FishBase

FishBase answers questions that aquarium care sheets often skip: what a fish is, where it occurs, how names have changed and what its natural ecology looks like. More than 36,700 species link to taxonomy, common names, morphology, distribution, habitat, diet, life history, pictures and references. Searches work from scientific or vernacular names, and identification tools can filter by family, territory or body traits. A consortium of research institutions guides the database, while the nonprofit Q-quatics hosts it and publishes current coverage statistics.

It was not designed as a step-by-step aquarium husbandry manual. Maximum size or environmental records may describe wild populations and should not be converted directly into a minimum tank or exact target parameter. Lists can be incomplete, images carry separate rights, and the database itself warns that errors remain possible. FishBase is excellent for resolving identity, checking provenance and reaching the literature behind a species. Pair that scientific context with a reputable captive-care source before making stocking or treatment decisions.