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Wet Web Media Input #10

Pics missing/not showing 2/1/11
Hi Bob,
On this link, http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwgtwa2.htm, Part 2 does not show the pics. All the remaining parts do show the pics. My computer or...........
James
Thanks James... an explanation. I screwed up and accidentally dragged, dropped the entire "Bass PIX" folder into Beryciform fishes on WWM... hence breaking the links to ALL bass images... have tried to fix as I find... B
re: Pics missing/not showing
You mean you actually screw up too. :--D
J
All the ding dang time James... exempli gratia, have two bad cuts (all from stupidity) on my left hand currently that are very painful. Sheesh! B
re: Pics missing/not showing 2/1/11
I will not even ask how. Take care.
J
<Am doing so. B>

Thanks! 1/13/11
Hello WWM Crew, and Happy New Year once again. Thanks for continuing to provide such a useful service!
<Welcome Jennifer>
In the three years I've been following WWM, I've learned a ton. No doubt my fish are much happier as a result. I've enjoyed the hobby enough to recently join my state Aquarium Society, which also reassures me that my fish tank addiction isn't as bad as it could be!
<Ahh!>
Fun fact: a little over a year ago, I used my practical aquarium knowledge (gained here) to win a pumpkin-weight guessing contest. I.e. "that looks like a 25-gallon pumpkin" and "water weighs about 8lbs/gal, so maybe a pumpkin is ~7.5lbs/gal" -- only 1/2 pound off the final weight of 187lbs.
<Well, there you go>
Still plotting and planning the next tank upgrade... and waiting until my 6-week Kuhli loach QT expires on Sunday! Then it's a big fish-rearrangement logic puzzle. I'm sure you'll be hearing from me again in a few days!
Take care,
~ Jen
<And you, Bob Fenner>

Mail, WWM, image, storage 1/12/11
Hi Bob,
<Hello James>
I have an idea that would free up space on the server and likely save you some work posting pics that queriors send in. On several BB's, when you send a message with a pic, you copy your pic from a hosting site such as Flicker. How it works is that on Flicker and others, you choose the pic(s) and click share, then you have the option of choosing a HTML or BB link.
When you copy/paste the link into your message, the picture automatically appears with your message on the site where you sent the message. I use this feature all the time on the Canon Forum using the BB link. In that regard queriors could send any file size pictures they wanted because Flicker would be hosting the picture, not us. The querior would have to get a hosting site such as Flicker, but I believe most have such hosting sites and they are free. I tried sending a couple of test messages here using HTML and BB links but this does not work on our site, we would have to change/add something but I don't know enough about it to even suggest something.
<Mmm, I'd rather have my image work stored on our own server, even w/ the poss. of overloading our mailbox, but thank you for the suggestion. BobF>
Cheers,
James

For Bob: Plug needed 1/5/11
Hello Bob,
<JP!>
I am looking for a "plug" for our new website. I am a big fan of WWM, and would like to advertise your site on my new site. I just need a text description of what you guys do to place under your banner.
<Mmm, likely the verbiage on our banner here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/Banner%20Ad%20Matters/Banner%20Ad%20GIFs.htm
The site can be seen at :
http://www.invertplanet.com/index-5.html
<Neat! I especially like the kinetic rolling of the top and tabs... and clicking noise>
I was thinking of some sort of text from the main web page :
"WWM is probably the most comprehensive aquarium hobby and business site on the Internet. Because of the vast amount of information here, we get something like 20-30,000 site visitors every single day, all of them looking for practical information they can rely on. There are literally thousands of articles available on WWM, with new articles being added every month.
<Oh! I like your spiel even better!>
The WWM crew also get a stack of e-mail messages every day from aquarists needing help, and when those questions are answered, they're folded into the various FAQ pages, providing site visitors examples of real-world problems and solutions.
<If this will all fit on, I say place it>
The combination of new articles and expanded FAQ pages means that WWM is a web site that grows in an organic sort of way. On the one hand, that means that WWM keeps pace with changes in the hobby, with new information constantly being made available to site visitors. But for those visitors new the site, finding their way around can be a little confusing.
<Well, all right ee!>
The idea of this article is to fillet the site down to its bare essentials.
If you follow the steps outlined here, you'll get the most from the site in the shortest possible amount of time. You're always welcome to e-mail the crew directly, but if you have sickly fish or some other type of time-sensitive issue, then knowing your way around WWM could be a real life saver."
<Hoo hooo!>
But I would need your permission to link and provide that text. If not, is there an alternate text I can use? There is no cost to you.
<No worries; looks great. Will place a link of your new site as well.
Cheers, Bob Fenner>
Thanks
J-P

Orphek 1/4/11
Hi Bob,
<Hey James>
I see Orphek made a nice comment about WWW.
Is on right side of page.
http://orphek.com/wordpress/
<Wow! I'll say! "World's most renowned ornamental aquatics website"...!>
Cheers,
James
<And you, BobF>
Re: Orphek 1/4/11
Well it's true, isn't it? ;)
<Gots me! B>

Merry Christmas Crew! 12/24/10
Here's wishing everyone of the Wet Web Media Crew a very happy Christmas.
<And happy holidays to you and yours Bill>
I check in with the crew almost daily and sometimes several times in one day. I follow your recommendations and read, then read some more, than think, than read some more and have found answers to many of my questions.
<Ahh! Wonderful! Such is our foremost desire. My stated "corp. stmt." or Life Goal, a/the central element that runs through all my efforts in our interests: "To enhance people's love of their own lives through an appreciation of the living world". Beyond this to share, conserve...>
I enjoy the fact that despite the incredible knowledge and experiences levels represented by your diverse crew, I do find differing opinions on many of my searches and am then lead to form my own opinion based on the overall information presented and my judgment on how to best apply that information to my situation. Thank you for the extensive body of information.
<Certainly welcome>
My tanks have evolved considerably over the past year and I've had my share of mistakes and failures to learn from. I've also learned that for every situation encountered, there is usually a solution and many of those solutions in keeping reef tanks require a certain level of available cash.
<This is so>
I've also learned the many wonderful deals on Craigslist for purchasing used equipment more often than not do not equal such a good deal when the used equipment fails shortly after installation or at 2:00 a.m. or when you are out of town. Failing pumps, unexpected siphons, improperly secured connections and hardwood floors do not yield a good outcome when your wife calls you at work to return home immediately due to the problem with the reef tank.
I've also learned the value of supporting and developing a good relationship with the one good reef store in the area - the owner and I have both benefited from many Friday afternoon discussions on all things reef.
<Outstanding>
At any rate, I have learned a great deal from the Crew and hope that all have a wonderful holiday season and a great 2011!
Bill
<Excelsior! BobF>

Holiday Greetings 12/21/10
Hello Bob and crew,
I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Cheers,
James
<And to you and yours James. BobF>

Concerning " WetWebMedia " Brand name dispute /Neale: phishing, spam 11/24/10
(If you are not the person who is in charge of this, please forward to the right person/ department, as this is urgent, thank you.)
Dear CEO,
We are the department of registration service in China. we have something which needs to confirm with you. We formally received an application on 22th,Nov 2010. One company called "Tom Sears-West, Inc" is applying to register " WetWebMedia " as Brand name and domain names as below:
wetwebmedia.asia
wetwebmedia.cn
wetwebmedia.com.cn
wetwebmedia.com.hk
wetwebmedia.com.tw
wetwebmedia.hk
wetwebmedia.in
wetwebmedia.tw
After our initial checking, we found the Brand name and domain names being applied are as same as your company! So we need confirmation with your company. If the aforementioned company is your business partner or your subsidiary, please DO NOT reply us, we will approve the application automatically. If you don't have any relationship with this company, please contact us within 5 workdays. If over the deadline, we will approve the application submitted by "Tom Sears-West, Inc" unconditionally.
Best Regards
Rensis Ho
2010-11-23
<Thank you for this notice. I do not know this "Tom Sears-West, Inc", but they are welcome to apply/use what the law allows. Bob Fenner>

Just a sincere thank you 11/11/10
Good morning to you all, I just wanted to send a note of thanks'¦ my 90gal planted tank is doing beautifully thanks to all of your selfless time and dedication. My school of 25 Cardinals is stunning...I may just scrap any other fish and do a species tank, haha. Special thanks to Neale with my 90'¦ and to Darrel with my RESs'. You all provide invaluable knowledge; I have learned so much and I wanted to let you know how much your efforts are appreciated by me and my aquatic charges.
Is fearr lÃ¡n doirn de cheird nÃ¡ lÃ¡n mÃ¡la d'Ã³r.
A handful of skill is better than a bagful of gold.
Laurie
<Hello Laurie. Thanks for your kind words, and both Darrel and I appreciate it. If you haven't already joined to WWM bulletin board/forum, do consider joining up. Besides being a fun place to chat, there's much to be gained by sharing your own experiences with others, and in the process, refining your own understanding. Cheers, Neale.>
Just a sincere thank you 11/11/10
Good morning to you all, I just wanted to send a note of thanks'¦ my 90gal planted tank is doing beautifully thanks to all of your selfless time and dedication. My school of 25 Cardinals is stunning...I may just scrap any other fish and do a species tank, haha. Special thanks to Neale with my 90'¦ and to Darrel with my Red Eared Sliders'. You all provide invaluable knowledge; I have learned so much and I wanted to let you know how much your efforts are appreciated by me and my
aquatic charges.
Is fearr lÃ¡n doirn de cheird nÃ¡ lÃ¡n mÃ¡la d'Ã³r.
A handful of skill is better than a bagful of gold.
Laurie
<Hello Laurie. Thanks for your kind words, and both Darrel and me appreciate it. If you haven't already joined to WWM bulletin board/forum, do consider joining up. Besides being a fun place to chat, there's much to be gained by sharing your own experiences with others, and in the process, refining your own understanding. Cheers, Neale.>
<Yes, Laurie - what Neale said! I especially appreciate your affirmation, especially since I make most of my answers up as I go along. No one more than I is shocked, amazed and gratified to find that at least some of those answers must actually be close to right!>
<Wait '¦ was that too much sharing??>
<Seriously Laurie, being able to help people like you is why we do this job>
<That '¦ and the free food>
<Regards/Darrel>
<But a bag full of gold is still better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!>

New Product Blog? -- 09/09/10
Good morning Bob,
<Big J>
Was wondering if you ever entertained the thought of having a new product blog.
<Mmm, yes; at times. There are others who do such a good job though (e.g. ReefBuilders.com), and no one on our end to produce such... Unless, are you coming forward re?>
I know there are a few sites similar to ours that regularly feature new products for our hobby. It may help draw more readers to our site. I'm not thinking along the lines of reviews, but more so as an informational piece.
Cheers,
James
<Or, we can/will run periodic "product reviews" (amounts to pretty much the same)... if you'd like to pen them. We've done so before... Cheers (and Jimmy Beam), BobF>
Re: New Product Blog?
Bob, James
I can speak from my limited involvement in BB type forums, the companies are generally more than happy to donate product for review. Of course you will get a package that has been looked over and will function hopefully as advertised. It is not like Consumer Reports buying off the lot. But, yes, you can easily get the product and keep it when done.
Scott V.
<Why thank you Scotter. BobF>
Re: New Product Blog?
Bob,
I like the idea of periodic reviews. May be a way for reviewing crew members to get free equipment. I'm pretty sure that the equipment sent to Captive Aquatics for review is theirs to keep. And yes, I'd be interested in penning reviews of products as long as I didn't have to buy them for the review.:)) Now, how to go about getting companies to send us new products for unbiased reviews.
Cheers,
James
Re: New Product Blog?
Scott,
Thanks for your input. If Bob goes along with this, I'd have to get together email addys and contact the manufacturers. Seems to me we had a link page at one time listing company email addys.
<Just links... oh, and the olde ad tracking spread sheet on the Admin. Subweb... Faster to just look up online or in a trade mag./Buyer's Guide... or hobby 'zines through their ads/URLS>
I'll have to check it out.
Cheers,
James
<Fine w/ me. B>

Re: New Product Blog? 9/9/10
Scott,
Thanks for your input. If Bob goes along with this, I'd have to get together email addys and contact the manufacturers. Seems to me we had a link page at one time listing company email addys.
<Just links... oh, and the olde ad tracking spread sheet on the Admin. Subweb... Faster to just look up online or in a trade mag./Buyer's Guide... or hobby 'zines through their ads/URLS>
I'll have to check it out.
Cheers,
James
<Fine w/ me. B>
re: New Product Blog?
Sounds good. I'll see what I can do in the next few days.
James
<Real good... I do hope you enjoy the/this experience. B>
Re: New Product Blog?
Well, I'll see where it leads. First job is to put a letter together and then gather email addys for companies. If this comes to fruition, and free products are offered for review, I was thinking about asking the crew members if they would be interested (beside myself) in doing such reviews and keeping the product in return for the service. In that regard, we could spread the "wealth" amongst the crew. Just a thought.
James
<Can be fun, but this is indeed a "multi-edged sword"... with cutting to the facts, opinions, generating some friends and not in tow... Cheers, B>
re: New Product Blog?
Are you saying that this project should just be taken on by myself to avoid problems?
<Mmm, no. You are part of WWM, as am I... and friend. There is no stigma or great advantage I'd warrant, in acknowledging y/our relationship>
If so, I have no problem with doing this.
James
<Better for you to give contacts a clear idea of who you are, what you intend. Including your liaison w/ WWM... Though I will likely encourage you to sell more comprehensive (comparative) reviews to pulp 'zines, then electronic for pay. Cheers (and Chivas), BobF>
re: New Product Blog?
James,
Just let me know if I can help you out with this at all. I know a few manufacturers in particular that would be happy to send product out for review. Perhaps you need an overflow box?
Scott V.
New Product Blog? 9/10/10
Hi Bob,
<J J>
Trying to sell to the pulp magazines didn't work when I tried to market the Vertex Protein Skimmer review. I was told by a couple of editors that they shy away from these type articles because they can cause conflict with their advertisers should any negatives be present in the review.
<Bingo. B>
Cheers,
James

Re: New Product Blog? 9/11/10
Hi Scott,
Thanks for the offer of help. If you can give me the names/URL's of the manufacturers you have in mind, I can send out a email to them informing them of our/WWM's future plans to do periodic reviews.
And yes, if this comes to light, I may well need an overflow box.
Cheers,
James
Will do James. I'll be back to computer proper tomorrow morning. I'll get you a list together!
Scott V.
Thanks.
James

bad link -- 8/24/10
Hello WWM Crew,
I was look at information for green chromis (chromis viridis) and found a link that did not work for me. when I clicked on it I got a page with Asian symbols and a 404 number.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/chromis.htm
Thank you.
<Should be fixed now. Thanks for letting us know. Cheers, Neale.>
Hi Bob,
> We got a message about a broken link on the Chromis page; I went ahead and fixed it. If you need the original, it's attached.
> Cheers, Neale
Thank you for this, these fix/es... If you ever have time/interest, try running the "Reports View"... there are MANY errors, files to be fixed... according to the "instant" code view, all pages need fixing. B

WWM Disease pages 8/10/10
Bob,
<Howdy Simon>
This is just a thought, but I've been perusing WWM for the billionth time, and I keep noticing your comment re: 'Treatment chart' for marines...
<Oh... yes>
I do think this would be a useful addition, but also what about with it a pictorial section somewhere where all of the photo's of diseased & injured animals are kept in the same place, an 'unhealthy fish pictorial database', with captions to what each are, and links to the relevant sections within WWM etc. There are many such photo's on WWM, but they are buried within the FAQ's, maybe if someone has the time they could be picked through and grouped up, with all new ones that come along added as time goes by creating a unique ID guide.
<I do agree... and would even go beyond (perhaps waayyy) and suggest a tie-in of a reference area, one for materia medicae, another for video/kinetic imagery for diagnoses, an advertisers section for books, gear, medicines, services for health issues...>
If you think this is a good idea then I will volunteer for it if there is no-one else,
<Yay!>
but I won't be able to start until after Christmas as I have a few other projects on the go at the moment!
<I'll bet! Have seen your new home, giant tank notices...>
Cheers,
Simon
<I will help you in what ways I can, may with this work... I devised a similar (card catalog, 3 by 5) reference work in the early seventies for an employer when I worked in the livestock wholesale end of aquatics here in
San Diego. BobF>
Re: WWM Disease pages
You know what would be cool would be an animated "if this, click here, if not, click there" thing that stepped queriers through a bunch of options until it reached a diagnosis.
<Oh yes>
Alternatively, this could be done with HTML.
Either way, you'd end up with a link to the relevant WWM article.
Cheers, Neale
<Am looking forward to the process. B>
Re: WWM Disease pages
Whilst I could make a stab at the freshwater one, I wouldn't be the person for the marine one. Who among the WWM crew would be prepared to sketch out the binomial key for that? A supply of suitable images would be a plus.
<Mmm, likely a few of us... and yes re images for sure>
Do you have Ed Noga's book?
<Oh yes... in fact am at a fish health conference with Ed this coming weekend in Maine
http://neaquatech.org/uneconference/schedule.html>
Cheers, Neale
<And you, B>
Re: WWM Disease pages
Looks a good schedule. Nice to see students -- I assume MSc, PhD -- will be interacting with the "old lags".
<Can we settle on aging lads?>
I certainly remember with fondness some of these occasions as a student.
Cheers, Neale
<Mmm, Neale, from your pix, turns of phrase, you don't "appear" to be all that olde... B>
Re: WWM Disease pages 8/12/10
You know what would be cool would be an animated "if this, click here, if not, click there" thing that stepped queriers through a bunch of options until it reached a diagnosis.
<<Yes! This is a great idea>>
Alternatively, this could be done with HTML.
<<I'm afraid I don't even know what this means. I am virtually computer illiterate I'm afraid, and If I'm going to be 'doing things' on a website I will need some initial 'walking through' the process/ es required>>

Do both of you have Skype? I can't find yours (again...) Neale. B
<<Again.. I am 'behind' here. I don't have it just yet, but will do in the near future and will let you know. I'll definitely have it by the time I/we start this.>>
Simon
<Ah, good. BobF>

Re: re: mysterious visitor... Di/tri-chotomous key to life, the universe, everything! 8/10/10
<Yep, it's going to be a heap of work (with some fun/frustration built in, I'm
sure), but it'll be worth it in the end.

Right now, I've got to finish uploading those info sheets onto Adam's site (it'll probably take the rest of the week), then I'll be free. I was going to start writing another article, but instead, I'll start working on the key...or at least start getting basic parts of it organized in my head. I need to think on it a bit. -Lynn Z>
<Am hoping we can find another graphic artist for the general drawings... My artistic friend who I'd hoped to employ, Dork/Dave is about spent health-wise unfortunately. BobF>
Re: re: mysterious visitor
Right now, I've got to finish uploading those info sheets onto Adam's site (it'll probably take the rest of the week), then I'll be free. I was going to start writing another article, but instead, I'll start working on the key...or at least start getting basic parts of it organized in my head. I need to think on it a bit. -Lynn Z>
<Am hoping we can find another graphic artist for the general drawings... My artistic friend who I'd hoped to employ, Dork/Dave is about spent health-wise unfortunately. BobF>
<<Well, if it helps, one thing I'll admit to being good at is drawing. I was advised more than once by my art instructors at UT to pursue medical illustration. Lynn Z>>
<Wow! Great news Lynn. B>
Re: re: mysterious visitor
I can take care of the drawings, no problem. They can be as simple or detailed as we need. It's the written part of the key that's going to be the headache!
-Lynn
<Nah... I think we'll do just fine. B>
<You betcha, I'm just glad to have you onboard for this project! -Lynn>
>A pleasure and honour. B<
<<For me as well, Bob. Lynn>>
Re: re: mysterious visitor
<Mmm, okay! Am feeling frisky... at least a bit... I'll "fire the first salvo" as it were/is:

1A) Organism too small to be seen without microscope use (Viruses, Protozoans, Single Celled Algae and more), go to (let's leave this open for now)
1B) Organism large enough to be seen with the naked eye (all other life), go to: 2A

2A) Multicellular organism photosynthetic/photoautotrophic (generating, using chloroplasts), made up of similar cells (Thalli) or more specialised cells (leaves, roots, vascular systems) (Macro-algae and true Plants), go to (let's leave this open for now)
2B) Multicellular organism not entirely photosynthetic (heterotrophic), made up of tissues, possibly organs, organ systems (Multicelled animals), go to 3A

3A) Having simple umbrella shaped to radial body plan (Ctenophores and Cnidarians... Comb Jellies and Corals and allies), with soft tissue, perhaps with hard skeletal elements, go to 4A) or modified, apparent radial body plan (Echinoderms... Seastars, Brittlestars, sea cucumbers, crinoids, sand dollars) with spiny skin, vascular system et al., go to (let's leave this open for now)
3B) Having bilateral, tubular or other body plan (All other invertebrate and vertebrate groups), go to (let's leave this open for now)

Ho buoy... we'll need eventually to write a brief instruction set to this key (to life)... and need example drawings of the body shapes, perhaps general idealized outlines for the groups mentioned above at this juncture... What do you think? Will something like this work?
BobF
Re: re: mysterious visitor
Hey, no fair getting a head start on the fun stuff! Looks like a good start to me though!
-Lynn
<Is a small try at a BIG project. B>

Dichotomous Key, and a bit of good news... 8/18/10
Hi Bob,
<Lynn, have/had I responded to this as yet?>
Regarding the key, I was thinking that it would be nice if we could have the less generally known terms (Thalli, heterotrophic, etc.) highlighted as links to a glossary page that offers the definition and/or an illustration or photo. Here's an example: http://www.wallawalla.edu/academics/departments/biology/rosario/inverts/Arthropoda/
Crustacea/Malacostraca/Eumalacostraca/Eucarida/Decapoda/Anomura/Family_Porcellanidae/
Porcellanidae_Key.html
If you click Chelipeds, it takes you to the definition, which also has a link to a photo. Naturally, I have no idea how to do all of this in computer-land but it does seem like a good way to streamline the main page and not scare off beginners. I'm betting you were already thinking of something similar but I ran across this link the other day and saw some things that I liked.
<A very good idea... and more to the power of the Net>
Also, good news, I got an email from Chris yesterday letting me know that part one of the snail article will be appearing in the next issue (#23) of Ultramarine. I can't wait to see what it looks like!
<Ahh! Very good news>
Take care,
-Lynn
<And you, B>

Dailies 8/8/10
> Hello Bob,
<Hey Neale!>
> Hope you had fun roasting marshmallows or whatever you were up to.
<Drinking like a (SW) fish... and getting sunburnt running up and down hills in a gorgeous part of N. San Diego>
> So, I've done the Dailies from Friday through to Sunday morning. I hope I haven't made a complete dog's breakfast of the whole thing.
<Looks great, and thank you so much. I apologize for not realizing you might be doing this... and will add the image work I'd saved off from my responses on Fri>
Shouldn't be too much waiting to be done now.
> Cheers, Neale
<Thank you again. B>

WWM (.info) -- 8/3/10
Hi Sara,
Regarding "Basically, the point is, it's relatively simple to come up with a new design. It might even be easy for some people to implement such a design on one or a few pages. It's when it comes to transferring the content of some 10k+ pages to a new format that things become much more difficult... to the point of becoming virtually impractical."
The new WWM Info site being developed by Adam Jenkins with myself and Lynn as contributing authors/administrators could be a good starting point for a "new WWM site". All of the information already present there is basically updated or new. The fish/invertebrate profiles are new, easy to understand and provide basic information to keeping such. Already, several useful articles have been copied/moved from WWM to the WWM Info Site. If additional volunteer crew members contribute to doing the same and possibly even updating existing articles (with Bob's approval of course), we could eventually have a more clutter free site consisting of updated and/or new articles in a relatively short time. Many fish and invertebrate profiles already have been posted on that site by Adam, myself, and Lynn. Our goal is to making it much easier to find information on a specific specie rather than reading about general care of several species of the same family. Adam, myself, and Lynn are committed to providing these profiles only on animals that are reasonably easy to care for under proper conditions and not to include animals considered poor risks. Of course this is info site is not going to be completed any time soon as there is much work left to be completed, but may/could lead to the development of a much more user friendly and simplified site. A link on that site already exists that will direct folks to the FAQ section where we can keep that separate from the Info site, that is, in it's present location. Just my thoughts for what it's worth. I may be committed by Bob to being burnt at the stake for writing this, but........what the hell, it's a thought.
Cheers,
James
Re: WWM
Sara, am chiming in here to offer clarification. What James is referring to is summat of an additional site... more like Bob Goeman's "Salt Corner"
http://www.saltcorner.com/AquariumLibrary/browsesection.php
we intend to "tie"/link the pages of the WWM.info site to WWM itself... B
Re: WWM Info Site -- 8/3/10
Well, I thought the original concept of the WWM Info Site was to make it easier for newcomers and seasoned veterans alike to find items they are looking for without having to sift through a myriad of other links.
<Mmm, yes... with a qualified "we'll see">
You can type a subject on the Google Search bar on WWM and you will get several pages of items.
<As well you/one should>
I truly believe that may make some folks continue searching for something a little easier to extract info from. On Salt Corner, you click on Fish Library, Gobies, and then you get a general description of the family along with basic info. Further down, an entire list appears with every Goby Bob has information on. A year or so ago, Bob G only had the Latin name, so I sent him an email telling him that his site would be much more useable if he also listed the common name.
<Which common names? Some animals have more than a hundred>
Would make it much easier for newcomers, and seasoned folks alike to find a specific fish/invert. There are many, myself included that do not remember Latin names for all species. Well, Bob did comply with my request and did agree with me that it made his Salt Corner much better and I'm sure traffic has improved because of that. I truly believe that is the way to go....simplicity.
Cheers,
James
<Mmm, see here: http://siteanalytics.compete.com/wetwebmedia.com+saltcorner.com/
BobF>
Re: WWM
Bob,
<James>
The Salt Corner Site is exactly what I had in mind. It is great design whereby using the drop down menus quickly leads you to a specific specie. Adam emailed me a few minutes ago asking for suggestions/input for the WWM Info Site, and this is exactly what I mentioned and linked to him. I find myself going to Salt Corner quite often, mainly for the ease in which you can find info on a particular specie quickly without having to sift through other items.
Cheers, and it's now beer time.
James
<I take exception to too much that is presented by BobG... e.g., he labels all sorts of groups of Cnidarians as "Soft Corals"... I don't want to be part of something that is so riddled with simplifications and errors. B>

WWM Info Site 8/3/10
Hello Adam,
I have an idea as to directing folks to the new WWM Info site when the time arrives. A weekly photo could be posted on the WWM Home Page......see attachment for my thoughts.
Keep in mind I'm not the greatest with Word, etc, but will basically illustrate my thoughts.
Cheers,
James
That's a great idea and it wouldn't take much effort! Bob could actually place the photo at the top of the page where he now puts the daily photo at the FAQ's and add the info/link underneath. Either that, or have a special "Featured Species of the Week" (or Day, if he has the time) and place it somewhere else on the dailies page.
-Lynn
<Could do. B>

Re: WWM' redesign 8/3/10
Basically, the point is, it's relatively simple to come up with a new design. It might even be easy for some people to implement such a design on one or a few pages. It's when it comes to transferring the content of some 10k+ pages to a new format that things become much more difficult... to the point of becoming virtually impractical.
Sara, I don't disagree.
I'm not suggesting we change the site substantially, and most pages should be left just as they are. But the home page, and perhaps the primary index pages [marine, freshwater, etc.] could stand to be "freshened up" a little simply to make it easier for people to navigate through them.
With that said, it may be that most folks come through Google and go directly to the article on Brittlestar diet or whatever they came looking for -- in which case top-down site organization is largely irrelevant, and _ad hoc_ connections between pages of related substance are all that's required.
Cheers, Neale
I do certainly agree about the index pages. Unfortunately, I just don't have any ideas on how to make them much better... maybe multiple columns as you suggest? The best I came up with is what you see now (with some things bolded and what have you). There's no harm in trying out some "idea pages" just to see what could be done. S
I (and I think all concerned here as well) am/are open to serious consideration of change/s... of course, with awareness of who our readership base is, their abilities and interest levels... What we presently have content and format-wise is very close to being the best we can offer (IMO of course), but tools, artistic tastes, and people's capacity for searching, comprehending do evolve. B
I do agree with Neale that the design/layout of the Index pages could be improved to be easier to navigate and more aesthetically pleasing.
And since these pages are the most trafficked (after the dailies), I think it would be worth the effort to think about how they could be reformatted a bit.
Best,
Sara

Your input re adding another FAQs subdivision: Reference 8/1/10
Lynn, Neale... is it worth the time/effort, value to ourselves, our intended readership to add a further FAQ area per organismal group, gear et al. discussion area... "Reference"... of in print, on-line sources? I've thought of this off and on for years, but... B
Re: Your input re adding another FAQs subdivision: Reference
Here's my thing Bob. I think the existing WWM site has reached "sidebar overload". There are now so many buttons down the left hand side of each page that they aren't easy shortcuts anymore -- they're a content-rich
feature that needs to read carefully. If we go here for example, the marine home page:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/index.htm
There are 23 options on the left hand side, not including the highlight button or the Google search box!
Cheers, Neale
<Heeee! Well, thank you for your input. B>
Re: Your input re adding another FAQs subdivision: Reference
Hi Bob,
I think links to books in print or sale, via Amazon, with click-through payments, would be a great idea. Obviously Lynn has her favourites, I have mine, and I'd have thought each of us on the crew would be able to offer up some more.
Cheers, Neale
Bob,
I'm not saying the idea is a bad one. I'm just wondering whether creating a new directory and adding a button is the best way to present it.
Perhaps a "Library" icon with a stack of books on the home page, like the one attached, and a series of pages/subpages that lead from there? Perhaps merge it with the science?
Cheers, Neale
I do think, though, that it would be nice to have something like the fellow (Brian?) did the other day. That is, offer a page with the high points for each subject. I think a lot of visitors are overwhelmed and give up when they see
the numerous pages of faq's they might need to go through in order to find something. Whether it's because they're in a hurry, lazy, or just don't know how to use a search engine, I don't know. All I know is that I'm sure people would appreciate having things condensed a bit and available in one location.
Maybe we could add something at the top of the faq's page. Right now, we've got Related Articles and Related FAQ's. Maybe the first listing/link at Related FAQ's could be the summary page (or whatever we'd call it - FAQ's on FAQ's, etc.) for that particular subject.
This is all off the top of my head...but I do think it would be helpful for people to have easy access to the best info we have on each subject, all in one place - concentrate the FAQ's into a Best of...page.
Take care,
-Lynn
<And you, BobF>
Re: Your input re adding another FAQs subdivision: Reference <<carets>>
I do think, though, that it would be nice to have something like the fellow (Brian?) did the other day. That is, offer a page with the high points for each subject. I think a lot of visitors are overwhelmed and give up when they see the numerous pages of faq's they might need to go through in order to find something. Whether it's because they're in a hurry, lazy, or just don't know how to use a search engine, I don't know. All I know is that I'm sure people would appreciate having things condensed a bit and available in one location.
<I do agree... and have made "best of" selections/collections of FAQs files per
subject
<<Yep, sorry, I'd forgotten. You've already got a "best of" for many subjects.
I just ran across one for skimmers. I guess what I'm thinking is that instead of offering a page of complete posts, maybe just offer the high points for the different organisms...arrow crabs, cleaner shrimps, etc., so that the entire page is shorter, more condensed, and has less duplication of information.>>
... the time constraint more than anything, curtails my further efforts here>
<<No kidding, I can't even begin to imagine the amount of time it would take to compile everything. I may be able to help when I get some time...after taking care of the info site sheets. -Lynn>>
Maybe we could add something at the top of the faq's page. Right now, we've got Related Articles and Related FAQ's. Maybe the first listing/link at Related FAQ's could be the summary page (or whatever we'd call it - FAQ's on FAQ's, etc.) for that particular subject.
This is all off the top of my head...but I do think it would be helpful for people to have easy access to the best info we have on each subject, all in one place - concentrate the FAQ's into a Best of...page.
Take care,
-Lynn
<And you, BobF>

Blue Zoo TV 7/27/10
The new shows for Blue Zoo TV presented by Hikari are now on www.bluezootv.com We visit Gates Chili High School in Rochester NY, where aquatics have become part of their science curriculum, and they invite over 400 5th graders from around the district to learn about aquatic life.
Part 1 and Part 2 are now available. Stay tuned for all new episodes this fall season
Thanks
Frank Reece
www.bluezootv.com
www.bluezooradio.com
I look fwd to the time when we'll have similar types of content. B
Re Blue Zoo TV, WWM
Little footsteps, Bob. I think we should certainly try a podcast, something we can easily syndicate via iTunes. Costs very little to put together. Video is rather more demanding, both in terms of hardware and web site bandwidth. N
Geez... do I wish we all lived, or at least traveled proximally... We/WWM have funds to buy gear, software... just "putting what needs tog." has been a/the stumbling bloc/k... The friend/fellow pet-fish site maker (Marc Levenson) "does" a bunch of innovative things on his sites... particularly the new ReefAddicts.com, including video/audio interviews... and I, you, others of the Crew REALLY get about, know many folks in the interest, in all aspects (biz, hobby, sci., applied tech...)... When will we get about to trying this? B
Re: Re Blue Zoo TV, WWM - 7/27/10
You'll certainly have me in Calif. for a couple days in January Bob.
But beyond that, I'm on Skype and always happy to e-mail ideas back and forth.
Perhaps the question is this: What could WWM do differently to existing pet fish sites? I'd love to see a Tappet Brothers type phone-in for fish and turtles. Perhaps ask people with interesting questions in the Daily FAQs if they'd like to record a segment. Stock up a few across a month, edit them together, could be a hoot!
Cheers, Neale

> > Geez... do I wish we all lived, or at least traveled proximally... We/WWM have funds to buy gear, software... just "putting what needs tog." has been a/the stumbling bloc/k... The friend/fellow pet-fish site maker (Marc Levenson) "does" a bunch of innovative things on his sites... particularly the new ReefAddicts.com, including video/audio interviews... and I, you, others of the Crew REALLY get about, know many folks in the interest, in all aspects (biz, hobby, sci., applied tech...)... When will we get about to trying this? B
Re: podcast notes 8/1/10
Well... as planned (I think) it's going to be the Bob and Jason show, and we're going to talk about ourselves, and the history of WWM. We'll ramble about some other things, I'm likely going to draw him into a conversation either about selection or stress or both, and of course, diving. If you're along for the ride, we'll probably get to you after the WWM history stuff and interview you as a crew member, what your own tanks are like, how long you've been in the hobby, how you got into it, how many tanks you've had, what your favorite livestock is, that kind of stuff... am open to ideas. If you want to be in on the entire show, we'll include you in the opening introductions and then get to your thoughts on the various things like the diving, etc... in fact, I think if you don't mind, when we get to that topic, we'll just keep you in the roundtable and we'll ask probing questions about what it was like to dive for the first time, etc.
All we need at this point is for Bob to get some coffee in him I think...
J --

Mail 7/22/10
Hello Bob,
Just a thank you for your input on my queries today.
James
<Pleased to proffer my bit to your excellent responses James. B>

Thank You 7/18/2010
I just wanted to let you guys know how much we appreciate the Wet Web Media website. I have never had to write in and ask any questions because I have always been able to find any answer I need by using the search feature.
Thank you for this great service that you provide to everyone. Todd
<Thank you for your kind, encouraging note Todd. Bob Fenner>

Dailies 7/5/10
Bob,
<Hello Simon>
Is there any way of accessing the previous days dailies for perusal? For example, if I missed Saturdays and Sundays efforts is there any way that I can 'go back' to these dates or have they been cut/ pasted/ deleted from
existence?
Thanks,
Simon
<Mmm, perhaps the "Way Back Machine" tool... see the Net re.
http://www.waybackmachine.org/
Mmm, no... just checked... most recent is 2009... Let's see if someone else replies... I "write over" previous... we could accrue back a few days if folks thought this was useful. B>
Re: Dailies
This feature would be welcome to me certainly, both as far as interest and learning is concerned. For interest (and sometimes amusement), I like to read them over a cup of tea & and a sandwich! For learning, I find myself not only reading about marines, but also subjects that I would not normally look into otherwise... such as freshwater fishes, turtles, ponds issues etc. If this is true for me, then I suppose there is a chance that it is the same for others also..
Cheers!
S
<Ahhh, will add a few days accumulated FAQs page, link. B>

Re: Dailies 7/6/10
Wow! I see the new link at the bottom and it is just marvel(l)ous! Either it is far easier than I thought to edit/ make web pages & links,
<So easy even a caveman (or myself) can do it>
or you are well practiced indeed. I must admit, I have not got the slightest clue how web pages work. S.
<Very simple for what I do. B>

Re: WWM Tip Jar, CA... 6/30/10
Hello Bob and Crew,
<William>
Looking through the FAQs today and the posts on the "tip jar" and the online magazine, Conscientious Aquarist, I thought I'd suggest a couple of ideas for what it is worth. I would and I hope others would subscribe for an emailed edition of the Conscientious Aquarist. Also, when an interested party clicks on the "ask question" link, how about a "suggested donation" pop-up prior to completing the question.
<Mmm, okay>
Taking a page from our public radio stations which ask but do not require a donation, perhaps a "premium" gift for subscribers such as an autographed print (your pictures are amazing and one would be proud to have such a print framed and placed on one's wall). Perhaps subscribers could be entered into a monthly drawing for a gift card or item from one of your wonderful sponsors. An annual sponsorship drive to support your contributors might be
worth considering as well.
<Sounds reasonable>
Subscription or not, I appreciate your efforts on behalf of us enthusiasts and, like my public radio station, am very happy you and the crew are here for us. I pledge to follow this up with a contribution to the tip jar.
<Thank you>
On a follow-up note, I've had a series of email questions and follow-ups with Jason Kim of AquaC Skimmers and found him to be everything you have mentioned: responsive, helpful, and incredibly supportive. We have a few
AquaC skimmers right now and will continue to purchase and use his products
- they work well and the follow-up is invaluable.

Again, thank you for being here for us.
William
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Kudos/WWM 6/22/10
Bob and Crew,
(Stands up and applauds crew)
<Bowing deeply now>
I just read through your most recent FAQs and found myself laughing out loud and enjoying the moment tremendously.
<Heeee! Tis a hoot at times!>
I am now in the habit of reading through the daily FAQs and moving on to peruse topics and links on a daily basis along with my now daily returns to the excellent primary texts of Fenner, Calfo, Tullock, Sprung, Paletta and so many others. Every day is indeed a new learning experience or a greater understanding of this most excellent of hobbies.
Today, however, I marveled in the patience of Neale dealing with the question on puffers and split my sides laughing at the Australian Tourism Website answers and the Australian Map. I quickly copied the map and shared
it with my co-workers who also had a wonderful moment for their day.
Thank you Bob and crew for being there every day for us, for your wonderful insight and shared knowledge and for your support of all of us out here who truly appreciate your time and your support.
Bravo!
William
<Thank you William. Great to read, realize that our sharing is impressing, helping you, others. Bob Fenner>

Re: Frustration in the researching world 6/1/10
Just a quick note to say thank you for your understanding and assistance with this issue.
<Welcome Rich>
I have had a chance to peruse the suggested sites (still attempting Jake Adams' ReefStock however)

and am pleasantly relieved at the information available and the manner in which it is conveyed. I sincerely hope that this post will assist others viewing WWM to use the sources you have provided as a credible method of succeeding and improving in what has become an enjoyable and lasting hobby.
It is reassuring to know that WWM is a team of reliable and credible people - who are not simply wishing their name to be known, but rather as dedicated people with genuine consideration who become known within the hobby/field because of their capabilities.
Thank you once again.
Richard J.C.
<Indeed. I do wish there were similar tools for other aspects of our lives, interests. Be seeing you, BobF>

Re: WWM.Info site upcoming features, And MACNA co-travel dive et al. adventure planning -- 4/14/10
I've added a couple of pretty neat features to wwm.info. Including a who's on that shows a world map of all the visitors location and a page peal that showcases CA MAG.
<Neat!>
I may have a podcast lined up as well.
<Wow!>
I'm also starting my open water dive course May 1st so let me know what the schedule is for MACNA.
<Great news>
Just need to know what days to take of from work.
Adam
<Am asking the WWM Crew and others to chime in here... who's interested? What days do they want to commit? Before/after MACNA... Dizzyworld et al. possibly as well. BobF>
Re: MACNA co-travel dive et al. adventure
planning
Very Interested.
<Ah, good>
Since I live real close, I am open for whatever works best for those coming from out of state.
MikeV
<Let's see who comes forward Mike... do keep your gear ready. BobF>

WetWebMedia, Gabby Reyez has invited you to open a Google mail account -- 4/14/10
Hi Crew, I thought instant chat might not be a bad idea, say if I have a dying fish or something...
<Possibly... we have a bb though: http://bb.wetwebmedia.com/
W/ folks on it about as fast. Bob Fenner>

A quick note of thanks - 4/1/10
Hello Mr. Fenner,
<Hello Jeff>
I just wanted to dash off a quick note to compliment you and the rest of the WWM volunteers for the remarkable work you do. I was just perusing the site for the gazillionth time today, and it struck me (though not for the first time) what a blessing it is to the aquarium hobby. There's a perfect blend of conscientiousness and pragmatism in the advice you give that really resonates with me.
<Ahh!>
I handle the Q&As for TFH magazine, and, frankly, I can't conceive how you keep pace with the volume of inquiries you must receive. I answer only 24 questions a month, and that's challenge enough!
<Oh, I do want to commend you, your work as well. A dear friend here in S. Cal., Dick Stratton did this yeo-man work for TFH for years...>
Anyhow, I just feel you should be thanked for the vital contribution you're making every day. Many hobbyists--and I count myself among them--owe their success in no small part to you.

Best wishes, and I hope to bump into you at some future fishy event.
Sincerely,
Jeff Kurtz

Re: A quick note of thanks - 4/1/10
Mr. Fenner,
Thanks so much. You're too kind! If you run into Mr. Stratton, please say hello for me and let him know I'm doing my level best to fill his rather prodigious shoes!
Jeff
<Ahh, we chatted on the phone a few days back. Will copy him here Jeff. Cheers, BobF>

AdamJ... WWM.info improvements, RSSing the Daily Pic - 03/28/10
Bob!
The Daily pic site is up and running.
http://wetwebmedia.info/dailypics/
Anyone that would like to subscribe needs this link
http://wetwebmedia.info/dailypics/?feed=rss2
Do you need me to build a banner or anything for it? Currently the add banners will not auto change. I'm still working on that but should have a fix soon. When you have a chance check out the site to be sure I haven't left out anything that should be added. Adam
Yowzah Adam! Should I make/place a link to http://wetwebmedia.info/
Oh, guess not... just tried to find... Do you have plans on when this site will be up en toto? Am going to send your note/msg. below to WWM... post, and place the notes re signing up for the RSS feed on the Daily Pix pages. Thank you, BobF.
Wet Web Info Site
Hi Bob,
<James>
Scott V. asked me if I would be interested in helping out with this new web site and told him that I could volunteer some time to help out. I phoned Adam today to learn more about working with the site and it seems fairly easy to work with so far. I volunteered to do some anemone postings since I already have your anemone scans CD, but just wanted you to know I'd like to use some of your photos for this and I'm assuming you have no objections.
<Certainly>
One problem I did find with uploading pics to the site is that it will not accept TIF files and is what the anemone scans are.
<Yes... we need to convert them to jpg.s or bmp.s>
I did convert one photo to JPEG and it did upload.
<Yes... right click each with "open with"... Use the image editing software you have. Many programs can do this simple operation. They can be batch-processed in some like Photoshop, CS...>
Adam is going to see what he can do to allow the site to accept TIF files and I mentioned to him that if he cannot resolve, I could do a batch convert to JPEG on the pictures I'll be working with.
Cheers,
James
<And you. BobF>

Hey Bob it's Adam, and the new WWM.info 3/29/10
> Hey Bob,
> I know I haven't been a part of the dailies the last 2 months, but I
> have been working on new content and talking with the other "Adam J"
> and I'll be assisting him as much as possible with some of his
> retooled, including promotion on the social networking sites FB/
> Twitter. Just wanted to check in and say I'm not here, but I'm there
> haha.
> Hope all is well!
> -Adam J
<Thank you for your concern and help Adam. BobF>
Re: WWM.info, Daily (SW) pic RSS feed subscription link 3/29/10
Okay, I have added the RSS feed logo and link to the dailies page.
<Looks good!>
Let me know if you would like a different look or change of placement. I suppose we will see how many subscribe and go from there. If you wish for it to be added to other pages just let me know.
Scott V.
<Thank you Scott... am wondering if we should have some sort of link on the left shared border... I guess we can wait to add along with the WWM.info link. BobF>

Anemone Post/New Web Page -4/7/10
Good morning Bob,
<James>
I'm working on a draft for a Carpet Anemone Post on the new web page. Do you have any better pictures than these that you could send me?
<Have sent you all I have that are scanned, e- as thumbs.>
http://wetwebmedia.info/?p=251
Adam has been very helpful in introducing me to html. Was a crash course for sure.
Thanks,
James
<Welcome and thank you, BobF>

If you want a laugh! Meanness, arrogance, bb's... WWM 3/28/10
> Hi Bob,
> Came across this at Reef Builders. Initially starts off about how WWM are mean to people who can't spell. But about halfway down the second page it becomes a piranha-like feeding frenzy. Draw whatever conclusions you wish.
> http://www.reefbuilders.com/forums/lobby-lounge/5703-wet-web-media-rip.html
> Cheers, Neale
<Mmm, back in Sept. of 2007... didn't even realize Reefbuilders had been around this long, nor seen this. BobF>

GROSS MISINFORMATION!!! Rant re Mollies and guppies brackish water fish? 3/20/10
I don't know who you idiots are, or where you got your information but you are either terminally ignorant or just aggressively stupid!
<Hmm... seems a bit of an aggressive way to start an e-mail!>
Mollies and guppies brackish water fish?
<They can be, yes. Mollies are certainly common enough in slightly brackish water habitats, and in places may be found in fully marine environments, as in the Gulf of Thailand. Curiously, Mollies are more common in freshwater
habitats than brackish, but under aquarium conditions, where they are exposed to varying pH and high levels of nitrate, slightly brackish water conditions do seem to work consistently better. No-one is arguing that either Mollies or Guppies are exclusively brackish water fish -- let's be clear about that! -- but under aquarium conditions the addition of a little marine salt mix can make the difference between success and failure. In a nutshell, sodium chloride detoxifies nitrite and nitrate, while calcium carbonate raises pH and steadies it. So in situations where they aren't being kept in hard, nitrate-free water, the use of marine salt mix provides key benefits.>
That is just plain stupid!
<It's really not. I don't know how old you are, I'm guessing you're in your late teens, early 20s, but honestly, the use of marine salt mix when maintaining Poecilia spp. is well known and has been established practice for a good 100 years or so.>
I used both mollies and guppies in my mosquito control research at Texas A&M and they all lived in freshwater.
<Wild caught fish or aquarium fish? Inbred fancy varieties or crossbred/feral types? Both these factors makes a difference. There's ample lab work to demonstrate that wild-caught Poecilia reticulata are much hardier and more adaptable than the inbred fancy forms sold in pet stores.>
They were all very healthy and reproduced successfully.
<Good for you.>
Your attempt at "educating" the public resonates like nails on a chalkboard!
<In what way?>
Your misinformation does a lot more damage than good.
<On the contrary. If someone is keeping their Mollies in freshwater and finding they're constantly having trouble with Fungus and Finrot, the addition of salt will help significantly.>
Imagine some poor soul losing all his fish because YOU told him they need to be in brackish or salt water!
<Not going to happen. There are many reasons Mollies die, but being maintained in brackish water isn't one of them. Go spend a little time reading about the natural ecology of Poecilia sphenops and its relatives.>
Definitely some liability there for sure.
<None at all.>
Go buy a guppy and put him in brackish water, it will be dead in 24 hours or less!
<An insane comment. Poecilia reticulata will live a long and happy life at 10% seawater salinity, around SG 1.003. Compared to its survivorship in soft, acidic water, the same guppy moved to slightly brackish water will live much longer and be more healthy. Basically, you're talking nonsense.>
The fact that they can withstand high salinity levels for a short period of time does not mean that is their ideal environment! I'm sure you would last in the desert for a little while too!
<The two issues are unrelated. Guppies and Mollies are freshwater and brackish water fish in the wild. End of story.>
I'm sure you will not post this message on your site since it only highlights your ignorance/incompetence.
<Better believe we'll post it.>
I will consult with some colleagues on Monday they will likely be as appalled as I am.
<If by "colleagues" you mean other uninformed undergraduates, by all means, go ahead. For what it's worth I have a BSc in marine zoology and PhD in cephalopod palaeontology, I'm an assistant professor at Pepperdine University when I'm not writing books and magazines, I have a fish named after me, and oh yes, I'm the editor of the TFH book on brackish water fishes entitled (imaginatively, I know) Brackish Water Fishes. If you have a grown-up nearby who'd like to debate, I'm game!>
Who knows maybe we can get your site shut down as we have done with other less than reliable sites in the past.
<Sit down, take a deep breath, and maybe put the kettle on and have a nice cup of tea. You're wildly overreacting and speaking from a position that makes not much sense at all. You are quite correct in saying that Poecilia spp. can live in freshwater habitats, and indeed do so in the wild more often than they inhabit brackish water habitats. But life in aquaria places unique stresses on fish, which is why only a few hundred fish species out of the 30,000 species known have become regular aquarium residents. Among other things, nitrate toxicity and exposure to varying pH can cause problems, and the use of marine salt mix is good at offsetting these issues. This is why Poecilia spp. can be, and often are, maintained in slightly brackish conditions. Whether they MUST be maintained in such conditions has been endlessly discussed, and is a favourite topic of argument among expert fishkeepers. But is it EASIER to keep these fish in slightly brackish conditions? Often, it seems so.>
I SHOULD HAVE WROTE THIS ENTIRE MESSAGE IN CAPS, PERHAPS IT WOULD HAVE BEEN
AS ANNOYING AS YOUR PATHETIC ATTEMPTS TO RELAY THE FACTS.
<I'm sorry you feel this way.>
Good Day!
<So far, yes, it's been a lovely day. Cheers, Neale.> <<Unsigned? More FFA (Future fascists of America) monotribe monomania idiocy. RMF>>

Re GROSS MISINFORMATION!!! Rant re Mollies and guppies brackish water fish? 3/20/10 3/21/10
Hi Neale,
Geez, I don't know how you were able to control yourself answering that person, but the way you handled it exemplifies your integrity as to not ranting off like a bloomin' idiot as he had.
He sure has a lot of balls questioning your knowledge/advice. If it were me, having the knowledge and degrees as you, I'd likely have told him that if he believed my advice is inaccurate, go elsewhere.
You certainly handled that tactfully. Hat's off to you.
Cheers,
James

Good Job! 3/22/10
To all my friends (at least I think of you that way!), and especially Neale, at WWM.
<Hello Bill,>
No question this time, just a word of praise.
<How lovely!>
Thank you very much for all the work you do for all of us out here in the wonderful world of fishkeeping. I was prompted to write this to commend Neale on his reply about the guppies and mollies in fresh or brackish water. He remained polite and on topic - it was a pleasure to read his reply, even though I have not kept a fresh (or brackish) creature in at least 30 years.
<Well, thank you so much for saying this.>
Was it an early April Fool's letter?
<Hadn't thought of that! Possibly a little early for that, though...>
Please keep up the GREAT WORK!!!!
<We will certainly try.>
-Bill
<Cheers, Neale.>

Ohh How I Love Thee.... 3/19/10
Crew,
<Ian>
I haven't been to the site in a quite a long time, so I am not sure that this is a recent addition, however, I LOVE THE HIGHLIGHT TOOL!! So much easier to "skim" FAQ's and I'm sure it will/has cut back on unnecessary
Q's/posts. (Although probably not as much as you'd like).
<Ha!>
Anyhow, I had to give some feedback and let you all know that the site is always my best resource as an aquarist and you've just made it that much better! Thanks!!
-Ian
<Thank you for this note. Will send along to SaraM, the designer of this feature. BobF>

Aquarium Life profile section? -- 03/05/10
Bob,
I was wondering if you had given any thought to adding a " aquarium life " profile section to WWM?
<What is, would this be Adam?>
I know most of these are covered in Q/A at some point but an EASY to navigate section with a nice pic, care ect. <etc., et cetera res> I also think it would help in this section to use common names. Clowns , Damsels, Tangs ect. I think would be a nice addition.

I know it would be a bit of work putting it together if you are interested in doing it.
<A great idea, task>
I have the software in mind (free) that would do it and would love to help with putting it together.
<Please do... or... I see below>
I'm doing something like this with my site but with our small amount of traffic I think it would be much more helpful with a site that has the respect and regulars like WWM. Adam
<Well... from acorns... Your small site will become larger with more content added, time going by. I welcome such an addition to WWM, and depending on the extent of the work, we may be able and more than willing to help pay you for it. BobF>

Re: podcasting -- 03/05/10
Yeah, I think so too, and I've got some plans for how we might do it.
Cheers,
J --
I do think these experiences would be a blast... and perhaps more than simply entertaining to listeners... B
Include me in. I'm happy to help.
I've podcasted with the built-on microphone on my MacBook Pro. In fact, I was on a show just out today. So while spending some money on the gear might be nice, it wouldn't be essential (at least not initially). Having some headphones on though while talking does make all the difference.
Cheers, Neale
> > Thanks Jas... will have to study a bit. BobF
Re: podcasting -- 03/05/10
I'll put together some preliminary scripts over the weekend - some ideas of what we might cover. Also, I found another well respected microphone for podcast work. I understand what Neale means about the built in microphone working, but you can really hear the difference... kind of like light through a certain lens...
<<Have read that the quality of the mic. is VERY important>>
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/413696-REG/Blue_SNOWBALL_BUNDLE_TW_Snowball_USB_Condenser_Microphone.html
Anyway, this is a good bit cheaper - I may even just purchase one myself. I'll send along details over the weekend.
Cheers,
J --
<Getting excited! B>

my message to you -- 3/3/10
Dear Crew,
Thank you for your help . I will look into a bigger tank and filter for my beloved Turtle, as you advised.
<Good.>
I would like to take this opportunity to comment on the rudeness of one of your volunteers.
<Oh?>
The extra sarcasm at the end of the response I received from a person by the name of Neale was unkind and insulting .
<Ah, that would be me!>
I have a grandson with dyslexia and it is terrible problem. His IQ is 140 at the age of 8, and was failing school until this was discovered, he is now passing everything with more than flying colors.
<Good for him!>
This person should be banned from talking to human beings.
<Why?>
The question was written by my 7 year old grandson, I think the wording and spelling was stellar.
<I couldn't possibly know that, could I? We ask for proper spelling and clear writing PRECISELY so people can use the site more easily. Clear English is easier for people to understand if English isn't their first language. Or if, for some reason, they have trouble reading. So rather than reacting to what you perceived as rudeness, instead imagine what would happen if everyone wrote careless messages to us? The site would be impenetrable, or else we'd spend hours each day correcting the grammar and spelling of each message sent in. Clear English is the "currency" by which this site works. You write clear messages to us, and we reply as best we can. Without clarity, we can't respond accurately. Moreover, without clear English, Google and other web index tools can't categorise the pages properly. So we'd lose revenue, because we wouldn't get the page hits we need TO KEEP THIS SITE OPEN. So it isn't sheer bloody mindedness on my part, it's simply me doing what I need to do to keep Wet Web Media working, viable, and above all accessible to people like you.>
The following paragraph is the rude comment I am referring to.
<Seems fine to me. I specifically apologised if the clumsy English was because the writer was dyslexic or young. So I really don't see your problem.>
By the way , Neale I am not here to make your life easier,
<Why ever not?>
you volunteered to help make mine easier by helping me with my little turtle .
<The nature of volunteering is such that I sacrificed my time to give you help when you wanted it. Instead of appreciating that, you decided to take umbrage at a slight that clearly wasn't there.>
Yours truly,
L.C. Berry
<As always, it's a delight getting messages like this. Cheers, Neale.>
" Linda, can you do me a favour? Take a moment to read your messages before you send them out. This one has missing full stops (periods) and words that simply don't make sense. I'm not being picky here; it was really quite difficult to understand what you were saying. Perhaps you're 8 years old, or dyslexic or something, in which case forgive me, but like any volunteer,
I can do more to help you if you make my life easier. Cheers, Neale."
OH YES BY THE WAY NEALE
( Favor ) is the correct spelling commonly used in our beloved USA .
<God save the Queen! Hurrah!>

Re- Complainers! 3/4/10
Hi Neale & Crew,
<Hello Chris,>
I spotted this ( below ) on the daily FAQs today & just had to comment!
<Oh...?>
You seem to have had a few complainers recently, which frankly I find astonishing given the Crews clear commitment to help others out of compassion and thoughtfulness.
<To be fair, we do welcome feedback, whether good or bad. But in the instance you refer to, yes, I do think the criticism was misguided.>
I fully support your policy of requesting people to write in a clear and grammatically correct way, especially as WWM is a resource which has a world wide audience.
<Precisely so.>
Clear English is indeed the "currency" of WWM and as such I just have to point out to Linda that I like many come from a country outside the USA called England in the UK, English is called English for a reason (we invented it - you will note that it's name comes from our countries name) and the correct spelling of favour is indeed favour! Just because you, in your "beloved" USA didn't learn to spell before you rashly tipped our tea in the dock and declared yourselves mature enough to stand on your own two feet as a nation doesn't mean that the rest of the world should re-write OUR language. Please bear in mind that the rest of the world does not revolve around the States - hell, why not get out of your box a little?
There is a whole other world beyond your borders & you might even learn something both individually and as a nation!
<Gosh! I'm glad you wrote this not me! Heaven only knows the reaction I'd get! One might observe that English is merely a variant of German with a good measure of French superimposed and little bits from practically every
other major language on Earth...>
Now before I upset anyone too much I ought to point out that my tongue was very much in cheek writing today (although I think the points are valid!) I am not fanatical about patriotism or irrational in my beliefs about the
country I happen to have been born in. In fact in the UK and Europe we tend, I think to have a clearer world view and in general a greater tolerance of differences (both in culture and individuals) due I think, to the fact that we don't go about telling everyone else how much better than them we are.
<Indeed. We mostly told people what to do during the 19th century! And to be fair, messed up quite a lot in the process. What goes around comes around though, and now the UK seems to be at the mercy of barely distinguishable Lab/Con political party machines that suck up to multinationals, the Eurocrats in Brussels, currency traders, and whoever the current nutcase-du-jour is in the Middle East. Sigh.>
WetWeb is immensely valuable to a great many of us out here, we may not always be told what we want but that in no way diminishes the value, probably enhances value actually!
<I would agree that some people do confuse honesty with rudeness. Sometimes we have to tell people they've done everything wrong, and they've clearly done no research, and that's why they're killing all their pet animals. I
don't ever set out to be rude or to make people unhappy, but I do try to be frank and unambiguous, and sometimes I think that comes across as being harsh.>
Right, morning rant over with now & on to looking after my livestock!
<Quite right.>
Best wishes to all. Keep up the good fight against a lowering of standards.
<We will certainly try!>
Cheers
Chris
<Thanks for writing. Cheers, Neale.>

<<lol I have to say, James, this quip about the bathtub made me spit water
all over my keyboard! Simon>>
Sorry Simon, didn't mean to flood your keyboard. :-)
James
Re Sudden Invertebrates Dying Off?/Invertebrates Suddenly Dying Off, Spg anomaly 2/26/10
<Hello Dan>
For the record James, in case it my helps others, I found my problem.
Turns out my trusted swing arm hydrometer has gone out of calibration.
Why?
Not sure, years ago I checked against a refract meter, and it was within 0.001. Now it's 0.008 off.
So my poor tank was at 1.014-1.016!
<And likely would affect the inverts more so than the fish. Good job!>
So if anyone else reports invertebrates acting brain dead, tell them to check salinity via LPS :)
<Mmm, maybe I should check the salinity in my bath tub:)>
Everything seems fine now, and we didn't lose anything other then the shrimp, thanks for your suggestions anyways.
<You're welcome, Dan, and thank you for updating us.>
Dan

Re: LTA demise -- 2/12/10
My continued appreciation -
<Welcome in turn>
RE http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm
I actually had the opportunity to attend a presentation of this - I believe, the first time you had delivered this material. Very good material indeed - then as well as to keep available on WWM.
<Ahh! And yet you chose/choose to house multiple anemone species?>
It is important we understand the animals we keep - not as an afterthought, but as part of the responsible decision to even consider keeping them. With intent of keeping physical separation between nem species,
<Mmm, insufficient... the chemical aspect/s are often just as troublesome>
and running filtration to assist with chemical warfare, I know as with all life forms, we can't ultimately control behavior - but is a system sustainable with multiple species of nems?
<Doesn't appear so>
RE SEARCHING WWM -
You are very correct in that there are pages and pages of very good information to peruse - but I was unsuccessful in finding specifics to what I was trying to answer - either initially regarding the sequence of events
and observations we had, as well as which tank inhabitants are known for preying on the LTA.
<Am wondering if you'd help me, us... how might the information be better ordered/organized? Perhaps some more in-depth instruction set on how to use the Google search tool?>
In this hobby - by nature of maintaining live systems - in reality, we can never be 100% confident in forecasting behavior or interactions - there are various stories (claims) of people that have systems with occupants that
should interact with each other, but don't (or haven't yet), or inhabitants that aren't expected to, but do.
<Well-stated>
And after not finding specific via research - both on WWM, as well as various forums regarding the initial damage to the LTA- I did first post to focus forums on a couple of forums - it was suggested in a reply that I write you directly for specifics to my situation, versus generalities - to tap into the expertise you and your crew have.

Although we hopefully have the best of intentions of the care of the animals we keep in this hobby, very few hobbyists truly maintain an environment true to a natural inhabitant. We can't duplicate the depth of water to truly mimic deeper water inhabitants - and yet we often find them in our tanks in shaded areas...and for some of what we setup, it is truly personal taste - whether by the choice of how we set up our rockscape, to the color sand we use, to the inhabitants. And it is by sharing what we do, what works, and what doesn't, that hopefully we continue to further the success in caring for the animals - and make a conscious decision not to pursue the ones we are not successful with.
WWM provides a great collection of various aspects of that - but the pure volume of information, the pure variety of issues, situations, and setups often lend itself to be a difficult to find a similar experience or post.
It's by far one of the greatest collections available, but as such, having folks respond to a post of "research WWM" often isn't direct enough to navigate to the specifics needed.
<Yes... but, please bear w/ me, I don't have any more resource to dedicate to this "proposition" on a daily basis... the few hours it takes is falling short I fear>
Even searching "LTA crab prey damage" doesn't readily surface information
<Mmm, I'd "back up" and substitute "Anemone" for "LTA", to make the search more general, applicable>
or experiences that give an example of a specific species of crab being confirmed to cause a specific issue with an LTA in a specific tank setup - in fact, it surfaces posts for Sebae nems being safe with emerald crabs. I did find one post that appears to have been the 2nd or 3rd in a series with a picture of a LTA nem with some damage on it's side - but never did find the original post/email with the discussion around what caused it or system information. I even tried searching on the title "LTA wound".
I truly appreciate the depth of information available on WWM - but it's not necessarily the easiest to navigate to find specifics, or find the complete information related to something you do find. And although there are wonderful pages of overview your team maintains (versus the emails that are posted) - because of the uniqueness of our systems, sometimes they aren't specific enough.
<The one "saving grace" statement I'll make is that this free tool IS getting better over time>
So, thank you for your time and sharing of your expertise - it's how we further the hobby and hopefully support a responsible approach to the selection and care of what we put in our tanks. I did not mean to mistake your expertise for a BB - but had not been able to locate the specifics via the organization of the information I was looking through.
Thanks again.
<Thank you, BobF>
Re: LTA demise -- 2/13/10
RE SEARCHING INFO
Bob - Happy to provide ideas. Because the emails on the site are organized into pages, versus threads or individual objects, when you search on a multiple word selection, it is treating the entire page as a positive hit - even though the individual words you are looking for do not appear together in any one email message contained on the entire page. As a hypothetical example, if you are looking for information on vitamin C dosing - entering the words vitamin, C and dosing in the search box may return multiple hits - but you may never find an email thread that contains all three words - but instead, you may find 10 posts with vitamin, 5 with C, 25 with dosing - and maybe a few with a combination of them on the same page, but not in the same email.
<Mmm, yes>
In contrast, if you use MS Outlook, or other client email application, when you do a multiple word search, you get email "hits" that contain all of the words - and not every email that contains one or the other - and you get the hits at the email level - not everything in your mailbox, or everything in the same folder.
I'm not sure of the logistics behind how you process and publish emails that come into the crew - or what other functionality/requirements you have around how you manage that process - but I would think considering a fully moderated forum tool - where nothing gets published until you as a moderator does so, might be a good compromise - as most of those tools are designed to allow searching to the post level - which is the granularity missing from WWM now, at least for multiple words in the search.
<There is a better search tool, process, located here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/Googlesearch.htm
and this is linked on each page... One can, most often should choose/elect to see/read the "cached version" which will highlight the search term or string if you're familiar with "listing" such terms in Boolean logic here.
Again, I don't know how much elaboration here to our users is prudent>
RE LTA
It does not appear that based on MUCH time perusing compatibility with the known CUC members in our tank that we have a known predator -
<Agreed>
but there is always the potential of an unknown predator...as we did start the system with live rock and live sand (but depending on what it was - we would think to have seen other issues in the tank related to it). Were the pictures provided, considered with the time in our tank (9 days),
indicative of a negative interaction between mixed nem species?
<Not in my opinion, no. As I've tried to infer, hint from the get-go. I suspect the ongoing degradation is/was due to unseen initial damage>
Thanks - and let me know if you want to bounce other search ideas around....
<Thank you Jeanette. BobF>

Feedback 2/11/10
I've been trying to come up with questions for a good year now to contribute to the daily FAQ's as I absolutely adore reading them and the on-call staff of volunteer experts is simply too great a resource to pass on. The problem is this: Using the guidance of your extensive articles and FAQs I have set up a nice low-maintenance SW tank (my
first!) that has been plugging along nicely for a year now and I haven't been able to conjure up a single question that has not already been addressed in your extensive resources. Still it seems unfair that I don't get to correspond with you wonderful experts, so here I am!
<Feedback is always welcome on our site, and we appreciate your comments.>
I particularly enjoy the responses of Bob, Darrel, and Neale as they are not only knowledgeable, but warm, generous, and funny on top! (Okay, not always warm, but far more patient than I ever could be, so no complaints
here!) Thank you so for much for your patience with the no-doubt tedious responsibility of explaining tank-stocking for the 15-billionth time.
<Yes, it can become frustrating at times, but we do reply to all queries sent in, even if they are for the 15-billionth time.>
It does not go unappreciated by those of us who don't have to ask thanks to your extensive replies!
<The crew thanks you for your kind words. We can only wish that more folks implemented our resources such as you.>
Again, thank you! My happy, healthy, and personable sea-friends thank you as well. You do a great service to not only your readers, but to the living creatures in our care.
<Ahh, music to our ears, and again, we thank you for your feedback and your kind words. James (Salty Dog)>
Val Erickson

"General Marine Aquarium Set-up Checklist" article by Bob Fenner 2/8/10
Hi,
This question is directed to Bob Fenner but I would appreciate a response from anybody who could answer it/give me permission.
<Okay>
I work part time at an Australian pet supplies/aquarium shop (and am studying Marine Biology at the University of Adelaide full time.)
We have recently opened a marine section with some easy to care for, mostly captive bred inhabitants. I was just wondering if it was ok with you if I could print and hand out your' "General Marine Aquarium Set-up Checklist"
to customers who are looking to set up a marine aquarium. I would, of course, recognise you as the author and provide the websites for the article and the WetWebMedia homepage. The only changes I would make would be to convert gallons and inches into litres and centimetres for the Australian readers
I would also like to add that I have been visiting your site for about 6 years now and love all of your information and FAQ's. The crew at WetWebMedia are an invaluable source to the marine aquarium hobby.
Regards,
Daniel Hannigan

Re: Hair algae ? making me crazy... WWM sponsorship 2/6/10
Thanks James!
<He or someone has placed this...>
Are you guys funded by sponsors, donations or both?
<Both. Our PayPal link is at the bottom of each page>
I would like to contribute to your cause if you are donation based.
Chris Terrels
<I/we thank you. Bob Fenner, progenitor>

great site -- 2/3/10
Good Morning
I just want to say this a great site, I enjoy reading it even if I already know the answer, Keep up the good work
Anthony E. Simmons
<Thank you for your kind, encouraging words Anthony. Bob Fenner>

Hobby Knowledge... Wherefore WWM -- 02/02/10
Dear Crew,
<BobF here>
I just wanted to get your opinion about somethings. I have been spending some time on some of the forums
<bbs I'll take it>
and have noticed that there are a lot arguments about several aspects of the hobby (fish stocking, anemone care, algae issues, etc.) My question is in regards to these arguments. Many people use experience as a basis to their arguments as opposed to knowledge based.
<Mmm... let's try to be clear here. First-hand experience is a sub-set of "knowledge" in my def. set>
How much of this hobby is either experience based or knowledge base?
<A good deal... much more than half assuredly, is anecdotal... not based on testable, falsifiable hypotheses (i.e. science). However, there is "such a thing" as aquaristic science... Even quarterly journals that publish such studies, peer-reviewed... It's "human nature" that (what terms to use here? Intrudes? No, too negative sounding... makes up? Too Simplistic...) accounts for the bulk of what the lay/general public encounters on the Net... after all, it's free...>
Are there scientific studies done on everything within the hobby (I'm thinking not) or are some things based on the experience of people who've been in the hobby for a long time?
<Only some aspects... Perhaps a read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/litsrchart.htm
and the linked files above will serve as some scant further input here. Bob Fenner>
Thanks,
Nick Wood
Re: Hobby Knowledge -- 02/02/10
Bob,
<Nick>
I appreciate the quick response on such a seemingly obscure subject.
<Mmm, not obscure in the least! In fact, I was just copying an article penned for the latest issue of FAMA on Scleractinian Nutrition, where they (Clay Jackson, ed.) let me make a few statements in re to what passes as "knowledge" in our interests>
I guess maybe I should be a little more specific as to the cause of some irritation for me. There was a thread on the BBS that I frequent to address the relative difficulty to keep anemones alive with several references to other locations including one by Joyce Wilkerson.
<A fine lady, aquarist and friend who has passed on>
Another member was quick to input that most studies, including those by J.W., were barely even studies and carried no scientific/statistical weight.
<I think I see, understand here... well... To me, the observations, first-or other hand accounts of "reasonable" (not easy to qualify here) people may not entail the "whole enchilada" of science... Hypotheses, multiple replications, controls galore... literature searches, discussions... but can/are taken as accurate, significant and meaningful inputs (to, by and for me) nonetheless. In this case, I know/knew JoyceW and she was a "great embodier" of the truth ("scarce can I name salvation...") of whatever she spoke, wrote... particularly re Amphiprionines>
Personally, I have not taken the time to look into the claims of the validity or how the studies were performed. My "experience" with anemones, after consulting the GREAT and POWERFUL BOB :),
<Is that me? Yesterday I got to "play" a lion tamer with my new co GM of the local SDHHH dressed up as... I think a lion, though he looked more like a Cheetah... in fact, perhaps the Cheeto's Cheetah, with sunglasses... But this is about as close to being identified with the fun and fantastic Oz works that I've been>
was that they should be kept by themselves with no other corals to prevent allelopathic interactions; or that the interactions could be minimized.
<Oh, I'd go for this; okay>
However, many hobbyists believe that they can be kept in the same tank with other corals because it has been their "experience" that they are "happy" (while using carbon).
<Let them believe what they will till experience changes their minds... would be my most forgiving statement>
There really isn't a question in there, but more of a conversation about the difference between experience and knowledge in the hobby.
Thanks again,
Nick

Support for the Team-Not a Question -- 01/29/10
Hi WetWebMedia folks! I haven't written in a while and have no query. A few of you may remember me as someone who's respectfully asked questions in the past and who has always supported and appreciated all the kindness of your time, intelligence and efforts. These sentiments are strengthened daily as I read the Q&A's as much as I can. My first statement is simply that I know and acknowledge that none of you need defending, as you are all more than capable of defending yourselves and do a fantastic job of it. However, that being said, I have recently read a query or series of queries that completely lacked respect and as much as I know it is not needed, my heart will not allow me to keep quiet. To be fair, the final query in this series was apologetic and respectful for the most part and if genuine, I admire anyone who can admit their own offense. I do not wish to pick at the querier, nor do I wish to be specific, rather I would like to both pay my respects and to remind my fellow queriers of the gift of WetWebMedia that we've been given.
I want to first echo the thoughts of many readers and queriers and say that the majority of us sincerely grasp that our esteemed and expert panel consists of real human beings who have a passion for their hobby/craft and have made a conscious decision to help other less experienced hobbyists with their acquired knowledge in spite of very busy lives. We are being given advice that a service-person would charge high dollar for and anyone who doubts this is welcome to test the waters and ask a service company to provide them with all of their knowledge and experience as well as to answer specific customized questions and see what the charge would be. We are receiving an even better service because our WetWeb answers are coming from published authors, scientific minded and trained individuals and people considered leaders in their particular specializations. I believe in a relatively safe manner that I speak for most viewers/members when I say a heartfelt "Thank You". Specific thanks to those who have both helped me personally, Neale Monks (tons and tons, you wouldn't believe!) and Bob Fenner, but from reading the Dailies, you all feel like friends and that thanks certainly extends to you as well.
I apologize for the length of this message as I am an admittedly long-winded writer as Neale can certainly attest to, but just one last message for the readers. Please give respect if you'd like to receive it in kind. This doesn't only pertain to respecting the WWM staff member assisting you, but extends to the animals/plants (LIFE) that you are keeping. Some are very shocked and offended when a staff member "educates" you for not researching or keeping this "life" in appalling conditions, but I wonder if you would react the same if we were talking about cats or dogs instead of fish. Life is life and you are speaking with people who clearly hold this life in very high regard, so if you are "educated" due to lack of care or consideration, reflect upon whether or not you might be abusing this life whether intentionally or not and think of what your response would be if it was a puppy or kitten instead. Just a thought.
Okay, so sorry to preach, but sometimes we can forget to reflect upon our own actions rather than becoming defensive and angry. I'll end by requesting one last thing...let's make this coming week WetWebMedia Appreciation Week and make sure that we all humbly thank these special volunteers and remember that they are indeed volunteers and not our employees. In a world that often leaves people unappreciated, let's show that Wet Web readers don't fall under that category. Humble and Gracious Thanks-Nick Sadaka
P.S.-Please feel free to shorten this very long topic as much as you'd like...I will not be offended.
<Thank you Nick. I often reflect on the old adage that "pride comes before the fall", but nonetheless will admit to a bit of "hubris" where the site and the many friends who have made it, are helping others, WWM to unfold are concerned. Your points are both well- mentioned and intended, and we thank you. Bob Fenner, who will share this with the Crew, including Neale of course>

SERIOUS problem - help requested: Tank (re)cycling, red slime control f's 1/25/2010
Crew;
<Hi John.>
I have a desperation question I hope someone can help with.
<Sure>
Some tank info for help:
TANK SPECIFICS:
55 Gallon wide
Small Refugium (made from an HOT AquaClear 70 Power filter) with macroalgae (recently added x3 weeks ago).
40 lbs. LR (more to be steadily added as budget allows)
Jebo 304 canister with 2 Eheim fine pads, Eheim sponge (course) pad, ceramic Bio-rings and one pouch of Chemi-Pure Elite (under a fine pad)
AquaTech 40-60 HOT Power filters with bio screens. Media is a simple filter media with Activated Charcoal in both.
RedSea Prizm Skimmer (piece of crap) I will be replacing ASAP
Last H2O change was 23 Jan. 10 and was ~8 gallons
Lighting: T5 HO x2 (one 54w Actinic / one 54w 6700K Life-Glo) (Both bulbs just replaced x12 days ago)
OCCUPANTS
Ocellaris Clown (x1)
McCosker's Flasher Wrasse (x4 males) <A few too many wrasses in a small tank - you may run into troubles later.>
Mexican Turbo snail (x2)
Nassarius Snails (x2)
Porcelain Anemone Crab (x1)
Small Zoanthus colony
Small Star Polyp Frag
Small Trumpet Frag
Various hitchhikers to include spaghetti worms, feather dusters (x3 that I know of)
Testing done 01-23-2010 (all done with API test kits)
Ammonia: .00ppm
Nitrite: .00ppm
Nitrate: 10ppm
Phosphates: 0ppm
pH (high): 8.3
dKH: 14
Calcium: 380
Testing done 01-24-2010 (24 HOURS LATER) (all done with API test kits)
Ammonia: 2.00ppm <OUCH>
Nitrite: .10ppm <OUCH>
Nitrate: 40ppm
Phosphates: 0ppm
pH (high): 8.3
dKH: 14
Calcium: 380
You will notice an alarmingly MASSIVE increase in Ammonia, Nitrate and in Nitrates in the span of about 24 hours.
<Yes>
I tested today as I noticed my BTA had attempted to hide in the rock, was shriveled up and a small rock
had fallen on it. I removed the small rock and after about 2 hours it began to swell again, still green tinted under light but mouth agape and either a large piece of defecation or a zooxanthellae discharge.
<Well, not necessarily a problem, but worth investigating>
It was not stringy as I have read it usually looks like if it is zooxanthellae This prompted me that something was definitely amiss. I used a small syringe and very gently blew the matter away from its mouth.
After the H2O testing, I immediately proceeded to do an 8 gallon R/O water change and swept the substrate bed. I assumed I would find something dead/decaying but all above listed livestock is present and accounted for. I swept entire tank, behind, on sides and under the LR where I was able to do so.
The only thing done to the tank in the prior 48 hours was dose with Ultra Life Red Slime Remover.
<DING - We have a winner>
My LFS advised me it would not harm inverts, corals or livestock so I trusted them in this.
<It won't harm inverts directly. Remember though, Red Slime is not a true algae, but in fact, cyanoBACTERIA. So it a product is designed to kill bacteria, it will probably take the good stuff out with the bad.>
Then 24 hours later (2 days ago) did was a 5 gallon (weekly) water change and sweeping the substrate.
The BTA was added to the tank 48 hour prior. FYI the red slime is indeed gone. Did the medicine also kill off my beneficial bacteria?
<Not all of it, but a good portion.>
I did fed frozen Mysis shrimp early yesterday AM (thawed of course) to my BTA and it appeared to have eaten it immediatelyÂ… did not give much (literally less than 1/8th tsp.). I also, much later in the evening, fed a Â¼ piece of silverside since the BTA is a new addition to see if it would eat it then base future feeding schedule from there since I have no idea when it was last feed at LFS. It took a while but the piece was gone and since I watched the BTA closely for 30 minutes believe it ate it. I looked around the tank to see if it was floating or on the substrate and did not see any portion of the silverside.
<It ate it. That was likely what you saw the BTA expelling>
It appears healthy, nice green color from the zooxanthellae (due to lighting), absolutely no white and overall pinkish in color other than its mouth being wide open. It has closed it at times but all day primarily it was wide open. It did not inflate fully as in previous day but enough to think it is not happy or imminent to pass.
<No, they will inflate and deflate - You will need to watch him for a while to see what his habits are.>
I tested again this evening, 12 hours later, and ammonia is considerably lower but is still at .25ppm. nitrates are down to 20ppm. I again did another 5 gallon water change before bed to knock those down more I hope. In the AM I will strip the canister again I just did last week) but will hold off on that as my fear is that I may have removed too much beneficial bacteria with my gravel sweep the day prior or the medication which is what caused the Ammonia et al to spike. Is this a reasonable assumption as I can see no other reason for the massive spike?
<That is what did it. You may want to run some carbon in your filter for a while to soak up any more of the chemical that may be in the tank.>
Any other ideas I can do would be greatly appreciated.
<Keep up what you are doing. Remember that red slime remover will kill the slime, but not remove the root cause of it being there to begin with - excess nutrients. Do read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bluegralgae.htm >
John
<MikeV>
Follow-up: Serious Problem in take, red Slime control, BTA Health 1/25/2010
Mr. Fenner et al;
<Hi John, MikeV again.>
Let me preface this first by apologizing for the lengthy dissertation I am about to undertake but I do feel it is important.
<No apologies necessary.>
Yesterday I emailed you about a potentially serious problem with my BTA (along with a sudden, unexpected massive ammonia spike).
<Yes>
Being new to the BTA keeper's list, I find now I may have, or more correctly put, did over-react a bit.
<No, you had an ammonia spike, and attributed the BTA's behavior as a result of such a spike. Which still may or may not be the cause since it was recently fed a rather large meal.>
My concern re the BTA, in a nutshell, was a gaping mouth and some serious "stuff" coming out of its mouth.
<Yes.>
Being a conscientious keeper, and after babysitting for almost 24 hours I believe my fears have been premature. I have spent the last 5 hours, literally, on your site reading about every post re BTA's (and I still have lots to read) as well as spending time on the site http://www.karensroseanemone.com. A VERY useful and informative site, and in
my opinion a must read for anemone keepers, with a lot of beautiful pictures.
<It is a nice site.>
I knew going in, fully understanding, that keeping anemones are difficult animals to keep. I am determined to be successful not only for my sake, but even more importantly, the sake of my new charge. My fear of losing my new
friend is now a lot less. After seeing pictures, and heavy reading, I realize now the mouth, that I thought to be gaping, was really not at all.
Absolutely normal look. My fear of what it was expelling also was normal...
it expelled the leftover pieces of the silverside I fed the night prior.
It also expelled other junk it no longer needed. The white strings, internals, were normal as well during expiration.
<Yes.>
Additionally the shriveling up almost every AM just before or soon after lights on, to purge old water and waste as I now know, is also normal, though doing it daily is a bit out of the norm, but not at all unusual.
<Yes. Do keep in mind though that you were suffering an ammonia spike. So while some of the BTA's behavior is 'normal', it may have in fact been driven by the crashing water quality.>
It is currently just after 4AM and I just checked on my new friend. It is fully laid out, as if on the beach, partially filled with water and appearing to be moving just a bit (2-3 inches max) for a better foothold.
Currently it wants to be low in the tank, foot lodged in a rock crevice and partially lounging on the substrate. Hey, it is his choice, not mine!
The main reason for the prior panic filled email other then the above was to ask what may have cause a massive ammonia spike from 00ppm to 2.0ppm in a 24 hour time span. I will not go into details again but suffice it to say, I
am babysitting my water closely waiting for this ammonia spike to dissipate having completed a 15 gallon water change spread over the last 16 hours plus dramatically increasing aeration of the water. I am now down to under
.25ppm and will not rest until I can maintain a consistent 0ppm reading.
<Good.>
I am adamant not to lose my BTA, let alone the rest of my livestock who are entrusting me with their care and well-being. I am treating my entire tank like my own sick child. I am trying to help all charges remain alive and as
stress free as I can until I can get through this little nightmare. So, rather than do a little I elected to be all over this until my water quality returns back or near what it was just over 18 hours ago.
So for those reading this, I can say two things. I just lived something I hope not to have to do again, make an emergency water change wondering if I will have enough made up RO water ready to go at a moment's notice.
Luckily I happen to have 15 gallons of premade water plus an additional 5 of non salted RO water in a jug. Without this ready to go, who knows the cost of replacing my charges due to the surprise massive ammonia spike with the reason still to be determined.
<It was the red slime remover.><<Agreed. RMF>>
The second point to be made.. and I apologize Mr. Fenner for quoting you...
read, read, read and one last thing.... read and understand husbandry, compatibility and understand as much as possible before spending hard earned money on a new charge, be it invert, SPS, LPS, fish etc.
<YES>
The knowledge on this site alone is unmatched and is well beyond anything I could ever hope to achieve or know. I can say I have never been led astray by anyone answering emails here. Some responses my seem vague, abrupt or simply, to quote Mr. Fenner again, read. This is done to make you smarter and better able to handle tank crashes, as well as the myriad of other questions one may have. It is amazing how often the same question is asked 5-10 times per page.
<Yes... yes it is....>
Read first, feel free to ask questions after you have proven you have at least attempted to better educate yourself. One cannot rely on someone giving you an answer all the time. I feel this is lazy and cheats both you and your charges of valuable knowledge that may be called upon at a moment's notice, as mine was. Luckily my water problem, while one I had not experienced before in the SW side, is being handled to the best of my ability and I was somewhat prepared to at least stop the bleeding, as it were, until the actual problem can be identified and resolved. Some of this preparation comes from my prior 20+ years of freshwater keeping.
Thank you Mr. Fenner for the gigantic resource you so freely offer us and for allowing me to do my soapbox act. I shall stand down now and allow you to continue with your work!
With the utmost admiration to the WWM Crew!
<Thank you for the kind words.>
Respectfully Submitted;
John
<MikeV><<Thank you both. BobF>>

Not A Question, Just A Pat On The Back For All The Crew 1/21/10
Good Afternoon (well, it's the afternoon for me at the moment, so "Good Whatever-it-is-wherever-you-are"!) all.
<It's about 8:30am Katherine, and I'm on my second cup of java, still developing into a human looking form.>
Panic not, I haven't got a question that you're probably sick to the back teeth of answering.
<Nah, is what we enjoy doing, benefiting others from our experience/mistakes.>
I just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you for having such an informative, reliable and literally life-saving website.
<Why thank you, and it is much appreciated.>
I took the first tentative steps to becoming a proud fish parent (!) in October last year, when I invested in a 10g tropical tank setup. I didn't want to be one of those naÃ¯ve folks (I'd use a more derogatory term, as IMHO there's no excuse for ignorance where life is involved...sorry, will climb out of the pulpit now!) who, in their impatience, overstocked their brand new uncycled tank and then suddenly wondered why their fish all keeled over on them. So I did my research. A lot of it. To the point my friends and family were wondering whether I'd ever actually put any fish in my still-cycling tank. But I just thought I'd let you know that my bible throughout that first month (and, let's face it, probably for the next few years as my hobby evolves) was your website. From considering the quandary of fishless versus fishful (?!) cycling, right down to choosing my community, you guys had it covered. And I'm delighted to say in the three months that I've had the tank, not one fish has died on me. In case you're interested, I have 9 little Neons, a neon blue dwarf Gourami, and three guppies. One had a little hiccup, but having taken the approach recommended by Bob on one of the FAQ pages, he pulled through. Yet another testimony to my faith in your site over other advice pages! Other friends of mine have not been so fortunate (they're my friends, so I reserve judgment on their aquatic and/or piscine husbandry) and in a desperate attempt to prevent more unnecessary suffering I've sat them down and made them look at your website. Time will tell, but at least I feel I've given them the tools they need to make a decent attempt this time around. So once again, my fishy friends, and my friends' future (hopefully happy and healthy) fishy friends both salute and thank you! Please keep doing what you're doing :)
<Again, a heartfelt thank you and I'm sure Bob has no future plans to shut down this site, enjoy. James (Salty Dog)>
Kind regards,
Kat
Oooh - I tell a lie, I do have one question that I can't seem to find an answer to yet. Could you please tell me how long it takes for a Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami to develop his mature colours? He's definitely male, and they "told" me he was a neon blue. He's currently a pale iridescent orange with faint blue stripes, but no one at the LFS could tell me how long before he'd start to look like an adult....
<It's been a while since I've been into freshwater and I took this query based on the subject line, but I will do my best to answer this for you. The Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami, also called the Rainbow Dwarf Gourami is a color morph of the Dwarf Gourami. This color variety may be referred to as the Rainbow Gourami when the blue coloring has a shiny metallic cast to it. Other than the more intense blue coloration, the Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami or the Rainbow Gourami are the same as the Dwarf Gourami. Not only are they hardy but they stay fairly small, rarely exceeding two inches in length. There is no guarantee just how much color your specimen is going to have since it is a morph and the coloration can/may vary. But at the adult stage (2" in length), the fish should have it's full coloration. Bob may also input here and I will leave this query in my inbox should Neale (one of our resident freshwater gurus) want to respond to you. >
Thanks :)
<You're very welcome. James (Salty Dog)>

Wet Web Media Report 1/20/10
Hi,
My name is Kate Peterson and I'm a business analyst with LocalBizReport. I'm preparing an online analysis of
Wet Web Media (8586 Menkar Rd), as part of a study conducted on San Diego businesses.
Our analysis suggests that your business may not be listed properly, making it difficult for potential customers to
find you online. Please take a look at the full report
(http://www.localbizreport.com/search.aspx?q=8585494948&utm_campaign=ref247&ref=247)
and let me know if you have any comments or questions.
LocalBizReport.com is a free service that evaluates the online presence of local businesses and helps them compete
better on the internet.
Sincerely,
Kate Peterson
Thank you for your interest. This (WWM) is not currently active in book publishing. Bob Fenner

Thank You 1/12/10
Hi WWM Crew!
<Doug>
I have been trying to figure out if the new colony of snails in my display tank was, indeed, a keyhole limpet. I thought I would just send you a request to ID it for me. But I quickly was side-tracked by reading the information and your team's request for how to post, and (equally important) when to post. I am now about to move to the forum to see if the community can help me first, with a smile. Some of the email exchanges actually had me laughing.
<Heeee! Me too>
So, thank you for the service. Thank you for the reference database. And thank you for putting me in a good mood.
--
Doug R
<It is indeed a fun hobby after all... and life itself should be aimed to be enjoyed. Cheers, Bob Fenner, progenitor>

Re: Acclimating Lysmata amboinensis and CP trtmnt -- 12/16/09
Hi Bob,
Thank you so much for all the advice and effort in guiding me to do the right thing. I am kind of surprised you actually remember me as a medical student ! Didn't really expect a person in your situation of handling tons of emails every day to actually follow up !

Just shows the utmost level of earnest care, decency and willingness to help and share in this hobby you and other crew members so clearly demonstrate !
<Ah, yes>
I apologize for asking so many dumb questions as I am trying to juggle this hobby and my academy examinations this week !
<Not dumb Blesson, indeed "a blessing">
And by the way I just placed an order for "The Conscientious Aquarist" . . . So wont be asking any annoying dumb questions for quite some time ;) heh heh . . . Take care. Blesson
<And you my/our friend. BobF>

P.S. It's December-- 12/04/09
Hey guys and gals at WWM - keep up the great work :)
Hard to believe it's December already, but today's FAQ pages state 11/03 instead of 12/03. Minor oversight!
- Jen Knutson
<Heeeee! I hope the year's right! Thank you, BobF>

Re: P.S. It's December 12/10/09
Thanks for fixing things up. One more thing from today's read... I'm pretty sure the post entitled "Substrate Replacement -- 12/09/09" was accidentally filed under the "Freshwater Only" dailies - last I checked, BTA's, clowns, etc. were quite marine.
<Oh yes! I do see this... and I'm the one who moves all about... Will bring back to SW!>
Heee, I still have a couple year's worth of questions saved up for you folks (ok, technically translates to a handful, and nothing too urgent).
Peace.
- Jen Knutson
<And you, BobF>

Re: Help, Please... ADFs, Neale, WWM! 11/26/09
Hi Neale -
You rock!
<Actually, probably best not to suggest this: I sing very badly, though I enjoy doing so, and dance appallingly, and luckily don't do that at all.>
I went to the University of London for undergrad
<Where I got my PhD.>
and then was a 6 Form Teacher at Blachington Mill School and 6 Form in Hove
<Have been a sixth form teacher, too. In a girls' school. Quite an experience...>
- I lived in Brighton (in the Lanes while teaching English).
<Nice town. Took my (American) cousin and her family there this year to see the Pavilion, among other things. In the middle of a March blizzard though.
Eating fish and chips under the concrete sea wall along a freezing beach had something of a Stalinist feel to it, let me tell you.>
I loved England.
<It has its moments. Mostly when it stops raining.>
How the hell do you know so much abut ADF's?

You are amazing and your website rocks - if you want me to help you monetize it - it's what I do for a living.
<This is something I'll run past Bob F. I'm a mere human resource unit round these parts.>
I am happy to report that Stretch and Stella are doing quite fine today - not hanging out at the top, not blowing air bubbles. So, one more question for today, one of the plants looks crappy - are there guidelines to changing the plants?
<I'm a huge fan of floating plants. They're cheap, grow quickly, frogs (and fish) love them, and they're easy to prune (you just pull out the grungy looking ones. Indian Fern and Amazon Frogbit are two of my favourites. If the tank is on a sunny windowsill, they might not even need artificial lights. I have a windowsill tank, an 8 gallon system as it happens, and as you can see here, sunlight makes plants VERY happy:
http://homepage.mac.com/nmonks/Projects/windowsilltank.html
It also warms the water up, and up to a point, this means the heater isn't on much of the time, saving even more money. Since your frogs won't jump out, this approach could work very well.>
Your new friends in NYC - Erika (pic attached),
<Nice to put a face to a name. And if you were 3460 miles closer, I'd be flirting.>
Stretch (ADF), Stella(ADF), Miele (snail 1), Hoovers (snail 2),
<Snails named after vacuum cleaners! How sweet. When I say "Hoover" in America, I find most people have no idea what I'm talking about.>
Teeny Tiny Little (cat 1), and Pepper (cat 2)
<Good luck to you all! Cheers, Neale>
Hello Erika! And is there some brief (and in plain Anglish/English) statements you could make re monetizing WWM? Bob Fenner, progenitor.

Re Help, Please 11/26/09
Hi Rob F -
<Hello Erika>
Nice to "meet" you. New ADF owner here and have been getting a lot of useful info from your website and from Neale (who is smart and cool).
<Indeed>
I am a Strategist at a large research and consulting firm (see fancy footer below). I specialize in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and monetizing websites ( I am fabulous at it, seriously). I am more than happy, if you are interested, in sorting out, complimentary of course, how you can make some dough from your website.
Please let me know if you are interested-
Erika
<Yes I am! We have a fab site as you say... and getting fab-ber all the time... W/ sizable viewership, though not as directed as similar-coverage websites towards making money... And/but as the saying goes: "There's not much we couldn't solve (or do) with a sudden (or slow for that matter) influx of cash. Would you please give me an inkling of how we might go about increasing our revenue... So that we/WWM might do more? I thank you,
Bob Fenner>
Re: Help, Please
Glad to have been able to bring the two of you together. Hope you can do good things for WWM!
Oh, and happy thanksgiving to you both.
Cheers, Neale
<Gobble gobble! B>
Re: Help, Please
Absolutely! When I get back home (it is Thanksgiving here) - I will thoroughly analyze your site this weekend then get back to you. Cool?
<Very. Thank you, BobF>

Wet Web Media homepage gets overhauled, the devil reaches for a sweater 11/26/09
Hi Sara,
I came across this while doing some research on marine fish. It made me laugh. But it also means that someone, somewhere noticed the hard work you put into the site facelift.
http://www.reefbuilders.com/2009/02/18/wet-web-media-homepage-overhauled-devil-reaches-sweater/
Cheers, Neale
<Ahh, much deserved as well. Appears this penning is from friend/RB originator Jake Adams... his oft-glibbed "train wreck" modifier outstanding. Cheers, BobF>

Re: Wet Web Media homepage gets overhauled, the devil reaches for a sweater 11/26/09
Yes, I do think of interest. For one thing, there are a lot of people who know the site well (and complain about its layout).
<Oh yeah!>
So it's a bit of history.

But mostly I think there's social/economic history here in how companies engaged with the Internet right at the start, what changes they made, how the industry has changed, how the Internet was made to pay for itself.
<It will... really has... IMO/E, with the multi-benefits to humanity... with much more to come>
There are also doubtless lessons you learned, and advice you could give to small companies wanted to hop on the Internet bandwagon. China and especially India seem to be huge growth markets for the aquarium trade, and presumably there will be foreign language sites that could benefit from your experience.

I wouldn't expect you to put a cookbook out there for them to follow, but for you to say that you've done X, Y, Z and would be willing to consult for them, that would be a good thing, no?
<I certainly don't mind sharing/exposing what very little I know of the field. Again, just am not sure it would be of interest to anyone but you and I. For instance, the thoughts that went into subdividing the FAQs files
categories... Most folks awareness of their universe is operant... they are happy to depress a lever and have their vehicle velocitize (dD/dT), w/o bothering with C-C bonds, the geo-history of fossil fuels,
economics/politics that get the energy to/through such systems. They resonate through two dimensional mirrors, and this is sufficient>
That's the sort of thing I had in mind. Essentially, my personal philosophy of enlightened self-interest: how to make money while doing good at the same time.
Cheers, Neale
<If you say so. Do cogitate re for a day/week and make it known. Perhaps you and I can (finally) pen a best-seller, "Life 101" or "How to Get on and Enjoy Oneself w/o Obfuscation". C & B, BobF>

Re: Wet Web Media homepage gets overhauled, the devil reaches for a sweater 11/26/09
Yes, the train wreck description made me laugh, too.
Have you really been around 25 years? Or was that hyperbole? Didn't even think the Internet was invented back then...
<WWM has been about since 1995... so maybe fourteen-fifteen years or so. The site is the progression of work I did for John Caskie and Eric Silverman when they owned and ran Flying Fish Express (.com). They wanted me to simply respond to their customers queries... one to one, but likely as yourself, I considered this "insufficient" and wanted to present "complete answers" in the form of articles and graphics. Happily I kept copies of these queries/responses and when FFE evolved into Pets.com, Petstore.com (now part of Ken Wong's businesses, e.g. MarineDepot.com, Bayside...) I incorporated altogether as WWM, with, thank goodness, many good friends helping over the years. BobF>
Cheers, Neale

Re: Wet Web Media homepage gets overhauled, the devil reaches for a sweater 11/26/09
Explains the organic growth. Like a leather coral working its way across the back of the tank...
<Heeeee! Hopefully not quite as noxious!>
You know, this would make a really interesting article for CA. Unless you've already done this elsewhere on WWM.
<Mmm... do you really think so? Am not so sure that outside of folks that have been WWM it would be of interest. BobF>
Cheers, Neale

Wet Web Question(s) -- 11/10/09
Hey Bob,
I've noticed that Wet web gets a lot of repetitive questions on coral, invert etc. care. I was wondering if you had considered combining (or copying) the articles on care and placing them under a coral care link on the home page to make them easier to find/navigate?
<Mmm, had thought to actually make a "reef" or "reefers" subweb even, but haven't gotten the momentum to do so>
Or doing a set of simple care sheets similar to what Sara did on ASIRA?
<I'd rather just refer folks there, or to actually anywhere there is already useful information>
Have you considered setting up an RSS feed for the dailies to allow people to subscribe to them?
<I'd REALLY like to do this... but just don't know how. It dawns on me that our "Daily FAQs" is summat of a blog... and that it could be augmented... with embedded/lifted videos for instance... And there is some sort of RSS ability built into Web Expressions and our email program I believe... I appreciate your questions here... in that they are stimulating, I don't know the answers, and they may get me/us off our duffs.>
Just thought I'd ask. GA Jenkins
<Am going to broadcast this msg. amongst the Crew. Thank you Adam. BobF>

Re: Wet Web Question(s) 11/10/09
Hello Bob,
I like the idea of the RSS feed. As to how to do it...I've got the "deer in the headlights" look. I have found some info re setting up a RSS feed.
http://www.devx.com/xml/Article/10790/1954
James
<Mmm, okay... so, assuming our server/ISP has the ability as stated... we would only need to make (for instance) something like the Daily FAQs page the string: http://www.myWebSite.com/rss/myWebSite.xml
and some sort of "Subscribe here to WWM's RSS Feed" type of button on the site? BobF>
Re: Wet Web Question(s)
Bob,
I have a long lost nephew who has won several awards for web site design and I will contact him as to RSS and see what help he can give, if any.
James
<Thank you James. B>

Re: Wet Web Question(s), RSS? -- 11/10/09
As much as I love the idea of the dailies done as an RSS feed, the big downside would be fewer visitors to the daily FAQs page, and thus the site.... Worth thinking about.>
Indeed... our sponsors might not like this <Sabrina>
<Really? Fewer? Am likely daft (as usual), but wouldn't the links, ads go along with the RSS feed? BobF>
Perhaps the RSS feed should include just the titles of the dailies,
and the daily photo. Let them come to the website for the content. <SaraM>
Re: Wet Web Question(s)
Most RSS feeds are simply hyper linked titles that link back to the original content ,with some ability to control the amount of content with it. Title only, title and summary etc. .... Adam
<Ahh, I see. Thank you, BobF>
Correct. It would basically be just the text of the FAQs themselves (and whatever links you put into the FAQ responses. You could probably do text ads with links, but that would be less desirable to sponsors than what they're currently getting out of the visibility on the FAQs page.
Is going with an RSS feed a/the "right" way to do the dailies? Yeah, probably. But the minuses might outweigh the pluses in this case.
-S
<Mmm, thanks much for this succinct piece Sab... Will cogitate furiously re. B>

Re: Wet Web Question(s) RSSsssss -- 11/10/09
I wonder if I might add something of value here.
Of course, many people wonder that every day and usually I prove that the smart money bets on "no."
In any case, the idea of RSS or really -- anything else -- is good when the design is to draw more people to the site and the commerce to which it's connected -- as opposed to replacing the need to go to the site. In this case I think the dailies themselves in RSS form would be antithetical. I had no earthly reason to use that word except that I've been looking for a suitable opportunity for weeks now. I really need a life.
An abbreviation of FAQ subjects to which a person may or may not wish to delve further is less cut & dried and I think valuable. My guess is that the kind of person that subscribes to an RSS and weeds through volumes of them every day is likely the kind of person that is immune to internet advertising anyway. I doubt the rate of click-through will decline due to an RSS feed.
What this project would require however, is an actual application that downloads the messages, processes Spell Check (Due knot Re: lie two much on spell Czech!) and pops up for spelling and for subject line corrections so that the application could create a standardized format for the RSS (and perhaps the daily as well?). Without such an app, you're just piling on more artistic freedom (aka drudge work) than is already there.
That's all I can think of.
D
Amen to all that RSS bruthah. My mind is certain (for now). Thanks, B

Subject: RSS Feed -- 11/11/09
With your current website, to have an RSS feed, you are going to need to know how to structure XML, meaning, everything on your feed will have to be typed in XML code.
To add one is simple, managing it might be difficult if you do not know XML, but that isn't a huge hurdle.
I need all the login information for your website in order to add it.
<Jacob, considering what we have, want to do, we're going to pass on RSSing for now... though I'd really like to "push" our daily pix to people... Thank you for your offer of help. BobF>

Wet Web Question(s) Blog-ware? -- 11/10/09
Hey Bob!
You mentioned before about the dailies being similar to a blog and your wish for the ability to add embedded video. Have you considered using a blog software for the dailies?
<Mmm, nope. Know naught re>

Advertising on www.wetwebmedia.com 11/6/09
Dear webmaster,
A few days ago I visited your website, www.wetwebmedia.com, and as an advertising consultant I must tell you that I think it is very interesting and well built. I would like to make a special proposal regarding your
website which I hope will interest you.
My company, Promo-Wise, is willing to pay you for the publication of a small text ad on your website for one of our customers.
In addition, we can also pay you for the publication of additional images, articles or flash games on your site.
The publications match perfectly some pages of www.wetwebmedia.com.
Please contact me at mia@promo-wise.com and I'll be happy to provide you with more details.
*If you have other websites which I can review for advertising please send me their urls as well.
Kind Regards,
Mia Holden
Advertising Consultant
<Hello Mia... how may I assist you? Bob Fenner, WWM progenitor/mgr.>

Re: Advertising on www.wetwebmedia.com 11/6/09
Dear Bob,
Thank you for your reply.
Do you have other sites besides www.wetwebmedia.com? Please let me know.
Perhaps we can make some sort of a package deal if they'll be found suitable.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Mia Holden
<Just the subwebs to WWM, our online 'zine and our bb. BobF>

FAQs org. suggestion 11/3/09
Hi Crew,
Why not have a section for people to write their successes. That way you would not just be seeing all the things we do wrong.
And maybe we could learn from that.
And even then it would be good for some comments from the crew to indicate how likely others would be successful with that method etc.
And to make it easier for you could stipulate that it will not be edited and therefore may be rejected if it does not read well.
Thanks,
Sam
<A good suggestion... and we do have such "subFAQs areas" for quite a few categories... Disease, Medications for instance... Otherwise I place all in and amongst the eight "regular" FAQs subcategories as they come in. Unfortunately am about out of time daily for adding any more WWM tasks to my plate. BobF>

The Happiness of Fish - 10/01/2009
"The Happiness of Fish" (é°ä¹-æ¨', yÃºzhÄ«lÃ¨). The names have been changed to pinyin Romanization for consistency:
Zhuangzi and Huizi were strolling along the dam of the Hao Waterfall when Zhuangzi said, "See how the minnows come out and dart around where they please! That's what fish really enjoy!"
Huizi said, "You're not a fish -- how do you know what fish enjoy?"
Zhuangzi said, "You're not me, so how do you know I don't know what fish enjoy?"
Huizi said, "I'm not you, so I certainly don't know what you know. On the other hand, you're certainly not a fish -- so that still proves you don't know what fish enjoy!"
Zhuangzi said, "Let's go back to your original question, please. You asked me how I know what fish enjoy -- so you already knew I knew it when you asked the question. I know it by standing here beside the Hao."
(17, tr. Watson 1968:188-9)
<Heee! Gots to love semantics at times. BobF>

How old are Bob Fenner's articles ? 10/2/2009 Inception dates?
Hi,
My name is Kent and I live in Sweden. I just read the article http://www.wetwebmedia.com/acclimat.htm
and I am wondering about if it is still current article or too old to use today...
<Is still current... of utility (accurate, significant, meaningful), though penned in the mid-eighties. Bob Fenner, olde>
Best regards,
Kenta
<This is a great question, Kenta!
Bob Fenner has been in this business SO LONG ..... that when he started -- the periodic table of elements were Earth, Wind and Fire ...
-- scientists thought only witches floated and birds flew to the moon for the winter
In fact, Bob is SO OLD that
-- his birth certificate date of birth is in Roman Numerals
<Better than hieroglyphics>
-- he knew Mr Clean back when he had hair
-- his Social Security Number is "6"
-- his High School Yearbook is written in stone tablets .....>
<Heeee! Thanks Darrel. B>

You
Bob, -- 9/22/09
I've read many a "fish book" in my day by various authors, yes, Sprung with inverts, Burleson with lighting, Thiel with systems, Michael with reef fishes, etc, etc, but I have never encountered any one as well versed in all subjects as you are.
The longer I know you, the more amazing it gets. I'd love to own 1/10th of what is stored in your grey matter. When I read your replies and compare to mine, it can be humiliating at times. I must say that I have learned very much from you and some of the more experienced/knowledgeable crew members since signing
on some three years ago.
Thank you for allowing me to help you, I always felt honored.
James
<James... we are all specialists to extents... Your knowledge of electrical issues is enormous for instance. I know little re sports, practical matters... Am very glad for our friendship and the opportunities possible/granted by the Net. BobF>
And I too.
James

A Special Thanks to Neale 9/18/09
Dearest Crew,
I wanted to extend a big "Thank you" to Neale.
<Ah, how lovely! That's very kind.>
I'm a saltwater aquarist but always enjoy reading the freshwater dailies as well. Sometimes a get a great laugh out of the ludicrous questions that are asked, followed by feelings of extreme guilt due to remembering that these questions may very well have shortened Neale's life expectancy!
<Hadn't thought of that... perhaps Bob should be getting me some kind of healthcare insurance?>
<>
It never fails to flabbergast me how many Goldfish and Betta atrocities are submitted, especially when remembering what a HUGE source of growing information WWM is!
<Agreed; if reincarnation is for real, and folks can come back as Bettas and Goldfish, what must they have done to have earned such bad karma?>
It's amazing how people can find the crew email address and launch an email (like a ballistic intercontinental missile sometimes) before finding even a sentence on how to take care of an animal that they know virtually nothing about.
<Well yes, it often seems this way! Lots of people who wouldn't dream of mistreating a dog or cat think nothing of treating goldfish remarkably badly. It's probably because goldfish and Bettas are cheap, that people assume they're easy to keep.>
<<Species-centrism to an extent... But I also think it's their relative cost, the fact that companion animals (mammals, birds...) are "noisy"... and can/do express themselves in human space, whereas aquatics are bound in their allowed spaces. RMF>>
I suggest establishing an honor system for WWM crew members, giving Neale the Purple Heart.
<!!!>
God knows that he has been fighting for the well being of aquatic life for long enough and has probably taken a few hits. It never ceases to amaze me how often he keeps his cool, re-hashing basic information for people who have brought about their own problems due to lack of research and patience.
I hope that they appreciate Neale, even when he gives them a (well deserved) scolding.
<Often-times I find the scolding doesn't go down to well. But even if only 10% of the people I write to change their bad fishkeeping habits, then that should translate into substantial numbers of happier fish -- not to mention happier hobbyists. At the end of the day, that's what I focus on, and I'm sure the same holds for other WWM Crew members.>
I do hope that Neale continues to be a WWM crew member and that he has not resorted to anything too self-destructive to cope with the horrifying emails that he deals with.
<Hmm... no plans to leave just yet!>
God bless you Neale!
Jill
<Thank you so much for writing! Made my day. Oh, and check out today's FAQs when they're out, I had a fun run-in with an errant goldfish-keeper.
Cheers, Neale.>

Order, Business, 9/18/09
Hello owner,
<Not the owner, can't blame me for this mess ;) >
I am Mr. John Clark I will like to know the type of water pump you have in shop now and also please let me know their prices and also the type of payment that you accept, I will be very happy if you get back to me early so that we can proceed this business as fast as we both can, have a nice day.
Regards........
Mr. John Clark.
<Sorry, we do not buy or sell anything, are strictly a informational site, but check out our links page for vendors.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/general_links_pg.htm .>
<Chris>

Re: New Planted Tank Cycling, Now... WWM db?! 9/13/09
Bob,
Thanks very much for the quick reply. I have another question for you that is more related to your website. Is there any sort of database behind the scenes to aide in organization?
<Heeee! Don't know what might actually constitute a database... but a decade back when a young couple (who were computer savvy; which I am not) asked if WWM was db driven and I said, "No, I build it with FrontPage", they went off giggling! Say what?>
If not and you guys were headed that direction at some point, I'd love to donate time and help. Thanks again for the advice on the tank, I will let you know how it goes.
Steve Jost
<Thanks much Steve... Nowadays I'm really improved... and WWM is built with Web Expressions!! D'oh! BobF>

Thanks! 7/22/09
I just want to say Thank You for all of the information you guys have on your website. I just recently got into the reef aquarium hobby (addiction), and have been to your website probably thousands of times for
research. The information you provide has been invaluable to me, and more importantly, to my fish, corals and other numerous live creatures in my tanks. I am an avid researcher and WetWebMedia has been my guide every step of the way from setting up my aquariums to the end result of having two beautiful, thriving ecosystems.
Thanks again! You are all very appreciated!
Amy
<Thank you for your kind, encouraging words Amy. Much appreciated. Bob Fenner>

Gratitude. 7/21/2009
<Hi James.>
I would like to just thank you for being dedicated to and doing what you do.
I am usually one of the silent ones that log on to find an answer or two put it to practice in my home aquarium and become enriched from your combined expertise.
<On behalf of Bob and the rest of us, thank you. I'm glad that you find these pages useful.>
I just want to personally thank you and tell you that because of you and what you do I have a successful 110 gallon aquarium and of course because of the local store and his help.
<A good retailer is a big plus in this hobby.>
His name is Dan and he is the owner operator of Waters of the World in Evansville Indiana.

I assure each and every one of you it is because of you and his love of what you do and doing it for
nothing more than to help others is what has made a difference in my life.
<Thank you for the kind words..
Again to <Bob F.> and all his associate <.>'s I thank you very much........
<Our pleasure.>
James
<MikeV>

Hello!!!!... not a question... just a comment. I love your site... very -- 7/18/09
informative and a delight to read. I actually find myself laughing at some of your responses. You all do a wonderful job... and my fish and I thank you.
Laurie
<Hello Laurie, and thanks for your kind words. It's always tricky to get the balance between honesty, tact, simplicity, and firmness. Sometimes we get it right, and sometimes we don't; the times we get it wrong are
probably funnier to read, if not so nice the receive! On the other hand, sometimes we do get frustrated when it seems people have done no research at all before buying their fish or turtle; or worse still, through no fault
of their own, they've been wildly mislead my the salesmen in their local pet stores. In any case, it's always fun to go through the daily mailbox, and if we can amuse as well as inform, so much the better! So thanks again for writing in, and please do enjoy your weekend. Cheers, Neale.>

A pic of Chaetodontoplus ballinae 7/19/09
Hi Bob,
<Chris>
Noticed that you were shy this pic. Hope it helps.
Best,
Chris
<Thanks much... I can be assured this is your image? Will post w/ credit to you. Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Re: A pic of Chaetodontoplus ballinae
Hey Bob,
Please credit it to bluecastleaquarium.com
Thanks,
Chris
<Okay... and this is your company? You have their permission for this image's use? B>

Re: A pic of Chaetodontoplus ballinae
Hey Bob,
No not mine, but the site where I found it (a site here in China) did not state any restrictions on use. Just the credit as is superimposed on the photo.
Best,
Chris

Marine and Reef.com 7/9/09
Hey guys,
<Carte>
I thought I'd let you know about how wonderful marineandreef.com is.
Their staff is wonderful, and their service is great. I had a problem with an order that they didn't cause and couldn't have prevented. However, they gladly went well out of their way to help make it right, and make it an easy
process. They have great pricing on top of all of that. You should be proud to have them as a sponsor. You can safely refer them to hobbyists without a second thought!
<Will post.>
Thanks again for all you do.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Carte

A Proprietary "Thank You!" 7/5/09
After an extended amount of time spent "mooching" off your innovative and, for lack of a better word, intuitive website,
<A worthy adverb>
I feel it would only be appropriate to share my comments with whom they may concern.
<Please do>
For starters, bravo on the grammar requirements. I couldn't begin to count the times in which I've been deterred from a possibly worthwhile source of information by poor wording, spelling, etc.
Although I do have one mild complaint; the cache feature on the search page is somewhat... well, useful, but hard to find.
<Agreed... the "one" that Google provides for mass placement is not "cache able"... there are at least two work-arounds...>
I spent several months oblivious to its purpose. Perhaps a short article is in order explaining that it is your friend and will not eat you or your computer? If something of the like is already published, please forgive my ignorance.
On a lighter note, if you are ever in need of someone with experience in alternative planted tank substrates, DIY FW plumbing, sumps, etc., multi-level aquascaping, paludariums, dither selection for Central American cichlids, or use of various hardware store materials in background design, please do not hesitate to shoot a few emails my way.
<Oh!>
Although I am still a high-school student and by no means consider myself an expert, I have kept various successful planted aquaria over the years and would be happy to share what knowledge I have accumulated with the general public.
Thanks,
Will N.
<We have "had", been comprised of a few "just H.S. student" age crew members... Do you participate in a bb forum we might survey your work on?
Would you please send along a brief bio. for perusal by the extant Crew?
Thank you for coming forward, sharing. Bob Fenner>

Great site 7/1/09
Good evening Crew!
<Hello Samantha,>
I'm just writing to say how much I love your site. After getting into fish over a year ago I've faithfully read your site and want to say how helpful and informative it is.
<Very kind of you to say so.>
As a newbie fishkeeper I've made a few mistakes but by reading your site I've learnt a lot. I have written twice to ask a question and the advice is always practical and sound. I have two 40 gallon tanks or as we say in Australia 150 litres, and one 12 and must say its such a great hobby. I've spent more money than I would of ever thought I would when I started with a 5 gallon but its been so satisfying! I even have a planted tank now that so far is going great with my DIY CO2!
<Cool!>
Thank you so much!
<Our pleasure.>
Everybody should read your site before getting into fish! It may be blunt at times in the FAQs but it certainly true!

Regards
Samantha
<Enjoy your fishkeeping! Neale.>

Thank you, Neale 6/22/09
Neale,
<Sandy,>
I'm sorry to be just getting to this - we have been away on vacation and I am finally able to catch up on all my email....It was so nice to unplug.
We have been camping on the (very hot) Florida Coast and had planned to do a nighttime turtle walk, but missed it. We were disappointed to have to cancel it because of weather, but the next week, we saw two enormous sea turtles mating just off the shore. It was absolutely amazing! Just thought you would appreciate that.

Anyway, thank you as always for your thoughtful response. I will work with our science teachers to get an aquarium going for the school this fall and will take your suggestions to heart. I had not thought of local clubs, but that is a great idea. Just thought the whole techno-communication Skype thing would be more than the kids could resist - especially with an expert across the pond.
<Skype is certainly a wonderful thing!>
But for practical reasons, there are other options we will look into. Your comment about the clean up crew has had me rethinking my own aquarium's lack of need for an algae-eater. Thank you.
<Not a problem. If you must add something, I'd always recommend Nerite snails above all else; they only eat algae, they don't breed, they're pretty, and they're small. Two or three per 10 gallons seems to work well.>
As to the quote I credited you with - It was for a proposal seeking funding to support the schools' participation in Science Fairs and was simply this:
Participation in Science Fairs can spark an interest in science that can last a lifetime. According to Paleontologist, Neale Monks, Ph.D., even if students do not grow up to be scientists, that they should be curious and scientifically literate is a great and useful thing.
<Gosh! I'm flattered!>
A great quote. Do you remember writing it when I asked you about defleshing.....?
<Ah, yes... funnily enough I just got an e-mail last week from a Pepperdine student of mine who's now flown across the Atlantic to do an internship preparing skulls or something at the Natural History Museum!>
Take good care and have a great summer!
Thanks again,
Sandy
<Enjoy your summer too, Neale.>

Passing along my gratitude 6/28/09
Greetings Everybody, and I do intend this for all of you;
<Hello Hans, we are all ears.>
No questions here from me today, I've asked my fair share in the past already. I just really wanted to pass on a sincere message of Thank You! In a vast world of bad information, rip-off artists, and questionable products, there seem to be very few honest people these days. You guys have earned a permanent place on that small list of "Good Guys", a fine bunch of professionals. I had been a freshwater guy for a long time, and moved to salt about a year and a half ago. I never dreamed how much more difficult (and expensive) a reef tank could be, as opposed to a freshwater planted tank. Even with the best of intentions, and researching until my brain became numb, it amazes me how easily bad decisions can be made. Without your vast library of FAQ's and articles, and a few e-mails, I probably would have given up hope and given up my tank a long time ago. Instead, I finally have what consider a healthy and stable little reef.
The more I get involved in the hobby, the less and less I find the "industry" to my liking. It seems so many companies don't particularly care about the hobbyist, and only care about the money in our wallets.
<Very true in some cases.>
I sometimes wonder if I'm just being paranoid, but it seems pet stores just want to sell a bunch of tanks and filters to new people, but don't care much what happens after the sale. It also amazes me how many folks open up fish related stores but don't know much about proper care.
<Bingo again.>
But not "The Crew". It's easy to see that you guys are in it for the love of the hobby, and that you truly do enjoy sharing that knowledge with others.
<Exactly, many of us have been in this hobby for a long time, myself included, and helping others by sharing the knowledge/experience we have gained and/or learned through schooling, is our major goal and concern.>
I guess I do have a question after all. What can a neophyte like myself do to help?
<Since the crew is strictly voluntary, and receives no monetary compensation, donations are much appreciated to help maintain our site. On another note, if you feel you have enough knowledge/experience in freshwater to answer these type queries, Bob is always looking to recruit additional crew members. <<You betcha. RMF>>
James (Salty Dog)>

Thanks to MikeV! 5/5/09
Hi Guys
<Hi Brian, Mike VB here.>
Just wanted drop you a line and say thanks!
<You're Welcome!>
I am a avid reader of your site as a matter of fact I have a link to your site on my web site, as I have a aquarium maintenance business in Toronto, Ont
Got permission from Bob for the link & get a lot of comments how good your site is!!!
<Excellent!, Thank you.>
Anyway was reading a bit from your site to-day by Michael Van Bibber on First Steps In Marine Fish Keeping, I must admit I laughed till I cried, when he said his wife could tell where he was during the day, he was like me I can smell a aquarium store a mile away.
<Heheheh, and she still does.....She has gotten into the habit of checking out the tank when she comes home from work to see if I have added anything.
One of the major aquarium stores in my area, and a contributor of images in the second edition of Bob's book is two blocks from my office, which makes side trips on the way home from work very convenient.>
I was him; into it, then out of it, then I settled with age and got into it AGAIN, so much I started my own business, so I can appreciate that we all have to make concessions with our wives to have our toys,
<Ahh yes, However, she did get a newly remodeled kitchen that she had been wanting, so she can't really complain 'too' much>
I have 4 tanks.
<Two here>
"You pay more attention to your fish than me" or " You have time for your fish but you can't cut the grass"
<Ahh...cutting the grass, that is why I have teenagers that desperately want to use the car....>
I lost my sister to drugs Easter weekend & haven't laughed in a long time.
<I'm sorry about your loss.>
This article made me laugh which I needed very much.
<I'm glad that it was able to brighten your day.>
Then he set up his tank & no water source that was close!
<Still the case - The tank is about 30 feet from a water source - Teenagers are also very useful for hauling 5 gallon (20 liter) bottles of water.>
Thanks for the laugh
<My pleasure. I'm going through my notes and messing around with writing a follow up for six months and a year.>
Brian "The 2nd Fishman"
<Mike>
Bob is number 1
CAREFREE AQUARIUM MAINTENANCE
BRIAN "THE FISH MAN" MACDONALD
www.carefreeam.com

A simple note to say THANKS! 4/9/09
Hello!
<Naveed>
I absolutely had to send a note to Bob and crew and just say thanks for all the selfless dedication - no questions - just thank you.
Sincerely
Naveed Alli
Greater Toronto Area
<Thank you for your kind, encouraging words. Bob Fenner>

Wet Web Media Links/Not Working? 3/23/09
G'day all
<Hello Leon>
Just wanted to give you a heads-up that I've had come trouble accessing a few of the articles / FAQ links on your site, particularly under the planted tank portion. A couple which spring to mind are links to the
articles "Plants + Discus = Wow" and "Comparisons of spectra from various fluorescent lights".
Generally there are no issues navigating, and I have logged on and retried the "broken" links a couple of times over the past week, without success.
It would be great if some light could be shed on the issue, only because I'm dying to read the articles. Apart from that, thanks again for a great site and an excellent service. Some fish-related questions coming soon...:)
<I didn't have a problem accessing the discus/plants link, but got a page not found with the spectral link. Try this link for the discus/plants.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_1/cav1i2/plants_discus/plants_discus.htm
Bob will likely investigate the unavailable link.>
Regards
<Cheers. James (Salty Dog)>
Leon
<<Thank you Leon... Am VERY aware of such problems... and asking SaraM (for pay) to run the "Reports" on the site, work on the daunting task of fixing such... BobF>>

Hiya Crew, In case you haven't seen them yet, ScottV and I (but mostly me :-P) made new logos for WWM, marine, FW and brackish... more to come. The site is still in the process of getting a make-over. Soon, I hope to have all the pages look like the FW and AquBiz sub-parts of WWM. Please "bear with us" while all the changes are being made. Cheers, Sara M.

Re: The New WWM Logos/Design 03/11/09 They look Mike