You may have been complimented from time to time on your aquarium, probably more for sunken treasure chest next to the undersea castle, the model of the old-fashioned deep-sea diver with the brass helmet, and most especially for the pretty pebbles at the bottom of the display. Your friends probably don't even know what type of fish you have inside, and wouldn't know the difference between a tiger barb and a tinfoil barb unless there was a map on the outside of the aquarium.

But no matter. As an aquarist, you more than anyone appreciate the idea of having living creatures swimming around inside your home despite your friends' ignorance, and you do your best to keep your aquatic environment clean for its underwater tenants. You make an effort to understand how the fish need to survive, what they need to be fed, what temperature their water needs to kept at, what fish get along with each other, and what types of environments are best suited for each species you intend to collect.

It's not easy getting all that aquarium data, unless you're a marine biologist, or you have access to the Internet. And if you don't want to spend four years studying in the Great Barrier Reef, you can always visit the Aquatic Community (or ACT Tropical Fish), an online aquatic resource and information website for tropical aquarium fish keepers, fish lovers, and fish enthusiasts.

It could probably be a great resource for your friends who don't know a cherry barb from a cherry sundae.