Fish database idea?

Like most of you I'm sure, being new to the hobby I'm very excited to learn as much as possible about SW fish and the possibilities to my tank.

In doing so I've been looking for an online database for fish. I've found a couple, but none really with a good 'search' feature.

I'd like to be able to search by aggresiveness, min tank size, foods, reef safeness, ect.

Does anyone know of such a site? If not, I'd be more than happy to create on if people will give me their favorite fish information sites I'm an engineer and have a mean ability to program... plus I've gotten into web design in the past year and this could be a fun project... I'd learn alot too!

Let me know!

 

This one has interesting search options (keep scrolling on page):
http://www.fishbase.org/

 

Well, quite a few of the criteria you would think to use aren't really well defined, or are subjective. For instance, a zebrasoma tang can be put in a 45g when it's tiny, under 2 inches. But it needs a larger tank fairly soon afterwords.

Another example is the six lined Wrasse's aggressiveness. Some individuals are ultra aggressive and will kill anything it sees, while some are pretty passive and won't go after anything other than conspecifics.

For reef safeness, there's the dwarf angels. They're a crapshoot; some will never go after a coral, while some will eat any LPS. Sometimes, the difference is the amount you feed the tank, but sometimes that doesn't even matter.

I mean, this just isn't something that lends itself well to a database of this sort, because of the level of variance among individuals of nearly every species.

 

You could check out Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums

They have pretty good info and min tank size is based on the adult fish, but as blackraven said every individual fish is different.

 

That site is really cool. I checked out local marine fish, had a few on the list i never even heard about.

 

I would like to find a site that lets you enter what you have. Tank size, skimmer size, WC habits, other livestock, corals, etc. and then it print up a list of things that would/could fit into that mix.

If you want to make me a site that does that, I will happily check it out

I also want a site where I can submit/scan in a pic and it tell me what the pic is. Inverts, corals, fish, whatever.

Or possibly one that can link to my webcam, see into my eyes and into my mind and print out what it is that I am thinking about or what I am trying to think of.

That'd be sweet.

 

Peredhil,
I'll get right on that mind-reading program... haha. That first site on post #2 was cool... tons of information but it doesnt really seem to be something for the personal aquarium.

Would take a lot of prior knowledge to create the 'here's what i have, what can i get now' engine... but that would definitely be something cool to think about.

And the 'ID my fish idea' is also cool... would take a lot of photo analysis know-how (i've only done a small amount) and a ton of previous pictures to pull off. Anyone want to fund these projects ;-P lol

 

Sounds like a wicked idea but very complicated! But good luck if you go ahead with it