Intelligent Freshwater Aquarium Stocking Calulator

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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
It said I was going to have a war on my hands....Im staring at my tank right now...No fin damage...Everybodys staring back like...Feed me daddy!

We are better than the calculator...Just ask here
 
Labenator65000 said:
A KB with "best practices", with a disclaimer that there are exceptions, would still be a useful tool. I know that folks that have been in this hobby for 20+ years had to learn the hard way. That does not change what I am proposing whatsoever; and it does not mean that folks in today's day and age should have to learn the hard way.

I gave this topic a lot of thought when I first started fish keeping and became very pessimistic about it providing any real value. The root of the problem is that everything is subjective with fish. How do you compile a knowledge base with so much disagreement? I'm not talking about outlier opinions either. Who is the authoritative source?

I've seen drastically different results with the same stock list of 2 fish. What is the right answer for advice? There are also other variables that will impact the odds of things working out. You can crunch all the numbers in the world, but my two pikes might kill each other because I had no PVC pipe for hiding, which the system didn't take into account.

I don't fault you for trying to apply a scientific model (knowledge base) concept to fishkeeping, but I think this is doomed to be a high effort, low return endeavor. Have you ever used webmd's symptom finder? Exactly.

The only best practices in fishkeeping that I know are:

Change your water often.
Personally research all species that enter your tank.
Quarantine all new arrivals for 3 weeks
 
This question was not answered. I read "most people wouldn't even use this" and "utter garbage" without anything to back these opinions. Why not?

It's kind of like giving an opinion that pimple cream doesn't work. If something doesn't work, it doesn't work. There's not necessarily one straight forward explanation.

That site doesn't offer good advice. That's about all I can do to "answer" your question.
 
OK. I really do appreciate the feedback from everyone. I've driveled on enough about it now, so I suppose I'll just let it go. Thanks everyone.
 
5x5 said:
Change your water often.
Personally research all species that enter your tank.
Quarantine all new arrivals for 3 weeks

That is three very solid points! I QT for 15 days with two doses of Parazipro.
 
Wow! What a long thread.
I have to agree with some that having a data base of knowledge at your finger tips would certainly be easier for some. And for the experts out there would free them of their time answering pointless threads.
How this can be done in a factual and agreeable away I'm not sure, but surly as experts it's out responsibility to at least try to make it work.???

I can only assume that was the general idea behind forums???? Initially. How ever we know this is not usually the case, with conflict itching answers or just short answers that don't really help?

I realise it's best for people to research themselves, but sometimes it's just impossible. Especially with cichlids, there is over a 1000 species that may or may not be kept together? If you haven't kept them before it's hard to find out the information if they will work or at least have a chance if working !!! All some people need is reassurance, to their questions.

So as a pioneer idea I think the link is defiantly a good starting point, sure it maybe floored in some areas but with development could replace needless questions here.

As for the fact you only had old books and lfs advice etc , doesn't mean you can be helpfully and give someone the answer they need!!!! If you struggled with bad info, why would you make someone else suffer the same way??? But childish I feel.

Any way hope it gets developed more to become a bit more useful .
 
Using this tool IS part of "doing your own research".

Here is the disclaimer directly from the site:

"To new tropical fish keepers: AqAdvisor.com is a tool/calculator that helps you determine your tropical fish stocking plans. It does not guarantee that the selected species will completely get along in the long run. We are making every efforts to identify potential problems and display them as warnings, but this takes time as knowledge database grows. Through weekly releases, accuracy will improve gradually. We highly recommend you to do further research, discuss results on your favorite aquarium forums and websites. Your favorite aquarium forums won't necessarily endorse or agree with the recommendations reported by AqAdvisor.com. Use AqAdvisor.com to get general stocking recommendations but do your own research BEFORE buying any species. We highly recomend that new tropical fish keepers understock (less than 100%) their aquarium tanks."

In other words, they already say what the naysayers (respectfully said) here say. Advice from this tool can be considered along with and in addition to advice from anyone else. I never said that it should be the sole source of research. No one should get their info from just one source. That is not research. But that does not mean that information obtained from this tool should not be considered just as valid for consideration as an answer that anyone on this forum or any other forum might give.

I sound like I'm ranting, but I'm really not. I'm just having a friendly debate.
 
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