Online aquarium retailers offer every imaginable aquarium product (even tropical fish and other livestock) at a highly competitive cost. Given the recent boom in online retail activity, I think a brief analysis of which aquarium products are best obtained from the internet, and which online offers you should stay away from, is in order.

One of my readers recently emailed me to ask whether or not I would advise buying a canister filter (an Eheim Classic) from the internet. Although he felt a bit uncomfortable with purchasing the filter online, he was nevertheless enticed by the low internet price.

As well he should be! I not only encourage him to buy the canister filter online, but I also got him to get a much needed aquarium heater from the same website. All in all, he saved $43.00 by opting to buy his brand new canister filter and heater online!

Yes; when it comes to dry goods (aquarium filters, heaters, food, books, etc) online retailers are able to provide aquarium supplies a very low price that aquarium shops just can’t compete with.

But, that is not to say that every aquarium product found online is worth the cost. In particular, there is a huge difference between buying dry-goods and getting livestock (fish, invertebrates, and plants) from the internet.

I, myself, have saved a fortune by getting my aquarium dry-goods from the internet. At the same time, I’ve had mixed results from getting tropical fish and invertebrates online.

Although I’ve never bought freshwater fish online, and therefore cannot attest (from experience) to their quality, I have purchased a few saltwater fish and coral specimens from the internet. About half the corals shipped to me did not match the photos the site had provided of those specific specimens. In particular, the photo coloration of a Platygyra sp. and a Montipora tuberculosa was apparently “adjusted” by that particular online retailer.

I was a bit peeved and disappointed, but the experience did teach me that it’s best to buy aquarium livestock from your local aquarium shop.

Indeed, when getting your tropical fish from aquarium shops, you can see and observe the particular fish you’ll be taking home. Basically, you see before your eyes your future fish. On top of this, you can (and should) ask the people working at the aquarium shop to feed the tropical fish for you, so that you can determine it’s activity and health (a luxury that an aquarium livestock website just can’t deliver).

Unfortunately, these same neighborhood shops tend to overprice aquarium dry-goods, and they often won’t carry the product that you’re looking for. For these two reasons, I strongly encourage obtaining your filters, food, and books online. In so doing, you’re guaranteed to save big bucks!

So, here’s my simple formula for the most cost-effective aquarium purchases: buy your fish from local stores, and all your other aquarium products (filters, heaters, food, books, etc) online.

All tropical fish require a water temperature that ranges from 70°F to 86°F (21°C to 30°C). Most will do best at a water temperature that is nearest 78°F (25°C).

Also, keep in mind that no fish will tolerate rapid swings in temperature, so try to keep your water temperature as stable as possible! For those of you who have read the Kick-Ass Aquarium, you are very familiar with the concept of aquarium stability, and you’re probably grabbing your head in angst while thinking, “yes; we know about aquarium stability!”

Nonetheless, I will continue to emphasize the fact the, yes, stability is key! This is, after all, the most important thing to know about aquarium keeping.

When it comes to water temperature, a submersible heater with a temperature-control dial is the very best design at promoting stable aquarium conditions.

Still, less effective options do exist. For reasons that are unbeknownst to me, many aquarium shops continue to sell heaters that are not fully submersible and ones that do not have a temperature-control dial!

For the benefit of those who may have purchased one of these older heater designs, I’ll briefly go over the proper way to set them up.

The older heaters lack a temperature controller. You must, therefore, calibrate the heater’s thermostat – the mechanism that gauges water temperature and turns the heater on or off based on the temperature reading.

So, here it goes.

1) Always read the directions on the heater packaging before placing the heater in your aquarium!

2) BEFORE YOU TURN THE HEATER ON, you must first position it inside your aquarium. For hang on the back heaters, the glass tube ought to be positioned beneath the water line. Fully submersible heaters, on the other hand, should be completely enveloped in water.

The heater must be submerged accordingly for a period of fifteen minutes BEFORE you plug it in! During this fifteen minute period, the thermostat in the heater adjusts to the water temperature.

3) After fifteen minutes is up, you can go ahead and plug the heater in. You should then turn the temperature dial, which is usually located at the top end of the heater, all the way up. An indicator light will turn on; this means the heater is on.

4) Pay close attention to the temperature reading on the thermometer (you should always have a good aquarium thermometer in your fish-tank). Once the temperature rises to 78°F (25°C) or to the desired temperature (a process that may take two or more hours), slowly turn the temperature dial down, just until the indicator light turns off.

Congratulations! You have now set the thermostat. The heater will automatically turn on any time the water temperature falls below the level you set the thermostat to.

If you want to save yourself the above trouble, just buy a heater with a temperature controller!

*Also note that you should never turn any aquarium heater on while it’s dry! In fact, even if you need to take a running heater out of the aquarium, you should turn it off and wait until in cools before removing it from the aquarium!

Thank you for reading, and I hope this information proves useful:)

On this blog, I’ll be talking about my favorite hobby: AQUARIUMS!

I’ve been keeping aquariums and tropical fish for over fifteen years. Like all beginners, I initially made a lot of mistakes and, sadly, I sent many fish on the toilet bowl ride. That was largely due to the fact that there was no information (that was simple to understand) available on keeping my fish healthy and happy.

Fortunately, I got passed those stumbling blocks a long time ago. Still, I had to learn the hard way: through experience.

And, that’s why I’m writing this blog. I want you to learn from my experience so that you can set up and maintain a successful aquarium right from the start!

Currently, I have three beautiful aquariums that house a dazzling array of fish! I’ve worked at two very well respected aquarium stores. I’ve even written an ebook, The Kick-Ass Aquarium, on the subject which you can find on this website!

I want to share both my knowledge of the hobby and my passion for it, so I encourage beginners and experienced aquarists to view my blog and comment on it.

Happy Fish Keeping!