Aquarium Basic Equipment List

This list is intended to give you some idea of the things you need to maintain a happy healthy tank. You may not need all of these things, that will depend a lot upon which kinds of fish you intend on buying. You should also be certain that you gear the equipment to the size of your tank.

Water - If you are on a well or have hard water you might want to buy bottled water.

Stand - Be sure that what you choose is going to be able to take the weight of the tank. It should also be something that will tolerate water. Spills happen.

Filter - There are lots of these on the market. Be sure to get one that is the right size for your tank. You should also find out what the maintenance requirements are going to be. You might need to purchase things like charcoal or cartridges.

Heater - Most tropical fish need to have the temperature between 75 and 82 degrees F.

Fish Net - Always handy to have.

Vacuum - If you are buying a large tank you will need as part of your maintenance routine. They clean out the gravel and if you have an under gravel filter it will help remove any larger debris which will prevent your filter from operating properly.

Lights - If you are going to have live plants you may want to look at getting a fluorescent lighting system.

Air Pump - Fish need oxygen. If you want to have a lot of fish in your tank you may need to pump extra oxygen into the tank.

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Canopy -These are not only a light source, they help to keep dust and debris out of your tank. They also help to reduce the tank evaporation rate.

Test Kit -This is an essential. If you want to have healthy fish you are going to have to test the quality of the water on a regular basis. The three things you have to check for are, ammonia, nitrate and ph levels. There are more tests you can run but these three are the bare minimum.

Chlorine and Chloramine Remover - These two chemicals are found in most tap water. Before putting fish in your tank you have to make sure that you remove these things from the water. Letting the water sit for a day or two will remove a lot of the chlorine but you still have to get rid of the chloramine.

Glass Cleaner/Scraper - Even if you get a catfish you are going to find that the inside of the tank will get a build up. In order to remove this you need a scraper of some kind.

Food -There are many special foods for fish on the market. Be sure that you know what kind of food your fish are going to need, they do not all eat the same thing.

Gravel -The is an enormous amount of choices available. Be sure that you get enough to cover the bottom of the tank and you will probably want it to be at least an inch in depth. You are better off getting a bit extra than not enough. How much you are going to have to buy is going to depend not only on the size of your tank, but on the size of the gravel itself.

Thermometer - Can be very useful.

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Plants - You have to decide if you are going to have live or plastic plants or a combination of the two. Plants give the tank a natural look but they also provide places for fish to hide. Some varieties of fish want to have lots of plants in the tank. Live plants are great and help to remove nitrates from the water. They can be hard to grow so do your research and pick some of the hardier ones. You will also have to make sure that you have the appropriate lighting and gravel.

Decorations - One of the most enjoyable parts of having an aquarium. Find out what type of environment the fish you are planning to get, like to live in. There are some fish that like to hide in gravel, others that like rocks and darker shady areas. Some aquarium owners set up theme tanks. The one thing to remember in that you should never put anything in your tank that is not specifically for aquariums. Driftwood that you see in the stores has been carefully cured, so that it will not harm the fish and the same thing applies to the rocks. You do not want to add anything that might have harmful paints, glues or any other substance on it that will hurt your fish.

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