Recommended gear

Every product we recommend across our articles, in one place. Grouped by purpose. We've used everything on this list ourselves — links go to Amazon and we earn a small commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Test kits & water chemistry

If you only buy from one section on this page, buy from this one. Knowing your numbers is the difference between fixing a problem and guessing at it.

API Freshwater Master Test Kit

API Freshwater Master Test Kit

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API GH and KH Test Kit

API GH & KH Test Kit

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TDS Meter (4-in-1 digital)

TDS Meter (4-in-1 digital)

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Salty Shrimp GH/KH+ remineralizer

Salty Shrimp GH/KH+ remineralizer

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Salty Shrimp Bee Shrimp Mineral GH+

Salty Shrimp Bee Shrimp Mineral GH+

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Seachem Prime water conditioner

Seachem Prime (water conditioner)

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Dr Tim's One and Only freshwater bacteria

Dr. Tim's One & Only (freshwater bacteria)

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Dr Tim's Ammonium Chloride for fishless cycling

Dr. Tim's Ammonium Chloride (fishless cycle)

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Filtration, lighting & equipment

A quiet, dependable filter and a light you don't have to fuss with. The hardware that just works in the background.

Pawfly sponge filter kit with air pump

Pawfly Sponge Filter Kit + Air Pump

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hygger 24/7 LED with sunrise/moonlight

hygger 24/7 LED (sunrise & moonlight)

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hygger Mini 50W aquarium heater

hygger Mini 50W heater (5–10 gal)

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Python water changer

Python Water Changer

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Aquatic Life RO Buddie reverse osmosis unit

Aquatic Life RO Buddie (RO unit)

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Pawfly soft aquarium fish net

Pawfly soft aquarium fish net

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Plants & substrate

Live plants we've actually grown. Floating, foreground, hardscape attachment, and a black sand we trust for shrimp.

Java Moss (Taxiphyllum barbieri)

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Bucephalandra Kedagang (tissue culture)

Bucephalandra Kedagang (tissue culture)

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Java Fern and Anubias bundle

Java Fern + Anubias bundle

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Amazon Frogbit floating plant

Amazon Frogbit (20+ leaves)

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Hornwort (nitrate sponge)

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Aquarium lava rock 10 pack

Tfwadmx Aquarium Lava Rock (10pk)

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FANTIAN black aquarium sand

FANTIAN Black Aquarium Sand (5 lb)

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Shrimp essentials

The supplies that turn a tank into a working shrimp habitat — biofilm food sources, copper-free fertilizer, and the jar we drip-acclimate in.

SunGrow Indian almond leaves

Indian Almond Leaves (SunGrow 50pcs)

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ThriveS Shrimp Specific Fertilizer (copper-free)

ThriveS Shrimp Fertilizer (copper-free)

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Live marimo moss balls 4 pack

Live Marimo Moss Balls (4-pack)

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Folinstall wide-mouth apothecary jar

Folinstall Apothecary Jar (drip acclimation)

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Aquascaping tools

The handful of tools that earn their place in a planted-tank toolkit. Curved scissors and reef glue do more work than you'd guess.

Mandala Crafts curved aquascape scissors

Mandala Crafts curved aquascape scissors

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Seachem Reef Glue cyanoacrylate

Seachem Reef Glue (cyanoacrylate)

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Connecting Threads cotton sewing thread

Connecting Threads cotton thread (moss tying)

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