Free non-caluerpa

Crazy Tarzan wrote: I have some Y blade, some of what I call 'grass' and some leaf macros

Adam

If I know Adam, he's sad because you didn't call it by it's scientific name. Whatever that may be...

Dictyota is the Y-branch algae.

Why does one need to use the scientific names? They are there if it absolutely needs to be identified by scientific means since there may be severial species lumped together by a commn name, but otherwise (IMO) who really cares?

Don't get me wrong, I know that this is very personal for some and if it floats your boat, fine. But if someone wants to call something by it's namus commonus, why  them?

When referring to certain people, do you say, "those homo sapiens"?  Or if you have a dog do you say, "I love my canis familiaris"?

I say, if it walks like an anas platyrhynchosn talks like an anas platyrhynchos, it must be a duck! (mallard specifically)

 

Edited by Carl

Do you have a pic of the macro?
Brian

Adam, Not looking for anything actually. I just like to bug ya!

Good points as well, unfortunately things just didn't go that way in the hobby for most people. I also think that some people (no offense) have an altruistic reason for using "proper names" instead of common names. It makes them feel smart just to be able to pronounce it or something. I don't know. It's really potato tomato to me.

I have a question for everyone, but I'll direct it to Carl because I know he'll give me a good answer.

Carl- I've always been curious to know why people don't like using Latin names for algae or for fish.  People certainly don't have trouble with Acropora, Xenia and about every other coral.  And some fish like Black and White Heniochus are more commonly called by their latin name than they are by their common name (Poor Man's Whimple Fish) and people don't have a problem saying Tang. 
I do agree with Carl that a lot of people use scientific names to sound smart.  And I remember the first time our club had Dana Riddle visit us and I didn't understand a third of what he said.  But after having seen him several times since then, I think he just talks that way because he IS smart.  I also think people like Todd Gardner don't care what people think of them, he isn't trying to impress you, but he is impressive to me.

So I'm not saying anything is good or bad about stuff, but it is of interest to me. Why is it a big deal with some things, but not with others? 

Adam

It's all about communicating.  If everyone involved in the conversation knows what is being talked about the naming convention works.  Like GonZo says,  we're basicly lazy when it comes to language.  It's really not that much harder to say/learn Caulerpa racemosa then "grape algae".  Why does it matter?  Grape algae might mean something different to someone in Malaysia or France.  The world is a much smaller place then it was just 10yrs ago and it will continue to shrink.  It'd be nice to all be on the same page.  I favor scientific names, but seldom use them because either I don't know them or the person I'm talking to doesn't.  I just wish the first importer of Amphiprion Ocellaris called it such...

I'll have to agree with Jon on this one that people are basically lazy with regards to language.  While I was in Germany, with other Americans, we spoke a mixture of english and german, depending on which word was shorter or had the least number of sylables.  It wasn't anything that we all sat down and decided on, it just happened.  Why say "apartment" when you could say "wohnung"?  As long as you were understood.  Plus a lot of the coral and fish terms that I know come from the LFS.  If I see a fish in a tank and can match it to "yellow tang", that clicks.  Reading online about acropora or other"big" words, doesn't give me a mental picture, whereas grape algae or bubble algae gives me something to work with.

Just my $.015!

Brian

I agree we should know and use the latin names of everything and calling them such.  Therefore we should all be speaking latin.  Let's do away with english today.

The Latin name for fish, algae and everything else are a great way to make yourself understood exactly.  I don't have a califlower coral, I have a Dendronephthya.  I don't have Sunpolys I have Tubastraea.  It is absolutely correct to call these by their latin names.

BUTT!!!  If I'm talking to a tax client I have here rather than to Adam, Mark, Carl, etc. they don't know what I'm talking about.

"Did you happen to see the new Euphyllia Parancora I have in the tank downstairs."

"The new what?"

"The new Euphyllia Parancora."

""

"The new Hammer Coral"

"Oh that thing with all the green tentacles with hammer looking things on the end?"

"Yes That"

In my opinion it's not only snobbery, but boarding on rude to talk to people that don't understand in terms you know they won't understand.  It's just talking down to them.

So in my opinion while it is proper for us to use those terms amongst ourselves there is no reason not to use the laymans terms with others and even among ourselves if we chose to.  This is exaclty the way it is in many other technical fields.  I tell my clients that they got additional child tax credit, not that their 8812 really helped them out this year.