Aquarium gear guides

How to choose the equipment a beginner's tank needs.

• Best Filter for a 10-Gallon Tank

  How to choose a filter for a 10-gallon aquarium: sponge or hang-on-back, what the tank rating means, flow for small fish, and what else you need to buy.

• Best Filter for Betta Fish: What to Look For

  Choose a filter a betta can live with: why low flow matters, sponge versus hang-on-back, signs the current is too strong, and how to slow it down.

• Best Heater for a 10-Gallon Aquarium

  What size heater a 10-gallon tank needs, why a stuck heater is the real danger, what to look for, and how to keep the tank and yourself safe.

• Best Water Conditioner for Betta Fish

  What a water conditioner must do for a betta: chlorine and chloramine, what ammonia claims really mean, betta-labeled bottles, and dosing small tanks.

• Best Test Kit for a Freshwater Aquarium

  Choose an aquarium test kit: which tests a beginner needs, liquid kits versus strips, why many strips skip ammonia, and when a kit can read falsely high.

• Best Light for a Beginner Planted Tank

  What a first planted aquarium needs from its light: enough brightness for easy plants, a size that covers the tank, adjustable brightness and a timer.