Aquarium accessories
This aisle covers everything around the tank itself rather than the fish or their food: filtration and heating to keep the water right, gravel and decor for the tank floor, and the nets, scrapers and cleaning tools you reach for on maintenance day. Most of it is about routine upkeep rather than a one-off purchase.
Filtration and heating
Internal filters like the Marina and Fluval models we stock do the daily work of keeping water clear and running the bacteria that break down waste, and the foam and carbon cartridges inside them wear out and need replacing on a schedule rather than being a one-off buy. Carbon cartridges and filter wool are the parts most owners forget to reorder until the water starts to cloud.
A heater matters for anything but a genuinely coldwater setup — tropical fish need a stable temperature, not just a warm room, and a submersible heater sized to your tank does that far more reliably than guessing. A floating or digital thermometer is worth having alongside one so you can actually see what the water is doing rather than trusting the heater's own dial.
Gravel and decor
Gravel comes in a genuinely wide range of colours and blends, and beyond giving the tank a look you like, it also gives beneficial bacteria somewhere to live and gives bottom-dwelling fish something natural to root around in. There is no single correct colour — it comes down to what you want the tank to look like and, for some fish, whether a paler substrate makes them feel more or less exposed.
Ornaments like driftwood, caves and plastic plants give shyer fish somewhere to hide, which matters more for their day-to-day comfort than it might look like from outside the tank. A tank with no cover at all tends to leave nervous fish visibly more stressed than one with even a couple of hiding spots.
Cleaning and maintenance tools
A gravel cleaner is one of the most useful maintenance tools for a planted or gravel-bottomed tank, since it lifts waste out of the substrate during a water change rather than leaving it to break down where it sits. An algae scraper or scrub pad keeps the glass clear without scratching it, which a kitchen sponge or cloth will do over time.
Nets are worth having in more than one size — a small one for catching a single fish without chasing it round the whole tank, and a larger one if you are moving several at once. A breeding trap or a fish hatchery box is only worth buying if you are actually planning to breed, since they take up space in the tank for no benefit otherwise.
Building a new tank vs topping up an old one
Setting up a new tank usually means buying filtration, heating and substrate together in one go, sized to the tank rather than bought piece by piece. Topping up an established tank is a different job — replacing worn filter media, adding decor, or picking up a net or a cleaner you realised you did not have.
If you are cycling a new tank, avoid changing more than one piece of filter media at once once it is running, since the beneficial bacteria that keep the water safe live mostly in the filter itself — swap the carbon or foam gradually rather than replacing everything on the same day.
In this section
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Tetra Goldfish Flakes
Complete goldfish flakes in several pack sizes, with a shared formula across the family
From£3.02
Tetra Goldfish Granules
Complete granules for goldfish, with a shared formula across both pack options
From£3.98
Tetra Prima Mini Granules
Slow-sinking granules for mid-water and bottom-feeding fish, blending herbivore and omnivore diets
£6.10
Tetra Aquasafe
A water conditioner that neutralises chlorine and heavy metals, with an added vitamin B mix
From£6.41
Tetra Pond Fish Food Variety Sticks
Complete Tetra Pond Variety Sticks in three colours, across four pack sizes
From£6.41
Tetra Koi Pond Fish Food Sticks
Complete fast-soaking Tetra Pond Koi Sticks, available in four pack sizes
From£6.41
Tetramin
Complete TetraMin flake food for ornamental fish, offered across several pack sizes
From£2.39
Tetra Temperate Flakes
Complete flakes for subtropical fish kept at 18–23°C, with vegetable ingredients
£6.99
Tetra Pond Fish Food Sticks
Complete fast-soaking Tetra Pond Sticks for pond fish, in seven pack sizes
From£4.77
Tetra Japan
Sinking dry pellets for fancy goldfish, with pack-specific label information shown clearly
From£4.56
Common questions
- How often should I change my filter media?
- Carbon cartridges typically need replacing every few weeks since they stop absorbing once saturated, while foam and filter wool can usually be rinsed and reused for longer before they need swapping. Check the specific product, since this varies between the different filters we stock.
- Do I need a heater for a coldwater tank?
- Not usually — coldwater fish like goldfish are kept at room temperature rather than a heated one, so a heater is not normally needed. Tropical fish are a different matter and generally do need one to keep the water at a stable temperature.
- Does gravel colour matter to the fish?
- Mostly it is about what you want the tank to look like, though a very pale or very dark substrate can affect how exposed some fish feel and how their colours show up. There is no single colour that suits every species, so it comes down to preference as much as anything.
- How do I add a new filter without harming the tank?
- Where possible, run a new filter alongside the old one for a few weeks so beneficial bacteria have time to establish before you remove the original, rather than swapping everything in one go. Changing filter media gradually rather than all at once protects the same bacteria.
- What is a breeding trap for?
- It is a small enclosure that sits inside the main tank to separate a pregnant or newly hatched fish from the rest of the tank, protecting fry from being eaten before they are big enough to fend for themselves. It is only worth having if you are actually planning to breed.
Related
Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.