Editorial policy

FishTankMath is a sourced research and tools site for freshwater aquarium beginners. This page describes exactly how content is sourced and verified so readers can decide for themselves how much weight to put on any given claim.

Researcher framing, not practitioner framing

The author of this site does not maintain a portfolio of personal aquariums. The site doesn't pretend otherwise. Where other aquarium sites lean on phrases like “in my 75-gallon community tank…” or “Aqueon QuietFlows are fine until year 3 in my experience…”, this one explicitly does not. Faking that voice is the most likely failure mode for a non-practitioner site, and we'd rather be honest about the stance.

Instead, the framing on every page is sourced research: “a conservative beginner-safe rule is…”, “most care guides agree on…”, “where hobbyists disagree is…”. When sources conflict, we lean toward the conservative answer. That sometimes means our recommendations are stricter than what an experienced keeper would do — that's intentional for a beginner audience.

Sources we cite

• Calculator math: NIST volume/weight conversion constants. Standard hobby formulas (heater wattage, filter GPH) cross-checked against published manufacturer sizing tables (Aqueon, Fluval, Eheim). Full formulas + assumptions live on the methodology page.
• Species data:FishBase for taxonomy, native distribution, and maximum size where the field is populated. Husbandry values (temperature / pH / GH ranges, lifespan in captivity, schooling minimums, aquarium-care notes) come from established hobby references — Aquarium Co-Op care guides, The Aquarium Wiki, university extension publications — and are labeled FishTankMath / hobby-practice ranges on the species page rather than carried over verbatim from FishBase fields that don't exist or aren't aquarium-care-specific.
• Water-chemistry claims: USGS water-quality references, peer-reviewed aquaculture papers where they exist for the specific claim, otherwise hobby consensus with the uncertainty noted.
• Equipment specs: Manufacturer published spec sheets are the primary source. Independent comparisons cited only where they exist as published-source material.

What we don't do

• No fabricated brand opinions. We don't say “X heater is better than Y” without a cited source or first-party teardown to back it up.
• No “best aquarium filter 2026”-style SEO roundups. Strong-opinion ranking content isn't shipped unless evidence-backed.
• No fake personal anecdotes. No “when I cycled my first tank…” copy.
• No live-fish affiliate programs. The plant- and equipment-side of the hobby is monetized; live animals are not.
• No interstitial ads, no popunders, no pre-content email popups.

Updates and corrections

Pages are dated; check the “Updated” line in the footer of each guide. Material corrections are noted inline (“Updated 2026-XX-XX: previously stated X; revised after finding Y”). If you spot something wrong, email admin@fishtankmath.com.

Affiliate relationships

The site currently ships with zero affiliate links. Equipment guides are live, but affiliate monetization is not active. If it activates later, contextual references to Chewy and Amazon may appear inside sourced editorial — never as the primary framing of a page, never as “best of” listicles. See disclosures for the current state.