit. Not much help for you I think.
Perhaps I should think more on this (less beers this time) and get back to
you. Thank you for your consideration on this, now I must take the dog for
a walk (and think).
 Josh
<Appreciate the thoughts. Cheers, BobF>

I'd like to use wetwebmedia.com for a Masters project and donate the time and results 9/16/05
Mike/Bob:
<Matthew>
I'm a programmer and a user experience professional here in the Chicago
area. I'm also working on a Masters degree in Human Computer
Interaction.
The reason I'm writing to you and to WetWebMedia is that for the course
I'm in, we're looking to take a web site or subject matter that we're
interested in and improve them based on several design theories and
practices. This includes prototyping, user testing, and development of
a solution.
<Okay>
I'd like to use wetwebmedia.com for my project and donate my time and
work to Bob and the team as gratitude for all the information and
enjoyment you have provided me. I've been running aquariums for years
(much to my wife's dismay).
If you're interested, please feel free to contact me here or give me a
call at 847.405.XXXX. I'll provide more on my programming and
professional background, class description etc.
Thank you for your time,
Matthew Dragon
Technical Architect - Content, Strategy and User Experience
<Mmm, am grateful for the help, innovation. Will gladly review what changes you suggest. We are not willing to grant you access to our server however. Bob Fenner>

Re: I'd like to use wetwebmedia.com for a Masters project 9/16/05
Bob:
<Matt>
Thanks for the response. I would not be requesting or needing any
access to your content, servers, or code in anyway (outside of what the
public can access).
<Ah, good... am sure you understand our apprehension/s re.>
The project is more about how an end user interacts
with the information architecture and visual design of the web site (or
user interface).
<And we've agonized over how we might improve same... Again, grateful for your input>
I'd be doing things like competitive analysis,
business and technical requirements, prototypes/wire frames and user
acceptance testing.

My goal of these first emails was to introduce myself and get your
permission to use the likeness and logos of wetwebmedia.com for use
within this project (ONLY).
<Certainly>
 I am hopeful that as I produce
documentation and concepts, that I could get your feedback/opinions.
<Oh yes. Gladly>
Also, if you ever had a 'dream' of what wetwebmedia.com might become (if you aren't at that point already). If you ever had a thought of future
functionality or items that you'd like to see tested, don't hesitate to
comment or just shoot me an email.
<Will do>
I honestly feel that I owe your site quite a bit and this project
presented a chance for me to give back. Any interaction I get from you
or anyone on your team, will only improve the usefulness of a solution.
Matthew Dragon
P.S. Other than being placed in my portfolio, you would retain all
ownership of anything that I produce.
P.P.S. If you do ever need coding help or have a question about how
something works, I'd be happy to answer, debug, or do whatever you might
need help with (just an offer to keep in your back pocket).
<Am cc'ing the folks here who know much more than I re such... Thank you again. I look forward to hearing your ideas. Bob Fenner>

WWM page error... mmm, nope 9/8/05
Hi crew,
Just a quick FYI - right now, if I go to the "Links" or "Ask WWM" sections of WWM (possibly others), I get an option on the left for "Admin Index" - which looks like it goes places that I (or other people not part of the crew) should not go...
I'm guessing somebody's been playing with your security settings.
Have a good day,
Rich
<Thanks for this... but is there... "on purpose"... to aid getting about, placing pertinent input... and no biggee... All are welcome to see what is/WWM... there is much more than there appears. Bob Fenner>

Bad Search? 9/1/2005
Bob:
Thanks, as always, for your efforts that have gone/continue to go into
this website, as well as the books (c'mon volume 2!). I noticed that on
the daily FAQ's page, the Google search button at the bottom does not do
anything. Like a well trained primate, I have clicked it multiple times
to no avail. I am surprised nobody has mentioned it, since it has been
this way for awhile.
Rich
<Yikes... I've just tried my best rat pushing the food bar route and can't get it to go either. Miguel can/will you fix? BobF> <Sabrina and TR fixed. RMF>>

Thanks for the great site 8/29/05
> Marc Weiser wrote:
> Bob,
> Realized I was finding your site more useful then
> any book I've purchased
> (except yours of course), so I made a little
> donation tonight. If there is
> more I can do to support your site, please let
> me/your readers know.
> Best,
> Marc Weiser
> Marc,
> I'm sure all of the volunteers at Wetwebmedia
> appreciate your generous
> comments and donation. It's especially gratifying to
> know that this website
> meant so much to you and that you appreciate the
> many thousands of hours of
> work that went in to it. Thank you very much for
> your donation and I hear
> that the Wetwebmedia website is always looking for
> knowledgeable folks to
> answer hobbyist questions. In that role you could
> support the website and
> the hobby in ways that will be appreciated
> throughout the world.
> Thank You,
> Mike Kaechele
Thanks kindly for your donation Marc. It is sincerely
appreciated :)
Anthony Calfo

Site promotion question? 8/20/05
Bob,
Hope all is well.
<Yes, thank you>
Love the site and this is the only site I recommend to customers at the LFS due to the fact that you folks don't point people to online vendors and specific sites/products to shop for. That makes this site a great resource above and beyond most of the others for the LFS to help educate our customers.
I need to ask a quick question. Do you have business cards for the site I can put on the counter for our customers?
<Mmm, I do have cards... I guess could send...>
I have met you a few times and would like to help promote this site in our LFS.
I look at online sites like magazines. Most LFS stopped selling/recommending them once they started printing more online vendor ads then helping the hobbyist/shops with general articles.
IMO that is the reason the sales are down on the majority of American aquarium magazines.
<Likely a major influence, yes>
But hey it's a free market right? ;-)
<After taxes, supposedly... not "free enough" IMO>
Anyway I look forward hearing your (and the other peoples here) speech at MACNA.
Thanks in advance,
Mark
<Ah, good. Please make it known if you want cards sent, or I'll haul a few more to the upcoming MACNA do and hand them to you. Bob Fenner>

Re: Site promotion question? 8/22/05
What ever is easier for you. God knows that backpack of yours will be there ;-)
But lightening your travel load by sending me some would be great too.
<Either way>
I would hate to eat up your business cards though. I know they are not cheap.
Maybe a color PDF with some verbiage about the site would be cheaper?
<Sure, go ahead>
That could be emailed and I can just print them off when we run low?
<Mmm, the cards are not expensive... and easy/er to hand out to folks>
It was just a thought. I tell many people to check WWW for help on all aspects of aquaria.
Thanks again for the help and see you soon at MACNA.
Mark Sharkey
<Will haul them there. How many would you like? BobF>

Re: Site promotion question? 8/24/05
20-30?
Not sure how long they would last. I help the customers best I can. If I can't answer their questions or can't find the information in one of the books I have on hand I send them to WWW.
Most times we are able to handle the questions but when customers really show and interest to learn for themselves I try to point them here and a few other sites that I like.
Thanks again for the time and info.
I'll see you in DC,
Mark
<Real good... I do wish I could "move time forward" at times... Wouldn't it be great to have the Net everywhere? Including terminals in fish stores? Have tried to interest friends in such a scheme... installing/leasing such to LFSs... with WWM, other sites to browse, inform customers, staff on-site... Bob Fenner>

Re: Site promotion question? 8/24/05
I like the idea but the cost for a business line to the Internet is a lot for a mom and pop shop.
<Mmm, consider this... an educated customer base is cheaper than losing all every year, the costs of all other forms/types of promotion... no better "advertising"...>
Also if the customer could go to the large corporate sites that sell livestock (I wont name names here) that would turn LFS owners off IMO.

I can see it now...
A customer comes in and questions our price for a Boesemanni Rainbow fish.
"They are cheaper online and do you match pricing?"
But they don't understand the cost of running a store. Employee payroll/benefits, electric, water, garbage, fish/coral/reptile/small animal losses, etc...
Then on top of that they get to see and pick out the fish they want unlike online shopping.
We even feed all animals upon request and tell the customer this. We hold for 3 days without question. And feed all high-grade foods unlike most LFS around here.
But like I said I like the idea. If the terminal could be locked down to just sites the LFS approves that would be great.
<Ah, yes>
WWM, Aimes and other scientific sites that don't recommend products and the cheapest location to get them. Maybe even a database of the books written by you, Anthony, and other authors who sign on to the idea.
If not just for the quick search of written word but access to detailed info on particular info on the XYZ fish. This way for the LFS owner it means less time an employee needs to hold the customers hand and more time cleaning the shop or helping the customers that really needs it.
Don't get me wrong I know that there are a lot of LFS out there that are taking people for a ride. Pricing that is 200% higher then ours and anywhere online. Those stores deserve to be deserted and left in the dust. But the ones that go above and beyond are hurting too due to warehouses with little overhead undercutting them. Manufactures selling to the public at less then the national wholesalers sell to the retail stores. And local hobbyist with some bogus tax I.D's no storefront selling live rock and corals at near cost out of a house.
Hmm I like this idea more and more. I will be sure to ask you about it in DC. This is a great conversation that could impact the whole community of aquarists, industry workers, and business owners.
Talk to you soon,
Mark
<Oh yes. BobF>

Re: Site promotion question? 8/24/05
Bob,
I was reading this Q/A and have a suggestion for Mark. This type of
"limited access"
solution is rather easily implemented. Get with someone who knows about
"Squid" (proxy filter)
and they should be able to offer you a viable solution.
Craig
<Ah ha! Thank you for this. Bob Fenner>

Re: Sump/LR/Refugium 8/15/05
Bob
Thanks for you timely response. I guess I should have said I am overwhelmed
and not confused. The site and the format are superb, I would not change a
thing. Looking back on my last post it was a poor choice of words.
Confused was referring to the sheer amount of information provided. I do
appreciate your help.
Cheers
Fargo
<Ah, thank you for the clarification. Cheers, BobF>

Thank you WWM!!! 8/5/05
Dear Crew,
<Jeff>
I don't really have any questions to ask as everything I could possibly
want to know (at least up till now) has been covered in your FAQs and
informative articles. Your website is so informative I felt compelled to
make a donation, and once my financial situation improves you can count on
me making larger donations. I must admit I've been taken aback by the fact
your website is updated daily; I've come across aquaria websites that
haven't been updated in years or are filled with "old" or "mis"
information. Kudos to you my friends and I'm sure there are MANY like me
who are "ghost" visitors that relish the information found on your website.
So for those of you out there please donate to WWM!
While I am composing this message I will say that at times I do feel guilty
about keeping such beautiful fish that I know where at one time were
swimming free in the ocean. I try to justify this by saying they are safe
in my aquarium from predators and will receive all the TLC that I can
possibly provide. I can only hope that technology advances will allow for
more of our salty friends to be aquacultured (tangs especially).
- Jeff Pencosky
<Outstanding. Thank you in turn for your kind acknowledgement and caring, sharing. Life to you my friend. Bob Fenner>

WetWebMedia Criticism 8/3/05
My name is Allan, I have been reading your marine section for over 2 months now, since I discovered it. Your knowledge is outstanding. The marine industry here in PERTH, AUSTRALIA is a pin prick in comparison, but I have gained more knowledge on this site than any one will tell me. The following are just a few general things I have learned that I must share with you. <Since the rest of you message is clearly sarcastic, I will pause here to express my hope that there is some amount of seriousness in what you have already said, even if it was embarrassingly overstated. The all volunteer crew is made up of knowledgeable, well read aquarists who all have a great deal of my personal respect for their insight and dedication. I think they would all agree with my assertion that the overwhelming majority of the information at WetWebMedia as well as the advice given by the crew is very accurate. Keep in mind that the vast majority of the folks who send questions are beginners, many or most of which either lack information or have received bad/outdated information from Local Fish Stores or poor/outdated books.>
1. Never spell incorrectly when talking about marine fish
<I will gladly concede that our replies often contain corrections of spelling and grammar along with those of science. Better, more accurate communication results in higher quality exchange of information. Also, all of these exchanges are archived and poor spelling and grammar would diminish the credibility of otherwise good information.>
2. Always be a millionaire
<This is an expensive hobby. We try to be politely realistic about this, but the reality is that investment in good quality equipment repays itself many times over in decreased animal losses, money saved NOT replacing inferior or useless equipment and the reduced stress of being generally more successful. Do you put the cheapest carpet, appliances, etc. in your home, or do you realize that it usually pays to invest in quality? If you look a little deeper, I am sure you will see many instances where we suggest ways to save money... where it is appropriate.>
3. Always allow at least four hundred million gallons per tang, or receive sarcastic comments about your dismal ambitions. <Again, we try to be politely realistic (if not conservative) about stocking levels but we do occasionally get frustrated with the number of aquarists who are keeping too many or too large animals in cramped quarters despite widely and plainly stated recommendations against it.>
Please keep the marine hobby alive, not destroy it for all with hopeful intentions. Have a nice day and do post all comments! Allan <Our number one priority is to promote and protect our hobby. It is our opinion that the best way to do that is to provide good quality information in a friendly way, but without mincing words. Conscientious hobbyists who are willing and able to learn and be successful inspire others to do the same. This protects the hobby/industry by making in more sustainable and profitable and protects us from restrictive legislation by improving the perception of what we do.>
PS. did i spel anthing worong?
<Ha! Glad to see that you have a sense of humor! Thanks for your comments. I hope this reply gives you some insight into "the story" here at WWM. Best Regards. AdamC.>
WWM Criticism reply in FAQ's
Hi all,
Normally, I would have pushed something like this over to Bob, but I was
feeling kind of scrappy <g>.
I thought it was something everyone should see since there may be some shred
of truth in it, if only in regards to the attitude that we present.
Adam

Silly Aussie <Mmm, just human> 8/4/05
Hi Bob, Anthony and the rest of the WWM crew,
<Sal>
Normally I don't get involved in playing childish games but this time I think I'll regress. I have been reading your daily Q & A's for years now and can honestly say that your website has helped me more than any other book, magazine or LFS. The ability to ask a question and get a response, usually by the next morning, is what makes WWM the best information source, period. So, when someone criticizes this site like that Australian guy did , Allen, that kind of strikes a nerve.
<Eh!>
Australia has always been known to be a quirky place. Let us not forget that a long time ago the British used to send all their criminals to Australia.
<As a kid in the D.O.D. schools in Japan I learned they sent them there... and the U.S...>
I am positive that most of the people who live there are nice and actually have a great attitude ("no worries"). I'll bet this guy is a descendent of the British Bad Boys. You know that this guy has an imperator angel, vlamingi tang and a parrotfish in a 55 gallon show tank. This tank probably has an undergravel filter and he feeds flake every other day.
<Maybe to himself>
Now that I've vented, I feel fine. But, I will say that I do like to be corrected when I spell something wrong. I like to know how much money something is going to cost me BEFORE I start a project. And since I am not trying to setup some kind of marine concentration camp, I prefer to know how much swimming space is necessary to try and keep my fish happy.
<Me too>
Sorry, I know this was a childish exercise. It had to be done. Thank you very much for all the things you guys have taught me in the past. I'm sure I represent the majority of your faithful readers. There is always a bad apple in the bunch. Gratefully, Sal
<Appreciate your input. Cheers, Bob Fenner>

I KNOW you don't remember me, however 7/22/05
Greetings Bob,
<Aaron>
Just wanted to send you a short note to thank you for your help in the past.
I talked to you a long time ago over email (one of the many, I'm sure) and
you helped me through a difficult time with my tank. I ended up losing the
tank in 1998 on a vacation (the tank temp got over 95 from the halides) and
pretty much decimated everyone and everything.
<Yeeikes>
I'm just starting up again and ran across your site. It was nice to see a
friendly face that I knew still in the trade and helping people. I have a 65
that I'm just about done setting up (500w MH, remora pro, and Fluval 403 for
mechanical when I need it) and am going to be getting the rock whenever I
get around to it. Let the wallet bleed begin!
<Heeee! Somethings rarely change>
Anyway, just wanted to say hello, and if there is actually a point to this
email, it's that you I'm sure have a lot of silent fans out here and keep up
the great work. You're a blessing to the industry.
Cheers,
Aaron
<Pleased to make your re-acquaintance. Welcome back to "the fold". Bob Fenner>

Great site, suggestions 7/4/05
Just wanted to say, this is a great site. Have received excellent advice a
few times. There is so much to learn and would be at a loss without such a
site.
Books are great but never found a google search in them.
<I'll bet they'll be working on such... as a matter of fact, guess Google is... by making printed works available on-line...>
 Just an index.
Like to offer a suggestion about the picture on top of pages, when telling
about what type fish it is, If wouldn't' be too much trouble adding if would
suggest suitability for aquariums and par range requirements if that is even
possible.
<Good idea... or link all back to placement, coverage elsewhere where this info. can be found>
I know you have a ton of info on compatibilities, and such. I'd love to
see a table of dip procedures and QT suggestion.
<Another good idea... you could (gladly) write this up, reformulate the info. on WWM, elsewhere and sell this as a series in the pet-fish pulp and e- literature>
As such, as some you would
dip with Methylene blue, or dip with just a FW dip. prior to QT and or post
qt before going into main.
Yes, I've learned the hard way.. No substitute for a proper QT period.
Granted these are just suggestions I've thought of for an already the best
aquaria based website that I'm familiar with.
Or is it generally all fish with fw and Methylene blue dip, and coral a dip
with Seachem Reef Dip prior, don't' know if familiar with the latter.
<No... there are variances... e.g. small blennies, gobies...>
Have
read good stuff about it.
While on it, I wish would be a chart somewhere with the bio-load of
different livestock.
Just because a fish is larger doesn't quite mean the bio-load is greater,
some eat and waste a bit more with being more active.
<Another valid point... a topic worthy of an article or two... Please do consider writing up. Bob Fenner>

Just a thank you
Hi folks,
I just wanted to say a big thanks to you for the wealth of information
that you provide. If it wasn't for this site, there would have been
causalities in my (getting there) 45g reef tank. I read, I read, and I
learned.
<Yay!>
 Last week I made my first $$$ purchase. I beautiful 15ish
pound Aqua-cultured LR that is just teeming with life. Things are going
well and the fish in my very old 55g Marine Tank are looking across the
room going, "wish I lived there". Give me about a year and I would love
to send a picture, I just know it's going to be a slice of life from the
sea.
Much thanks for your help,
Greg
<Outstanding... our welcomed "pay" for each/all's efforts here. Bob Fenner>

Alkalinity Test kits, Canister filter inserts and Nitrate 5/24/05--Part3 - (And No Shills Necessary!)
Thank you for the quick response to my questions below (and the free "keeping spouse happy with tank" advice)!
<Glad to! As for the spouse... I am glad that others can benefit from my failures! Ha! Actually, my wife is very tolerant.>
Per your advice, the lava rock is removed, and I'm planning on adding the remaining live rock in one batch (after confirming it is cured by keeping it in tub in garage). I'll also buy a better alkalinity test. I've been using Jungle Quick Dip strips, but they have always been "off the chart" in the "ideal" range. I've been questioning their accuracy. Any recommendations on best test? <Always choose an alkalinity test that is a titration type. Titration tests require you to add drops of reagent until a change from one color to another is observed. The value is calculated from the amount or number of drops of reagent that are added. Test kits for alkalinity that use dip strips or compare to a color chart are very unreliable. I am fond of Salifert and Tropic Marin alkalinity kits, but many good ones are available.>
I'm going to go with selling the Fluval, but keeping the Eheim for the great water movement it gives me. I had heard--LFS--that filling the Eheim completely with the Eheim filters would "polish" the water without creating nitrates. Do you agree? Or would I be better just having the Eheim completely empty? (I'm the guy who knows there is no way I will be doing weekly maintenance on the canister--most likely just every month or two.) Thanks again for your help and great site. Greg

P.S. I'm going to shill for you. I made an Amazon Honors Payment to you guys and was surprised that more people don't do the same. I'm always buying stuff from the LFS when I go in and pick their brains because I feel their time is worth something and they're in business to make money. More so for you guys who are doing this site free of charge to the fish-keeping world. Not everyone is made of money--although this isn't the least expensive hobby I can think of--but I'm still surprised people don't throw a bit more change/bills in your electronic glass jar.
<Thanks for the contribution! It is refreshing and uplifting to cross paths with someone who is willing to voluntarily support something they find value in. Best Regards. AdamC.>

Re: Question about stocking
> Thank you for your help. I will read over those articles and find someone who will fit better in my small system and swim a bit for us.
Your Knowledge is invaluable. Please do not ever stop this site!!!!
Shannon
<We'll do our best to keep it going, growing. Thank you, Bob Fenner>

Your Writings on Labroides
 Hi Bob,
<Jeff>
 Just wanted to say how much I appreciated your article on cleaner wrasse. I was just doing one of my favorite activities, poking around online livestock sites, looking at pics and reading blurbs about behavior, temperament and care to see if I found anything interesting I might read more about. Well, I have to confess that I went to a "reef safe wrasse"
section to see what was in there, and found the common blue cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) and was like.. "hmm that would be sweet in my large reef setup". So, I do what I always do when that happens, I pop over to WWM
and look it up. Now coming to the point of my e-mail to you, I read your article "Cleaner Wrasses in the Genus Labroides". I just finished and have to say that it was such a great thing to be able to hop over here and quickly find out that what I was considering purchasing actually turned out to be something that shouldn't even be for sale. So, this time my e-mail to you is not asking for help, but to tell you that the work you guys are doing at WWM is incredible, and mostly to let you know that your hopes for raising awareness and EDUCATING people is working.
<Very glad to read/realize this>
 Thanks so much for all your efforts, I just wanted to let you know that you really are making a difference in this community and those of us that do care about the marine environment over how cool the tank in my living room looks, and those who do their research, are only going to increase with quality materials like these at the ready.
 Respectfully,
 Jeff
<Thank you for your note, input. Bob Fenner>

Follow UP- Live Rock and Critters within
Thanks again !
You guys should be Wet Web Encyclomedia.
<Neat term>
Just to follow up with ya on the live rock.. Yes, he sold me a hefty
nugget that had sponges, and some other soft duster looking things all
over it, among other things. This new LFS is really cool, and lets me
in the back room, and I get to gawk at all the stuff he is curing, and
he lets me pick out the stuff with the most thingy-ma-bobs on it. If I
can throw a plug in... it's the Aquatic Depot in Berlin CT. :)
<Great to have good dealers>
Once again, THANKS for this service. You guys save us a TON of TIME and
MONEY, and help to avoid, or at least soothe royal headaches !! !!
<Welcome>
John
<Bob Fenner>

Thanks (and it's Getting Posted Anyway!) Cuz problems suck...
You don't have to post this on your webpage. I found you guys quite by accident the other day, and have submitted 2
questions... which get QUICK answers. You guys are GREAT ! ! I am typically not a fan of chatroom style forums, but you have changed my perception, at least in this arena. I really hope that I will be reading your pages for entertainment, and information, rather than looking for the answer to my problems... cuz problems suck...
Keep up the GREAT WORK !
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>

They Like us in Oz..
What a fantastic site. I have had marine tank for 5 years & always looking up info, don't know how I missed yours up till now. Have a mate in Cairns on the Great Barrier Reef sends me down fish your site has helped with ID & compatibility a lot easier. Thanks Russell At Bateman's Bay South Coast NSW Australia.

Anonymous Eel (Sure Ain't F/W!): Part II & We are So Rude.. How Rude are We?
First off sorry about typing in all caps.
<Apology Accepted. :-) >
But you don't have to be so rude.
<Hmm...I've reviewed the initial query and my response, and I have yet to find a case where I was rude and/or shallow and/or demeaning.>
Some people are not as smart about this fish as you are.

Second, he is a Gymnothorax tile (scientific name) in case you did not know.
<<Gymnothorax spp.>>
<I did not know a single thing about this eel from the email you sent. By providing this information, I am able to answer your previous questions here. I do sincerely hope that you possess a rather large aquarium (~500 gallons, give or take), as Gymnothorax species attain a very decent adult size. From this page:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/moraysii.htm
"Most Gymnothorax species get too big, are too aggressive and strong for all but the most humungous systems. If you're going to try these, watch your fingers, tankmates and lock (yes, lock!) that cover down. For cooler water species, do invest in and run a chiller. species get too big, are too aggressive and strong for all but the most humungous systems. If you're going to try these, watch your fingers, tankmates and lock (yes, lock!) that cover down. For cooler water species, do invest in and run a chiller.
Too often offered to the hobby are the Atlantic green G. funebris, to eight feet! Others include G. javanicus, the Javan or Giant Moray (to ten feet!) and G. flavimarginatus to a mere four feet."
I would personally recommend returning the creature.>
And I went back to the pet store and got all the info I needed.
<Eegh! The pet store, in most cases, has to be the worse place to go for information. Sure, there are responsible ones, but that certainly is not the norm. You were very right to come to us for an answer. Just a heads up, a bit of research will teach you more than you could ever need to know, and it is most often accurate, unbiased information. May I point out the Google search feature implemented into WetWebMedia's homepage?>
Maybe next time show people a little bit of respect and don't be so shallow as to think that you are too good to talk with common courtesy.
<I do not think I am too good to talk with common courtesy. In fact, I do not think that anyone is. Just for your information, this is a free service. We are normal people with normal lives who have taken time out of those lives to assist people with their fish problems. We don't get paid for this, aside from in thanks, which we get plenty of. I think that Anthony put it best when I asked how to deal with your email: "The bigger WWM gets, the more people we serve/satisfy... and the greater the number of minor meanies occur just the same."
All of that said, if you don't like my attitude, next time you have a question, be sure to ask for "Anyone but Mike G." Frankly, I do not like yours, so that would suit the both of us very nicely. Have a wonderfully pleasant afternoon, Mike G>

PROPS FOR WWM
Hi Chuck, thanks for the advice will treat straight away. Thanks again. Take care, Oz
P.S. in my opinion the wet web site is the 'only' resource for valuable and quality information. Fantastic, recommend it to my fish loving friends all the time.
< Thanks for your kind words. We help keep people in the hobby a question at a time.-Chuck>

Lighting, and Thanks
WWM Crew,
Thank you all very much for your help. In the last 2 months, I have upgraded my lighting to 6 watts/gallon, increased my circulation to about 18X, added a DSB, and a refugium. My keeps are all very happy and I owe it largely in part to your advice and website. Thank you VERY, VERY much! You guys are the best.
<You're very much welcome, John. The Crew>

WWM Article Dates 3/25/05
Hey guys, Love the site and your books.
<Thanks kindly, my friend>
I'm currently reading Anthony's Book of Coral Propagation.
<Do you really spend that much time in the bathroom?>
Anyhow, was writing to ask whether you would consider dating the articles posted on the website.
<It's an excellent idea! But alas, we literally cannot keep up with the daily flood of e-mail to help folks with questions/emergencies as it is. We are an all volunteer crew... with very little funds. It's about all we can do to just keep the ball rolling.>
With all of the religion built into the hobby, and the relatively quick rate of change, it is not always the easiest thing to determine whether the article represents the latest and greatest thinking and research on a particular topic.
<It's really a fab idea... agreed>
I'm sure that with the vast number of articles and faq's posted on the site that it is impossible to keep them up to date.
<True... but some additional volunteer help to improve the archives would be nice ;)> You can say that again! M.>
If you are already including the date somewhere, and my aging eyes just aren't seeing it, the please excuse the interruption.
<A fav Fennerism: "if wishes were fishes... our tanks would be full.">
Hmmm. Anthony was born in Hawaii and moved to Pittsburgh???
<Yes... moved as a child with family, of course. I love to visit :)>
Thanks, Bob
<Kindly Anthony>

Another Great Big Thank You, WWM
Hello to all!
I’ve been an aquarium enthusiast for a long time, starting with fresh water tanks with the usual fishes. I still maintain 2 fresh water tanks with a Golden Arowana on one tank and a Red Dragon Flowerhorn on the other. 5 years ago I started a marine aquarium setup; I did not have any knowledge of the basics so I just read some books and fortunately found some people that are into salt water aquariums. My setup is just fine now (after several trials & errors). I just found out about your website when I recently had problems with nitrates. Being here in the Philippines have some pros and cons in terms of this hobby, many different fishes (even exotic ones) but lots of hardware and accessories are very expensive since they are all imported. I just stick to the basics of fish only with live rocks.
Your website has provided me with rich information that can help me see my mistakes and continue what I do right. Your site provides practical solutions (which I need most) which help a budget conscious hobbyist like me, I still have several questions on different topics but I will just browse through your site and learn along the way, just like what I did when I started this hobby. I cannot afford many of the solutions offered, but it’s exciting to look for alternative solutions anyway…
Thank you. Ronald From the Philippines
<Ronald, Thank you for your kind words. Many tens of thousands of hours have gone into making WetWebMedia.com what it is today, one of the best free sources of ornamental aquatic information on the Internet. When we receive a thank you like the one you sent it makes it all worthwhile. I'm glad you found the WWM as we like to call it. Take care and thanks again. Mike Kaechele>

Re: Thank you WWM! Bob Has His Say...
WWM...
Hello to all!
<Oy, como esta mi pare jo! Phonetically at least>
I've been an aquarium enthusiast for a long time, starting with fresh water tanks with the usual fishes. I still maintain 2 fresh water tanks with a Golden Arowana on one tank and a Red Dragon Flowerhorn on the other. 5 years ago I started a marine aquarium setup; I did not have any knowledge of the basics so I just read some books and fortunately found some people that are into salt water aquariums. My setup is just fine now (after several trials & errors). I just found out about your website when I recently had problems with nitrates. Being here in the Philippines have some pros and cons in terms of this hobby, many different fishes (even exotic ones) but lots of hardware and accessories are very expensive since they are all imported. I just stick to the basics of fish only with live rocks.
<Works>
Your website has provided me with rich information that can help me see my mistakes and continue what I do right. Your site provides practical solutions (which I need most) which help a budget conscious hobbyist like me, I still have several questions on different topics but I will just browse through your site and learn along the way, just like what I
did when I started this hobby. I cannot afford many of the solutions offered, but it's exciting to look for alternative solutions anyway...

Thank you.
Ronald From the Philippines
<Thank you for your input... it restoreth my "soul", faith that intelligent, dedicated people can "find their way", and that our efforts are well-placed. Bob Fenner>

Amazing patience!
Hello folks! Just a quick note to say "thanks". Over the last few weeks I have read several postings from people "upset" at you and the site. I guess they want you to hold their hands, do all the research for them, then solve all their fish problems. When you aren't willing to do that, they get angry and resort to insults and name calling. And despite all of this, you remain professional and courteous. That's patience!
<Heeee! Or perhaps "religious" tolerance... for my part, am always trying to keep in mind... that the folks who are apparently upset may be of limited capacity, or perhaps children>
Bob, 99% of us realize that this is a volunteer job for you and your crew, done in what little spare time you have. A hearty thank you to all involved.
<Thank you my friend>
To the other 1% out there - get a life. Spend a few minutes, or hours, or days, researching your hobby. Stop getting angry when, rather than answering your question directly, you are pointed to a link where your question has already been answered. I have found that nine times out of ten, the answer to the questions I've had were already there, I just needed to look.
Thanks for allowing me to vent.
Dana
<In considering how this tool/service might serve best thought was given to the degree of "moderation"... rather than a bulletin board with many unqualified inputs, I thought having a selected group of folks with 1) useful knowledge, 2) use of written English and 3) a charitable, positive outlook would work out... The queries/responses are archived (and purposely NOT by some less-intelligent/biased software program) by us in a way that leads people to read further, largely answering/offering related input... as one in a field of expertise knows... it's not enough to be able to respond in the here and now, but to anticipate, be able to understand what others will want/need to know going forward... Again. Thank you. Bob Fenner>

-Thanks Again-
Response to this is not necessary but you can if you want.
<Hello, This is Justin>
I just want to say, after reading the "Slightly Irritated" in today's FAQ's, that the cumulative force assembled within the WWM crew undertakes what I believe to be a daunting task.
<Less daunting when the knowledge that we try to give the best advice available and that we are helping keep this hobby and businesses going.>
You guys daily wade through a huge pile of messages, some from experienced and many from novices like myself. I would just like to thank you.
Scott
<Well thank you Scott, it is a labor of love. Glad we can be a help. Justin (Jager)>

A comment and a question
Hello There Good People of WWM!
<Hi there>
I really have to say this... simply...Thank You!! To Bob, Anthony, Steve, to all of you!
<Welcome>
Thank you for the effort, energy, and thought that goes into each and every response on this site. It is greatly appreciated.
I have a serious addiction to this wonderful hobby (passion?) of ours. It started when I was a young girl, with a guppy in a cup. With years came many, freshwater tanks. With the purchase of a house came a 30 gallon FOWLR, then a 55 gallon reef, then two 55 gallons, then an additional 58 gallon, then a 75 gallon, a 125 gallon, etc...progressing to about 905 gallons total. (I love creating/copying small ecosystems...) Now to a business license and a soon to be conscientious LFS owner.
<Outstanding! Welcome to our trade>
So here is my question... Does the addiction ever end?? :)

The more I learn, see, research, practice, experiment, and share, the more I have to know. Thank God for DSL!!
<And cable! And T to the Nth>
It is amazing how wonderful and diverse these creatures we care for are. So again, thank you to all of you..
Regards, Carey
<Thank you my/our friend. Bob Fenner>

Re: a comment and a question, a new LFS
Hello Bob,
<Carey>
Thank you for your answer.
<Welcome>
I thought I'd also state in my "real" profession I am a nurse and would believe me if I say that my clinic patients benefit from WWM?? (indirectly of course) So do my elderly patients and the foster children I work with. The beauty and the knowledge of this passion beg to be shared. However..... I will probably fail miserably in retail, since I often talk my potential customers OUT of buying things they think they want. And, I have been known to give away my inventory. Guess I won't quit my day job! LOL! As long as you keep writing, I'll keep reading. Carey
<You've got a deal. Bob Fenner>

WWM Fan Mail - Tabbed Browsing
Previously posted:
Hi there:
<Howdy>
I recently discovered your wetwebmedia website and I'd like to compliment you on it. You have articles on every topic that I'm interested in.
<!... many, MANY more to go...>
I'd like to make one suggestion--please don't take offense. It would be really useful if someone could download several articles at a time, even if it was just in a txt format. I can see that it will be painstaking to print each article at a time in the subsections to read them at my leisure (i.e. not in front of the computer.)
Thanks very much, Cynthia Grillot in Calgary, Alberta
<Mmm, am wondering how we/you might do this. We have some very computer savvy friends here... Will cc JasonC and ask him if this is easily done. Cheers, Bob Fenner>
Get a different browser. Firefox has the ability to 'tab' several webpages at the same time. This might be what you need. Get it free from www.mozilla.org. It has pros and cons over Explorer. Regards, Wayne
>>Personally, I prefer the standard Mozilla browser over Firefox, even as the previous browser upon which Firefox and Thunderbird were built. It is just as useful, meets all needs for sites that require Internet Explorer, and can easily meet particular encryption needs (for paying bills online, for instance). Both Firefox and Mozilla have a feature by which one can block ALL unrequested pop-ups, too, thus saving the "need" for an additional program just for blocking. In addition, Mozilla also allows one to work offline, just as with IE. Marina

Re: in regards to this email, a possible suggestion - New Crewmember?
Dear Crew,
Please excuse the former email from this address as it was sent prematurely due to keyboard glitch (namely my fingers hitting the wrong keys at 4am)
<No worries>
I read this woman's request on your FAQ's for the day and thought I may have ideas on how to make this happen. I also enclosed the original mail from the FAQ with the question so that you would know which one I was talking about at the very bottom of the email. There are several programs that will allow for compressing and downloading of articles and one in particular that I think would be very helpful
<Thank you for this>
Adobe Acrobat .pdf files would allow you to put your articles into a downloadable format in order to read through at a persons leisure. it is the hardest of the ones to make work but it is feasible. you could arrange it as the site is set up now or simply put the top articles on each subject into a pdf file to do the same so that a person wanting to read about say canister filtration can simply click on the download link to get all the FAQ's and articles up to that point.
The second thing is that Internet explorer and Mozilla Firebird/Firefox (an alternative browser to IE that's safer to use) both allow the ability to save websites to a personal computer and I know that IE has the ability to update the sites that you keep offline to include the latest content. This would allow the site to do very little work, other than to either post an article on how to do this, (I would be glad to write one) or to have someone there write one up.
The third option is to use an RSS feed from your server that would update the major topics and FAQ's like the news services do. this would then allow people to get the latest from WWM as soon as they log on and read it as it comes out. while this is a lot of work compared to the other options, for those of us that are busier and cannot read through everything at once it is very helpful to have something to alert to the latest topics questions etc.
Any of this I would be glad to talk to someone there about via email or any of the instant messenger services.

I am only 20, but I would be honored to offer my services as a web site developer, computer repair and upkeep, and just a network savvy geek; as well as an aquarium enthusiast for around 10 years. If any of the above things would be beneficial to the group as a whole please let me know. I am more than happy to help, though I was mentored by an aquarist from the older schools of thought (since the 70's), so I am a mixture of the old ideas that worked and still do and the newest ideas that are being used. most of my knowledge comes from keeping Pufferfish, Show quality Discus, large predator style tanks with show quality lions and groupers (larger than 8" with brilliant coloration), and most oddball fish like electric cats and Knifefish etc. as well as most of the run of the mill fresh and saltwater fish.
<Ahh, thank you for coming forward. We (please don't laugh out loud) use FrontPage to build the sites... so, don't have much real computer work per se... But would welcome your help, if you have time, in responding to others queries... It is obvious you have the other two major requisite traits/qualities... a capacity with written English and a desire to help others. Bob Fenner>

May I? New Marine Aquarium Hobbyist
Hi Mr. Fenner, I have to say I'm a huge fan. I just read one of your books The Conscientious Marine Aquarist, it's been very helpful for me.
<Ahh, good>
I got my first marine aquarium a few weeks ago, and your book was just what I need to understand how it works and how to set it up.
<Glad to find it was of use to you>
It's been a lot of work, and I still have a lot to learn, everyday something new happened and I have a new bunch of questions.
<Okay>
My problem is, that where I live, we don't have marine aquarium shops, so there is nobody here to ask about the problems I'm having, so I want to ask you if would be ok, if I'll contact you with my inquires sometimes? If you are too busy I'll understand, but perhaps you can tell me who should I ask. Thanks for reading my mail, I hope you can help me. Best regards, Ana Luisa
<Please do feel free to contact us. There are some thirty folks that make up a powerful tool I'd like to introduce you to: http://www.wetwebmedia.com Be chatting my friend. Bob Fenner>

WWM Fan Mail
Hi there:
<Howdy>
I recently discovered your wetwebmedia website and I'd like to compliment you on it. You have articles on every topic that I'm interested in.
<!... many, MANY more to go...>
I'd like to make one suggestion--please don't take offense. It would be really useful if someone could download several articles at a time, even if it was just in a txt format. I can see that it will be painstaking to print each article at a time in the subsections to read them at my leisure (i.e. not in front of the computer.) Thanks very much, Cynthia Grillot in Calgary, Alberta
<Mmm, am wondering how we/you might do this. We have some very computer savvy friends here... Will cc JasonC and ask him if this is easily done. Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Keeping the Consumer Informed
Hi Bob, I had a new LFS open only blocks from my house. I got them to add WWM to the help link on their website. See here: http://www.eastcoastaquatics.com/multimedia/links.asp Don
<Very good! Nice to see new stores coming up... and progress in informing consumers. Thank you. BobF>

Dissatisfied "Customer" Gets Bob to Give up his Age
Are you kidding? You had the time to write me back to ask me to stop shouting because I used all caps????? How old are you?
<Fifty two... we post all correspondence... and need to instruct folks... to simple protocols... correct spelling, grammar... for free? For what! Bob Fenner, with better things to do.>

"Customer" has More to Say
You also correct people who spell something incorrect? I sure hope that a child won't find you on the web. Remember one thing (this is free information) I could and will get the same answer to my question just by going down to the local pet shop and asking the kid who makes $6.00 per hour. I'm sure Bob has something better to do. How dare he take the time to answer people who buy his book because they wrote in caps
<Heeee! Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ Thanks for the 28 cents a copy I get per unit as a royalty!
Bob Fenner>

James Has His Say...
Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2005
You also correct people who spell something incorrect? I sure hope that a child won't find you on the web. Remember one thing (this is free information) I could and will get the same answer to my question just by going down to the local pet shop and asking the kid who makes $6.00 per hour. I'm sure Bob has something better to do. How dare he takes the time to answer people who buy his book because they wrote in caps.
<The correction of spelling and the reference to caps is not intended to humiliate anyone. Most of these queries do get placed in the Wet Web FAQ file, so correcting spelling, changing caps to lower case is necessary both for format and the fact that thousands of aquarists read these FAQ's. It wouldn't look good for Mr. Fenner, or the Wet Web, to leave these queries be published without correcting the spelling or the format in which it was written. Mr. Fenner has corrected me several times when I made errors, but I don't bad mouth him, I take it as constructive criticism. Thank you. James (Salty Dog)>

To the Person who spewed Garbage Earlier
WWM Crew/Bob Fenner,
<Hi there>
Not sure who this person was as I was just thumbing through the Daily FAQ's as I often do in my spare time
and did not see the original e-mail; but this part of his/her letter
really indicated how little they know and infuriated me:
"You also correct people who spell something incorrect? I sure hope that
a child won't find you on the web. Remember one thing (this is free
information) I could and will get the same answer to my question just by
going down to the local pet shop and asking the kid who makes $6.00 per
hour."
Whoa, stop right there! You will likely NOT get the same answer, and worse, likely get BAD information
that will result in the poor care/death of the wild-life that we choose
to entrust in our care from the kid making $6/hr at the LFS.
Don't take any more time or energy explaining your site policies or
defending yourself from the likes of people like this.
In the large, vast majority, people who visit the site appreciate the
free, unbiased advice, and trust your expertise based on years of
first-hand EXPERIENCE. I know that I do.
Thanks and keep up the good work. WE (the large, vast majority)
appreciate it! :-)
Gisho
<You're welcome, and thank you. Bob Fenner>

PXXXed off
"Customer" has More to Say
You also correct people who spell something incorrect? I sure hope that a child won't find you on the web. Remember one thing (this is free information) I could and will get the same answer to my question just by going down to the local pet shop and asking the kid who makes $6.00 per hour. I'm sure Bob has something better to do. How dare he take the time to answer people who buy his book because they wrote in caps
<Heeee! Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ Thanks for the 28 cents a copy I get per unit as a royalty!
Bob Fenner>
Dear Bob,
<Jim>
I was kind of pissed off to read this Q & A. If they think they can get the correct information from LFS. Than why not do it? I have gone that route and never got the right advice. I feel the reason why I haven't given up on this sometimes very frustrating hobby is because of the help that I have received from you and your staff. Well that's my 2 cents on the matter. Now you just made .30 cents on your last book sold : ))
Thanks again!
<Haaa! Thank you for your input here... I don't invest much time, energy trying to understand a whole lot of what seems "anomalous" human behavior... The "bigger" issues take up all available resources it seems. Am very glad for such a vehicle as the Net, so many good friends as Crew and ones yet met like yourself, to share with, offer help... information and inspiration, in the hopes of their improving their chances at success... Another of life's lessons at getting from something back what one invests it seems. Cheers, Bob Fenner>

It's Not For Sale
Hi,
I am wondering if wetwebmedia.com is for sale, since I am seeking a domain name for a website project, for which the name would be suitable. If it is for sale, what is your asking price?
Thanks.
Tana Inc.
<Not for sale. Thank you for your interest. Bob Fenner>

- WWM Kudos -
Hi Bob, <JasonC here in his stead.>
Just wanted to drop a line to you to say thanks for all the great information on keeping saltwater fish. Because of your website I finally decided to give a Copperband butterfly a try in my reef tank. I have been keeping saltwater fish for over 15 years with moderate to great success. I read the FAQs about Copperbands and gave one a try. A good friend owns a large pet shop here and he got me a real nice fish. That was a month and a half ago. The Copperband has been in my reef tank for about 2 weeks ( after quarantining him ) and he has become buddies with my purple tang, of all fish, and comes the front of the tank whenever I come near. Never thought I would have this much success with a Copperband. Let's hope that I can maintain this fish long term. <Indeed.> I used Mysis shrimp to get him feeding but now he eats anything I put in the tank. I think people need a reliable source of information to be successful. Experience has shown me that pet shop owners tend to have conflicting ideas about the needs of saltwater fish, which is why this type of site is so important to fishkeepers. So thanks again for such a great website. I highly recommend this site to fishkeepers of all types.
Rob M. - Syracuse, NY
<Thank you for the kind words. Cheers, J -- >

Re: Googlewhack
Hi Bob,
<Ben>
When I said 1 in 3 billion, I actually meant 1 in 8 billion. Impressive! I've now found 3 including yours. You were the first I might add though so thank you. My quest is to find 10 GoogleWhacks before I go to Australia on March 20th. Wish me luck!
All the best,
Ben Lathbury.
<Okay... but I'd be reading, dreaming about your upcoming trip to the land down under. BobF>

More photos from Hiroyuki Tanaka
Hi, Bob,
How are you getting along these days?
Here are some new shot for you. Use any if you like, and I hope you are well. Next time probably more photos.
All The best, Hiroyuki/ www.myclinic.ne.jp/jinguh
1 Pomacanthus asfur, 2.8 cm, without yellow area.
2 Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus, 10cm
3 Paracheilinus rubricaudalis, male, 8cm, from Vanuatu (Red-tailed Flasher
 Wrasse) ; this species is comes also from Fiji.
4 Cirrhilabrus condei, male, 7cm, from Vanuatu
5 Macropharyngodon choati, male, 7.5cm
6 Paracheilinus rubricaudalis, male, 8cm, from Vanuatu-2
7 jinguh 2 = Cirrhilabrus sanguineus, 8cm
8 C. sanguineus, male, 8cm, same specimen, in display
9 Cypho purpurascens, male, 6.5cm
<Real good Tanaka-san. Will post on WWM with credit to you. Doomo, Bob Fenner>

A Pat on the Back
To the entire WetWebMedia crew, <But mostly me, right?>
Thank You!! For the past two weeks, I have been reading articles on your website and I still can't get enough! :) About a week and a half ago I had a question about some kubotai loaches I had purchased, and Don had answered my email very quickly. (Also put my mind to rest....Thanks Don!) <That was nice of me, wasn't it?> I too was one of the many that is new to the whole fish keeping hobby, being anxious and excited about it, and started the tank without letting it cycle first. I am now watching my little buddies swim and play like nothing is going on. But I'm also watching the readings from the test kit, and seeing the numbers rise and fall is making me probably more nervous than the fish! LOL I'm having to sit on my hands here and let nature do it's thing to keep from adding something to the water, do a partial water change, ....anything to maybe keep from stressing them out during this. <Please do continue with partial water changes. It will slow, but not stop the cycling. Just enough to keep ammonia and nitrite at zero. There will still be enough in the water to feed the bacteria. It will also prevent your tank's pH from diverging from that of your tap. The closer the two pH's, the less stress from a WC.> So, I decided to get up off my hands, lol, and just let all of you guys/gals know that you're all appreciated very much. I've read tons of questions that has been sent to you, and each and every one has been answered in a manner that just says all y'all care about the well being our little friends. From the beginners, (to the not so beginners), it's really comforting to know that help is just an email away. <The way I started here. Keep learning and spread what you know. You may be answering questions here some day. Please join us in the forum. I'm "Fish Soup" there> Sorry to take up someone else's time that may desperately be needing your help right now, <To hell with them, tell me more about how great I am> but I wanted to give each and every one of y'all the praise that you so deserve. <But more to me, right?> I'm sure I'll be needing help again one day, but I feel a lot more at ease knowing there's someone like you out there to give us help. You're number one in my book! (And in my favorites folder too!) :)
On behalf of all of us that's needed your help....and you were right there for us.........Thanks Again!
Richard
<Richard, All joking aside, on behalf of the entire crew I thank you for the kind words. The goal here is simple and shared by everyone from Bob on down, saving lives by sharing what we know. Don>

Et tu...
Thanks for all your knowledge. Just wanted to say you are (you and the
collective at WWM) are a fascinating guy.
Reuben
<Thank you for your kind, encouraging words. BobF>

Thanks!
Bob,
<Lisa>
Just wanted to drop you a note to thank you for such a terrific website. I might add that I also picked up your "Conscientious Marine Aquarist" book, and wish I had gotten it when I began keeping a marine tank a little over a year ago.... it is my bible of fish keeping! (Could use some updating, though)
<Most of it written in '95', published in 98...>
I have learned soooo much over the year, to the point that I am beginning to trust my common sense more than any advice....
<The nature of things>
Anyhow, the another reason for this note is that only recently did I notice that you take donations for your website. I would like to suggest that you add that to the main page....
<Is it not still at the bottom of the homepage? I don't see it. Will ask MikeK to re-add, thank you>
it hasn't come up on my computer until the other day....otherwise I would have given sooner! Really, it should be put on all the pages! I really think you would generate much more support for your wonderful service.
Thanks!
Lisa Bolak
<Am sure you will see the utility of having WWM along with books, magazine articles... as a means of expressing ourselves, sharing, helping others. Thank you. Bob Fenner>

Happy Thanksgiving!
Hello Crew,
<Greg>
On this (U.S.) Thanksgiving holiday, I just wanted to let you know what a
tremendous service you are providing. Not that you do not realize this, I
am sure, but it is always good to receive such affirmation. I have spent
countless hours in reading hundreds of postings on WetWebMedia.com and I
have had my fair share of questions answered by the WetWebMedia crewmembers
as well. I am very thankful for your collective commitment to furthering
the knowledge of fellow reef keepers.
THANK YOU!!!
--Greg
<A pleasure to share. Bob F>

Thanks
Thank you so much for the quick reply. I think every time a new aquarium is sold this site should be given as a "must read." You guys are truly a wonderful resource. I'm sure countless fish and invertebrates owe their lives to the knowledgeable WWM crew members.
<< Thanks, we do our best. >>
Gary
<< Blundell >>

WetWebMedia.com for sale?
Hello,
Are you interested in selling wetwebmedia.com?
<Nope>
If so, please respond with your asking price or at least a price range if
you're looking for offers.
We are planning to make a web portal. Our purpose is to buy this
domain from you and use it in this project. We can make the domain transfer
operations safety, over escrow. COM. I can pay for the cost of domain
transfer operations. If you accept, please let me know.
Thanks for your time.
Best Regards,
Garden Interactive
<No worries Garden. Perhaps some of the folks here can help you generate a
similar site in your field of interests, concern. Bob Fenner>

Way Back Machine
I just found a website called 'Way Back Machine' that has Wetwebmedia
archived back to 1999. Check it out here-->
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://wetwebmedia.com Look at that old
homepage, it brings back memories.
Mike
<Man, this does send me back! Will post on WWM. Bob F>

Thanks (10/30/04)
I just wanted to say thank you for helping me and responding so quickly. I will remember this site and tell all my friends how helpful and informative it was. thanks again! Paige <You are very welcome. Glad it helps. We're here for you and your friends. Steve Allen.>

Wow... 15K daily session! outstanding
<Some influence now!>
So... any volunteers for the placement of the daily
FAQ pic? I know/feel(!) for Bob doing the daily 3+
hours of administrative work on WWM. A volunteer to do
the daily pic would really help a lot. One less thing
for Bob to worry about.
<There are times I feel badly re not responding more to folks who write in... thanks to all for their dedication to helping others>
Preferably someone that's familiar with FrontPage and
been around for a little while? Regardless... the task
is quick and relatively painless. We just need someone
that can pretty regularly sneak those few minutes per
day to swap the pics. Some fun too seeing these images
:) <Yeah! A semi-warning though... you will very likely find yourself underwater diving, above water hauling about to industry, scientific and hobby venues... with camera gear... Bob>
Bueller... Bueller... Bueller? <G>

Turkish WWM
Dear Mr. Fenner,
I sent you a mail to another mail address of yours but thought it might not
be active so decided to send another to BobFenner@WetWebMedia.com.
First of all, WWM is one of the best aquarium website that is full of
information.
I am from Turkey and was wondering if I can translate and put into our
Turkish forum some of these information. Sure there will be a link to
WetWebMedia and your names.
Hope we Turkish reefers can have this opportunity as everybody doesn't know
English.
If you want any help from me especially about local Turkish marine animals,
I am always a click far from you.
Thank you,
Selim Özadar
TURKEY
<Thank you for your note, offer and efforts. Am cc'ing our Crew here to ask permission for the use of their content. You are welcome to transliterate my work, use my photos (they are all that are not otherwise labeled as being by others). Be chatting, Bob Fenner>
Thank you so much. Great opportunity for us Turkish reefers.
<Hope we may all meet some day my friend. Bob Fenner>

Turkish Reef Site
Good morning Mr. Fenner,
I am translating some of the articles. Thank you for that again and to WWM
crew.
I was wondering who are Hiroyuki Tanaka and RMF, i mean are they in the
crew.
<Hiroyuki is a friend, fellow aquarist and photographer in Japan and RMF is me, an acronym for my name, Robert Milton Fenner>
Most people in the crew sent me a reply about giving permission but i
don't know their names and am wondering if Hiroyuki Tanaka and RMF sent me a
mail too about the permission.
Take Care,
Selim Özadar
<All seem fine with your non-commercial use. Bob Fenner>

Sharing Hobby Experience!
Dear WWM Crew,
<Hi there! Scott F. here tonight!>
I frequently visit your site in search of info and have expanded my
knowledge in aquatic husbandry as a result.
<Thank you for the kind words. Glad to hear that you find it helpful! We are thrilled to bring it to you!>
The shared experiences of other aquarists can give one many practical tips in problem solving however I have noticed that most individuals write to you only when they have a problem/question and do not offer info about their successes (or if the info
is there it is not easy to find). May I suggest that you add FAQ categories that include success topics such as; success in keeping SPS's, success with treating a reef system infested with ick, success with lowering hair algae growth in a reef system, success with removing flatworms... etc. I would be
the first to contribute my observations if such a system was set up.
<A great idea. we do love to hear success stories! As co-editor of WWM's Conscientious Aquarist Online Magazine with Adam Cesnales, I speak for both of us when I encourage you to write of your success, and share it with your fellow hobbyists. The magazine is an excellent vehicle to share experiences!>
These categories might be more helpful to those using the google search as well. When one is doing a search it is most likely to find answers to their question/problem. Instead of having to read through a million e-mails which detail other aquarists' problems the searcher can locate possible solutions and share their outcome.
<Agreed, but there is an enormous amount of good information in the FAQs. Our library of articles is outstanding in its breadth, too.>
I believe that each individual whom keeps fish/invertebrates is essentially conducting his/her own unique on-going experiment whether they set out to do it or not. Wouldn't it be more helpful
to compare results/observations as well rather than just compare setups and problems?
<Cannot argue with that! Sounds like you're a burgeoning author! Do submit some material for us to consider for publication in Conscientious Aquarist!>
I am familiar with your book and appreciate all the knowledge
that Bob Fenner etc. has introduced but I also think that there is a wealth of untapped info among your readers of this site.
Laurie
<Absolutely correct, Laurie! We strongly encourage you to share with fellow hobbyists, whether it's here in the Daily FAQs, in articles in Conscientious Aquarist, or on the WWM Chat Forum! Hope to hear from you soon! Regards, Scott F>

Awesome!
I just came across your site and it is absolutely awesome!!!!!!!!!!!! Just wanted to tell you what I thought. I will be emailing with questions when I have more time. I have lost 8 bettas including 2 female crown tails and am devastated. Another one died this a.m. so am spending time doing water changes and "nursing duties"
Lady Di
<Thank you for your kind, encouraging words. Bob Fenner>

Editing the Goldfish FAQs?
Loved all the goldfish facts which might have just saved the life of my real
old fish, but your FAQs are a formatting nightmare. Can I please talk you
into an edit?
-Matt
<What do you have in mind? Our situation... we are a couple of dozen earnest aquarists, some involved in the trade tangentially for a living... but none paid for their work that is WWM... there is scarce time. Bob Fenner>

Thanks WWM Crew
Folks,
<< Dave. >>
I am in the process of setting up a 90 gallon marine
aquarium and a 46 gallon freshwater aquarium, and I came
across Mr. Fenner's book and have been reading through it. << Good thing to do. >>
I accidentally discovered your website and have been
poring over the FAQs, primarily those concerning marine
filtration. I don't have a question (haven't thought of
anything that is not covered by a FAQ yet) but I wanted
to tell you that this is an amazing website. << Well thanks, I'll be sure to pass that on to everyone. >> Thank you
for putting it together and maintaining it.
<< Wow, an email just to say thanks. Great, good luck to you in the hobby, and please visit us when you do have questions. >>
Regards,
Dave Daniel
Lyons, Colorado
<< Blundell >>

Finally up and running
Hi crew,
<Mike>
This isn't a question and I am sorry if this isn't the correct place to do
this. I wanted to share with you what I have been working on for the last