32 buying guides, comparisons, how-tos and calculators.
32 guides· Page 1 of 2
The API Freshwater Master Test Kit is still the kit to beat for freshwater tanks. Here is what each of its five tests measures, how to run them correctly, and its limits.
Sponge first, then biomedia, then floss or carbon if you want them. Here is what each kind of filter media does, the order it goes in, and what to rinse versus replace.
Enter your tank's volume and how warm the room is. The calculator gives a wattage from sera's watts-per-liter guide and the EHEIM heater size rated for that volume.
Enter a tank's dimensions or pick a standard Aqueon size. The calculator gives the water volume, the water's weight, and the filled weight to check against your stand.
Aqueon's 10 gallon starter kit is the one we would buy because it includes a preset heater and thermometer. Here is the budget Tetra kit, a bare tank, and a stand that fits.
Tetra's 20 gallon kit includes a heater and thermometer with the tank and filter. Here is how it compares with Aqueon's and GloFish's kits, a bare Aqueon tank and a rimless option.
Tetra's Whisper is the air pump most tanks need. Here are the quiet, adjustable, nano and battery-backup alternatives, and how to size one to your tank and sponge filter.
An ATO replaces evaporated water automatically so salinity stays steady. XP Aqua's Duetto 2 has two optical sensors and two layers of overfill protection. Here are four more.
Active Aqua's 1/10 HP chiller is the one we would buy for a 20 to 40 gallon tank that runs hot. Here is when a fan is enough, how chillers are sized, and what axolotls need.
Which filter type fits your tank, and the one we would buy at each size: a sponge for bettas and shrimp, Fluval's AC30 up to 30 gallons, the 307 canister for 40 to 70, and the FX4 above that.
For tanks of 20 gallons and up, the Python No Spill Clean and Fill ends bucket carrying. For smaller tanks, Aqueon's bulb siphon is all you need. Here are both and an electric option.
Fluval's E200 is the heater we would put in a 40 to 55 gallon tank. Here is how it compares with EHEIM's thermocontrol e, a titanium heater with a controller, Inkbird's safety controller and a preset budget pick.
Fluval's AquaSky 2.0 is the freshwater light we would buy for a 30 to 55 gallon tank. Here is how it compares with NICREW's ClassicLED Plus, hygger's 24/7 and Current's Satellite.
Aqueon's 10 gallon kit is the starter kit we would buy because it includes a heater and thermometer. Here is what every kit leaves out, and the best 5 and 20 gallon kits.
Coralife's Turbo-Twist 3X is the UV sterilizer most tanks under 125 gallons should start with. Here is what UV does, what it does not, and which type fits your filter.
Seachem Prime is the water conditioner we would buy: 5 mL treats 50 gallons, it handles chloramine, and Seachem states exactly what its ammonia binding does and does not do.
API's Freshwater Master Test Kit is the one we would buy: ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and two pH ranges, over 800 tests. Here is when strips are enough and what reef tanks need.
A reef needs roughly 20 to 40 times its volume in flow every hour. Here is the controllable DC wavemaker we would buy, simple circulation pumps, and a crossflow option.
