Let’s Begin - 15 gallon tropical freshwater tabletop tank

[sugarberry]

Hello! My in-laws have come into possession of a 60cm x 30 cm x 30cm 15 gallon tank via FB marketplace. Came with a heater and an undergravel filter. I’ve been put in charge of the set-up and upkeep, but unfortunately (as per my intro post) I have very little functional knowledge on setting up aquariums anymore. Hoping the lovely people on here could help me get up to speed on what I’m going to need to do in order to get this tank up and running.

First is to make sure it doesn’t leak; to test the heater; and scrap the undergravel filter. After that… I’m a bit lost. Would love light, filter, and even heater recommendations if possible, and plenty of hand-holding on potential paths I could take with setting up the tank.

My mother in law’s goal/preference is to have a planted tank with a school of little fish. She’s interested in neocaridina shrimp, otocinclus, bettas, guppies, and tetras. No metrics on water hardness or pH for now, but I don’t have the highest hopes considering we draw our water from a well with a distinct iron and sulfur smell, so I might be looking for alternative water sources depending on test strip results and advice on here. Her ETA for when she’d like fish in the tank is springtime this year, but we will see.

Looking to suck up any and all advice like a sponge so I can get this right the first time round! Thanks in advance everyone

 

[GaryE]

I like undergravel filters...

 

[sugarberry]

I like undergravel filters...

We've ultimately decided to get rid of it for the sake of ease but I would still love to know why you like them! All perspectives are important for spongeing up lol

 

[GaryE]

They need the extra amount of gravel, and they need a power source, often air. But they are very efficient. A 15 gallon isn't going to hold digging Cichlids (a key reason, along with their low price, that UG filters vanished).

I recently made some, after not having used them for close to 25 years, and they work very well. The tanks that have them are working very well.

Now, spongeing up - sponge filters are also good if you have a quiet airpump.

I'm partial to external power filters, just for the ease of cleaning and the flow they add to a tank.

 

[sugarberry]

They need the extra amount of gravel, and they need a power source, often air. But they are very efficient. A 15 gallon isn't going to hold digging Cichlids (a key reason, along with their low price, that UG filters vanished).

I recently made some, after not having used them for close to 25 years, and they work very well. The tanks that have them are working very well.

Definitely makes sense! Thanks for sharing. Maybe someday I’ll experiment with using them, see if you’ll get me on board there.

Now, spongeing up - sponge filters are also good if you have a quiet airpump.

Spongeing up information I mean hahaha

I'm partial to external power filters, just for the ease of cleaning and the flow they add to a tank.

I would much prefer an external filter if budget and space allows it. I like their ease of use/maintenance… Any recommendations? I’d like something beefy enough that I won’t be conducting a water change too often (I prefer weekly changes of maybe 1/5 of the water); but not overkill.