Frequently asked questions

Tank Care Buddy is an iOS app for tracking freshwater aquarium care. You can manage multiple tanks, log water changes and test results, browse fish species with care profiles, and set reminders for routine maintenance — all without creating an account. Your data stays on your device.

Tank Care Buddy is coming soon to the App Store for iPhone. The App Store link will appear here when the app is live. Until then, you can contact support if you'd like to be notified at launch.

Tank Care Buddy is free to download. Details about any optional features or future upgrades will be shared before launch.

No. Tank Care Buddy requires no account, no sign-in, and no email address. Your tank data is stored locally on your device only. Use the export backup in Settings to save a copy anytime.

Tap the + button on the home screen. Give your tank a name, choose a type (Freshwater, Planted, Shrimp, Goldfish, or Other), and enter the gallon size. That's it — you can add fish, chemicals, and reminders at any time after that.

Inside any tank, go to the Details tab and look for the "Up next" section. Tap a reminder to set the interval (e.g. every 7 days for water changes). When it's due, a banner appears on the Details tab. Tap "Go do it" to jump straight to the logging form. The reminder resets automatically after you log the action. You can also snooze for a day or skip the current cycle without logging.

Open a tank and tap the Care tab. Enter the gallons you're changing — dosing for Prime, Stability, and Easy Green auto-calculates based on that amount. Add any notes, then tap Save to history. Your water change reminder resets from that moment.

Go to the Tests tab inside a tank. Fill in the readings you have — you don't need all of them. The app color-codes each value: green means the parameter is in a safe range, yellow means watch it, and red means it needs attention. Tap Save and the test is added to your history.

Inside a tank, go to the Fish tab and scroll to "Browse species & compatibility." Search or scroll to find a species. Tap it to see the care profile — temperature range, pH, minimum tank size, adult size, and temperament. The app also checks that fish against your tank size and current inhabitants and gives you a Good / Caution / Not recommended result. You can add it directly to your tank from that same screen.

All species images in Tank Care Buddy are sourced from Wikimedia Commons under open licenses (CC BY, CC BY-SA, Public Domain). Every image is individually license-audited before it's included. If a species shows a silhouette, it means a verified, properly licensed image hasn't been added for it yet. We add images in regular updates — if you notice a specific species is missing, let us know via support.

Yes. Go to Settings (gear icon at the top of the home screen) → Data & Backup → Export backup. This saves a file you can keep in your Files app, iCloud Drive, or anywhere you choose. To restore it, use Import backup in the same menu.

Try a full close and reopen. Swipe up from the bottom of your iPhone, find Tank Care Buddy, and swipe it away, then reopen it. This clears most minor glitches. If the issue persists, contact support and tell us what happened.

Email us at tankcarebuddy@outlook.com. Include your device type, iOS version, and a description of the issue. We aim to respond within 1–2 business days. The full Support page has more detail on what to include.