The most important guideline to keep in mind is that if you have a 20 gallon tank, you need at least a 20 gallon filter. If you have goldfish, you may even want to go higher.

Power Filters

These are by far the most common aquarium filters, especially for freshwater aquariums. These are the filters that you hook onto the back of your aquarium. The stem should be fully submerged in the water, which will gather floating particles in the water, that then get filtered through the filter pad.

The filter pad, which should be replaced at least every month, is usually filled with carbon or other media to neutralize ammonia, nitrates, and other toxins that contaminate the water.

Power filters are perfect for the beginner home aquarium owner because they are simple and low maitenance.

Recommended Power Filters

Penguin BIO-Wheel 100 Power Filter - up to 20 gallon

The feature that seperates this filter from most other filters is the use of the Bio-Wheel. This is basically just one more added filtration system that prevents waste and toxins from getting put back into the aquarium.

The product I've linked to is for aquariums up to 20 gallons, but this line of filters goes well into the 150 gallon range (though these are far more complex systems).

This filter is only $21.79 at That Fish Place similar filters without the Bio-Wheel are just about the same price. You can also get pads and replacement wheels for this filter for under $5.

AquaClear 30 Aquarium Power Filter - 20 to 30 gallon

This is my second favorite filter available. I actually used this on my first ever Cichlid tank, and I never had much problem with it. Though I really like the bio-wheel which is why this is my second choice.

It is also a little more expensive than the Penguin product, but less moving parts, means less chance of something breaking on you. However, this product has a warrenty covering and manufacturer defects.

You can get the Aquaclear 30 for under $30.

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AquaClear 70 300 Aquarium Power Filter Aqua Clear A615    US $37.88

Under-gravel Filters

Under-gravel filters work by placing a series of plates underneath the gravel which pulls the waste and other floating particles below it. This type of filter only provides biological filtration benefits. However, many aquarium owners use these in addition to power filters to keep the water free of debris.

The main problem I see with these type of filters is the cleaning process. To remove the debris you have to take the filter out from under the gravel, and when you do the waste will end up back in the water. So when you do change the filter you will have to do a 50-75% water change.

Recommended Under-Gravel Filters

Since I don't ever use under-gravel filters, I unfortunately don't have any recommendations for you. However if you absolutely must have one, get a Top-fin under-gravel filter from PetSmart, they have a lifetime guarantee.

Cheap Under-Gravel Filters on Ebay

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Canister Filters

Canister filters are usually used in larger tanks 30+ but I usually see them in larger 50+ gallon tanks. Though don't let me discourage you from using them for whatever tank you may have. Canister filters are hands down, the best at their job. Your water will be more clear than ever.

They usually cost a little more, but again, if you are serious about your aquarium hobby, I highly recommend them. And if you have a large saltwater tank (I know, not the right blog for this discussion) it is almost a must.

People typically hide these ugly filters underneath their tank in the stand, or behind it. The smaller canister fiilters aren't too loud, but if you have a high power canister filter, they can get a bit noisy, but not as bad as one would expect.

Recommended Canister Filters

Marineland C-220 Aquarium Canister Filter - up to 55 gallon

Nothing all that fancy about the Marineland Canister filter from tetra. Then why do I recommend it, you ask? Well it gets the job done and is easy to use. Like most Tetra products, this canister filter is made so that people with all different levels of experience can get it up and running in no time.

This is the only canister filter I've ever used, and I will continue to buy this filter for my larger tanks, because it just works.

This is one of the smaller models but other Marineland canister filters go up to 150 gallons if I believe. The 50 gallon model (pictured left) will only run you $154.99 and comes with a 3 year warrenty.

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There are 2 common solutions to this problem; automatic feeders and vacation feeders.

Automatic Feeders

The concept behind automatic feeders is simple; according to a set time, the feeder will rotate releasing a predetermined amount of food. This allows for periodic feeding with little effort required from you. All you have to do is set the intervals and food amounts, and fill it with food when it starts running low.

The advantage automatic feeders have over the dissolving vacation feeders, which will be discussed in the next section, is that they won't leave your water murky, and an automatic feeder can feed your fish much longer.

Recommended Automatic Feeders

AquaChef Automatic Aquarium Fish Feeder

This product from AquaChef is one I've had personal experience with. The setup is easy, and if you do have problems, they have an easy to follow guide.

It can handle all kinds of food as well (flakes, pellets, sticks). The only food I would avoid is frozen or life stuff for obvious reasons. This automatic feeder has more customization than other feeders out there and isn't all that expensive compared to similar products.

The cheapest I could find it for was $28.39 at That Fish Place. You can get more details about it on their site.

Nutramatic 2X Automatic Feeder

This feeder is far more simple compared to the AquaChef product, but it still gets the job done. This product simply spins every 12 hours releasing food, depending on how far you open the food gate, so it is adjustable in that sense.

I'd even go as far as to say that this product is equally as effective as the above product, you just don't get as much customization. But again, it gets the job done.

This is for people looking for a cheap and easy solution. You can pick this item up for just under $20 at That Fish Place.

Automatic Feeders on Ebay

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Vacation Feeders

These have slowly lost popularity over the years since automatic feeders have improved so much. None the less, vacation feeders still have their place. If you are going to be out for the weekend, and you want to make sure your fish are fed, just drop in a 2 day vacation feeder. Its understandable why you wouldn't want to invest $20-$30 in an automatic feeder.

Vacation feeders slowly dissolve with time, releasing food from time to time. The downside is that the disolved "white stuff" needs to go somewhere. It usually ends up in the tank. It's not harmful, just makes the water temporarily murky.

Vacation feeders are sold based on the time period they are supposed to last for. The shortest being a day or 2, all the way up to 14 days I believe. Though it wouldn't surprise me if they had ones that could last even longer.

Again, I recommend That Fish Place. They have excellent service and I've never had any problems with them.

I hope this Buying Guide was useful, since it is the first one, I'm sure there can be improvements made. As always feel free to leave a comment, to let me know what you think could be better, or what you would like to see.

The reasons behind the popularity of the Betta fish, also known as the Siamese Fighting Fish, are simple to take care of. Betta fish are not only beautiful and majestic fish, they're also the easiest to care of, hands down. The Betta is a highly aggressive fish and must live in solidarity.

Male Bettas are far more vibrant and have much longer, flowing fins, compared to the female Betta.

The average Betta fish lives 1 to 3 years.

The Betta Fish Tank

Betta fish require very little space. At pet stores and aquatic stores you'll typically find the Bettas in itty-bitty containers, less than a pint in many cases. I definitely recommend you upgrade to a bigger tank.

There's usually no reason to get a tank greater than 5 or 10 gallons because you can only have one Betta fish in your tank at a time!

Just like all freshwater fish tanks you'll need gravel. Unlike most freshwater tanks, a filter and a heater are not necessarily needed. Of course if you decide to go this route, you'll need to clean the tank more regularly.

Make sure you use water conditioners to neutralize harmful chemicals.

Feeding Your Betta

Yes, Bettas are so simple that they don't even need to be fed daily. Most Bettas can survive for 2+ days before they need to be fed again. Of course if you'd like to spoil your Betta, daily feedings are absolutely fine.

A Betta will eat nearly anything. They will happily eat flakes or Betta pellets, as well as many frozen fish foods such as brine shrimp and blood worms.

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Unfortunately, tropical fish and goldfish aren't supposed to be mixed together, so you're going to have to choose one or the other. In my eyes, this decision comes down to 3 key factors: compatibility, ease, and personal taste.

Compatability:

This entails everything from fish temperament, size, and your home aquarium. O.K. so we already know that tropical and goldfish can't be mixed.

As far as temperament goes, goldfish are easy. Most goldfish get along with each other as long as they have enough space to be comfortable. Fish do have their own personalities, so you may come across a "bully" fish that likes to beat up on the others. In which case you'll have to get it out of there or risk the wellbeing of your other fish. Remember, 2 gallons for every inch of fish in the case of goldfish. If you want to get goldfish, you should take into consideration the size of your aquarium. Full grown goldfish can range from 6 inches to 1 foot in size, so if you're working with a 10 gallon tank, you may want to consider getting tropical fish, unless you plan on upgrading to a bigger tank soon.

Tropical fish on the other hand can be a little more difficult. Tropical community freshwater fish require half the tank space when compared to goldfish. More aggressive tropical fish such as cichlids, bala sharks, and thousands of other aggressive species of freshwater tropical fish will typically need more space. This requires some trial and error. Some fish simply won't get along together, the key is to find fish with similar personalities and levels of aggression.

Ease:

I personally find goldfish far easier to take care of in comparison to tropical fish, and I think most would agree with me. Goldfish don't require a heater (in most cases) and they're usually far more hardy. As mentioned under "Compatibility" goldfish typically get along great together, with the exception of the rare rogue goldfish. So that's one less thing you have to worry about.

Tropical freshwater fish can be a little more difficult, as there are many more factors to take into consideration. For starters, tropical fish are more likely to be affected by water temperature, chemicals, and stress. As a result tropical fish are far less hardy. Again, compatibility comes into play here. Incompatible fish can cause quite the headache.

Personal Taste:

This should be the deciding factor for the many that are in the market for new freshwater fish. After all, this is your aquarium and your pets, you should enjoy them. If you're setting up an aquarium for your kid, I'd suggest just going for goldfish, heck, get a Betta (also a tropical fish) even. For those of us that can handle the responsibility, choose the fish that interests you the most.

For me, it's tropical fish, African Cichlids in particular. My first freshwater aquarium was a Cichlid tank because I love the vibrant colors. They're also not too aggressive if you provide them with a proper habitat.

Choosing tropical fish will allow you to choose from a much larger variety of fish. With more variety comes more color, interaction, and most importantly, some wiggle room.

School of Tropical Freshwater Fish

Setting up your freshwater aquarium properly the first time will safe you a ton of hassle and wasted times cleaning up the pieces. Many people are so excited about getting fish in their aquarium, that they forget an essential step or rush the process and put their fish in an unstable environment. I can tell you from first hand experience, this is not the way to go. Patience is key here.

1. Wash Everything Beforehand

Anything thats doing into the tank (fish excluded) should be washed thoroughly with a soap-free solution. My personal favorite soap-free solution is good ol' water. You can get everything cleaned properly without having to worry about chemical residues. The tank itself, gravel, ornaments, and plants should all be washed.

2. Setup Your Freshwater Aquarium

Put your tank and stand in a well positioned place in your home. Make sure your tank isn't directly under any air vents and out of direct sunlight to avoid rapid fluctuations in temperature. Keeping your fish tank out of the sun will also keep algae from growing too quickly.

3. Setup Your Filtration

Purchase an appropriately strong filter and follow the instructions included. Sorry I can't provide more in depth instruction here, filters come in all shapes and sizes, trying to go into detail here would be foolish. Read the instructions provided.

4. Add Gravel

Remember to wash it off before putting gravel in your tank. Painted gravel in particular comes with large amounts of residue from the factory, you definitely don't want this stuff in your freshwater aquarium. You want to use approximately 1 pound of gravel per gallon. (Example: 55 gallon take requires about 55 pounds of gravel.

5. Just Add Water!

Fill your freshwater fish aquarium with water. Tap or distilled, it doesn't matter, as we're going to have to add water conditioners to it anyway. You'll want to leave a little but of space at the top of the aquarium for objects you'll want to add next. Tap water and many brands of distilled waters come chock full of unhealthy chemicals including: lead, nitrates, nitrates, chlorine, and more. It is absolutely necessary that you add some water conditioners to the water to stabilize chemical levels in your aquarium. We'll go into more depth on water conditioner on a later article.

6. Plants and Ornaments

This is the fun part for many people. Now is the time to add plants and ornaments. I alway recommend live

Aquarium Castle Ornament

plants over fake as they can help prolong the life of your fish and the stability of your aquarium. Not only do live plants provide oxygen for your freshwater aquarium, but they also help comfort your fish. Live plants create great places for your fish to hide and get comfortable, due to the added effect of a more natural habitat.

Also add your aquarium ornaments at this time. Remember, your aquarium ornaments should be washed to remove any residues before being put into the aquarium. Ornaments are also a good way to keep your freshwater fish comfortable.

7. Start Your Engines!

Start running your filter at this point. If you're starting a tropical freshwater aquarium you're also going to need a heater and thermometer. Freshwater tropical fish need water temperatures between 75° F and 80° F. Non-tropical fish, essentially only goldfish, are typically fine with room temperature water..

8. And We Wait...

Even though this is the most simple step of the whole freshwater aquarium setup process, it's also where people mess up the most. Like I said at the beginning of this article, patience is key. It's recommended that you leave your aquarium to sit for at least 24 hours with the filter and heater running. I personally recommend a wait time of at least 72 hours, if not more. This will provide ample time for natural healthy bacterias to form in your aquarium, and will ensure that your water is chemical and toxin-free.

9. Fish, Finally.

After you've made sure the chemical levels in your water are safe (PetSmart offers free water testing or you can purchase test kits for cheap), you can then add your fish. Choosing your fish deserves at least a few articles to itself, so I won't go into great detail. You basically want to keep tropical and cold water freshwater fish separate from each other.

With tropical fish you should allow one gallon of water for every inch of fish (at full size). Aggressive tropical fish require more space in most cases. Goldfish on the other hand should be allowed 2 gallons of water for every inch of fish.

Once you've gotten the fish home float the bag on top of the water. This will allow the temperature of the water in the bag to slowly match the temperature in your aquarium. Wait 30-60 minutes and you can release your fish from the bag.

Now you're all set to enjoy the wonders of your own home freshwater aquarium!

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