hi,
trying to do research on the web to see which fish would best suit my aquarium and water chemistry. it seems there is a wide range of values, particularly on temperatures and pH. so my question is this: what is the best source for this information? or, another question is, how seriously does this information need to be taken?
thanks
numchuk lansing

I've always used multiple sources to check for accuracy. Local Fish Store info from the clerks (though, don't trust the big stores like PetCo, PetsMart, and ESPECIALLY WalMart), and Google searches.

What you want to pay attention to is how delicate the fish are, how commonly available they are, whether they are tank-raised or wild-caught, etc.

Tank-raised fish are usually better suited to living in a tank (naturally), however they may have some weaknesses introduced by inbreeding multiple generations in the same tank. Wild-caught are typically healthier but can be stressed from being confined to a tank, not to mention shipping from remote and/or distant locations of the world.

Things like KH, GH, pH, temp, can be handled with the right equipment like an RO/DI unit, but really if the fish is healthy and tough enough they can handle quite a broad variety of conditions.

What fish are you thinking about getting?

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Officially fishless until after the move....tune in later for details!

looking at peppered cory catfish, zebra danios and possibly a dwarf gourami. I tested the pH yesterday and it was high, around 8.1. I'll wait a few days since we just added a few things to our tank which may alter the pH - driftwood, rocks, and plants.

This site and perhaps your local online fish club. Bill in Va.

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12 Tanks, 900 gallons. Discus/Angels/Malawi/Lake Victorias. Just added a 135 & 2 - 29's..