MorganAtlanta;970681 wrote: I do wish there was site besides Liveaquaria with the info Liveaquaria puts up, like a "fish-wikipedia", with pictures at various life stages, behavior, care requirements, typical prices, seasonal availability, cautions as to sourcing, etc. for all the fish, inverts, corals, etc. WetWebMedia has quite a bit of this kind of info, but their organization of it is terrible.
It would be great if the site was non-commercial enough that the LFS would be okay posting a QR-code link to the info for each fish/coral/invert they have in stock. I feel weird checking Liveaquaria when I'm standing in a LFS, but often times when I've checked it afterwards, I've found really good info that the LFS employee did not give when asked, and some times directly contradicted-- like whether a fish does better in a school or singly.
Also, I can see what the OP is looking for. As has been pointed out, the info is generally already out there, but I don't think the organization of it is very good. The forums are driven by general user forum software, not by "reef-aquarium aware" software-- maybe just add-ons to the current forum systems could add some capabilities. How about a plugin that lets you show your Apex data or tank video feed in on your profile page? How about a search capability that tells you which members have a certain fish or coral? I don't know if the popular forum systems are architected such that third party add-on are easy to do like they are for content management systems like Drupal for example.
I see question-response forums as a part of the equation, but just a component of what might be possible and useful.
Another way to look at it would be to have all the "other stuff" as a separate app, decoupled from the forum, but then pull in the info from forums like Tapatalk does-- let the forums continue to do what they do, but make a different/better presentation app with more capability.
apipkin;970687 wrote: @MorganAtlanta, yeah that's really what it would be for. Basically better organization for information that's available to every one now – in an easy to grok and browse way. For instance, if you are looking up a specific fish, you could see information about that fish (diet, water temperature, flow, etc) as well as link to pictures of tanks with it, and a list of members with them in tanks. Then you could follow to a user's tank, find other fish and then continue the process. It's really more about discovery and ease of access.
I also think it would be really good to go to a LFS and say, "this is my tank, what would you recommend I put in it?" Then you are leveraging the LFS expertise and they could also see your equipment and make in house recommendations based on something they see – like "you don't have enough flow in the tank for the coral you have listed hear" or something like that.
As for the compatibility chart, the one on live aquaria is really good, but difficult to see at a glance. It'd also be nice to be able to pick out a fish that's compatible with the two fish you already have easily. I'm certainly not saying this can't be done now, it's just a matter of how easy it is to get the information.
Ideally, this wouldn't be a tool to replace forums at all (although I do wish Tapatalk would actually work on my phone), not unless that's seen as something that would benefit everyone.
If you have the ability to develop something like this, then I would go for it. But there are things about the reef hobby that would need to be kept in the forefront of anyone's mind using such an application or doing research on the hobby.
And I will say the following are just my opinions, but I have not seen any different in the years I have been in the reef hobby.
-There is no such thing as "it has to be done this way" in the reef hobby. There are many different ways of doing things and achieving a particular goal regarding any type of reef tank.
-Much of what you read related to the reef hobby on the internet is just information, not factual, and most based on opinion or anecdotal observation. Developing the ability to filter through this is very important for any reefer. Take any of the databases concerning fish you guys mentioned. Look up any tang species, and they will listed it as herbivorous. This is simply not true in a reef tank. In a reef tank, every tang I have ever owned will eat frozen meaty food, so in a reef tank they are omnivorous, not herbivorous. Outside of primary predation on other fish, inverts or corals, whether a fish is reef compatible is very questionable. Some Reefers keep large marine angels without issue, others cannot. In some cases, the same species would not work in one setup whereas it would in another. Sometimes you just won't know until you put said fish in your tank. Reef compatible "with caution" means it might or might not work.
-Take any reefkeeping advice you get from any LFS with a grain of salt based on your own experience or the additional advice of Reefers you trust if you don't have an extensive amount of experience. You don't know who is just on the clock, or who really doesn't know anything and is just repeating or regurgitating misinformation they have been told or read. You may get very good advice, but you may get junk as well. This applies to anyone giving you advice, not just LFS Staff, but there can also be the economic incentive to sell you something not necessarily in your tanks best interest in the case of a LFS.
-If you want to just go to a LFS and say "what should I put in my reef tank?", then you have not done enough preparatory work. There are literally hundreds of fish and corals that can go in a reef, and if you have no idea of what you want or the direction you wish to go in, then you need to do more reading.
-There is a huge lack of pure scientific research done for the reef hobby, so fellow hobbyist experience is the main thing we draw from. That is where Forums come in handy. Outside of proven scientific principles, like acids/bases, the composition of NSW, calcium levels, alkalinity, etc, most advances in the reef hobby have come from Reefers reporting what happened when they did X. This is a double edged sword, because many fallacies take on the appearance of fact in this hobby because of it, like the x pounds of live rock per gallon, or one inch of fish per gallon, etc. But many positive advances have come about as a result of anecdotal observation, like using Interceptor for redbugs, or Bayer dips for AEFWs, or fluke tabs for clove polyps, or Tech M to treat Bryopsis.
-This hobby is mainly self-serve regarding knowing what to do and not do. And there is no single "must do" formula or plan for success in this hobby. If I had to pick one area of the hobby I have learned the most from, ranging from equipment to livestock care requirements, chemistry, or almost any other area in the hobby, it is the experiences of other Reefkeepers. The Forums and
experienced LFS staff are the most important asset this hobby has for anyone new and wanting to learn about keeping a reef tank. But with these sources, anyone researching has to be aware that there is as much cr@p information on the web about reefkeeping as there is good information, and knowing what is what usually comes from time in the hobby.
