Beginner aquarium guides
53 guides, in the order a first tank needs them. Each one answers one question and commits to the answer.
Equipment
Filters, heaters and substrate, picked from maker specs. 5 guides.
Equipment18 min
Best Aquarium Heater: How Heaters Fail and Which to Buy
Equipment15 min
Best Substrate for a Planted Aquarium: Pick by Your Plants
Equipment8 min
Best Filter for a 10 Gallon Tank: Picks by Setup, With Specs
Equipment9 min
Best Filter for a 20 Gallon Tank: Picks by Setup, With Specs
Equipment6 min
What Temperature Should a Fish Tank Be? By Species
What you'll find here
These guides follow the order you actually need them in: choosing a tank and working out what it really costs, the equipment that matters (filter, heater, light, substrate) and what you can skip, the nitrogen cycle and how to run a fishless cycle properly, then stocking (beginner-friendly fish, easy live plants) and the maintenance routine that keeps it all stable.
Every guide is written by a named human author who keeps tanks, gives you the numbers to test against rather than vague advice, and gets updated when better information turns up. Read more about our editorial standards.