How AquaDepth reaches a conclusion
Editorial and compatibility methodology
A transparent framework for taxonomy, care ranges, conflicting evidence, compatibility and review.
One structured source of truth
Care profiles, filters, compatibility checks and internal links are generated from the same version-controlled records. This reduces the risk that a species is described one way in search and another way in the builder.
A conservative source hierarchy
Taxonomic databases, government and university resources lead. Peer-reviewed and established specialist sources support care fields. Retailer and community material is supplementary, never the only basis for a welfare-critical claim.
Ranges preserve disagreement
When credible sources differ, AquaDepth records the disagreement and uses the more conservative overlapping range for planning. Unknown data remains unknown; it is not filled with a confident guess.
Compatibility is a set of checks
Hard constraints include salinity, non-overlapping water, adult predation and inadequate footprint. Soft constraints include fin-nipping, shared territory, feeding competition and insufficient cover. Explicit sourced observations can refine, but not hide, the general rules.
Review status is visible
Every live profile shows a confidence level, source links and a review date. The current dataset review date is 2026-07-31. Corrections enter a review queue and never directly change published care data.