Hi, I’m Saykat — the person behind AquariumScope
I didn’t start out as an expert. I started out like most people do: with one small tank, a confused betta fish, and way too many conflicting answers from Google.
That was a few years ago. Today I run five active tanks at home — a mix of planted community setups, a dedicated betta tank, and a couple of species-specific tanks I use for testing water parameters, filtration setups, and treatment methods before I ever write about them. If I recommend something on this site, there’s a decent chance it’s sitting in my fish room right now.
Why I built this site
When I got into the hobby, I noticed something frustrating: most of the “advice” online was either copy-pasted from the same five sources, written by people who clearly didn’t own a tank, or buried in 40-minute YouTube videos when I just needed a straight answer.
At the same time, some of the best information I found wasn’t on polished blogs at all — it was scattered across forums and Reddit threads, from people who’d actually dealt with fin rot, cloudy water, or a stubborn ammonia spike at 11pm on a Tuesday.
AquariumScope exists to close that gap: real, tested, straightforward information — written by someone who actually keeps fish, not someone paid to sound like they do.
What I actually do with my tanks
- Run and monitor water parameters across multiple tank types (planted, community, species-only)
- Test product recommendations — filters, heaters, water conditioners — in my own setups before suggesting them
- Keep and observe betta fish specifically, including water conditioning and tank prep
- Follow and cross-check disease treatment protocols against what’s actually worked in my own tanks
- Read (probably too many) fishkeeping forums to see what real hobbyists are struggling with
What you’ll find here
AquariumScope is organized around the five things I get asked about most:
- Freshwater Fish Care — species guides, tank mates, feeding, behavior
- Aquarium Water & Tank Setup — cycling, parameters, setup mistakes to avoid
- Aquarium Plants — what actually survives, what looks nice but dies in a week
- Fish Disease & Health — symptoms, causes, and what treatments actually do
- Equipment & Products — gear I’ve used or tested, not just affiliate links I’ve never touched
A quick note on honesty
I’m still learning — anyone who tells you they’ve “mastered” fishkeeping is usually about to lose a tank to something they didn’t see coming. What I can promise is that everything here comes from someone who’s actually done it, is still doing it, and updates this site when I learn something new (including when I get something wrong).
If you’ve got a question I haven’t answered yet, that usually just means I haven’t run into it in my own tanks yet — but I’m working on it.
— Saykat, founder of AquariumScope