Plan your tank
Pick a size, location, filter, heater, and livestock plan that work together.
Freshwater aquarium care, without the guesswork
Build a healthier tank.
Enjoy it more.
Clear, experience-led guides for freshwater fish, shrimp, planted tanks, aquascaping, and the everyday water-care problems that keep aquarium keepers up at night.
New to the hobby?
Start with the fundamentals—not the fish store impulse buy.
A stable aquarium is built before its first fish moves in. Learn the few essentials that prevent the most common early setbacks: cycling, water testing, appropriate stocking, and a maintenance routine you can actually keep.
Cycle with patience
Build the beneficial bacteria your tank needs before adding a full fish load.
Keep it stable
Test the water, feed modestly, and make small consistent maintenance moves.
Find your next answer
Explore freshwater topics
Core reading
Guides we're building first
Practical foundations for beginners and useful refreshers for longtime keepers.
Getting started
Aquarium setup & equipment guide
Tank size, filter GPH, heater wattage, lighting, and the test kit you actually need—plus what to skip.
Read the guideWater care
How to cycle a freshwater aquarium
What cycling actually means, how to test it, and why rushing it costs fish.
Read the guideGetting started
Aquarium filters explained
HOB, canister, sponge, and internal filters compared, GPH sizing, and the right media order.
Read the guideShrimp
Neocaridina shrimp care
Tank maturity, stable parameters, molt safety, and the little details that matter.
Read the guideAquascaping
Your first planted tank
A realistic plan for plants, substrate, light, filtration, and maintenance.
Read the guideFish care
Beginner freshwater fish
Thoughtful choices for a community tank—not a list of random "easy" fish.
Read the guideTroubleshooting
Understanding aquarium algae
Diagnose the cause before buying a quick fix or adding a cleanup crew.
Read the guideTroubleshooting
Why is my aquarium water cloudy?
White, green, brown, or foamy—diagnose by what you're actually looking at before you treat it.
Read the guideStocking
Freshwater fish compatibility
Temperament, water needs, adult size, and territory—all in one decision.
Read the guideFish care
Betta fish care
Past the bowl myth: real tank size, heating, and the fin problems water quality actually causes.
Read the guideWater care
Water parameters explained
pH, GH, KH, and the nitrogen cycle numbers—what each one measures and what to actually test.
Read the guideFish health
Fish disease & quarantine guide
Identify ich, fin rot, columnaris, fungus, velvet, and dropsy, then treat them right—and quarantine before they spread.
Read the guideMaintenance
Aquarium maintenance schedule
A realistic daily, weekly, and monthly routine—plus the maintenance mistakes that backfire.
Read the guideWater care
Aquarium water change guide
How much, how often, the dechlorinating and gravel-vac technique, and how to recover a neglected tank safely.
Read the guideStocking
Goldfish vs. tropical fish
Temperature, bioload, size, and lifespan—the real reasons they can't share a tank.
Read the guideAquascaping
Plant fertilizer guide
Diagnose deficiencies by leaf symptoms, then fix them with the right dosing routine.
Read the guideSan Diego
San Diego tap water and your aquarium
Official city numbers for hardness, pH, and chloramine — and what they mean for your tank.
Read the guideSan Diego
Aquarium and fish stores in San Diego
Who specializes in what, addresses and hours, local clubs, and buying online.
Read the guideSpecies care
Fish, shrimp and plant care guides
Quick care facts for 400+ fish, shrimp, snails and plants: tank size, temperature, pH, temperament and difficulty.
Browse the guidesFor stores
Care label printer
Paste a stock list and print tank labels, take-home care sheets and a counter sign with QR codes.
Open the printerFor stores
Care facts embed for product pages
One snippet adds species care facts to fish, shrimp and plant listings, with a link back to the guide.
See the embedFor service pros
Aquarium service toolkit
Client tanks, water tests, reminders, visit reports and invoices, free in your browser.
Open the toolkitAquascaping
Preparing driftwood and rocks
Curing wood until it sinks, the vinegar test for reactive rock, and safe vs. unsafe materials.
Read the guideAquascaping
Biotope aquariums explained
Real water parameters and hardscape for Amazon blackwater, Congo River, and African Rift Lake tanks—and how to stock one honestly.
Read the guideEquipment
Aquarium lighting guide
LED vs. fluorescent, Kelvin and PAR explained, and a photoperiod that fits your tank instead of feeding algae.
Read the guideWhy Freshwater Guides
Built for keepers who want the real answer.
Freshwater Guides is an educational resource for people keeping freshwater fish, shrimp, plants, and aquascapes. We focus on clear explanations, sensible husbandry, and advice that holds up in a real living-room tank.
Our work is informed by hands-on aquarium retail and keeping experience. When an affiliated aquarium business is directly relevant to a guide, we may link to it transparently. A good answer should still stand on its own.
Looking for a place to buy in San Diego? See our local fish store guide.
Freshwater, made simpler
New guides on the way.
Bookmark this site and check back soon for more practical fish, shrimp, planted-tank, and water-care resources.