Freshwater aquarium help for real-world tanks

Freshwater aquarium advice from Pete’s real tanks, research, and practical tools.

I built Pete’s Aquatics to help freshwater keepers make better decisions before a tank turns into a guessing game: cycle first, test water, stock carefully, and choose gear that fits the animals instead of chasing every product claim.

Who I help

Practical help for freshwater keepers who want stable tanks.

This site is for people who want direct aquarium advice without pretending every tank problem has one magic product fix. I focus on the decisions that keep fish, shrimp, and plants healthy over time.

Beginner freshwater keepers First-tank setup, cycling, water testing, stocking, filters, heaters, maintenance, and the common mistakes that cause early losses.

Shrimp keepers Neocaridina and Caridina stability, molting issues, TDS, GH/KH awareness, planted cover, gentle filtration, and colony troubleshooting.

Planted nano tank owners Low-stress planted setups, lighting balance, algae control, water changes, livestock fit, and simple gear choices for smaller tanks.

Fish and shrimp health troubleshooting Diagnosis-first guides that start with water quality, oxygen, stress, quarantine, and symptoms before jumping to medication or additives.

My experience

What I bring to the site.

I have been keeping freshwater aquariums and breeding shrimp for over a decade. Pete’s Aquatics grew out of real freshwater aquarium hobby work: maintaining tanks, learning from mistakes, raising shrimp, comparing equipment, and turning recurring questions into clearer guides.

I work from freshwater tanks, planted setups, shrimp colonies, and routine maintenance problems rather than broad saltwater or reef advice.
I pay close attention to water testing, filtration, stocking pressure, feeding, water changes, and stability because those decide whether most tanks succeed.
When I personally use, inspect, or test a product, the review should say so and give context. When a recommendation is researched instead of hands-on, it should be labeled that way.
I use tools like the TDS Calculator and Aquarium Equipment Finder to turn aquarium decisions into steps readers can actually use.

What Pete’s Aquatics is

A freshwater aquarium education resource built around practical tank decisions.

Pete’s Aquatics is a freshwater aquarium education resource focused on practical care guides, shrimp keeping, fish health troubleshooting, planted tanks, decision tools, and honest equipment research. The goal is to help readers keep better tanks and make smarter choices before buying products, changing water, adding livestock, or treating a problem.

Care guides Freshwater shrimp, fish health, planted tanks, cycling, filtration, water parameters, stocking, and maintenance routines.

Decision tools Calculators and finders that help readers match water, tank size, livestock, and equipment before buying or changing the tank.

Equipment reviews Reviews explain who a product fits, who should skip it, and whether the recommendation comes from hands-on use or research.

What this site is not

Trust matters more than sounding certain.

This is not veterinary advice. Serious illness, mass losses, or unusual symptoms may need a qualified aquatic veterinarian or local expert.
This is not a place for hidden sponsorships. Affiliate links and paid relationships should be disclosed before purchase links.
This is not fake testing. I do not want a review to imply hands-on use unless the page supports that claim with notes, context, photos, or a clear testing label.
This is not a reef or marine-equipment site. The focus is freshwater aquariums, shrimp, fish, plants, and practical gear for those systems.

Next steps

Read the standards behind the advice.

Use these pages if you want to know how product recommendations, affiliate links, testing labels, and direct questions are handled.

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Last updated October 17, 2026