A Simple Weekly Aquarium Maintenance Routine That Keeps Fish Healthy
Build an easy weekly maintenance habit covering water changes, glass, filter care, and testing to keep any aquarium thriving.
Diego Santos
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Every guide we've published, newest first. 32 in-depth articles on freshwater tanks, planted aquascaping, saltwater and reef, and fish care and health.
Diego Santos
Reef Lighting Guide: How to Choose LEDs for Coral Growth
Compare reef LED options and learn about PAR, spectrum, and coverage so your corals get the light they need to color up and grow.
Mei Lin
Building a Low-Maintenance Walstad-Style Planted Tank
Set up a soil-based, self-sustaining Walstad aquarium that runs with minimal filtration, no CO2, and very few water changes.
Diego Santos
Keeping Shrimp and Fish Together: A Freshwater Compatibility Guide
Which fish can safely share a tank with cherry and Amano shrimp? A practical guide to stocking invertebrates without them becoming snacks.
Hannah Brooks
Why Water Changes Matter and How to Do Them Correctly
An explainer on what water changes actually remove, how much to change, and how to match temperature and dechlorinate safely.
Mei Lin
Feeding Your Fish Right: How Much, How Often, and What to Avoid
A guide to portioning, variety, and schedules that prevents overfeeding, the number-one cause of poor water quality in home tanks.
Hannah Brooks
Battling Algae in Planted Tanks: Causes, Types, and Real Solutions
Identify common algae types, understand what triggers them, and rebalance light, nutrients, and CO2 to win the fight for good.
Diego Santos
Protein Skimmers Explained: Do You Really Need One
How protein skimmers remove dissolved waste, when they matter most, and how to choose and tune one for your reef aquarium.
Mei Lin
Ten Hardy Freshwater Fish That Forgive Beginner Mistakes
A list of ten resilient freshwater species that tolerate parameter swings and rookie errors while you build your fishkeeping skills.
Hannah Brooks
Recognizing and Treating Ich: The Most Common Aquarium Disease
Learn to spot the white-spot parasite early and treat ich effectively with heat, medication, and the right tank management.
Hannah Brooks
Dosing Fertilizers for Planted Tanks: The Estimative Index Made Simple
Demystify plant nutrients and the Estimative Index dosing method so you can fix deficiencies and grow healthier aquarium plants.
Diego Santos
Clownfish Care: Everything to Know Before Hosting a Pair
A species profile on clownfish covering tank size, pairing behavior, anemone myths, and why they are the perfect first marine fish.
Mei Lin
Corydoras Catfish: A Species Profile for the Perfect Bottom Cleanup Crew
Meet the corydoras catfish, a peaceful, social bottom-dweller. Learn ideal group size, substrate needs, and feeding for healthy cories.
Hannah Brooks
How to Create a Lush Carpet of Foreground Plants
Master carpeting plants like dwarf hairgrass and Monte Carlo with the light, CO2, and planting technique needed for full coverage.
Diego Santos
Choosing the Right Filter: Sponge, Hang-On-Back, or Canister
Compare sponge, hang-on-back, and canister filters by tank size, cost, and maintenance to find the best fit for your aquarium.
Hannah Brooks
Understanding Reef Parameters: Alkalinity, Calcium, and Magnesium
An explainer on the big three reef chemistry parameters, how they interact, and how to keep them stable for healthy coral growth.
Mei Lin
Choosing Hardscape: How to Use Driftwood and Rock in Aquascaping
An explainer on selecting and arranging driftwood and stone to create depth, structure, and a natural focal point in your aquascape.
Diego Santos
Why Your New Tank Water Turns Cloudy and How to Fix It
Cloudy water in a new aquarium is usually a bacterial bloom, not a crisis. Learn the real causes and the patient fixes that work.
Hannah Brooks
How to Quarantine New Fish and Avoid Wiping Out Your Tank
A practical quarantine protocol for new arrivals that prevents ich, velvet, and other diseases from devastating your display tank.
Mei Lin
Guppies, Platies, and Mollies: A Buying Guide to Beginner Livebearers
Compare the three most popular livebearers on hardiness, breeding, and care so you can pick the right starter fish for your tank.
Hannah Brooks
The Best Beginner Corals for Your First Reef Tank
A buying guide to hardy, forgiving corals like zoanthids, mushrooms, and leathers that thrive while you learn reef husbandry.
Mei Lin
The Best Low-Light Aquarium Plants for Beginners
A buying guide to forgiving low-light plants like anubias, java fern, and cryptocoryne that thrive without CO2 or high-end lighting.
Diego Santos
Betta Fish Care: Debunking the Myths About Bowls and Tank Size
Everything new keepers get wrong about bettas, from bowl living to heating, plus what a healthy betta setup actually requires.
Hannah Brooks
A Beginner's Guide to Injecting CO2 in a Planted Aquarium
Learn how pressurized CO2 works, what gear you need, and how to dial in a safe, effective dose for lush plant growth.
Diego Santos
Understanding Water Chemistry: pH, GH, and KH Explained for Beginners
A plain-language explainer of pH, general hardness, and carbonate hardness so you can match fish to your tap water with confidence.
Hannah Brooks
How to Mix Saltwater and Nail Your Salinity Every Time
A step-by-step guide to mixing reef salt, measuring salinity with a refractometer, and keeping specific gravity rock steady.
Mei Lin
Low-Tech vs. High-Tech Planted Tanks: Which Approach Fits You
Compare low-tech and high-tech planted setups on cost, maintenance, and plant options to decide which style suits your goals.
Diego Santos
How to Stock a Community Tank Without Overcrowding or Aggression
Learn how to combine peaceful freshwater species, plan bioload, and avoid aggression when stocking a thriving community aquarium.
Hannah Brooks
So You Want a Reef Tank: An Honest Guide to Getting Started
A realistic look at the cost, time, and patience a reef tank demands, plus the core equipment and first steps for new reefers.
Mei Lin
How to Aquascape a Nature-Style Planted Tank From Scratch
Plan and build a nature-style aquascape step by step, from hardscape composition to plant placement, using proven design principles.
Diego Santos
The Complete Beginner's Guide to Setting Up Your First Freshwater Aquarium
A step-by-step walkthrough for setting up your first freshwater aquarium, from choosing a tank size to adding your first fish safely.
Hannah Brooks
The Nitrogen Cycle Explained: The Foundation of Every Healthy Tank
Understand ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate and learn how to cycle a new aquarium so your fish never face toxic water.
Hannah Brooks