Method
How this site is written and reviewed
Most reef-keeping advice online has no author you can check and no source you can follow. This page is the opposite: it tells you exactly how reefcalcs is made, so you can judge whether to trust a number before you dose your tank with it.
Who writes the site
reefcalcs is an independent, anonymous reef-keeping resource. The editorial team is small — think one or two people who have been keeping reefs for many years. We don't put a real name on the site because we don't want our day jobs and our hobby to mix.
We know an anonymous byline is a weak trust signal on its own, so we compensate for it the only way that actually works: transparent methodology, primary-source citations on every number, a public corrections log, and open-source code anyone can audit. You don't have to take our word for anything — you can follow the citation or read the math.
What we cite, and in what order
When sources of different quality say different things, we prefer the higher one. Our order of preference:
- Peer-reviewed marine science. Journals like Coral Reefs, Marine Biology, and the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. The strongest evidence we can point to.
- Randy Holmes-Farley's Reefkeeping chemistry series. The canonical chemistry reference for the hobby. Most of the numbers that float around forums trace back here, usually misremembered.
- Recorded talks and presentations from BRSTV, MACNA, and Reefapalooza, where a named presenter stands behind the claim.
- Manufacturer specifications and lab data — Apogee, Hanna, Salifert, Red Sea, Tropic Marin. Useful for the behaviour of a specific product or instrument; weighed carefully because the manufacturer has an interest.
- Long-running forum discussions with named, credentialed contributors on Reef2Reef and ReefCentral.
- Community consensus. Used last, and called out explicitly as such whenever we lean on it.
Every source we rely on across the site is listed on the sources page. If we can't cite it, we try not to publish it; the methodology page documents the constants we cut for lack of a defensible source.
What we do when sources disagree
Reef-keeping has genuine, unresolved disagreements — for example, whether you should keep nitrate at effectively zero or hold it at 5–10 ppm to feed corals. Where that happens, we present both positions, name the proponents, and explain why we recommend one approach over the other. We don't pretend the disagreement doesn't exist, and we don't launder one camp's opinion into “the” answer.
Review cadence
Every guide on this site is reviewed for accuracy at least quarterly. Calculators are verified against test data — real ICP reports, real Apogee PAR readings, real saltwater density measurements — at least annually. The date of the last review appears in the byline at the top of every page, next to reefcalcs editorial.
A review date is a claim we're willing to be held to: it means someone re-read the page against its sources on that date, not that the file was merely touched.
Corrections
When we get something wrong, we fix it in the open. Every correction is published on the corrections log with the date and the change. We don't silently edit a page and pretend the earlier version never existed. If you spot an error, the fastest way to a fix is to send the citation that contradicts what we've written.
Conflicts of interest
reefcalcs participates in the Amazon Associates program. We earn a commission when you click an affiliate link and buy something. Two rules keep that honest: we never recommend a product we wouldn't use ourselves, and affiliate links never appear inside a calculator's result — only on dedicated gear pages, clearly labelled. The math never has a sponsor.
How to contact us or send a correction
Email corrections@reefcalcs.com. Corrections, missing sources, and “your number disagrees with this paper” emails go to the top of the pile. General questions are welcome too.
Open source
The full source code for this site — every calculator formula included — is on GitHub. If you find an error in the math, file an issue or send a pull request. Public code is part of how an anonymous site earns trust: the logic is auditable even if the authors aren't named.
Last reviewed