Deanna S.

American Aquarium Products is a combination knowledge base and aquarium products e-tailer. Their well-researched articles provide product recommendations, which they sell, but the products are equally researched and of the highest quality at very reasonable prices.

I am like most such hobbyists, but with longer experience: I do this with a desire to reach a state where I can get the maximum prettyness in my tank with a minimum of effort. However, although it can be interesting, I have found that I do have to tend to certain critical things that keep a closed ecosystem - such as an aquarium - functioning to the satisfaction of the fish and plants.

Over the last 15 years, the Internet has made possible the sharing of things that work in the hobby. The problem is that there is so much information that is pure speculation. It is well intended, but it simply cannot be assumed that if it works for one hobbyist, it will work for all (such as an Amazon review). Additionally, there are - and have always been - thousands of products for the hobby. IME, most of them are hit-and-miss for the same reason as much of the information is speculation... one size does not fit all. Most of us are reduced to trial and error. American Aquarium Products helps greatly in pointing us in the right direction.

When I started doing this, there was the World-renown book by William T. Innes (still in print and still great for basics). We all followed his book for decades and, now, you can see that much of what was written worked to a large degree, but we didnt know why. As an example; we didnt even know about the nitrogen cycle then. The advancement of this hobby depends upon those that have experience and are willing to try to pull science from other areas (chemistry, biology, etc.) into the hobby. American Aquarium Products is one of the very few does just that. You will not find this with the typical pet supply e-tailers.

American Aquarium Products website provides extensively researched articles about every detail of the hobby. It is a reliable all-in-one source for this hobby, much like the William T. Innes book was, but with an effort to bring the current state of the life and physical sciences to bear upon the hobby. The owner is always interested in improving the knowledge base and investigates ideas without rejecting them out of hand. He is a hobbyist that has taken it to the next level of understanding and has the ability to test extensively due to his large aquarium servicing business side.

Yes; American Aquarium Products is trying to sell product (he moved from hobbyist to hobby retailer because he seems to love the hobby). The products he sells are what he believes in, based upon his research and experience. He also seems to make available only those products he has found to be of superior quality. In my many years of buying from American Aquarium Products, I have always been satisfied on a long-term basis.