Banned and Ignored Great place until you do something that the mods don't like. I was honestly enjoying my time on the site, and there was some good advice being shared. Also it is pretty active. But when I made a post about offering to help content creators with what I am good at (a way of giving back to the community) I was banned. No warning, not reason, not communication! I can't read their message explaining why I was banned (i assume this is what it is about) because i am banned. Also I get no response on any emails that I sent (NOT EVEN THEIR PRIVACY POLICY EMAIL!). My conclusion is, that it is a fine community that don't know how to run a community and basically are breaking the law (at least for users here in EU). I was looking for an alternative to Reddit, but it turned out to be even worse than Reddit!

Kid site Kid site 90% are children asking very childish questions. Most ask about issues that can’t be remedied like buying inadequate fish for their tanks, or not knowing the nitrogen cycle, or just doing no so smart things. Then not being able to buy even the basics to keep fish healthy because they’re children. Parents irresponsibly bought them a setup they because people think fish are ‘easy’ and ‘inexpensive’ - a ‘great first pet for a kid’ and now their kids are briefly interested. Not a lot here for even a somewhat knowledgeable aquarist. Posters eventually grow out of it very quickly because well they’re children. They give out poor advice as you can imagine as well. There are a couple posters who know a bit but don’t post much - if you really want to be knowledgeable in the hobby this isn’t the forum to be.

There are certainly better aquarium forums out there... I was a member of Fishlore for almost 6 years, with over 2500 posts helping and learning from fellow aquarists. As I was reading some of the reviews here, I noticed a review that one of the mods replied to. The mod stated, "We don't ban members very often and only after they have been given several warnings about forum rules violations." This is simply not true. I was banned from FL without any warning, and from what I can tell, my crime was belonging to another fish forum. Others I know had a similar experience. I enjoyed my time on FL but was treated terribly by the mods there. There are certainly more welcoming aquarium forums available.

The Hotel California fishtank. I was on the site for a couple of years, and enjoyed it til the mods noticed me. They behave as if volunteer helpers aiding new aquarists are their paid employees. I've wondered if they feel like they have a massive business empire with large numbers of imaginary workers. It's no surprise members were asked to come here and give positive ratings. With the number of "membership culls" and banning parties they embark on, it's also no wonder they don't always get the reviews they expect. It looks great, til you really get to know the place...Unfortunate, as with more reasonable leadership, they would have more knowledgeable voices there.

It's an okay place It's an okay place. If you're new and not interested in much beyond small community tanks this is for you. If you're into larger fish and more advanced topics, I'd go elsewhere. Mods seem very thin skinned. Pathetic asking members to give positive reviews.