It would be best if you were prepared for regular maintenance when you have a fish tank.
The equipment listed here is essential for keeping your tank clean and healthy.
These 10 fish tank accessories will help keep your fish happy and healthy even if you’re just starting as an amateur aquarist.
Gravel
Gravel is a substrate for your fish tank. It helps to keep the aquarium clean, which will help keep your water clean and healthy for your fish.
Gravel also adds a natural look to any aquarium and can be customized to fit with any decor theme or color scheme you may have.
Filters
It’s essential to keep your fish tank clean and healthy by filtering the water. Many different kinds of filters do this, such as:
- Mechanical filters – These remove debris from the water using a pad or mesh that gets clogged with dirt and other organic matter. This is common in hang-on-the-side models.
- Chemical filters – These remove dissolved impurities in water through chemical reactions like oxidation and reduction reactions (usually with activated carbon). This type of filter can be internal or external and is often used alongside mechanical filtration systems because it removes smaller particles than an automatic filter alone would catch
Heaters
Heaters are used to maintain the temperature of the water in an aquarium. They’re placed near the bottom of the tank and can be used to raise or lower the temperature, depending on your needs.
If you want to keep your fish at a specific temperature all year long, you’ll need a heater to maintain that heat indefinitely. Heaters range from 30 watts up to 300 watts and beyond!
Most aquariums use between 20-40 watts per gallon of water, so if your tank is more significant than 10 gallons, then I recommend using two 50watt heaters instead of one 100-watt heater (unless you live in a frigid climate).
Thermometers
It would be best if you also considered getting a thermometer to monitor your aquarium’s temperature. Fish are sensitive to water temperature changes, so you must keep an eye on them.
But, again, the best way to do this is with a thermometer; you can use the included product descriptions as a guide for finding what kind of thermometer will work best for your needs.
Thermometers are inexpensive and easy-to-use tools that can help ensure the health of your fish by keeping tabs on their environment at all times.
Many styles and shapes are available, so take some time to shop around before making your decision!
Air Pumps
An air pump is a device that creates a current and can help oxygenate the water. Air pumps are used to aerate the water in your fish tank, so they’re essential for keeping your fish alive and healthy.
Air pumps come in different sizes, but they all work by creating bubbles or currents. This helps remove toxic gases like ammonia and nitrites from your aquarium’s water by forcing them out of the tank instead of staying within it.
It also helps remove any dead plant matter or other debris that might be collected at the bottom of your tank so that it doesn’t decay on its own (which could cause further problems).
Finally, an air pump can help create a current in your aquarium—this can be helpful if you want to keep certain species together because some like to swim against strong currents while others prefer calmer waters.
Circulation Pumps
A circulation pump is a must-have for any fish tank. It’s an integral piece of equipment that helps provide oxygen to your fish, reducing stress and making them healthier and happier.
If you don’t have one, your fish will suffer from low dissolved oxygen levels and may even die. So what is a circulation pump?
Circulation pumps are designed to move water from one tank area to another to create a flow within the tank. This movement creates energy for microorganisms within the water column (such as bacteria), providing food for your fish!
You need this because it helps clean your water by keeping organic waste from settling on the bottom or floating in clumps at the surface due to poor water circulation.
This prevents toxin build-up so that you don’t end up with polluted aquariums like those found at pet stores or, worse yet: dead ones!
Cleaning Equipment
Cleaning equipment is essential to your fish tank setup, as it will keep your tank and its inhabitants healthy. For this reason, I recommend that you have at least one of each of the following cleaning tools:
- A gravel vacuum: This device is used to clean all of the substrates in your aquarium, ensuring that the gravel is free from debris and waste.
- A net: You will need this tool when you want to transfer fish or other creatures from one place to another within your aquarium system. (Note: I do not recommend using nets made from plastic as they can damage delicate fins.)
- A siphon: This tool allows you to suck up any detritus that has collected at the bottom of your tank without having to disturb too much water and disturb its inhabitants (be careful not to go too fast or put too much pressure on filter beds when using siphons).
Related:
7 Easiest Fish to Take Care Of [2022]
12 Creative Ways to Clean Your Home Aquarium
Lighting Fixtures
Lighting fixtures are crucial in your fish tank. Many people worry about the cost of these accessories, but they’re affordable; you can even find them at your local hardware store.
When purchasing lighting fixtures, it’s important to remember that not all bulbs are created equal: many contain mercury, which could pollute your water if broken or malfunctioned.
Also, make sure you change them regularly, so they don’t overheat!
Fluorescent bulbs are great for plants because they produce specific wavelengths of light that help photosynthesis occur faster—this is excellent news for any plant-lovers looking for something unique!
However, these fluorescent bulbs may cause algae growth if placed too close together while providing less light than other types of bulbs, such as LED ones.
LEDs offer high-quality lighting without sacrificing a whole lot else either—they provide enough energy efficiency without causing much heat output either way (which is why I recommend them!).
Related:
Aquarium Light VS Grow Light: Which One Should You Get?
13 Best Refugium Lights to Buy in 2022
Buying Guide: How to Choose the Best Aquarium Light?
Water Test Kits
A water test kit is a great accessory to have. You can use it to monitor your aquarium’s water quality and check the pH and other levels of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and hardness in the water.
You can also use it to test the temperature of your aquarium’s water and determine if you need an additional heater or not.
For example, if you’re going on vacation for two weeks but will still be feeding your pet fish daily, it would be helpful for you to know if there are any issues with their living conditions when you return home so that they don’t die; while away from home!
This way, at least one fish isn’t dead when I return from my trip!
Food and Placement Aids
To feed your fish, you will need food. Fish are omnivorous and eat both plants and meat. You can buy dried or frozen food at pet stores, but to save money and help your tank’s ecosystem thrive, it’s better to use fresh and nutritious foods as much as possible
The best kinds of food for aquariums include:
- Lettuce or spinach leaves (not iceberg),
- Frozen shrimp pellets,
- Frozen mealworms (they are high in protein),
- Freeze-dried brine shrimp eggs (these won’t go bad like live ones),
- Flakes made from the fish meal (which is rich in vitamins),
- Flakes made from krill meal (again with the vitamins),
- Finely chopped raw meat such as beef heart or chicken livers.
If you have a small tank with no bottom surface area, the water can flow freely around it.
For example, if there is an undergravel filter), it is best not to put too many different types of plants together because they might compete for oxygen and nutrients.
If this sounds like something that would happen in your tank, stick with just one type until things balance out better between them after a while!
Conclusion
Having a fish tank is great, but it requires regular maintenance and upkeep to keep your fish healthy and happy.
And the must-have fish tank accessories are required for maintaining a healthy aquarium:
I hope this list of the top 10 most crucial fish tank accessories will help you maintain a healthy aquarium.
Remember that every fish tank is different and needs its unique combination of equipment, but I believe these items are essential for all aquariums.
Once again, I encourage you to use our guide as a starting point when shopping around for new gear and ask questions before making any purchases so that you can be sure what you’re getting will work well with your setup!