Pillar guide
Aquarium Equipment, Lighting, Filtration, CO₂, Heating
How to size and choose planted-tank equipment: lighting PAR, filter GPH, CO₂ regulators, heaters, and the trade-offs that actually matter.
By Mike ElmiraUpdated 2 min read
TL;DR, Aquarium Equipment, Lighting, Filtration, CO₂, Heating
Equipment choice is mostly about sizing, match wattage, flow, and PAR to the tank's volume and plant demand. Buy once, cry once on lights and CO₂ regulators; everything else can be upgraded later. This guide walks through each category and the floor-spec you shouldn't go below. The full equipment catalogue (with named brands and PAR/GPH numbers) launches month 3.)
Equipment catalogue pages are still being authored. Until then, this guide is the working reference for sizing each component.
Two rules apply to every category. First: oversize, then dial down. A larger filter run slow beats a smaller filter run hot. Second: redundancy on anything that fails silently, two heaters with independent thermostats, two CO₂ check valves, dual water-change buckets in case the kitchen tap is busy.
Frequently asked questions
Direct answers to the questions search engines and AI assistants surface most often about this species.
What size filter do I need for my aquarium?
Aim for 5–8× turnover for planted tanks (volume × flow rate per hour). For a 60-litre tank that's 300–480 GPH, most canisters in the 250–400 GPH range work well. Plant-heavy tanks favour low-flow surface-skimming filters; bare-bottom shrimp tanks tolerate higher flow. The standard mistake is undersizing the filter then buying a second pump to compensate.
How much light does a planted tank need?
Measured in PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) at substrate level, not watts. Low-tech tanks run 15–30 µmol PAR (most full-spectrum LEDs at 50% over a 40 cm tank). Medium-tech: 30–60 µmol. High-tech (CO₂ injected, carpets, reds): 60–120 µmol. The Twinstar S/SS, Chihiros WRGB II Pro, and ONF Flat Nano Plus are well-documented, hobbyist-tested options.
Do I need a CO₂ system?
No, low-tech planted tanks thrive without injected CO₂. But once you want fast-growing reds, dense carpets, or want to push light over 60 µmol PAR, CO₂ becomes mandatory. A good starter system: 2 kg refillable bottle, dual-stage regulator (CO2Art, Aquario Neo), in-line atomiser, drop checker, and a solenoid on the lighting timer. Budget USD $200–350 for the full kit.
What temperature should an aquarium heater be set to?
Match the heater set-point to the lowest-end species' preferred range. For most tropical communities, 24–25 °C is the right working temperature, warm enough for tetras and rasboras, not so hot that oxygen drops or shrimp suffer. Always size the heater at 1 W per litre minimum and run two smaller heaters in parallel rather than one large heater for failure redundancy.
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