What does an aquarium manager app actually do?

It replaces the notebook, the whiteboard and the calendar reminders you set once and then ignored. TankSync stores every water test you run, charts the readings over time so you can see a parameter drifting before it becomes a problem, keeps recurring maintenance on a schedule with reminders, and holds a reference library of 850+ species so you can check what a fish needs before you buy it rather than after.

Which water parameters can TankSync track?

Ten: temperature, pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, salinity, calcium, alkalinity, magnesium and phosphate. Each one has a safe range that changes with the tank type you set, so a pH of 8.2 reads as normal in a reef tank and as high in a community freshwater tank. Every reading is charted over day, week, month, six month and year windows.

How many fish species are in the database?

More than 850 entries: 173 freshwater fish, 179 saltwater fish, 61 freshwater invertebrates, 126 saltwater invertebrates, 82 corals and 40 aquatic plants. Each entry carries a scientific name and a care level, with reef safety flags on saltwater species and invertebrates, and lighting, flow and minimum tank age on corals.

Does TankSync work for saltwater and reef tanks?

Yes. Set the tank to saltwater and the safe ranges shift to reef targets, the calcium, alkalinity, magnesium and phosphate parameters become the ones that matter, and the species library exposes the saltwater fish, invertebrate and coral catalogues along with reef safety flags. Freshwater, saltwater and brackish tanks each get their own parameter ranges.

How is the tank health score calculated?

It is a rule-based score out of 100, not a guess. Water parameters carry the most weight at 40 percent, stocking and bioload account for 25 percent, maintenance status is 20 percent, and cycling progress is the remaining 15 percent. Points come off for readings outside the safe range, overdue tasks, a water change that is late, and an incomplete nitrogen cycle.

Does my data sync between iPhone and iPad?

Yes, through your own iCloud account. There is no TankSync account, no username and no password to create. Your tanks, readings, photos and logs live in your private CloudKit database and appear on any device signed into the same Apple ID. The app works offline and syncs when the connection returns.

Can TankSync identify a fish from a photo?

Yes, with Pro. Point the camera at a fish and the identifier returns ranked candidates with confidence scores, common and scientific names, water type and care level. When the result matches something in the 850+ entry catalogue it links straight to the full species profile so you can add it to a tank in one step.

Will TankSync remind me to do water changes?

Yes. Maintenance tasks come in eight categories including water changes, water tests, filter maintenance and equipment checks, and each can repeat daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly or on a custom interval. Completing a task schedules the next one and, for water changes, writes a log entry with the volume and percentage so the history builds itself.

Does TankSync help with cycling a new tank?

There is a dedicated cycling dashboard that tracks the nitrogen cycle from ammonia building through nitrite building to nitrate and completion. Log your test results and it detects the milestones — first ammonia spike, first nitrite spike, cycle complete — alongside a journal for notes and optional reminders to test on schedule.

TankSync — Aquarium Manager and Water Log for iPhone

Every tank.
One place.

Log ten water parameters and watch the trends. Keep maintenance on a schedule instead of in your head. Check a fish against 850+ species before you bring it home. Synced through your own iCloud — no account to create.

Syncs with iCloud

No account needed

Free to start

Water parameters

Ten readings, each against the range that applies to your tank.

✓Temperature, pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, salinity, calcium, alkalinity, magnesium and phosphate
✓Safe ranges adapt to freshwater, saltwater or brackish — pH targets 6.5–7.5 in freshwater and 8.1–8.4 in saltwater
✓Trend charts across day, week, month, six month and year windows, built with native Swift Charts
✓Tap any point on a chart to read the exact value and date, with average, minimum and maximum for the visible window
✓Imperial or metric throughout — gallons and Fahrenheit, or litres and Celsius

The aquarium water parameters guide →

TankSync pH history chart plotting readings over time against the safe range band

Tank health

One number that tells you where to look.

✓A rule-based score out of 100 — computed on device, instantly, with no waiting on a server
✓Water chemistry carries 40 percent of the weight, stocking and bioload 25 percent, maintenance 20 percent and cycling progress 15 percent
✓Points come off for readings outside the safe band, overdue tasks, a late water change or an incomplete cycle
✓The breakdown shows which category cost you the points, so the score is a diagnosis rather than a grade
✓Updates the moment you log a test or complete a task

When a healthy tank goes wrong →

TankSync tank health screen showing a score of 100 rated excellent with the contributing categories listed

Species library

850+ entries, bundled with the app.

✓173 freshwater fish, 179 saltwater fish, 61 freshwater invertebrates, 126 saltwater invertebrates, 82 corals and 40 aquatic plants
✓Every entry carries a scientific name and a care level from beginner through to expert
✓Saltwater fish and invertebrates are flagged for reef safety; invertebrates note whether they need a symbiotic partner
✓Corals list their type — SPS, LPS, soft, gorgonian and more — with flow, lighting demand and a minimum tank age
✓Plants list lighting demand, growth rate and whether they need injected CO₂

Beginner fish worth starting with →

Compatibility

Ask before you buy, not after the lights go out.

✓Score a candidate species from 0 to 100 against the fish, inverts and corals already in the tank
✓Conflicts are broken out by cause — aggression, territory, size mismatch, competing diets and incompatible water parameters
✓Each conflict is rated low, medium or high, and names the specific tank mate it applies to
✓A bioload read on the tank flags whether you are under, optimal, near capacity or overstocked
✓Recommendations are separated into requirements, warnings and suggestions so you can tell must-fix from nice-to-have

The fish compatibility guide →

TankSync compatibility result showing an overall score with individual conflicts listed by severity

Maintenance & equipment

The schedule keeps itself.

✓Eight task categories: water change, water test, filter maintenance, equipment check, feeding, cleaning, medication and other
✓Repeat daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly or on a custom interval — completing a task generates the next one
✓Local reminders when a task falls due, and clear overdue flagging when it does not get done
✓Equipment tracked across eight types with its own service frequency and a status of good, upcoming, due or overdue
✓Water changes write a log entry with volume and percentage, building a history you did not have to keep

A maintenance schedule that holds up →

TankSync maintenance task list showing recurring water changes, filter service and equipment checks with due dates

AI tools · Pro

Point the camera at a fish and find out what it is.

✓Photo identification returns ranked candidates with confidence scores, common and scientific names, water type and care level
✓Matches against the bundled catalogue where it can, so an identified fish links straight through to its full profile
✓Parameter insights read your actual history and explain what a trend means rather than restating the number
✓A tank assistant that answers questions with your parameters, stock list and equipment already in context
✓Cycling analysis reads your test results to predict completion and flag a stall

How to cycle a fish tank →

TankSync AI fish identification screen returning candidate species from a photo with confidence scores

Sync & storage

Your iCloud. Not our server.

✓No TankSync account — no email, no username, no password, nothing to verify
✓Tanks, readings, photos and journals live in your own private iCloud database and appear on every device on your Apple ID
✓Works offline; changes queue up and sync when the connection comes back
✓Photos are stored at full resolution with thumbnails cached locally so lists stay fast
✓iPhone and iPad, both from the same download

Read the privacy policy →

TankSync species analysis screen giving care guidance for a fish in the context of the current tank

Free for your first tank. Pro when you outgrow it.

The free app gives you one aquarium with full parameter logging, trend charts, maintenance scheduling, the species library, the cycling dashboard and the journal. TankSync Pro lifts the tank and equipment limits and adds the AI tools — photo identification, compatibility analysis, parameter insights and the tank assistant.

Download on the App Store →

Free download · Pro from $4.99/month or $39.99/year
3-day free trial · Requires iOS 18.0 or later

Stop guessing.
Start logging.

Ten parameters, 850+ species and a maintenance schedule that keeps itself. Free on the App Store.

iOS 18.0+

iPhone & iPad

iCloud sync

No account

Every tank.
One place.

Nothing in an aquarium fails suddenly. It drifts.

Set it up once, then just log the tests.

Add the tank

Log a test

Schedule the work

Check before you buy

Everything the notebook was supposed to do.