Best 10 Gallon Fish Tank Kit

Buying a fish tank kit can be a good way to get into the hobby of becoming an aquarist but choosing the first aquarium kit is a tough job with all the options available on the market.
That is why we have listed the best 10 gallon fish tank kit for sale we recommend to get started in the aquarist hobby and to make you love this passion.

These 10 gal fish tank kits usually provide everything that’s needed to get up and running with an aquarium, including heaters, a filter, media trays or cartridges, lighting, and of course, a tank.
Many kits will also come with a handy guide that provides everything somebody might need to know on the fish tank installation to ensure that the environment is optimized for the health and survival of a range of different types of fish.

All the equipment that you need to start up an aquarium can be bought separately, though often this is at a greater cost.

It also takes the stress out of deciding between a huge range of individual components of varying brands, where it can be tough to pick the best.

Generally, when starting an aquarium, you’ll need:

You may also wish to pick up a few optional extras, to make life easier:

Our pick of the best aquarium starter kits is listed out below, to help you make that decision and get started in what can be a very rewarding hobby.

The Marina 10G LED Aquarium Kit is perfect for any budding aquarist, with an LED lighting unit, clip-on tank filter, and filter cartridges.
The package also includes fish food as an added extra, as well as the Aqua Plus Water Conditioner.
The conditioner unit can convert tap water into fish-friendly tank water, despite the usual advice to avoid using water straight from the tap for aquariums, owing to the chlorine and other chemicals that it often contains.
Also in the package is a net, which can be used for transferring fish into your tank after it has been cycled, plus a handy guide to setting up your tank.

This kit has a lot going for it.
Not only does it include everything that’s needed to get a new aquarium up and running, but it also has some bonus components, including the water conditioner and a net for transferring new inhabitants to the tank.
The niggles with this kit are very minor; though only one spectrum of light is supported, this is very much a nice-to-have.
What’s more, you won’t be needing to remove the hood to gain access to the tank too often, so a lack of hinges is of no major concern.
Overall, this is an excellent kit for first-time aquarists.

The Aqueon NeoGlow Aquarium Starter Kit is great for anyone who's into the idea of having an aquarium that draws attention as a focal point in the room.
Blue LED lights light up the tank environment, whilst multi-colored gravel and neon plastic plants add further splashes of vibrant color.
These colors can, of course, be supplemented further with the addition of a multitude of different species of fish.
The glass tank also utilizes fluorescent silicone that is illuminated under blue LED spectrum lights.
All the above components work together to create an aquarium that is more eye-catching than your average setup.

The NeoGlow Starter Kit won’t be for everyone, but it does make a great talking piece for any home or office that needs a splash of color.
Though the plastic plants included in the pack aren’t of a high quality, they aren’t a necessity for the tank, so they don’t have to be used.
However, you may want to look into a more powerful filter with a stronger flow rate, once you’ve gained some experience in the hobby.
In terms of positives, this tank has very bright LED lighting and the filter that it has runs quietly.

For a starter kit, the Elive Aqua Duo 10 Gallon Aquarium provides a great option to budding aquarists.
It offers the ability to choose between using standard filtration, with a media cartridge-loaded filter, or to use aquaponics filtration. Through the inclusion of plant life within the tank, you can do away with traditional filters and use natural methods to filter the water from the tank.
However, a regular filter is still included so that aquarists have the choice of which system to use.

When starting out as an aquarist, there are a lot of new concepts to get used to, not least the idea of cycling a tank for a period of up to 4 to 6 weeks.
By giving beginners an aquaponic filtration option, you are essentially increasing the complexity of the setup, when compared to simply swapping out a filter cartridge every now and then.
That said, it’s an impressive feature for an aquarium starter kit to have, and should new hobbyists be willing to explore natural filtration, then this is a real selling point for the Elive Aqua Duo.

This fish tank’s unique design features frameless, bent glass that provides an unhindered view of the environment contained within, from any viewing angle.
Whereas most tanks use square glass panels separated by corner brackets, this aquarium uses a three-piece construction.
Only tough and durable glass is used, to ensure that both your fish and your home are protected from potential incidents.

The unique twist to this tank is in the design of the glass, with a three-piece construction; this gives a much more seamless appearance from any viewing angle, taking away those corner brackets that break the illusion of the tank’s environment.
Something else you don’t always see in the lower budget starter kits is a hinged lid. Though this may sound like a simple feature, it is one that makes life infinitely easier when it comes to changing the tank or adding new inhabitants.

This Aqueon starter kit comes equipped with LED lighting built straight into the hood, as well as a submersible heater to keep the water at a hospitable temperature.
The heater comes complete with an automatic safety kill switch for peace of mind when you're not at home.
The tank’s dimensions are 10.5 x 20.5 x 13.3 inches and it weighs in at 17.8 lbs shipped, though this will of course increase once filled.

With so many aquarium starter kits on the market, it’s often worth looking for the specs of each individual tank and what sets it apart from competitors.
For this Aqueon tank, it would have to be the inclusion of a flashing LED light on the filter, which makes it easy to see when a filter change is required.
That aside, the rest of the features are on-par with our other recommendations, with a heater, filter, lighting and other components included in the kit, providing everything that’s needed to set up an aquarium.

Having purchased a starter kit and ensuring that you have all the necessary components to get going, you’ll need to follow a careful set of steps, being patient at each stage, before your fish are ready to go into their new home.

Although this won’t necessarily kill all types of fish, as some are hardier, it’s may well do for some. Though equipment can vary slightly from kit to kit, the general process is outlined below.

The aquarium tank needs to be placed on a stand that has considerable support for the load. It's worth remembering that the stand needs to bear the weight of not only the tank, but all the contents within once it has been filled. Starter kits are highly unlikely to contain a stand.

The gravel to be placed on the bed of the aquarium should be rinsed in tap water, as should any decorative items. You’ll be treating the tank water separately, so washing these components under tap water separately won’t cause any problems.

Tap water can be used to fill the tank. Even though it is chlorinated, which can be harmful to the fish, you're going to be adding water conditioner, which purifies the water and dissipates the chlorine. Conditioner is usually, though not always, included in aquarium starter kits.

First, rinse the filter cartridge under flowing water and secure the filter in the desired location within the tank. Next, attach the heater via suction or other attachment mechanism to the inside of the tank. After this, any decorative items, plus the lighting system – if it is an internal module – can be added to the environment.

A variety of factors can impact the timeline within which it is acceptable to get your fish into their new home. This can include tank size, type of fish, whether the aquarium is fresh or saltwater, whether there are already fish living in the tank, and so on. When reaching this step, it’s important to consider the exact instructions associated with the kit that has been purchased.

Aquarium starter kits are the perfect way to get into the hobby of becoming an aquarist, without the need to work out what components are required, select them from an endless range, and pay excessive amounts.
The kits make things straight-forward and typically far cheaper than purchasing everything individually.
They also usually provide quick setup guides, which are very useful, given that a specific and time-constrained set of steps must be followed to ensure the survival of a new fish tank.