10 Gallon Freshwater Shopping List

The Essentials

• 10-Gallon Tank – a home for your fish
• Hood / Lighted Hood – for containment and brilliant color. A must for live plants
• Undergravel or Box Filter – filters water and keeps the tank clean
• Air Pump – adds aeration and powers the undergravel filter
• Airline Tubing – from undergravel filter or airstones to air pump
• Check Valve – keeps water from siphoning back to air pump
• Gang Valve – allows division of air flow from pump
• Heater (50 – 75 Watts) – keeps water temperature stable
• Thermometer – monitors water temperature
• Gravel (15 lbs.) – helps aquarium filtration
• Chlorine Remover – prepares tap water for use
• Starting Bacteria Culture – lessens the chance of fish loss in new set-ups
• Algae Scrubber – used for cleaning the glass
• Fish Net – for removing debris and fish from aquarium
• Food – use a variety high quality foods and feed (at least two types)

Recommended

• Additional Filtration – very important in heavily loaded tanks
• Gravel Cleaner – helps make partial water changes and removes debris
• Ammonia Test Kit – use regularly to monitor water
• Nitrate Test Kit – to monitor water
• pH Test Kit – to monitor water
• Algae Cleaner
• Plastic or Live Plants – give fish places to hide and live plants to help water quality
• Decorations – for fish to hide and feel at home
• Aquarium Salt – a little will benefit most aquarium fish

Purchasing Fish

Begin cycling your tank with AMMO, following the instruction on the bottle. Buy only a few inexpensive fish (3-4) at first and make sure they are hardy species. It is not uncommon to lose a few fish in the initial stages. Bacterial additions every time new fish are added will help prevent this. Buy only fish that are treated before they are purchased and are treated in the bag when you purchase them. This is a sign of a quality dealer who cares about the livestock and the customer.