Reddit mentions of Aqueon Pro Adjustable Heater, 100W

Pay attention to your heaters! According to my Amazon purchase history, I purchased this one 2.5 years ago. Not a bad run, I think. Pretty sure it got knocked into the glass a couple times, too.

Edit: Link to Pro Heater by Aqueon

Edit edit: Thank you for everyone's awesome comments and suggestions! You guys schooled me on how to avoid this in the future! After some research, I'm going to contact Aqueon to see if I can get the heater replaced, and purchase this GFCI safety power strip. Will also check out a thermostat controller.

Edit edit edit: Thank you, /u/carlthecarrot, there is a warranty on the heater. I sent Aqueon and email, and all they needed was a receipt and a photo. They are already shipping me a new one.

I was in your shoes not too long ago, it's overwhelming! Here's a list of things that I bought, but I am not an expert so if others have better input go for that:

Equipment

• 10 gallon tank with hood
  
• Broad Spectrum Light The one that came with the hood did not provide enough for the plants, you definitely need to invest in a broad spectrum bulb.
  
• CaribSea Flora Max Substrate I learned that shrimp prefer darker color substrate, this was worth the investment! My shrimp were so unhappy with cheap gravel, after switching to this substrate they are very active.
  
• Air pump
  
• Sponge filter
  
• Heater, maybe optional for you?
  
• Thermometer
  
• Gallon Bucket
  
• Siphon
  
• Seachem Prime Because it's a smaller tank, I ended up poking a pinhole sized hole in the seal so that I could use it as drops rather than pouring it in.
  
• [Seachem Stability] (https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-67101230-Stability-500ml/dp/B0002APIIW/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1499786377&sr=1-1&keywords=seachem+stability) Use this while you're cycling your tank, follow the instructions.
  
• API Test Kit
  
• Feeding Tray For the longest time I was really confused as to how the feeding tray worked, you can either get a tube or pre-soak the pellets and then drop them into the tray using long tweezers. This will help prevent ammonia/nitrite spikes.
  
• Long Tweezer Set
  
• Pellets Do also feed them blanched vegetables, make sure to peel the skin and buy organic to avoid chemicals/pesticides
  
• Timer Outlet Worth the investment! So you don't have to keep remembering to turn the light on and off.
  
  Shop for whatever is cheaper, I have a huge heater because I had an extra one from before. I've read that it's not necessary but also have read that if you want them to breed you need to stimulate warm water. For now, I keep the heater off and leave it at room temperature of 72F. They seem very happy! Most important in my opinion, add plenty of plants and a marimo ball or 2.
  
  Lastly, I'm unsure of the siphon, I think it's good to have a bucket and siphon just in case your water parameters are looking bad so you are prepared to do a water change. From what I read, shrimp have a very low bio load and should be able to sustain themselves. Make sure to do tests regularly.
  
  EDIT I just read that this is your first aquarium, so here is a detailed write up:
  
  Setting up your tank
  
  
• 1. Find a stable top to place your aquarium on, keep in mind a well sunlit room will mean more plant/algae growth. Make sure it's sturdy and made for heavy objects, don't want to place it on a flimsy shelf or it might break! I keep mine on top a waterproof place mat because water drips are going to happen.
     
• 2. Rinse everything as a precaution! NEVER use dish soap!! If you must sanitize, vinegar is okay. Just make sure to rinse thoroughly. Also, NEVER use any kind of soap on your hands before handling things, just rinse well with water. Add your substrate, I lightly rinsed mine as there are beneficial bacteria living inside the substrate, pour it in. Make sure it's at least 2" of floor. Your water will be cloudy if you bought the substrate I listed, don't worry as it will settle after an hour and be clear.
     
• 3. Fill water half way, use a small plate and pour the water on top of that to avoid the substrate being pushed around. NEVER use hot water! If you're using tap water be sure to always use cold water. It's also recommended to purchase "RO water" (Reverse Osmosis Water) as some times your tap water can be too "hard". The best thing to do is use the test kit on tap water and go from there. If the kH/gH are very high 100+ you will need to use RO water. I like to place my plants and decor now while the tank is half full. Place in your thermometer, heater, sponge filter, etc. After that, continue to fill all the way to the top remembering to aim the stream on top the plate. Leave about a half to an inch from the top.
     
• 4. Take out plate, plug in filter, add in Seachem Prime and Seachem Stability. Please read the label for instructions and dosage according to your tank size. Since there is nothing inside you can add it after you've added the water to the tank. Moving forward, be sure to add the chemicals in the water bucket BEFORE pouring into the tank.
     
• 5. Turn on filter, wait for the water to settle and temperature to come up. They say shrimp can tolerate 52F to 86F but ideally room temperature water is best, this is where your water heater will come into play. Follow which ever cycling method you choose before purchasing your shrimp. This can take up to 6 weeks.
     
     After your tank has cycled
     
     
• 1. When adding your shrimp, there are many methods, the way I acclimate my shrimp is:
     
• 2. Put the shrimp in a 1 gallon tub using the water that they came in.
     
• 3. Drop in a tablespoon of the tank water, ONCE every 2 minutes.
     
• 4. After the water has reached 1/3 old water, 2/3rd new water, your shrimp are ready to be placed into your tank.
     
     Please don't skip the important step of acclimating your shrimp! They are very sensitive to water changes and this ensures that they will survive.
     
     Here are my water parameters, people have all kinds of ranges but this is what works for me:
     
     
• kH: 60 / gH: 40 / pH: 7.0 / NO2: 0 / NO3: 20 / Ammonia: 0 / Temperature: 72F
  
  I hope this helps... again, I was in your shoes not too long ago, it was really overwhelming. But after a lot of research I think my tank is in a good place :). Other users, if there's anything in my list that seems incorrect please let me know!

Avoid kits, IMO. They inevitably will have some cheap stuff you don't need.

You can get cheap substrate at Petco or similar. Basic gravel is probably fine.

Aqueon filters rate well and are inexpensive.



Their heaters are also decent and don't break the bank.

If you're not getting serious about plants, you can just use a cheap LED hood light that is available where they sell tanks.

Are you familiar with cycling, as in the nitrogen cycle?

this

The reviews on this heater are justified. It felt like military grade hardware when I took it out of the box and it wasn't too expensive.

I got my Sammy at Petco and while he was kind of skittish and lethargic for the first week, after seven or so days in a filtered, heated, 5 gallon tank he was the coolest little guy- loved to come up and say hi, watched people all the time, super interactive. Like having a puppy in fish form. Also he was the cutest mofo ever.

That said, I'm only buying fish from a local place I found now, just because they're so awesome. Comparable prices, but way more knowledgeable and more selection; all their fish are happy and healthy (none of those I-wish_I-were-dead bettas!) and just a cool place to go look at stuff. If you can find a place like that, I'd highly recommend it!

*I almost forgot about the tank! I have this one, with a custom-cut glass lid that a local shop did for me for $15, and I have this heater. I LOVE it, it works great, and Sams looked so elegant in there (now that Sammy's gone, it's the home to two dwarf puffers who also seem to love it). Some may say that heater is overkill, but I went through three others of increasing wattage (including the one made for the tank), and none had the kind of horsepower I needed to get my tank to a safe temperature up from the ~50-60 degrees it is in my room in winter. When I was younger, I had this tank,, which comes with the lid already. I think that lid is really pretty important- my first betta died by jumping, and aside from being really sad, I found him in the morning, after he'd dried...to the carpet...and was a bit difficult to peel off. So kind of added insult to injury.

Either way, I'd definitely recommend starting with a kit, as it really just tends to be cheaper to get them all together. I like real plants, but I always ask for low-light ones myself-I am just too lazy to get extra lighting! But the real plants can help keep things happy and healthy, especially in a tank that small. I use sand over a planting substrate, because sand was nice and soft for my froggy and the substrate was what the plants wanted.

Hope this helped! I realize it's a TON of info. TL;DR, Petco fish can be fine if you don't pick a sick one and take care of them; 5g tank should really be the minimum; tank kits are going to be easier and cheaper; don't forget a heater!

I currently use a 50 watt Aqueon Pro Heater, I highly recommend this heater. Since your tank is 10 gallons, a 50 watt would be good enough for you.

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