About Ergo Setup HQ
Ergo Setup HQ is an independent buyer-guide site for planted aquariums. We exist because the planted-tank internet is a mess of forum threads from 2014, manufacturer fluff, YouTube spectacle, and listicles that read like a chatbot had a deadline.
We aim to be the site that actually answers the question.
What we do, in plain English
We aggregate the specs of every planted-aquarium kit, light, CO2 system, substrate, fertiliser and aquascaping tool we can find on Amazon. Then we organise them — by tank size, by light level, by budget, by whether you're building low-tech or running CO2 — and we publish the comparisons that should already exist but somehow don't.
We update our top picks monthly. We don't accept payment to position a product. When we have a strong preference, we say so and explain why. When the right answer depends on the buyer's situation — and in this hobby it usually does — we walk through the decision instead of pretending there's one universal pick.
Our editorial method
- Source the specs. Tank dimensions, light PAR and spectrum, filter flow, CO2 working pressure, substrate nutrient profile, plant light requirements — straight from the listing pages, the manufacturer site, and where relevant, university extension and botanical-society documentation.
- Run the comparison. We line products up against each other on the specs that matter, not the ones that sound impressive in marketing copy.
- Land the recommendation. Specific, situation-aware, and updated whenever the product line changes.
When a product gets discontinued, we mark the page as updated and swap in the closest currently-available replacement. We don't pretend the link still works.
Who writes here
Priya Shah runs editorial. They have an industrial-design background and ten years of buyer-guide and how-to writing across aquarium, photography, and outdoor-gear niches. Their own tank is a 60-gallon mid-tech build in Austin, Texas — Iwagumi-influenced front layout, Dutch-style backwall, CO2 injection around 30 ppm, a Twinstar S-line LED, and a Monte Carlo plus dwarf-hairgrass carpet. Stock: rummynose tetras, otocinclus, and amano shrimp.
Elliot started with a 10-gallon community tank in 2012, fell into Takashi Amano's Nature Aquarium World, and never came back. They built Ergo Setup HQ after years of getting frustrated with the gap between forum threads and YouTube spectacle.
Articles also come from rotating contributors — long-time aquascapers, plant specialists, and a few people who frankly know more about specific corners of the niche than Elliot does. Each article shows its author at the top. When someone else writes, Elliot's name appears at the bottom under "Edited by". If you're curious about a particular contributor, their bio sits at the foot of the post.
What we don't do
- We don't claim hands-on testing we didn't do. If we say a light produces a certain PAR at 18 inches, that's because the manufacturer specs it and the figure is verifiable from independent measurements — not because we put a PAR meter on every tank in our living room. Where hands-on insight is genuine, from Elliot's own tank or a contributor's, we say so explicitly.
- We don't diagnose sick fish or prescribe medication regimens. Popeye, ich, fin rot, mysterious shrimp deaths — call your local fish store, an online aquatic vet, or post in your local aquarium club. Our role is helping you pick the right substrate, not work out what's wrong with your bristlenose.
- We don't review live plants or livestock. Specific plant cultivars and fish-species selection appear here as setup context — the buy decision happens at specialist plant nurseries, local fish stores, and dedicated shrimp breeders, not on Amazon listings.
How we make money
Ergo Setup HQ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you buy something via a link on this site, we earn a small commission. It costs you nothing.
We don't tilt our recommendations to favour any single product, brand, or commission tier. You can read the full disclosure on our Amazon Disclosure page.
We occasionally feature direct-brand affiliate programs (Aquarium Co-Op, Buce Plant, Aquatic Arts, and a handful of equipment manufacturers) when their product genuinely belongs in a comparison. The same rule applies — the link choice never changes the editorial position.
How to reach us
Tips, corrections, product launches we should know about, or just a hello — write to hello@ergosetuphq.com or use the contact form. We read everything. We can't respond to every message, but we read.
If you spot an outdated spec, a discontinued product, or a price that's drifted, those tip-offs are especially welcome. They keep the site honest.