crowd-sourced aquarium research study?

[JackEmerson]

One of the major hurdles in scientific research is finding funding and time for large scale longitudinal studies. This is true for all fields but seems to be particularly true for aquarium research. As an example, most nutritional studies only study results over a few months.

But in this forum, we have 100's (?) of folks who likely have a spare 10 gallon sitting around. Could these empty underused tanks be repurposed for a study that is important to the hobby? My guess is the answer is YES!

I am not knowledgeable enough about fish to even formulate a relevant research question. But, for most of my adult life I have worked in academia managing scientific research projects. My current field of study has nothing to do with fish.

The steps are the following:

1. Come up with a good research question that has not been sufficiently studied in the literature.
2. Come up with a research protocol: what is the control? How do we maintain consistency among the tanks of various participants.
3. Recruit participants. Ideally participants would be "blind" and unaware of the actual research question/protocol.
4. Analyse data. Any statisticians in the group?
5. publish data.

I know the above is not a likely scenario, but I thought it could at least generate some good conversation, and maybe something good might actually happen. Cheers!

 

[gaxoo3]

That's a fascinating idea you've presented! Repurposing underused aquarium tanks for small-scale research studies within the hobby community is indeed a possibility worth exploring. With a diverse and knowledgeable community like this forum, it's possible to collectively contribute to scientific knowledge in the field of aquariums.

To start off, it would be essential to brainstorm research questions that address gaps in existing literature. These questions could focus on various aspects such as water chemistry, fish behavior, breeding techniques, or the impact of specific tank setups on different species. Collaborating with experts or researchers in the field can help refine the research protocol and ensure the validity of the study.

Recruiting participants who are willing to contribute their tanks for the research project would be crucial. Maintaining consistency in tank conditions and treatments among participants would require clear guidelines and communication. Having blind participants, as you suggested, could help minimize bias in observations and data collection.

Analyzing the data obtained from multiple tanks would indeed benefit from the involvement of statisticians or data analysts within the community. They can help interpret the results and draw meaningful conclusions from the collective data.

Finally, sharing the findings through publications, online forums, or even specialized aquarium publications would help disseminate the knowledge gained from these community-driven research efforts.

Overall, your suggestion opens up exciting possibilities for collaborative research within the aquarium hobbyist community. It's a great way to engage enthusiasts, contribute to scientific understanding, and foster meaningful conversations. Cheers to the potential for something positive to come out of this!

 

[scones7]

You're not the first to suggest mobilizing the aquarium hobbyists in a crowd-sourced effort, but the sticking point is that for a lot of hobbyists, freedom and control of their systems are the very things that motivate their efforts in the first place. And scientific or rigorous studies must have some uniform controls to ensure accurate and consistent results. So there is a natural conflict between hobbyist "tinkering" and any systematic efforts to collect and publish findings.

Plus there is the "works on my machine" problem - hobbyist infighting about one-time results that may or may not be universal or reproducible. Some fish breeders swear by certain methods other dismiss out of hand. These kinds of informal knowledge transfers can lower respectability and trust in the larger community.

There are lots of collected hobbyist data in fishkeeping magazines, forums like this one, database sites, youtube channels. But it is decentralized and sporadic and likely to always remain that way.

 

[jjohnwm]

I am a big admirer of the so-called "citizen science" approach to data collection...but it usually seems that the established scientific community is not! The admittedly few times throughout my life when I have approached "legitimate" researchers with questions, or...worse yet!...offers of data that might be of help with their research, I have been met with the same attitude that is often seen when a layman tries to discuss car repairs with licensed mechanics: they smile, nod thoughtfully, and then completely ignore anything that a lowly non-professional might have to say and go about their business as usual.

And that's when we are simply talking about observations of animals in a natural environment. Add in the problems associated with comparing critters being kept in dozens or hundreds of different settings, by different people, in different water parameters/temperatures, probably obtained from different sources, being fed different foods, with different filtration and lighting and...well, you get the idea.

While this should be a project that could contribute to our knowledge base, I think that the reality of human nature...i.e. a preponderance of academics who jealously guard their areas of study from the unwashed masses of mere mortals without degrees who dabble in the water...will prevent it from ever being seriously utilized.

Cynic mode disengaged...

 

[Backfromthedead]

We do this a bit, unofficially, already on this site. Im not pretentious enough to call our research and experience scientifically empirical, but there are plenty of keepers here who not only have academic backgrounds with fish but are passionate about learning, finding the truth, and most importantly, keeping the fish.

What we do have here is content. I think the first step is organizing and collating the decades of data that we already have here. This could be difficult though because quite frequently good info can be mixed up in threads with lots of arguing, derailing, or just plain old tomfoolery. The dubious search function we have makes it no easier either.