Guides
The things people ask before their first tank, answered properly. Everything here matches how TankHaven's checks work.
How to set up an aquarium, step by step
From empty glass to a stocked, settled tank: what to buy, what order to do it in, how long each step takes and what it costs.
11 min read
How to cycle a new aquarium
What the nitrogen cycle is, how to start one before you buy fish, and what your test kit should show each week.
6 min read
The best plants for a low-tech tank
Plants that grow in a plain tank with a basic light, no CO₂ and no fertiliser routine — and the ones that will only disappoint you.
5 min read
Will my fish eat my shrimp?
Which fish are safe with cherry shrimp, which will eat the babies, and how to keep a colony going in a community tank.
4 min read
How many fish fit in my tank?
Why the inch-per-gallon rule fails, what actually limits stocking, and sensible starting points for common tank sizes.
5 min read
Your first saltwater tank
What a reef tank really involves, how it differs from freshwater, and a setup order that avoids the classic beginner crashes.
7 min read
Big tanks: weight, floors and where to put them
A 125 gallon tank weighs well over half a ton. What that means for your floor, your stand, moving it in, and the water it holds.
7 min read
Algae: what causes it and how to fix it
Every tank grows some algae. Which kind you have tells you what is out of balance, and the fix is usually light, not chemicals.
6 min read
Keeping a betta in a planted tank
Bettas do far better in a warm, heated, planted tank than in a bowl. How big, which plants and what can share the tank.
5 min read
Your first reef corals
Which corals forgive beginner mistakes, where to put them, and how to add them without losing them in the first week.
6 min read