We believe in being honest about how we keep this site running (and how we fund our probably-excessive tank equipment purchases). aquaticdepths.com is independently run by a small group of hobbyists. We don’t have corporate sponsors, a marketing team, or anyone’s parents funding this thing — it’s just us, our tanks, and way too many browser tabs open researching whether that one plant species will actually grow in our water parameters.
To help cover basic costs like web hosting, domain registration, and the occasional replacement equipment when we inevitably break something, we use affiliate links and display ads. Here’s what that actually means in practice:
If you click a link on our site and end up buying something, we might earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you. Those commissions help keepaquaticdepths.com running without us needing to cover every page with annoying ads or put content behind paywalls. We’re talking small amounts here, not “quit your day job” money. More like “maybe we can afford that CO2 regulator we’ve been eyeing” money.
We’re currently partnered with or may occasionally work with these affiliate networks:
- Affiliate Window (Awin)
- FlexOffers
- Commission Junction (CJ)
- ShareASale
- Webgains
We also use Google AdSense to display ads, which helps offset operating costs and the occasional impulse purchase of aquascaping tools we probably don’t need but definitely want.
Here’s the important part: we only link to products, equipment, or resources that we actually use, have researched extensively, or genuinely think are worth considering. We don’t write articles because of affiliate opportunities. We don’t accept payment for positive reviews. We’re not going to pretend some overpriced piece of equipment is essential when a cheaper alternative works just as well.
If we link to something, it’s because one of us has personal experience with it. Maybe Marcus bought it during one of his tank rescaping phases. Maybe Priya found it while trying to make her nano tank work on a budget. Maybe Tom uses it in his classroom setup. Maybe Elena discovered it after years of trying different solutions. Maybe Jordan found it helpful with kid-friendly tank maintenance. Maybe Carlos tested it in his college apartment. The point is, there’s actual experience behind the recommendation.
Our rule is pretty straightforward: if it doesn’t align with what we actually believe — affordability when possible, practical solutions, equipment that actually works instead of just looking fancy — it doesn’t make it onto the site. We’re not trying to turn every article into a shopping list. We’re trying to share useful information, and sometimes that includes pointing people toward specific products that helped us solve problems.
We’re definitely not a sales platform. The goal here is to help people create and maintain planted tanks without making all the expensive mistakes we made. If that occasionally involves affiliate links to equipment we actually use and trust, that seems reasonable. If you’d rather not use our affiliate links, you can always search for products directly — we just appreciate you being here and reading our tank disaster stories either way.
We write about what works based on our collective experience: Marcus’s trial-and-error journey from beginner to someone who can actually create decent aquascapes, Priya’s expertise in budget setups for small spaces, Tom’s perspective on using tanks as educational tools, Elena’s focus on low-stress maintenance after high-stress career, Jordan’s practical approach to family-friendly tanks, and Carlos’s student-budget creativity. When we recommend something, it’s coming from that real experience, not from whoever’s offering the highest commission rate.
If you ever have questions about a specific link, partnership, or product mentioned on aquaticdepths.com, feel free to reach out. We’re happy to explain why we chose it, what our actual experience with it was, whether we make anything from it, and what alternatives might work just as well. Transparency matters to us — probably because we’ve all been burned by overhyped products that didn’t deliver, and we’d rather not do that to other people trying to figure out this hobby.
Bottom line: we use affiliate links to help cover costs. We only link to things we actually believe are worth considering. We’re not here to sell you stuff you don’t need. And if you choose to support the site by using our links, we genuinely appreciate it — those small commissions add up and help us keep sharing what we learn from our ongoing tank experiments, failures, and occasional successes.