Goldfish Interactive Internet Field Guide

In some ways, the Internet is revolutionizing the goldfish hobby. Through Web sites, Usenet news groups, and email discussion lists there is now an enormous opportunity to learn, exchange information, and seek help on goldfish matters. Many goldfish masters took 10 years to figure out just the basics of how to successfully keep goldfish. Through the resources now on the Internet, you can get access to some of this information in a matter of minutes.

The interactive resources on the Internet, where you can send messages and get responses from other hobbyists, are particularly useful for specific issues or questions that may be hard to find information on anywhere else.

Some thoughts, though:

• If you think you might need to use a mailing list for emergency help in the future subscribe now. If you already have the emergency, try to determine if the list has a searchable archive, where you can check for previous information on your problem. The reason for this recommendation is that many problems come up over and over, and list members may have tired of answering the question repeatedly.
• Be a wise consumer. Anyone can give advice on the Internet and some advice is better than other advice. Use your judgment as to what seems sensible, try to understand why certain recommendations are being made, and look for tested, consensus opinions.
• Keep that first email you get back after subscribing that tells you how to unsubscribe and other useful things. You will need it sooner rather than later.

In general, while the GFSA encourages the use of the Internet to further the goldfish hobby, we cannot endorse any specific activities, nor can we take responsibility for information you may find on the Internet and the results of any actions you may take based on that information.

Usenet News Groups

The "Usenet" is one of the oldest Internet resources. A vast assortment of topics are covered under various categories. For goldfish aficionados there are two main groups of interest:

rec.ponds - Discussion of pond keeping, including plants, filtering and fish.

rec.aquaria.freshwater.goldfish - A newsgroup focused on goldfish.

At various times other relevant groups have existed; these two have consistently been in operation for years. If you do not know how to access Usenet newsgroups, contact your Internet Service Provider for instructions.

Goldfish Mailing Lists

The following goldfish lists are available on the Internet for you to subscribe to. Once you have subscribed to a mailing list, you can "post" emails to the list and you will receive all posts made by others to the list. Some lists have a digest version available; the digest version will accumulate individual messages into a larger single message sent periodically. Subscribing to a digest version will cut down on the number of individual emails you receive.

Some lists have moderators; these are individuals who assume responsibility for ensuring that the list discussions stay on topic and remain civil. The list below provides information on the moderator, if there is one. The table also lists a Web site, if there is one. Look to the Web site for more specific information about the particular mailing list.

The discussion lists below are given in alphabetical order.

Goldfish Breeders

Goldfish Email List

Goldfish Filtering

Goldfish

Goldfish Lovers

Goldfish Lovers Pond

Goldfish Lovers Breeders

 Puregold