In Which I Am Banned

Not long ago, I discovered a fishkeeping forum called fishlore. A lot of knowledgable people frequent the board, and with my decades of experience, I thought I might be able to contribute. I have successfully dealt with a lot of problems: ichthyophthirius, swim bladder disorders, algae blooms, tumors, and finrot to name a few, so why not?

One particular post asking about a very ill fish led somebody to post that euthanasia might be the only course of action. Now, I have read the threads on euthanasia on that forum and never saw what is currently recommended as the most humane method of euthanasia for small fish. So I made a casual comment about it because I wanted the person who posted the question to have it as an alternative. I did not recommend euthanasia as a course of action.

The method I described is this, which I recite here verbatim from “The Manual of Fish Health” ISBN 1-55297-824-9, page 78:

Concussion. The fish is restrained out of water by gently wrapping a wetted paper tissue around its body. Rest the fish on a firm surface and strike its head with a hard object such as a hammer. The aim is to instantly destroy the brain. Although it may seem barbaric, this method is swift and effective if performed correctly. Understandably, some hobbyists feel squeemish about performing this procedure in which case they should not attempt it.

I mentioned every point in that paragraph. This post led to a large number of other participants at fishlore telling me the description was uncalled for, accusing me of being inhumane and cruel, and a number of other accusations. I should point out that a number of the “more humane” methods of euthanasia recommended by fishlore contributors in that same thread are noted in this text as no longer considered humane. The most commonly held mistaken belief is that dropping the fish into icewater is the best way to euthanize a fish, where the book specifically goes out of its way to state that this method is now believed to cause suffering. (Note: I do concede that one member with over 10 years of experienced agreed with my method.)

Upon attempting to defend what I wrote, posts were taken down without explanation until after the fact. There was at first a post stating the discussion had been moved, and I was unable to find it. When I inquired where the discussion had been moved, those questions were removed. After three or four iterations of this, a terse message stated that the entire discussion had not been moved but instead deleted. I received no other notice, and not more than a brush-off explanation.

At that time, I posted a note in its own thread that I was upset that I was unable to defend my position and angry that the moderators removed the discussion without notifying me with a private message. I also announced that I would not be back. I am sure that was deleted as well, though I never went back to check. I only went back to remove my personal information.

Fast forward a few weeks. After a google search today, I inadvertently clicked on a link that took me to fishlore and discovered that I had been banned forever for “going against a moderator’s decision.” WTF?

(1) I did not continue posting on the subject once I understood what that decision was. The decision made without explanation until after I tried to respond multiple times with posts deleted without knowing why or understanding what the decision even was.
(2) I was flamed without opportunity to respond, and without the ability to correct bad information posted by people who had been on fishlore considerably longer that I was, but with much less actual fishkeeping experience.
(3) I have documentation to back up what I wrote, as well as information to refute the other methods that are advocated on fishlore but now considered cruel by experts.

How should this incident have been correctly handled?

1) A private message to me in my fishlore account explaining the moderator’s decision. If euthanasia has caused a brew-ha-ha in the past, that should have been explained privately instead of simply deleting messages I took considerable time and energy to construct.

2) An appropriate place to have such a discussion.

My posts and my responses were not flames, I methodically defended what I wrote with carefully thought-out text. It made no difference to the outcome.

As events unfolded, the moderator blatantly silenced somebody with correct but unpopular information, and in the process drove away somebody with over 30 years of fishkeeping experience willing to research a fish health problem before responding.

In the end, although there are a lot of good resources who frequent that board, I have no intention of returning. Yes, I have the computer knowledge to get around the ban, but I have no inclination to do so. I have no interest in participating in a forum where unpopular information is silenced and moderators delete posts behind a participant’s back. If you use fishlore, caveat emptor. There is bad information mixed with the good.

All I wanted was a fair explanation from the moderators and the opportunity to respond to accusations. That was denied me, but as you can see, I also have a forum. If any fishlore moderator would like to respond here, it will not be deleted.