KILLI-DATA ONLINE - hobbyists' issues

Is this website for standard aquarists ?	Yes, definitely. However, Killi-Data contents are designed for serious aquarists whoever they are, beginners, experienced, advanced or experts. Those who are curious to learn, to understand, to do better, to share knowledge and experience.
What happens to my e-mail address which is required to enter the Guest section ?	Nothing special. Killi-Data respects your privacy and is a non-profit venture. Your e-mail address will neither be given, nor sold to any third party. It may be used by the author, and only him, to send you information about major changes in this website. But your mail box will not be filled up : it may not occur more than once a year ! Typing your e-mail is just presenting yourself with courtesy.
Do you include a spyware when my e-mail is typed and I enter the "guest" section and why don't you put the contents of the website before that barrier ?	Be cool ! There is no spyware linked with Killi-Data online. Contents of the website with direct links to the selected pages are in the first table where you land after having typed your e-mail : just click on the links of the header bar or on SITEMAP. If you are afraid of what could happen to your e-mail address and want to surf anonymously, well nobody is going to be upset : just type test@test.com instead of your actual address.
I do not understand English, what can I do?	Well you do not need to learn the language. Before entering the "Guest" section, you will see (the flags !) a link with Google's automatic translator into 5 languages. This will help you for the whole "Guest" section. The translation is only a working translation, but quite OK for your purpose. Anyway, English stays the official language of Killi-Data online : please refer to English text when quoting Killi-Data.
This Google automatic translation makes strange things (it reverses names !). What can you do to improve this and how can I get the Data Base translated ?	You are right, Google automatic translation is not perfect. Notably, it changes names from "Aphyosemion abacinum" to "abacinum of Aphyosemion" ! But still it is very useful for aquarists who do not understand English (and there are many). Nothing can be done to improve that Google tool. It is indeed amazingly good, apart from these few strange things and actually better than nothing : imagine what life of men could have been before the invention of wheel ! On the other hand, the Data Base cannot be translated, sorry : the programmes which produce the pages on your screen are very different from a standard web editing software and Google does not recognise them.
What shall I do if I really want to receive news about my fishes from the website ?	You have to freely enrol to the mailing list and then you'll receive Killiflash notifications when they are online, notably the names of the new species (then fill in the form MAILING) and also the Newsletters in full. Alternatively, you may regularly visit the same web-pages, named KILLIFLASH, INFOWEB and NEW, in the (free) Guest section of the website when they are available online (delayed by 6 to 12 months for the Killiflash). To get more, i.e. to directly receive Killiflash by e-mail in your mailbox without delay, requires to fill the REGISTRATION form and become a member (with, in addition, the access to the Data Base).
Can I buy or exchange fish in your website ?	Not at all. Killi-Data is a platform of knowledge on your beloved fishes and a cooperative community so that this knowledge is "state of the art" (a committee of scientific advisors, gathering many of the world's most renown experts helps in this context). To buy fish, notably rare, requires to become a member of a Killifish Association : in Killi-Data all of them are listed in LINKS and also the websites of dedicated groups or enthusiastic hobbyists who may help you in obtaining the specific fish you want.
Can I read breeding information for standard aquarists in this website ?	Yes, of course. For each valid species, are given key data such as the ideal aquarium set-up, biotope, preferred niche, behaviour, type of breeding, breeding substrate and position, egg diameter, incubation lag (standard period in weeks for eggs to develop, dry or wet), first food, time to sexual differentiation and to maturity, life span expectation, and specific tips to succeed, etc. This information is uniquely found in Killi-Data with such an extensive mode (almost all species are dealt with). However, this is in the Data Base (for registered users) and this requires registration and membership.
Can I have a look at photos, too?	Yes, of course. Killi-Data is the richest website for color pictures of males and also females of most valid Killifish species (actually 95% of the 770+ species or about 2150 photos in total), all of top quality and taken by world renown photographers. This is unique, because all Killifish are covered, not only Aphyosemion or Simpsonichthys in full, but also rarer genera like Orestias, North American species, Aphanius and Lampeyes. But this is located in the Data Base. There are practically no photo in the Guest section of the website.
What then can I get right away if I don't want to become a registered user (member) yet?	The Guest section which you can freely enter, with your e-mail only, offers a huge amount of information (and in 6 languages !). Some people even get lost with all the available stuff : if you feel dizzy, then follow the GUIDELINES corresponding to your profile or have a look at the SITEMAP (web-pages links are in block letters) or use the SEARCH ENGINE.
If the Guest section does not hold breeding information, what is there of interest for me ?	Many, many things if you are a serious hobbyist who wants to know more about your fishes. Notably, there are 2 listings that are very important to your hobby, even if you are a beginner : a current list of valid species names and their aquarium populations, a current list of today accepted valid species names, in comparison with their equivalents in the 2 hobbyists' basic books (Wildekamp's "World of Killies" and Seegers's "Killi-Aqualogs"). And these listings are continuously updated.
I have been told that membership is costly, can I escape to pay the fee as a "pure" killifish hobbyist ?	Well, Killi-Data is a non profit venture : all incurred profits are redistributed, mainly to young researchers and to new collector aquarists (maybe yourself in the future). The fee is very modest : 15 Euros for 2 years of connection (you may even go into a one-month' trial for only 2 Euros, only with Paypal). The fee exists so that only motivated candidates register to become part of a cooperative community to increase knowledge on Killifish (the author alone is unable to achieve this task !). But, you may easily escape from paying the fee : if you have purchased the Killi-Data book, then you are entitled of 3 months' free connection. After (or during) the first 2 years or 3 months' periods, it will be easy for you to extend your connection period for free by contributing to the Data Base (some aquarists already gained 5 years' bonuses!) or by helping researchers. If you are a pure aquarist, not scientifically minded, it is also easy for you to contribute : just sacrifice one or few specimens of an aquarium population for a researcher (for example, for DNA research, only 1 live specimen placed in 70% ethyl-alcohol is enough and this will not ruin your strain). Each contribution is granted at least 3 months' free connection and even beginners can succeed in this, if they are pro-active, serious and curious...
How else can I contribute ? Do I have to contribute while I am a good old friend of the author of this website ?	Apart from sending material to researchers (from any country, amateur or professional !), there are many ways to contribute and grasp the spirit of cooperation : send a top quality picture of your preferred fish to be included in the data base, win the game (in the first page of the "guest" section), provide with missing data (notably the first breeder, the egg diameter, the maximum life expectancy of many species is unknown), write an original article for your killifish association magazine (not a mere breeding report), undertake a crossing experiment, donate tax-deductible money to an institution, etc. Even the author's "good old friends" do contribute (or else they have no access to the data base, while they remain friends !) because they do not contribute for the author's benefits, but to the knowledge enhancement for everybody.
How can you charge for a hobby, while everything is free on the Internet ?	You are right : it is your hobby and your personal decision. If you are brand new to these fishes, it is best that you first become a member of a Killifish Association (you will have to pay yearly fees of at least 20 Euros or US$). Then, you will soon come and visit Killi-Data, and the fee will then appear very modest to you, compared to the global costs of your hobby. For example, if you buy a rare pair of fish that you want at an auction, then you'll have to give up between 50 to 150 Euros or US$ ! By the way, who told you that everything was free on the Internet ? Your PC shop? Microsoft for their latest Windows software ? Your telephone company for your Internet connection ? Your provider of Internet services ? Amazon.com or your online shop for books ? Do you imagine that the publication of Killi-Data on the Internet is obtained for free (actually it did initially cost 900 Euros or US$ to the author)? One item, though, is free in Killi-Data : this is all the work that has to be done by the author and by all members who participate in the cooperative community to build up our knowledge and for your own benefit !
Can I pay with my credit card or with an online paying system, such as Pay Pal ?	I am afraid not, for the credit card. In the future maybe, but in legal terms it is actually impossible to pay French citizens using such systems (the author is not holding a Company for this ; he acts as a private person and redistributes all profits to young researchers, to new aquarists-collectors and to photographers of the Data Base). With Pay Pal, the situation is different : it is possible that you use this system to pay the fees ... just follow the guidelines after having filled the REGISTRATION form.
How do I know the contents of the Data Base before registration and membership ? May I get information if I need only aquarium help for one species ?	Yes of course : this website is not a money-focused venture. To know the contents of the Data Base, enter the "Guest" section of the website (freely with your e-mail), then click on the link SAMPLE and you'll see the example of one species (Aphyosemion chauchei). All Killifish names (species, genera) are dealt with in the same way in the Data Base (around 1300 in total). Should you wish to read a specific file for a specific help, then just drop us an e-mail (click below on the logo) stating the species name and your agreement on copyrights rules... and we'll send it to you with courtesy (and pleasure!).

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Hobbyists' ISSUES