Tropical fish (most of those species are freshwater fish) have become the most popular fish species for captivity in the world because they are cheap and easy to be kept in ponds or tanks. The mass production of those species among the fish farms in the Far East or in Florida has led to the low price and yet their familiarity among aquarists. Choosing a good tank kit for tropical fish, thus, is not difficult. The most essential thing is to understand their natural habitat in common and have a plan to maintain your tank. Below we have sorted out 6 of the most seamless and reasonable tank kits that may fit your plan of raising some tropical fishes. With the best fish tank for tropical fish on hand, we also help you go through a simple guide to get your fishes to thrive. Let figure it out and make a plan besides a purchase decision.
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Top 5 Best Fish Tank For Tropical Fish For Your Need
Top 1 best fish tank for tropical fish: Tetra Aquarium 20 Gallon Fish Tank Kit
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Features:
- Dimensions: 24.2″ L x 12.4″ W x 16.7″ H.
- Shape: rectangular.
- Material: glass.
What’s the kit included? 1x 20-gallon tank, 1x LED hood, 1 Tetra Mini UL Heater, 1x Tetra Whisper 20 filter, 1x artificial Boxwood Plant Mat, 4x artificial plants, and 1x TetraCare setup guide. All you will need is fish, gravel, and care items to start your exciting project.
Pros:
- Not too big, not too small: It is a very good tank size for all kinds of tropical fish and also will not take too much space in your living room.
- Budget-friendly: It is really a good price for a rather complete tank kit.
- High-quality material and acceptable equipment: the tank is made of scratch-resistant high-quality glass. Moreover, the other equipped parts also do work well. The LED hood which creates a natural shimmer effect is long-lasting and easy to maintain. The total design of the tank is seamless and sleek.
Cons:
- The kit does not include a thermometer which will make it easy to control the temperature.
- If the stock is heavy, the filter may become noisy and overload. Consider buying a bigger filter if you want to increase your stock.
Top 2: Koller Products PanaView 5-Gallon Aquarium Kit
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Features:
- Dimensions: 14. 2″L x 10″W x 11. 5″H.
- Shape: rectangular with round corners.
- Material: plastic.
What’s the kit included? 1x 5-gallon tank with multi-color LED, 1x Set-Up Instructions, and 1x Koller Products premium filter cartridge.
Pros:
- Easy-to-setup & easy-to-maintain: this is a stress-free tank for setting up in a few minutes. The internal filter is powerful and works well. Just remember to change the filter cartridge every 3 – 4 weeks. You could change the filter cartridge without getting your hands wet.
- Leak-proof tank: the tank is made of break-resistant plastic and it provides a crystal clear view like glass. Meanwhile, you do not have to worry about any leakage because there are no such silicon joints as a glass tank.
- Fun & trendy design: the tank comes with multi-colors and dazzling lights, which will bring more fun to your kids. Besides, the design with round corners gives you an optimal view at every angle.
Cons:
- A 5-gallon tank is a size that you have to consider greatly in choosing types of stock and quantity.
- The kit is incomplete: you should buy a water heater, a thermostat, and of course fish, gravel, decors, and other care items.
Top 3: Tetra Crescent Acrylic Aquarium Kit
[sc name=”amz” asin=”B00324X5L2″ ]
Features:
- Dimensions: 16.6’’L x 11.2’’W x 13.2’’H.
- Shape: rectangular with curved front and back.
- Material: acrylic.
What’s the kit included? 1x acrylic tank, 1x LED hood and bulbs, 1x Whisper Internal Filter, and 1x Aquarium setup guide.
Pros:
- The ideal tank for dorm room or bedroom: a 5-gallon tank is an ideal shelter for one small goldfish or up to 3 other tropical fishes. It is made of acrylic without any fear of leakage. Besides, the quiet filter will not bother your sleep.
- Hidden light for space-saving: with the internal filter and the LED bulbs built under the cover hood, the tank looks nice and neat.
- Adjustable filter: if your bettas are small and are afraid of the power from the filter, you could change the current to run softer.
- Easy-to-maintain: you only need to change the Bio-Bag filter cartridge and about 25% of the water once a month (consider changing water every 2 weeks if the tank is heavily stocked).
Cons:
- The kit is incomplete: you need a heater, a thermostat, and an optional water test kit.
- The light is not enough for growing live plants inside the tank. You could put the tank near the window or else buying an additional submersible lighting fixture.
Top 4: Fluval SPEC Aquarium Kit
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Features:
- Dimensions: 10.8’’L x 11.8’’W x 8.7’’H for a 2.6-gallon square tank and 20.5’’L x 7.5’’W x 11.6’’H for a 5-gallon rectangular tank.
- Shape: square and rectangular.
- Material: glass.
What’s the kit included?
- Glass aquarium with cover
- LED lighting system
- Safe, low-voltage transformer
- Circulation pump with output nozzle
- Fluval foam filter block with handle
- Fluval activated carbon insert
- Fluval BioMax insert
Pros:
- Modern & stylish: the honeycomb black back covering the filtration area plus the seamless glass tank with aluminum trim inside a black base – all creates a sleek and modern look for the tank.
- Bright LEDs: the super bright LED bulbs going with a low voltage adapter help the plants inside the tank grow well and the fishes shine.
- Powerful 3-stage filtration: the filtration including 3 stages of mechanical (a porous foam block catches all the debris and particles), chemical (activated carbon), and biological (BioMax) helps control the ammonia level in the aquarium and less water change.
Cons:
- Filter intake is really strong and if your fish is small, she may get sucked in. Put a mesh around the filter intake if this is worrying you.
Top 5: GloFish Aquarium Kit Fish Tank
[sc name=”amz” asin=”B013BXE1XO” ]
Features:
- Dimensions of 20-gallon tank: 24.2″ L x 12.5″ W x 16.2″ H. There are some smaller options as well.
- Shape: rectangular.
- Material: glass.
What’s the kit included? It is a complete kit including a 20-gallon glass aquarium, LED hood, Tetra Mini UL Heater, Tetra Whisper 20 filter, GloFish 13″ LED light stick, 3 GloFish plants, GloFish yellow anemone, fish food, water conditioner sample, and a set-up guide.
Pros:
- Great view: some people do not like the idea of genetically modified fishes but actually those fluorescent fishes from GloFish provide you the most fantastic view of an aquarium with a black back cover and the neon fishes swimming. It is just an achievement of science that we have the right of choosing to enjoy.
- Easy-to-setup: with the detailed setup guide from the manufacturer, you could finish the tank within some minutes.
Cons:
- You need to paint the back of the tank black or buy a black backdrop for enhancing the vibrancy of the fishes.
What is the best fish tank for tropical fish?
All the best things will be soon expired and replaced. Thus, to navigate the best one will depend on your budget, space, experience, and how much time you could give for this hobby. After going through the highly-rated tank kit in the current market, let us summary some key points to consider before buying a new tank for your tropical fish.
Tank size: Most tropical fish shall need a 20-gallon tank or bigger for thriving and presenting in an abundant school. However, not everyone has enough space for such a big tank, thus, a smaller tank like a 5-gallon tank could be suitable for some bettas or guppies.
Complete tank kit: a tank kit usually provides the most basic things for starting the hobby. However, it seems never enough. The reason is a water heater and a thermometer which are very essential for a tropical fish tank are usually sold separately. Thus, do not forget to check what will be included in the kit and then find a way to complete it so that you will not have to wait more days after getting the tank kit.
Shape, view, and style: The tropical fishes could easily thrive in captivity, which does not mean that we could prioritize the style of the tank more than generating swimming space for our pets. Thus, a rectangular tank will be the best to create more swimming lines for tropical fishes. Usually, a rectangular tank with round corners or curved front view will give us a more optimal view from any angle. However, a seamless tank with 900degree corners seems to create the most modern style.
Best Fish Tank For Tropical Fish FAQs:
What are the most popular tropical fishes for aquarium beginners?
Below are the 15 most common tropical fishes among aquarists that we would also want to introduce their basic water conditions and recommended suitable tank sizes.
- Guppy: Water conditions: 64-82° F, KH 10-30, pH 5.5-8.0. Fish size: 2’’, tank size: vary from a mini bow to 20-gallon tank.
- Molly: Water conditions: 75-82° F, KH 10-25, pH 7.5-8.5. Fish size: 6 – 7’’, tank size: 20 – 30 gallons as minimum.
- Zebra danios: Water conditions: 64-75° F, KH 8-12, pH 6.5-7.5. Fish size: 3’’, tank size: from mini Bow to 10-gallon tank.
- Dwarf Gouramis: Water conditions: 72 – 82°F, KH 3 – 8, pH 6.8 – 7.8. Fish size: 2.5’’, tank size: 10 – 20 gallons.
- Bettas: Water conditions: 75-86° F, KH 0-25, pH 6.0-8.0. Fish size: 3’’, tank size: 10 gallons as minimum.
- Catfish: Water conditions: 74-80° F, KH 3-10, pH7.0-8.0. Fish size: 2’’ – 9’’, tank size: 10 gallons as minimum.
- Swordtails: Water conditions: 64-82° F, KH 12-30, pH 7.0-8.3. Fish size: 4 – 5’’, ideal tank size: 20 gallons.
- Firemouth Cichlid: Water Conditions: 72-81° F, KH 4-10, pH 6.0-7.5. Fish size: 7 – 8’’, ideal tank size: 50 gallons.
- Plecostomus: Water Conditions: 74-80° F, KH 3-10, pH 6.0-8.0. Fish size: max 30’’, tank size: outgrow most people aquariums within 5 years.
- Oscar fish: Water Conditions: 74-81° F, KH 5-20, pH 6.0-8.0. Fish size: 12 – 16’’, ideal tank size: 70 – 100 gallons.
- Redtail sharks: Water Conditions: 72-80° F, KH 10-15, pH 6.4-7.6. Fish size: 6 – 7’’, ideal tank size: 50 gallons.
- Harlequin Rasbora: Water Conditions: 72-80° F, KH 2-15, pH 6.0-7.8. Fish size: 2’’, ideal tank size: 10 gallons.
- Loaches: Water Conditions: 75-81° F, KH 3-10, pH 6.0-8.0. Fish size: 4 – 9’’, ideal tank size: 50 gallons.
- Neon Tetra: Water Conditions: 70-81° F, KH 0-10, pH 6.0-7.0. Fish size: 1.5’’, ideal tank size: 10 gallons; if schooling, the ideal tank should be 20 gallons minimum.
- Angelfish: Water Conditions: 75-82° F, KH 1-5, pH 5.8-7.0. Fish size: 6 – 8’’, ideal tank size: 30 gallons.
What kind of tropical fish should I buy if I have only a 3-gallon tank?
Firstly, do regret that you could not own a bigger tank. However, there is still one good solution for the mini Bow to exist and be abundant among aquarists. You could raise 1 – 3 small bettas, guppies, harlequin, or neon tetras – those fishes will not grow too quickly and too big to break down your filtration system and die. After some months, when they are big enough, you could consider exchanging to get small fishes from a local fish store and continue to have some little cuties in your mini Bow to take care of and enjoy the exciting view.