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.
Water care
How to cycle a freshwater aquarium
What cycling actually means, how to test it, and why rushing it costs fish.
Read the guide →Shrimp
Neocaridina shrimp care
Tank maturity, stable parameters, molt safety, and the little details that matter.
Read the guide →Aquascaping
Your first planted tank
A realistic plan for plants, substrate, light, filtration, and maintenance.
Read the guide →Fish care
Beginner freshwater fish
Thoughtful choices for a community tank—not a list of random "easy" fish.
Read the guide →Troubleshooting
Understanding aquarium algae
Diagnose the cause before buying a quick fix or adding a cleanup crew.
Read the guide →Stocking
Freshwater fish compatibility
Temperament, water needs, adult size, and territory—all in one decision.
Read the guide →Why 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.
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.