Community Rules

Built to preserve knowledge, reduce noise, and help more tanks thrive. These rules apply everywhere on the platform.

Effective January 2025 Last updated January 2025

Welcome to ReefScales — a community platform for reef keepers. These Community Rules apply everywhere, including the knowledge base, conversations, inspirations/builds, comments, profiles, and messages.

The vibe we're building

This is not a place where one loud voice becomes "the truth." It's a place where the community's shared experience becomes easier to find, improve, and pass forward.

Helpful > loud
Curious > certain
Structured > scrolling
Everyone has a voice
Scammers not welcome

If you're here to help reef keepers build healthier tanks, you're in the right place.

Be a good reef neighbor

Do
  • Be respectful and constructive
  • Ask clarifying questions before assuming
  • Share what worked and what didn't
  • Label uncertainty: "In my tank…", "I'm not sure…"
  • Help people move toward stable, thriving systems
Don't
  • Attack people
  • Flex credentials
  • Treat disagreement as a personal challenge
  • Turn threads into argument marathons

If you came to win a debate, you're in the wrong tank.

Zero tolerance for scams and deception

ReefScales is designed to be safe. That means you may not:

  • Impersonate anyone (including stores, brands, or community members)
  • Misrepresent experience, identity, or affiliations
  • Run scams, phishing, or deceptive schemes
  • Solicit money, gifts, or sensitive information through manipulation
  • Coordinate off-platform transactions that put users at risk

Buying/selling: ReefScales is not a marketplace right now. Do not use the platform to arrange sales, trades, deposits, or similar transactions unless explicitly enabled.

No harassment, hate, or intimidation

You may not:

  • Harass, threaten, stalk, or intimidate anyone
  • Use hate speech or target people based on protected characteristics
  • Encourage others to dogpile or harass

This is a reef community. Keep it human.

No spam, no noise, no "ad feed" behavior

ReefScales is not an ad board. You may not:

  • Post repetitive or automated content
  • Link-drop without context
  • Flood tags, threads, or comments
  • Promote products/services in a spammy way

Allowed: Sharing a link that genuinely helps and explaining why it's relevant.
Not allowed: Turning the platform into your personal billboard.

Keep it reef-relevant

ReefScales exists for reefing knowledge and thriving tanks.

Off-topic content may be removed, especially if it derails or inflames. If you're unsure, connect it back to reefing and keep it useful.

Safety and responsibility come first

Reefing involves living animals and complex systems. Content should be written with care. You may not:

  • Encourage cruelty or neglect
  • Advocate unsafe handling practices
  • Push reckless "try it and see" advice that risks livestock harm

When giving advice:

  • Avoid absolutes ("always," "never") unless you're sure
  • Include context (tank size, maturity, parameters, lighting, flow, etc.)
  • If you're guessing, say so
  • If it's urgent/medical, encourage seeking qualified help

Knowledge base rules (knowledge that survives)

The knowledge base is built to evolve through revisions. That only works if we edit like adults.

Do
  • Keep entries structured and clear
  • Improve accuracy and clarity
  • Add context and real-world observations
  • Use sources when available
  • Fix outdated info when you find it
Don't
  • Edit-war (back-and-forth "I'm right" edits)
  • Add rumors as facts
  • Write like a sales page
  • Delete useful info out of spite
  • Turn articles into threads

Disagreements: If something is debated, articles should reflect that honestly — what's generally accepted, what's situational, what's still unclear. Then take deeper debate to Conversations.

Inspirations/Builds rules (show thriving, inspire others)

Inspirations exists to celebrate what's working and help others learn.

Do
  • Share what's working (and what you changed)
  • Include helpful context if you can
  • Encourage and guide newer reefers
Don't
  • Shame others' tanks
  • Misrepresent photos or results
  • Post content that's only promotional

Thriving is the flex. Help others get there too.

Privacy and personal information

Protect yourself and others. You may not:

  • Dox anyone (share personal info without consent)
  • Post private communications without permission
  • Share addresses, phone numbers, financial info, or private identifying details

Profiles: Don't post sensitive personal information. Keep it minimal and safe.

Content rights and originality

Only post content you have the right to share. You may not:

  • Upload copyrighted material you don't own without permission
  • Plagiarize other sites or copy-paste entire guides
  • Repost private content without consent

Short quotes with attribution are fine. Copying entire articles is not.

Automation, scraping, and abuse

You may not:

  • Attempt to hack, exploit, or bypass security
  • Scrape or crawl the platform in a way that harms the service or users
  • Abuse rate limits or create spam accounts

Moderation and enforcement

We enforce these rules to protect the community and the quality of the knowledge base. We may take action including:

  • Removing or limiting visibility of content
  • Locking edits/threads
  • Issuing warnings
  • Temporary suspensions
  • Permanent bans

We may enforce rules based on behavior that harms trust and safety, even if it isn't perfectly categorized above.

Reporting and requests

If you see scams, harassment, unsafe advice, or misinformation presented as fact — use the Report feature or contact us.

Requests are welcome. If something should exist in the knowledge base, ask for it. ReefScales is built to improve.

Updates to these rules

As ReefScales evolves, these rules may evolve too. We'll update the "Last updated" date when we make changes.

Questions about these rules? Contact us