Best Aquarium Kits


angelfish and swordtails in freshwater aquarium
Image by Vigan Hajdari from Pixabay

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Selecting the best fish tank can often be a daunting process. Recently, I decided to buy another aquarium and it took me several days of looking before I decided on the best aquarium kit to purchase.

It is possible to buy each aquarium item separately, but buying a kit often makes it much easier because you get everything you need all in one package to get your tank up and going.

Things to Consider When Selecting Your Aquarium:

  • Tank Size
  • Tank Shape
  • What's Included in Kit
  • Acrylic vs Glass
  • Brand Name

Of these, tank size is probably the most important. In aquariums, bigger is always better. In general, don't get anything smaller than a 10 gallon tank and 20 gallons is better if you can afford it. If you were only planning on keeping one male betta in a tank, you might be able to get away with a 5 gallon tank, but 10 would still be better.

Tank shape is also very important. You're going to want a rectangular shape aquarium. Don't get an octagon shaped tank. Fish swim back and forth and not up and down. You want a tank that is longer than it is tall.

Also, you'll want all of the necessary items to be included in the kit that you'll need to get your fish tank going.

I prefer acrylic aquariums to glass. They are lighter and if somehow the tank were to get knocked over they are less likely to shatter. However, I have had many glass aquariums and the last aquarium I bought was glass. Some people don't like acrylic because it scratches very easily.

Brand name is the least important, however, you want to choose a name you trust. Another thing to consider is that you want to easily be able to find replacement parts if part of your tank every breaks down. Filter replacement cartridges are another item to consider. You want to be able to find these easily and also you don't want to have to purchase filter cartidges that will be expensive since you'll need to replace these on a regular basis.

It's best to read reviews about fish tanks and equipment before you buy them. A great place to find this information is on review sites such as https://www.aquariumsource.com/. They also have a lot of care guides for various species of freshwater and marine aquarium fish.

Okay, now lets talk about the best Aquarium Kits available in 2020. The following aquarium kits were selected based on overall quality of the tank and accessories as well as the price. I consider the following the best aquarium kits for the price.

Aqueon 10 Gal LED Aquarium Kit


Aqueon 10 Gal LED Aquarium Kit is a good kit for a 10 gallon aquarium. If you are just starting out then this is a good kit. It's also decently priced for a 10 gallon kit.

Tank Features:

  • 10 Gallon Glass Aquarium
  • Cover with LED Lighting
  • QuietFlow 10 LED PRO power filter with medium cartridge
  • 50W preset heater
  • Fish Food Sample
  • Fish Net
  • Stick on Thermometer
    • Drawbacks: Tank is only 10 gallons, also this kit doesn't appear to come with a water conditioner so you will need to purchase that separately, but that is relatively inexpensive.


      20 Gallon Aqueon Aquarium Fish Tank Kit

      This aquarium kits comes with everything that the above 10 gallon tank has, except it is bigger and includes water conditioner.

      Tank Features:

      • 20 Gallon Glass Aquarium
      • Cover with LED Lighting
      • QuietFlow 10 LED PRO power filter with medium cartridge
      • 100W preset heater
      • Fish Food Sample
      • Fish Net
      • Stick on Thermometer
      • Water Conditioner

      Tetra 20 Gallon Complete Aquarium Kit w/Filter Heater LED & Plants


      I very recently purchased the Tetra 20 Gallon Complete Aquarium Kit. Overall it is a good aquarium and looks good. Another benefit is that the price is good.

      Tank Features:

      • 20 Gallon Glass Aquarium
      • Cover with LED Lighting
      • Tetra Whisper 20 Filter with large cartridge
      • Tetra Mini UL Heater
      • Fish Food Sample
      • Fish Net
      • Stick on Thermometer
      • Artificial Boxwood Plant Mat
      • Four artificial plants
      • Water Conditioner
        • I liked this aquarium a lot. However I could not get the clips to attach for the hood. The hood still works fine and sets on top of the tank just fine, except that I couldn't actually get the hood attachments to snap into the clip. Other than that the tank and accessories were fine.


          20 Gallon SeaClear Acrylic Aquarium Combo Set


          Tank Features:

          • 20 Gallon Acrylic Aquarium
          • Reflector and electrical light fixture

          Because I like acrylic aquariums I really wanted to like this aquarium, but it doesn't come with the accessories included in the other kits. You have to buy everything separately. It's also more expensive than the other kits.

          One pro for this tank is that it is also available in other larger sizes, from 20 gallons to 50 gallons.


          Other Items you will need

          Don't forget that in addition to the aquarium kit itself you'll also need a few other items for your aquarium. You'll need aquarium gravel. For a 20 gallon tank you'll need about 4 bags of 5 pound rocks.

          You will also need an appropriately sized aquarium stand for your tank.

          For example for the 20 gallon Tetra 20 Gallon Complete Aquarium Kit I also purchased this stand:

          This stand worked great for the Tetra 20 gallon aquarium kit, but you may need a different stand depending on which aquarium you decide to purchase.