| Getting Help
Introduction
This is a copy of an Article by Super Moderator Ahill on the topic of getting help in the forums. I think it is worth posting in the forums for a while.
Regards,
Jay
If you have a question about your tank then someone here probably has an answer for you. But there are a few things you can do to help eliminate the guesswork involved and get down to the real problem in order to find a resolution fast.
First off, much of the ailements that plague aquaria are due to poor water quality. For this reason, this is generally the first thing that you will be asked about.
Getting Results
Since we cannot always see your tank and the conditions you describe we must rely on information to help us determine what the underlying issue is. Testing your tanks parameters and knowing what the current levels are is a crucial part to accurately diagnosing and treating your tank.
Statements such as "I have algae in my tank" and "My water is cloudy" are not really enough to go on.
Here are a few of the questions you will likely encounter first whenever asking for help with your tank.
Freshwater
What size is the tank?
How long has the tank been set up and running for?
How many fish do you have, and what are they?
What is your Ammonia level?
What is your Nitrite level?
What is your Nitrate level?
What is your pH?
What is your KH?
What is your GH?
What is the temperature?
What type of filtration do you use?
How often do you change the filtration media?
How often do you perform water changes?
How often and how much do you feed your tank?
What chemicals do you dose in your tank?
Where do you gather your water from, and what conditioners do you use on it?
If the tank is Planted then add the following:
What is your Phosphate level?
What is your Iron level?
What is your CO2 level?
What Type of lighting do you use?
How long are the lights on each day?
Saltwater
What size is the tank?
How long has the tank been set up and running for?
How many fish do you have, and what are they?
Do you house Corals or sensitive invertebrates in the tank?
What Salt mix do you use?
Where do you mix your saltwater at and how long before you use it?
What is your Ammonia level?
What is your Nitrite level?
What is your Nitrate level?
What is your pH?
What is your KH?
What is your salinity (ppt) or specific gravity (ppm)?
What is the temperature?
What type or combination of filtration do you use?
How often do you change the filtration media?
What type of lighting do you have?
How often do you perform water changes?
How often and how much do you feed your tank?
What chemicals do you dose in your tank?
Where do you gather your water from, and what conditioners do you use on it?
If you keep carnivorous fish do you feed them live foods?
If you have a Reef tank then add the following:
What is your Phosphate level at?
What is your Calcium level at?
What is your Strontium level?
What is your Magnesium level?
How much current do you have in the tank?
How much live rock is present?
How many total watts of lighting are you providing the tank with?
In Closing
Answer as many of these questions as you possibly can in your first post. The answers to these questions can tell whether your tank is cycled, biologically stable, overburdened, properly configured for the species you house, has compatibility issues that need to be addressed, and will give clues as to what is causing your problems, how to deal with them, and how best you can go about resolving the issue so that it does not return.
Help others help you by coming prepared with some base statistics. Otherwise there will be a lot of back and forth, what is this, how about that, check this and report back...
HTH,
Aaron | 
