******* Wikipedia ******

[aquafrogstuff]

Is it possible for this forum to establish a consolidated literature for keeping discus. There is mountains of good information here and some kept in the spotlight by making it sticky, but we should have a category for people to add information like a book. The more people add the more in-depth and informative it can become. Administrators/advisors can sanction contributions, but the ultimate goal would be a detailed document that could even be downloaded.

It'll be the Linux or Wikipedia of the discus world!

[nag]

I Second!!...
Though I'm thinking where to start with... :)

I'd like to add, this can be made as a sort of compilation...from various posts from different sections...with due credits to the authors...
Say what folks...
Bye,

[Merrilyn]

That's a great idea, and it's just the size of the job that has stopped me from doing just exactly that.

Not easy to juggle a full time job with 25 tanks at home, and time spent on the forum. But yes, it's a great idea. Any volunteers to form a committee to collate all the information ????

[goldenpigeon]

yep im in

[aquafrogstuff]

Attention: forum admins

Is it possible to create an information 'section' such as the one I refer to above??

[Proteus]

how about an FAQ section where select articles can be moved to???

[aquafrogstuff]

Thanks Proteus.

I'll give you an example of what I think will be really helpful for people, particularly those new to the forum.

This afternoon I was chasing some detailed information about activated carbon. If you do a search in this forum for 'activated carbon' you end up with and endless list of posts and threads that have snippets of useful info, but takes a lot of time to read through. A quick google search lists sites such as http://www.drhelm.com/aquarium/carbon.html This particular page contains concise info and becomes more useful than searching the forums.

What about a new section called 'Articles' where people can add info such as that contained in the link above. The simplest way to implement this may be for the 'Articles' area to only contain sticky threads that are moderated by site admins. Information in the 'Articles' area is read only. If people want to add, edit or object to the information in an article then they can post separately rather than create and endless thread of one sentence info.

In the initial establishment of this new area, I would imagine there would an influx of contributions, modifications etc that would mean a sizable time impact for admin and I know you guys have other things to do. Over time though, I believe we'd assemble a comprehensive list of useful information that would be directly and easily accessible. I believe we’d also see a change in the way people post because many of the answers they’d be looking for would be available in the ‘Articles’ section. This may avoid a lot of the simple questions that tend to get posted. People new to discus will find this ‘Articles’ area invaluable, particularly with the basics such as canister vs internal sponge, filter media, heater wattage, water treatment chemicals, water hardness, chloramines and chlorines….the list just goes on and on.

While I’m on this topic, what about a photo album section or gallery that is read only where specific species could be listed and used for reference, particularly for people who buy a discus and are not sure of the breed. Something like that at the following link http://www.rockymountaindiscus.com/Gallery.htm

Can I say at this point that I have found an endless amount of good information on this forum and appreciate the effort you guys go to manage it properly. Of the forums I’ve visited in my life, the positive, constructive and support atmosphere of this forum make it well worth staying at. You have some great contributors. My suggestions are more about trying to create a ‘one stop shop’ for people looking for information about discus. The ‘Articles’ area poses as being a fundamental shift in site usage and hopefully a reduction in posts because people can find more answers before asking questions already asked before.

Trust that gives you more of an idea of where I’m coming from…

[marg]

Great idea.

The Photographic Section (similar to Rocky Mountain Discus) would be great for people who purchase Discus and are unsure as to what type they are (a lot of LFS sell people baby Fish and tell them they are a certain type - when they mature they are nothing like what they were sold as).

Advice on what heaters and how many for different tank sizes, Filters etc. as per your suggestions Aquafrogstuff would be great for us learners.

Some simple things to the more learned prove very confusing to the beginners - a section like this would be really helpful.

Hope this one gets legs.,

Regards,

Marg.

[aquafrogstuff]

Is this thread now dead?

No can do??

[Proteus]

Def not dead

It means a lot of work, and given that we all have jobs and responsibilities it may be some time before something is visible. However I am doing things behind the scenes regarding this.

[aquafrogstuff]

Awesome.

Thanks.

[dcarmau]

What about actually using a Wiki? That might solve the searchability problem, while it allows everyone to contribute their knowledge, meaning that it's a much less difficult job... no longer a one-person thing... just a thought...

I'd be happy to help admin it, while I'm not exactly a Discus expert, I have IT qualifications...

DiscusForums Discipedia!

[aquafrogstuff]

Great.

I still think this would a great resource for people. Constantly seeing the same questions being asked.

[dcarmau]

having just done a search on the web, it should definitely be "Fishipedia"

[zharko]

I know this thread is from long time ago, but I'll give it a try..

Recently I did reasonably thorough search for info on discus fishes online, and there are no good resource pages. Don't take me wrong, this forum is awesome and very rich with useful info, but finding the information was tough for me.

What about setting up a Wiki page?
It would be an encyclopedia about discus, or fish in general.

I am far from expert about fishes, but I have IT qualifications to do it. And yes, I am willing to invest my time in it. As Wikipedia, for people willing to add content it is very easy.

To make things even easier, there are Wiki systems available which cost nothing to host your page.
I think this can take off easily.

Please let me know what you think guys.

Cheers, Zharko