How we research, write and check our guides
The standards behind every fish profile, tank setup and water-quality article on Successful Aquarium.
Successful Aquarium publishes care guides for freshwater fish, planted tanks and general aquarium keeping. Fish are living animals, and a wrong temperature, a bad tank mate or an unsafe treatment can cost lives, so accuracy matters more to us than publishing fast. This page explains how our articles are made and how to reach us when something needs fixing.
Who is behind the site
Successful Aquarium was founded by Howard Parker, who has kept aquariums since 2003. You can read his background on the About page. Howard plans the topics, reviews every guide and makes the final call on what we recommend.
How a guide is produced
- Start from a real question. We write around the problems aquarists actually ask about, from cloudy water to which tank mates suit a betta.
- Check the numbers. Temperature ranges, pH and hardness, adult size, minimum tank size and group size are checked against species references and established husbandry sources before publishing.
- Add hands-on experience. We include what tends to go wrong in real tanks, not only what a species profile says.
- Flag the risky steps. Medications, salt treatments and anything that can crash water quality come with clear warnings.
Use of AI tools
We use AI writing tools to help with research summaries, outlines and first drafts. AI does not decide what we recommend. Every article is reviewed, edited and fact-checked before it is published, and we are responsible for everything on the site.
Updates
Care advice changes as the hobby learns more. We revisit older guides and show the date an article was last updated.
Advertising, products and independence
The site is supported by advertising and by our own aquarium masterclasses. Advertisers have no say in what we write. We do not accept payment for positive coverage of any product, fish store or brand.
Corrections
If something in a guide is wrong or out of date, please email [email protected] or use our Contact page with the article link. We review every report and correct confirmed errors quickly.