Fish comparisons

[frannyscho]

I know there are some super descriptions of species on this site, and I have been enjoying reading them....
BUT
as a beginner, I have to know what it is I am looking for and I don't of course.

There are some labels at the lfs on the tanks themselves, but not enough info on them to choose the fish without asking each time.

Has anyone seen a place where all fish can be viewed as pictures, perhaps compared sizewise, tankwise, easycare/expert only wise, advice, etc etc maybe in a chart or something?

A sort of fishy idiots guide really.

 

[Maroonostrich]

Not sure if this will be any help, but I like it a lot!!! Handy little guides, you can search for similar fish etc..

http/www.fishprofiles.com/profiles/

 

[red-devil0602]

this might help
http/www.thinkfish.co.uk/community.html

 

[Bloo]

Well what you need to do is go to your lfs with a pen and paper and just take notes.
If you and the staff have time, feel free to ask. But personally I prefer making notes, coming home and then just using good old google
It really really couldn't be any easier
That can narrow down things staight away and then you can always ask final compatability questions here once you know if the fish you like will not grow to the size of a monster.

 

[sylvia]

I agree with bloozoo2. Besides, you should never base all your research off a single site. They may be out of date, misinformed; just plain wrong. The best thing is to go to your LFS, take down some of the SCIENTIFIC names (if all you can get is common names, fine, but it is best to have the latin name down), then get googling or post about them on this forum so you can get many responses and base your decision off various sources rather than relying on just one.

I actualy tend to do things the other way round. When I here about a fish I've never heard about before, I do a google search and see if it's something I would like to keep. Then, if it is, I do some more research and, finaly go to my LFS to see if they have it. If not, I'll either ask them to order it in (when possible) or move on to another species instead. Also, just before I buy ANY fish I've never kept before, I research them realy carefuly - whether I think I know enough about them already or not - and then I go to my LFS to see if they stock them/can order some.

It probably sounds quite time consuming and you may feel that travelling back and forth to your LFS is somewhat tedious (I love looking at the fish myself though - or you can buy some new food or something ), it's often necessary in this hobby to be patient and take the more careful route. You are dealing with lives after all.

Obviously, you can also post on here about what sort of fish you are after - ie what you want it to be like both appearance-wise and as far as behaviour is concerned. If you include the tank size, what other fish will be in it, some general info about how your tank is set up (eg: planted) and your water params., we can all give you some suggestions and then you can google them to do some extra research on whatever you are interested in. Then you can take a list to your LFS and see what they have.