Tool · Maintenance tools
Tank setup finder
Pick your tank's size or type to see how a feeder mounts, aeration and check-valve options, water-change tools, light timers and the key electrical step, with sources.
Short answer
Choose your tank's size or type in the finder below to open its setup page: how a feeder mounts on it, the aeration and check-valve options, the water-change tool that suits it, light timers and the key electrical step, each with its source. If your tank fits two pages, such as a 30-gallon planted tank, read both.
What each tank page shows
- Feeder mounting and the food form to check. Whether a feeder sits in a hood hole, clamps to a rim or needs a bracket.
- Aeration, and check valve and pump position. Whether an air pump helps and where to put it.
- Water-change tool. A siphon size or a faucet changer for that tank size.
- Light timer and the key electrical step.
- Before time away. What to set up and test first. The time-away planner covers trip length.
A field we could not confirm shows as "Not confirmed" rather than a guess. Where a page names a product, it is one from our catalog, with the variant to choose.
Where the data comes from
Mounting facts come from the makers' manuals and pages. The Fish Mate F14 manual says the feeder sits over a hood feeding hole (cut a 30 mm / 1-1/4 in hole if there is none) or on two supplied clamps on tanks without a hood.[1] Aquarium Co-Op says its Auto Feeder clamp fits rims up to 0.9 in (24 mm) thick.[2]
Tank sizes are the makers' suggestions, shown as stated. Tetra offers its Whisper air pumps for aquariums from 10 to 100 gallons,[3] Fluval lists its A202 for aquariums up to 80 US gal,[4] and Aqueon lists its mini siphon vacuum for 1-5 gallon tanks.[5] A suggested size is not a measured limit.
Pump position and check-valve advice comes from the makers too. Aquarium Co-Op says its pump should run above the water level, with a check valve if it sits below,[6] and recommends placing the check valve near the top of the tank.[7]
Limits
These pages cover equipment, not husbandry. They give no feeding amounts, stocking levels or safe time without food: the Merck Veterinary Manual says feeding rates vary with species, age, system and water temperature.[8] Heaters and other life-support devices are outside this site's scope.
Once you know your setup, the topic overviews go deeper: automatic feeders, air pumps, tubing and check valves, water changes and maintenance tools.
Choose your tank setup to see the key facts. Each one links to its source on the full page.
Questions
My tank is between two sizes. Which page should I use?
Use the larger size for aeration and water-change tools, and the type page (rimless, hooded, planted) for feeder mounting. Maker tank-size figures are suggestions, not measured limits.
Where do the tank sizes on each page come from?
From the makers. Tetra offers its Whisper pumps for aquariums from 10 to 100 gallons, Fluval lists its A202 for tanks up to 80 US gal, and Aqueon lists its mini siphon vacuum for 1-5 gallon tanks. These are the makers' suggested sizes, which we show as stated.[3][4][5]
Does the finder tell me how much to feed?
No. The Merck Veterinary Manual says feeding rates vary with species, age, system and water temperature, so no page here gives feeding amounts or a safe time without food.[8]
Why do some fields say "Not confirmed"?
Because we could not find a maker, standards-body or published source for that field and that tank. We show the gap rather than guess.