Editorial Policy

Editorial Policy · Updated October 2026

Saltwater Hobbyist guides are written from published sources and from manufacturer or retailer listings. The guides carry no individual byline, and the site does not run its own tests of equipment or livestock.

Sources

Guides cite published articles, for example from Bulk Reef Supply and Reef Builders. Each guide lists the references it used in a sources line at the bottom of the page.

Specs and Prices

Product specs come from the manufacturer or retailer listing. When a manufacturer does not publish a spec, the guide leaves it out. Dollar amounts appear in a guide’s summary table and on its buy buttons, and the retailer’s page shows the current price.

How Picks Are Made

Picks are made per use case, so a guide can name a different product for a different tank size or budget. Affiliate relationships do not change which products are recommended.

Affiliate Links

Product links go through Geniuslink to the retailer, and Amazon links fall under the Amazon Associates Program. Every affiliate link is marked as sponsored in the page code. The full terms are on the Affiliate Disclosure page.

Tank and Livestock Advice

Guides describe general reef-keeping practice. A written description is not enough to diagnose an individual tank, so the troubleshooting guides lay out causes and fixes to check against your own water tests.

Corrections

Mistakes, outdated specs, and broken links can be reported to contact@saltwaterhobbyist.com, the address on the Contact page. Each page’s Updated line shows the month and year of its last edit.