About Personal Aquarium
Who's behind it
Behind this website is a person with aquariums
My name is Héctor. I'm a software engineer and I've had my hands in the water for years. I built this site because I couldn't find what I was looking for: profiles that really say what each species needs, and a way to know whether they get along before buying them.
What you can do here
How what you read is written
- Facts are checked. Parameters come from sources such as FishBase or Seriously Fish, and every profile says where its own figures come from. Nothing is made up to fill a gap.
- The animal's welfare comes first. If a species is difficult, the profile says so; if it needs more litres than it is usually sold with, it says that too. Sometimes that means advising against something pretty.
- It's written for every level. No talking down to beginners, and no simplifying so much that it's useless to someone who has kept fish for years.
- Sponsored content is labelled. Some profiles include recommended products that pay a commission, and this is flagged wherever they appear. That income keeps the site running; it doesn't change what gets recommended.
- Mistakes get fixed. A person writes this, and people get things wrong. If you spot something that doesn't add up, tell me and I'll look into it.
Why it exists
I develop software for a living, but over the years I've ended up managing more than I code. I didn't want to lose the craft, so I looked for a project of my own that would keep me writing code and up to date with C# and .NET. This site is that project.
It could have been anything, and it's aquariums for the usual reason: years ago I got into fishkeeping and it hooked me just like software did. Looking after aquariums is a moment of calm and, above all, an ongoing lesson in what the creatures living inside really need. What I couldn't find was a website to help me keep them well: clear parameters, explained compatibility, and a place to log my measurements that would warn me when something drifted out of range. So I built one.
There's one more reason, and it isn't technical. I have a son, and I want him to see that an idea of your own can become real if you sit down and make it happen. I hope one day he does the same with his.
Fancy lending a hand? Any correction is welcome, as is a missing fact, a species that should be here or an idea to make this more useful. Write to me at info@personalaquarium.com and I'll get back to you.