Small Fish Tank Setup

For the freshwater fish beginner we would not recommend a small fish tank setup to start out with tropical fish. The reason being because it is more difficult to keep the water parameters stable in a smaller volume of water. A small tank also drastically reduces the types of fish you can keep.

However, many do start with just a small fish tank, so we want to give you a list of items to use with your small aquarium so that you can increase your chances for success in tropical fishkeeping. If you need help with setting up your new tank, check out the Tropical Fish Tank Setup page.

Below is a typical start-up kit for a small 2 gallon mini-bow aquarium. It comes with a lighted hood, a small packet of sample fish food, an undergravel filter and a small air pump. You will need to get some other items as well for your aquarium. As mentioned previously, a small tank can be more work than a large tank because you really have to stay on top of those water changes to prevent the small aquarium from becoming too polluted. Here is a list of the bare minimum things to have for any small aquarium:

Small Filter (we don't recommend using an undergravel filter) and a couple of replacement media cartridges.
Substrate (aquarium gravel)
Small aquarium vacuum
Fish Food or Goldfish food if keeping goldfish
Small fish net
Aquarium water test kit - Get a test kit that tests the ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels
5 gallon bucket
Small aquarium air pump (used in conjunction with the filter)

Small Fish Tank Setup Kits

MiniBow 2.5 Gallon Starter Aquarium Kit

Please don't go out and get a bunch of tropical fish or goldfish right away. Let the aquarium cycle first with a hardy fish like the zebra danio or even fishless. Please read about the nitrogen cycle for more information such as starting this cycle and how to speed up the nitrogen cycle.

Also, if you are going to be running a small fish tank setup be prepared to perform aquarium maintenance more often.