Frequently Asked Questions

ReefDiary is a comprehensive aquarium management app designed for both freshwater and saltwater aquarium enthusiasts. It helps you monitor water quality, track livestock and equipment, schedule maintenance, log dosing, and manage your aquarium budget. Available on iOS with Android coming soon.

ReefDiary offers a free tier with core features including water parameter tracking, basic livestock and equipment management (up to 5 items), and maintenance reminders. Premium features like unlimited tanks, advanced analytics, PDF exports, and full dosing history are available with a Pro subscription.

ReefDiary supports all types of aquariums including reef tanks, fish-only with live rock (FOWLR), freshwater planted tanks, freshwater community tanks, and brackish setups. The app automatically adjusts parameter ranges and recommendations based on your tank type.

Yes! ReefDiary stores all your data locally on your device, so you can log readings, track maintenance, and view your history even without an internet connection. When you're back online, data syncs automatically via iCloud.

ReefDiary supports tracking of all common aquarium parameters including pH, Salinity, Temperature, Ammonia (NH3), Nitrite (NO2), Nitrate (NO3), Calcium (Ca), Alkalinity (KH), Magnesium (Mg), Phosphate (PO4), ORP, and many trace elements like Iron, Iodine, and Strontium.

Navigate to the Parameters tab, select the parameter you tested, and tap "Add Reading". Enter your test result, optionally add the test kit brand/model you used for traceability, and save. The reading is automatically added to your history and charts.

Reef Intelligence is our AI-powered recommendation engine that analyzes your water parameters, identifies trends, and provides actionable advice. When a parameter drifts out of the optimal range, you'll receive detailed explanations of the issue, immediate actions to take, long-term solutions, and warnings about related parameters that might be affected.

Yes! While ReefDiary comes with scientifically-backed optimal ranges for each parameter based on your tank type, you can customize these ranges in Settings to match your specific setup or the requirements of sensitive livestock.

ReefDiary analyzes your parameter history to identify patterns and trends. The charts show whether values are rising, falling, or stable over time. You can view daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly trends, helping you spot issues before they become critical.

For dosable parameters (Calcium, Alkalinity, Magnesium, etc.), tap the "Add Dosing" button (pill icon) in the parameter detail view. Enter the product name, brand, amount dosed, and any notes. You can also log dosing at the same time as adding a parameter reading.

Yes! ReefDiary automatically prefills your last used product, brand, and typical dose amount when adding new dosing entries. This saves time for regular dosing schedules while still allowing you to modify values as needed.

Absolutely! The dosing history chart shows your dosing timeline alongside parameter readings, helping you visualize the correlation between your dosing and parameter changes. This helps optimize your dosing routine for better stability.

Go to the Livestock tab and tap "Add". Select the category (Fish, Coral, Invertebrate, etc.), enter the name, species, cost, date acquired, and any notes. You can also add a photo from your library or camera to help identify and track each inhabitant.

Yes! The Equipment section lets you catalog all your hardware (filters, heaters, pumps, lights) with maintenance schedules. ReefDiary tracks when each item was last serviced and alerts you when maintenance is due or overdue.

The Maintenance Recommendation Engine provides proactive reminders for filter cleaning, media replacement, pump maintenance, heater checks, water changes, and more. Each piece of equipment can have custom maintenance intervals based on manufacturer recommendations or your preferences.

Log every aquarium-related purchase in the Expenses section. Categorize spending as Equipment, Livestock, Food, Maintenance, Testing Kits, or Other. The app calculates monthly and yearly totals, projects future spending based on your history, and can link expenses to specific inventory items.

Yes! Set an overall monthly budget or individual category budgets in the Budget Settings. ReefDiary tracks your spending against these budgets, shows progress bars, and alerts you when you're approaching or exceeding your limits.

The Cost Analysis feature uses smart algorithms to project your monthly and yearly spending based on your actual spending patterns. It accounts for irregular purchases to give you realistic projections rather than simple averages.

ReefDiary offers multiple backup options: automatic iCloud sync keeps your data safe and synchronized across all your Apple devices, manual JSON exports let you create local backups you can store anywhere, and the app creates automatic safety backups before major operations.

Yes! Free users can export data as JSON backups. Pro users can generate professional PDF reports with charts, parameter history, livestock lists, equipment inventories, and AI recommendations - perfect for sharing with other hobbyists or consulting with experts.

Yes! With iCloud enabled, all your tanks, readings, livestock, equipment, and settings sync automatically across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Changes made on one device appear on all others within seconds.

If you're signed into the same iCloud account, your data will automatically sync to your new device. You can also manually import a JSON backup file if needed. The app validates imported data to ensure integrity.

ReefDiary Pro includes: unlimited tanks, unlimited livestock and equipment entries, full dosing history and analytics, advanced trend charts, PDF report exports, ICP test result uploads, priority support, and all future premium features.

Yes! ReefDiary offers a 14-day free trial of all Pro features. No credit card required to start. After the trial, you can continue using the free tier or subscribe to Pro.

ReefDiary Pro is available as a monthly or yearly subscription. The yearly plan offers significant savings compared to monthly. Both plans include all Pro features and can be cancelled anytime.

First, ensure you're signed into iCloud and have iCloud Drive enabled in Settings. Check your internet connection. Try force-closing and reopening the app. If issues persist, go to Settings > Sync and tap "Force Sync". The app will attempt to resolve any sync conflicts.

ReefDiary creates automatic backups before deletions. Go to Settings > Data Management > Restore from Backup to see available recovery points. You can also import from any manual JSON backup you've created.

ReefDiary includes an automatic data integrity system that detects and repairs invalid dates. Go to Settings > Data Management > Run Data Integrity Check. The app will identify problematic entries and offer to repair them while preserving your reading values.