- What is The Reef Lab?
- The Reef Lab is an AI-powered web app for managing saltwater reef aquariums. It tracks your water parameters over time with charts and trend alerts, logs your livestock, equipment, and maintenance, sends testing and water-change reminders, and uses AI to analyze coral health, identify disease and pests, and produce a full "Tank Autopilot" intelligence briefing for your tank.
- Is there a free reef tank app?
- Yes. The Reef Lab has a free plan that is free forever — no credit card required. It includes unlimited tanks, unlimited parameter logging and charts, unlimited livestock, equipment, maintenance and growth tracking, reminders, full data import and export, the species database and guides, and 3 AI analyses per month.
- What does The Reef Lab cost?
- The Reef Lab is free to start. Paid plans add the full AI suite: Reefer is $7.99/month (or $75/year) with 30 AI analyses per month and a 14-day free trial, and Reef Master is $19.99/month (or $185/year) with unlimited AI analyses plus exclusive tools like Tank Autopilot and Deep Scan. All core reef-tracking features remain free.
- Can AI help manage a reef tank?
- Yes. The Reef Lab uses AI to analyze your tank from your logged data and photos — it flags parameters trending in the wrong direction before they harm corals, identifies fish and coral disease, assesses coral health and color, advises on aquascaping, and (on Reef Master) generates Tank Autopilot, a full intelligence briefing that reviews your whole system and recommends next steps.
- What water parameters should I track in a reef tank?
- The core reef parameters to track are salinity, temperature, pH, alkalinity (dKH), calcium, and magnesium, plus the nutrients nitrate and phosphate. Stability matters more than chasing perfect numbers — The Reef Lab charts each parameter over time so you can see trends and consumption rather than relying on single readings.
- Do I need to download an app?
- No. The Reef Lab runs in any web browser on phone, tablet, or desktop — there is nothing to download or install. It is a progressive web app, so you can optionally add it to your home screen for an app-like experience.