The essential fish keeping supplies are a tank, filter, heater (for tropical fish), light, substrate, water conditioner, and a test kit. That covers the basics for keeping fish alive and healthy. Beyond the core setup, supplies like feeding equipment, maintenance tools, and water quality additives make the hobby easier and improve fish health over time. Knowing what to buy upfront versus what can wait saves money and avoids a cluttered fish room full of gear you don't use.
This guide runs through fish keeping supplies by category, with specific product examples and the reasoning behind each recommendation. Whether you're setting up a first tank or auditing what you've accumulated against what you actually need, this list covers the practical tools and consumables that matter.
Filtration Supplies
The Filter
Your filter is the single most important piece of equipment. It handles mechanical filtration (trapping debris), biological filtration (growing bacteria that process ammonia), and chemical filtration (optional, using activated carbon or specialty media).
Popular choices by tank size: - Up to 20 gallons: Aqueon Quietflow 10 HOB or Hikari Bacto-Surge Sponge Filter with air pump - 20-50 gallons: AquaClear 50 HOB or Fluval 207 canister filter - 50-100 gallons: Fluval 307 canister or Seachem Tidal 110 HOB - 100+ gallons: Fluval 407 canister or Eheim Professional 3e 700
Filter Media
Filters run on media. Mechanical media (sponge, filter floss) traps particles. Biological media (ceramic rings, plastic bio-balls, rock wool) grows bacteria. Chemical media (activated carbon, Seachem Purigen, phosphate remover) targets specific pollutants.
A complete media stack for a canister filter: 1. Filter floss or sponge pads (mechanical, coarse to fine) 2. Fluval BioMax ceramic rings or Eheim Substrat Pro (biological) 3. Activated carbon (chemical, optional but useful for clarity and odor control)
Seachem Purigen is worth keeping on hand for planted tanks and tanks prone to yellowing water (tannin release from driftwood). It's rechargeable, lasting 6-12 months before needing replacement.
Replacement Parts
Keep at minimum one set of replacement media and a spare impeller for your filter. Impeller failure is the most common cause of filter shutdown. The Fluval 307 impeller assembly is around $12-15. The AquaClear 50 impeller is about $10. A spare on the shelf prevents an emergency run to the store when your filter stops working at 11pm.
Heating Supplies
An adjustable submersible heater and a separate digital thermometer are the two heating supplies worth buying right.
The Eheim Jager TruTemp is accurate to 0.5°F and shuts off if it falls out of water. For most tanks: - 10 gallons: 25-50 watt heater - 20-30 gallons: 50-75 watt heater - 40-55 gallons: 100-150 watt heater - 75-100 gallons: 200-250 watt heater or two 100W heaters
A digital thermometer like the Marina Floating Thermometer or a stick-on LCD thermometer lets you verify the heater is holding temperature accurately. Never trust the heater's dial alone.
Lighting Supplies
LED Lights
LED lights have replaced fluorescent for most aquarium applications. They run cooler, last longer, and offer better spectrum control.
For basic freshwater community tanks, the Nicrew ClassicLED Plus is a solid, inexpensive option ($20-35) with decent full-spectrum output. For planted tanks, the Fluval Plant 3.0 or Finnex Planted+ 24/7 CRV are the standard choices.
Timers
A simple outlet timer ($8-15) turns the light on and off on a consistent schedule. Consistent photoperiod (8-10 hours for most tanks) reduces algae and regulates fish behavior. The BN-LINK 24-Hour Mechanical Outlet Timer is reliable and cheap.
Water Quality Supplies
This is the category most beginners underinvest in, and it causes most early tank failures.
Test Kits
The API Freshwater Master Test Kit covers ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH. It costs about $25 and tests 800 times. Liquid tests are more accurate than test strips, which can read as much as 40-50% off for nitrate. If you're diagnosing a sick tank, liquid tests are not optional.
Water Conditioner
Seachem Prime is the benchmark water conditioner. It neutralizes chlorine, chloramines, and ammonia, and it's safe to use for emergency ammonia detoxification. A 500mL bottle treats 5,000 gallons. It's genuinely the one product I'd never run a tank without.
For saltwater, Instant Ocean Sea Salt Mix or Red Sea Coral Pro Salt are the standard choices.
pH and Hardness Adjusters
Most fish kept in typical municipal tap water do fine without adjustment. If your tap water has unusual chemistry, API pH Up and pH Down are basic adjustment tools. Seachem Neutral Regulator stabilizes pH at 7.0. For soft-water fish (angelfish, discus, apistogrammas), Seachem Acid Buffer and Alkaline Buffer help dial in precise parameters.
Browse more product options through our Best Online Fish Supply Store recommendations.
Substrate and Decoration Supplies
Substrate
- Aquarium gravel: CaribSea Super Naturals Sunset Gold or Imagitarium White Sand for basic freshwater setups
- Pool filter sand: Inexpensive, available at hardware stores, safe for fish, preferred by corydoras
- Planted tank substrate: Fluval Stratum, Seachem Flourite, or ADA Aqua Soil for planted tanks that need root nutrition
- Crushed coral: For African cichlid tanks that need elevated pH and hardness
Decoration
Driftwood, rocks, and live or artificial plants serve a functional purpose beyond aesthetics. They break line of sight between aggressive fish, provide hiding spots that reduce stress, and give territorial fish something to defend other than each other.
Malaysian driftwood and Mopani driftwood are reliable options. Rinse them thoroughly and boil smaller pieces before adding to the tank, as they'll otherwise release tannins that turn the water brown (harmless but aesthetically noticeable).
Feeding Supplies
Foods
Every tank needs at minimum a staple flake or pellet food. Beyond that, variety improves fish health and coloration.
Core food supplies: - Flake food: Tetra TetraMin Tropical Flakes or Fluval Bug Bites - Pellets: New Life Spectrum Thera+A (1mm for small fish), Hikari Gold (for goldfish) - Bottom feeder food: Hikari Sinking Wafers or Omega One Algae Rounds - Frozen food: Hikari Frozen Bloodworms and Brine Shrimp for variety and conditioning - Vegetables: Blanched zucchini slices for plecos and snails
Feeding Tools
A feeding ring is useful for surface feeders. It keeps food concentrated in one spot, preventing it from spreading across the tank and sinking before fish can eat it. SLSON and Ziss both make inexpensive floating rings that work well.
Maintenance Supplies
These tools make regular tank maintenance faster and more effective.
Gravel Vacuum
A gravel vacuum siphons water while disturbing substrate to release waste. The Aqueon Pro Siphon Gravel Cleaner works for standard water changes in tanks up to 50 gallons. For larger tanks or convenience, the Python No Spill Clean and Fill System connects to a faucet, eliminating bucket hauling.
Algae Cleaning Tools
- Magnetic scraper: Flipper Float 2-in-1 Magnetic Aquarium Cleaner works for glass tanks; avoid on acrylic as the scraper side scratches.
- Long-handled scraper: API Algae Scraper with a blade end for stubborn coralline algae or spot algae.
- Turkey baster: One of the most useful and underrated maintenance tools. Perfect for spot-removing debris, feeding target fish, or clearing waste from planted aquascapes.
Buckets and Towels
Two dedicated 5-gallon buckets, used only for aquarium work. Label them with a marker. Cross-contamination from soap residue in a general-purpose bucket has killed many tanks.
Old towels around the tank base absorb drips and spills. Keep dedicated aquarium towels separate from household linens.
For supplemental aeration supplies, see our Oxygen Machine for Fish Tank Price recommendations.
FAQ
What's the minimum supply list for a 10-gallon fish tank? A small sponge filter and air pump, a 25-50W heater, an LED light, gravel or sand substrate, water conditioner (Seachem Prime), and the API Freshwater test kit. Total cost: $60-100 depending on what's already owned. A thermometer and gravel vacuum should follow soon after.
How often do I need to replace filter media? Mechanical media (sponge, filter floss) rinse monthly in old tank water. Replace every 6-12 months when they no longer hold shape. Biological media (ceramic rings) almost never needs replacement unless it physically disintegrates. Activated carbon replaces every 4-6 weeks. Never rinse biological media under tap water.
Do I need special supplies for a saltwater tank? Yes. Add a refractometer for salinity measurement ($15-20), marine salt mix, live rock or porous rock for biological filtration, a protein skimmer for tanks with fish, and calcium and alkalinity test kits. The supply list is longer and the chemicals more specific than freshwater, but the core filter/heater/light setup is similar.
Can I reuse supplies from an old tank? Filter equipment, lights, and tanks can all be safely reused if cleaned thoroughly. Never use soap. Rinse with dechlorinated water and let dry. Filter media and biological filter material from a healthy established tank can be transferred directly to a new tank to speed up cycling. Gravel and decorations should be rinsed and dried; avoid reusing substrate from a tank that experienced disease.
Pulling It Together
Start with the core six: tank, filter, heater, light, water conditioner, and test kit. Add a gravel vacuum and feeding supplies once the tank is set up. The rest of the supply list, specialty media, CO2 equipment, auto-feeders, extra test kits, adds value as your experience grows and your tank becomes more complex. A well-maintained basic setup with quality fundamentals beats an advanced setup with neglected maintenance every time.