Beginner freshwater setup
10 min read
Your first planted community tank. We'll size the equipment, plan the stocking, and avoid the classic rookie mistakes.
Pick the right tank size
Bigger is easier. A 20-gallon long is the sweet spot for a first tank — it's stable, footprint-friendly, and stocks beautifully. Avoid anything under 10 gallons until you have a few months of experience.
Equipment list
Heater rated for your tank size (3–5 watts per gallon). HOB or canister filter rated for 1.5x your tank volume. A timer for the lights (8 hours/day max). A liquid test kit (API Master). Two 5-gallon buckets and a Python-style water changer.
Substrate, hardscape, plants
For a planted tank: capped aquasoil (Fluval Stratum, ADA Amazonia) gives nutrients and the right pH. Add driftwood (soaked) and some smooth river stones. Stick to easy plants: anubias, java fern, cryptocoryne, vallisneria.
Cycle the tank
Run a fishless cycle before adding fish: set up the tank, add dechlorinated water and bottled bacteria, dose ammonia to ~2 ppm, then test every 1–2 days and re-dose whenever ammonia drops below ~1 ppm. Plants help — they consume ammonia directly. With a heavily planted tank you can sometimes do a 'silent cycle' with very light stocking.
Stocking suggestions
20-gallon community: 10–12 small tetras (ember, neon, cardinal), 6 corydoras, 1 honey gourami, 1 nerite snail. Add the corys first, gourami last.
Weekly routine
25% water change. Test nitrate (target under 20 ppm). Wipe the front glass. Trim plants. Feed once a day, only what's eaten in 60 seconds.