My Tank Manager

[sdchilderley]

Looking good mate... nice start - good luck with the rest im sure you'll do a great job with it.

Yh since i started the fish tank hobby a few months ago i lost intrest in programming or designing for that matter its only the other day ive come back to start it again but this time for a real purpose

Im hoping once this is finished the enthusiasm will come back

Thanks
Shaun

 

[TropicalLad21]

I have a real interest in programming but its alot of hard work and im not that good with it... so i've in the end give up with it. But one day i will come back to it as it really interests me, its just one of those things that's alot of hard work & hard to learn.

So i've turned to fish-keeping as a hobby as it really interests me

Mind... My gf's always moanin i have a new hobby - but i get bored easy... Lol.

Anyway good luck with the rest of this project... looking forward to the end result.

 

[sdchilderley]

I have a real interest in programming but its alot of hard work and im not that good with it... so i've in the end give up with it. But one day i will come back to it as it really interests me, its just one of those things that's alot of hard work & hard to learn.

So i've turned to fish-keeping as a hobby as it really interests me

Mind... My gf's always moanin i have a new hobby - but i get bored easy... Lol.

Anyway good luck with the rest of this project... looking forward to the end result.

Yh programming is a little difficult but anyone can learn it and i think from time to time you have to find a new hobby.

 

[alexinoz]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but given the URL www.fishtankmanager.com doesn't seem to be online I thought I'd give something I've been working on a bit of a plug, as it could assist with your request ctsv.

I've built an aquarium management application which can be found here:

http/aquarium-manager.herokuapp.com

I originally put it together to help with the cycling of my own fish tank, however after a number of positive comments from friends decided to give it away to the broader internet..

Some highlights / notable items:
* completely web based, so no software to install
* accessible via mobile devices (handy for saving test results, and when seeking advice from others)
* allows you to easily capture data for trend analysis of the health of your aquarium
* expense module - so you can keep track of what you're buying, from where, and how frequently
* fish tank module - to keep track of your aquariums and the fish inside them

I'm just testing the "public view", and shortly you will be able to conveniently link to your tank/tests for advice on forums, or just browse at what other types of fish people are keeping, and in what sort of tanks.

I'm very pleased with the amount of people who have joined and are using it to manage their tanks so far, so feel free to start using it yourself if you think it sounds interesting. Of course I'd welcome any suggestions or comments you have.

Thanks, Alex

I think it would be useful to have a tool to be able to log information on a timeline, to start with the tank cycle and continue on with the ongoing maintenance and fish growth, etc. If you could plug in a date and time and attached current water parameters, light timing, water change information, fish size/growth, filter media changing, feeding amounts, decor changes, etc, it would be nice to use this information to build timelines and/or graphs of patterns and trends of the rise or fall of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, disease, or whatever else is going on in your tank.

If you end up with a problem at some point you could go back to the data and run some sort of report or graph that lets you visualize the information and see, like for example, when you started feeding your fish tubifex worms your nitrates starting rising faster, or certain fish grew more or less according to diet changes. You should have the option to display other data points on this graph that let you check for other trends such as less water changes leading to illness or more water changes leading to healthier growth, etc, etc, etc.

For example, maybe at some point your water starts getting cloudy, so you go back and run a report on your data that may have effected this, such as increased light time, or a new decoration added to the tank, or feeding a new type of food.

If you even went as far as to log information for specific fish in your tank, you could go even further with analyzing your data. The more data you provide to the program, the more data points, more accuracy, and more trend comparision and cross referencing could be done.

The next step, is based on the results of your data, the program recommends possible solutions to any problem you may be having based on your individual and personal data, not just what is typical of the average aquarium keeper.

I hope you have a lot of free time!

 

[andyg81]

alright more time to spend in front the pc lol

like the idea, definatly interested if you could do it as an app for iphone rather than a pc ? i dont tend to put my computer on at home and use my phone for everything

 

[Flubberlump]

Sounds like a great idea to me. Another thing that might be a good idea is some sort of notes section. That way you could jot down names of fish, plants, equipment etc. that you see when you're out and about, and then come back to it later when you have time to research it. I know some people use notepads, draft texts on their phone etc., but this way everything would be in one place.

I think you already mentioned it, but a dosing calendar would be very useful. Reminders for adding meds, ferts, changing co2 and so on, as well as the water testing calendar you mentioned.

A food diary would be good too. Again, I think it's been mentioned, but it'd be handy to see a diary of what you fed your fish and when, and in what quantities, in a nice easy to read layout. How useful things like this are also depends on the format, layout and usability, but I'm sure that being a fish keeper yourself you'll know what'll work.

Great domain name too, very easy to remember. Keep up the good work

Sorry, edit for stupidly annoying predictive text error

 

[alexinoz]

alright more time to spend in front the pc lol

like the idea, definatly interested if you could do it as an app for iphone rather than a pc ? i dont tend to put my computer on at home and use my phone for everything

Thanks for your feedback AndyG.

Agree completely, my computer is not near my fish tank for both aesthetic reasons (fish tank in lounge room, computer in study), and practical reasons (I don't like water near computers)!

I've tested the experience on iPhone, Android and iPad, and I myself enter test results on my iPhone and generally browse the site with my iPad. Having the web pages mobile friendly is very important to me (I initially built this application for me after all), and although it displays well already on mobile devices, I'll continue to improve this experience further.

Hope that helps

 

[alexinoz]

Sounds like a great idea to me. Another thing that might be a good idea is some sort of notes section. That way you could jot down names of fish, plants, equipment etc. that you see when you're out and about, and then come back to it later when you have time to research it. I know some people use notepads, draft texts on their phone etc., but this way everything would be in one place.

I think you already mentioned it, but a dosing calendar would be very useful. Reminders for adding meds, ferts, changing co2 and so on, as well as the water testing calendar you mentioned.

A food diary would be good too. Again, I think it's been mentioned, but it'd be handy to see a diary of what you fed your fish and when, and in what quantities, in a nice easy to read layout. How useful things like this are also depends on the format, layout and usability, but I'm sure that being a fish keeper yourself you'll know what'll work.

Great domain name too, very easy to remember. Keep up the good work

Sorry, edit for stupidly annoying predictive text error

Great suggestions!

I'll look at building a "shortlist" section into it to help with researching fish (etc) later, that's an area I struggled a bit with and I'll think about how it could work. I ended setting up a big table of types of fish I was interested in, then ordered it by temperature to get a feel for suitabilities (I already knew I was looking for small, community fish so didn't need to worry so much about mixing types - eg big cichlids vs soft water species). It could easily be extended to accommodate compatability & sizing to ensure the tank mates get along though.

Regarding the food diary and dosing calendar, it's a bit trickier to build but is definitely moving close to the top of my list of priorities.

 

[TomShootsPhoto]

Hi I am a programmer, I specialize in HTML and c++ so if you want I can help you!
PM me! (I have programmed websites for companies and written programs and OS (for example I cooperated at ubuntu and debugged Android a number of times))

Have you thought of maybe expanding it more, and adding fish with their own needs. (For example like min tank size, temp, mates)
So if a new member (or anyone) adds a tank or wants to buy new fish, he could search for the fish he/she likes and check if it's compatible with his/her tank and stocking.

For example:
[User has a 4FT tank with 3 angelfish and wants some colorful and active fish]
The search bar will throw out the results and the user decides they want a clown loach. He/She could check if the loaches are compatible with tank, (click of a button etc) and it will bring out: The clown loaches need to be in a group of six, and such ammount wouldn't fit your tank. (etc)

I couldn't explain it fully, PM me. I hope you get the general idea tough!
/Tom

 

[alexinoz]

Hey Tom, thanks heaps for your offer.

A large part of what you suggested is exactly what I'm trying to get to. For me a large part of the fun in keeping fish is spending time thinking about "what ifs" for new tanks or adding to what I already have. The "fish finder" will be very helpful. I do need to think about putting a list together though of species, photos and their preferences, and that is a fair amount of work.

In terms of your offer, I really appreciate it. Having someone who "gets" aquatics is pretty important, it is not just about finding someone who can program. I'm ok for now but will definitely call on you if I am in need of a helping hand.

Hi I am a programmer, I specialize in HTML and c++ so if you want I can help you!
PM me! (I have programmed websites for companies and written programs and OS (for example I cooperated at ubuntu and debugged Android a number of times))

Have you thought of maybe expanding it more, and adding fish with their own needs. (For example like min tank size, temp, mates)
So if a new member (or anyone) adds a tank or wants to buy new fish, he could search for the fish he/she likes and check if it's compatible with his/her tank and stocking.

For example:
[User has a 4FT tank with 3 angelfish and wants some colorful and active fish]
The search bar will throw out the results and the user decides they want a clown loach. He/She could check if the loaches are compatible with tank, (click of a button etc) and it will bring out: The clown loaches need to be in a group of six, and such ammount wouldn't fit your tank. (etc)

I couldn't explain it fully, PM me. I hope you get the general idea tough!
/Tom

 

[TomShootsPhoto]

Great! Just PM me when you need help.

 

[Jayladd]

Yehh an app would be awesome!

 

[alexinoz]

No worries, I'll add it to the list.
In the meantime, you can make an icon on your iphone (if that's what you are using) which links directly to aquarium manager. From safari just click on the "send to" button (centre bottom of screen) and select "add to home screen".
Makes it a bit more convenient to load!

Yehh an app would be awesome!

 

[pablothebetta]

Site looks promising! One suggestion though. Some people may not have facebook/gmail/yahoo/aol etc which you need to sign up (or may not wish to use their accounts for such purposes), so perhaps a more 'standard' account login would be a good idea to add

I have a feeling this could do well once its all done, though - aqad###or.com had to start somewhere and, while often inaccurate, it certainly seems rather popular!

What about getting some aquatics companies (eg PFK, Aquaessentials, the green machine, etc) to advertise on the site when and make some money out of it? If it proves popular, it could make a decent income for a website

 

[alexinoz]

Site looks promising! One suggestion though. Some people may not have facebook/gmail/yahoo/aol etc which you need to sign up (or may not wish to use their accounts for such purposes), so perhaps a more 'standard' account login would be a good idea to add

I have a feeling this could do well once its all done, though - aqad###or.com had to start somewhere and, while often inaccurate, it certainly seems rather popular!

What about getting some aquatics companies (eg PFK, Aquaessentials, the green machine, etc) to advertise on the site when and make some money out of it? If it proves popular, it could make a decent income for a website

Thanks Pablo!

Right now the hosting is free so I'm not too fussed about raising money from advertising. I'd prefer to build an awesome app that people love - I have a day job so the money (while welcome) is not really my objective. It's a fun project for me to extend my programming skills on.

I have thought about the multi-account option. I have tried to cover about 99% of users with the options available, and as I've mentioned on another forum it is actually more secure for users to not set up another account. I personally cannot stand trying to remember what my username is (is it my personal email, my work email, my nickname, or my first name etc)... and forget trying to remember so many password variations that I need to comply to on various sites.

I am so glad you like it though - thanks for your feedback. The amount of registered members is racing up so it seems a service like this has been badly missed in the hobby!