Methodology

We do not run a testing lab. We do not buy products and measure them on a bench. Every ranking on this site is a synthesis of evidence that already exists, made legible and comparable in one place.

What we actually do

• Read expert and enthusiast reviews and record where they agree and disagree.
• Take performance and safety figures from manufacturer specifications, and say so.
• Read hobby communities and paraphrase their consensus — we never quote individual users.
• Aggregate owner-review sentiment into a structured, comparable summary.

How the score works

Each product gets a composite score from an Owner Satisfaction dimension, a Value dimension, and three category-specific dimensions. The weighting and the keyword rubric for each category are fixed in advance and applied uniformly, so the ranking does not bend to whatever we happen to link.

What we will and won't claim

Where a manufacturer states a figure, we attribute it to them. Where no reliable figure exists, we say so rather than inventing one. We do not give fish-health or medication advice as a recommendation — those questions belong with veterinary and institutional sources.