Yesterday, I was thinking about writing a piece for the Buntbarsche Bulletin. I haven’t submitted anything to them in a while.
I was trying to decide if I wanted to prepare something high level or get rather specific. It was during that moment of reflection that it occurred to me what a wide gap exists between fish keeping hobbyists – those just getting started and the seasoned veterans with 80+ tanks.
As a member of numerous Facebook (FB) groups, ranging from general cichlid keeping to genera specific, I encounter posts from all ends of the spectrum. Some hobbyists are brand new and simply want to know if there is a cichlid that can be kept with their livebearers. Others discuss deeper issues, such as the logic behind species classification changes.
If you follow the blog here regularly, you know that most of what I write appeals to the middle ground. I don’t target readers who are setting up their first ever fish tank nor do I target the 80+ tank folks.
There is a plethora of resources available to beginners but fewer available to the hardcore segment. From an online perspective, legitimacy and accuracy of resources for beginners are more questionable. Because so much online content isn’t vetted (especially FB), filtering out the accurate from the embarrassingly wrong can be daunting for newcomers. Many online site owners are more interested in making money, which they do based on the number of site visits, than providing solid guidance and information.
Though some resources are peer reviewed, especially the respected ones such as the Cichlid News and the Bulletin, most aren’t.
So how do you know what I post here or write about is accurate? Great question. Just like everyone else, I make mistakes. However, I come at this as someone with decades of fish keeping experience. Also, since my site isn’t monetized, I have no incentive to mislead, make stuff up, or post nonsense in order to attract visitors. In fact, doing so would quickly torpedo my site and discredit me in the hobby. Furthermore, if my site was sparsely visited, it would never have become the first online search return for someone looking for cichlid blogs. And people aren’t going to visit, repeatedly, if they aren’t getting something of value – hence information.
Back to topics I should explore for the Bulletin. Daryl Hutchins, editor extraordinaire, does a fantastic job with the Bulletin and is always soliciting a variety of contributions. The Bulletin will happily accept articles that appeal to a variety of cichlid keepers, including topics such as species profile information, tips and tricks, product experiences, fish keeping stories, etc. In other words, the Bulletin typically has something for everyone.
Drop me a note via a comment to this post or reach out via the Contact form with ideas. You should also consider submitting something yourself.