What’s in the box?
Kits sold under the same name can contain very different things, so read the contents list, not the box photo. Note which of these it includes: tank, lid, filter, light, heater, thermometer, conditioner, test kit and siphon. Anything missing goes on your shopping list before you compare prices.
Then compare the kit, plus those missing parts, with buying everything separately in the first-year cost calculator.
Can you get replacement parts?
Look up the kit’s filter and light by name before you buy. If the filter takes its maker’s own cartridges, you will be buying those for as long as you keep it, and if they are hard to find the kit gets awkward fast. A kit whose filter takes a plain sponge or a basket you fill yourself costs less to run.
Separate parts let you choose each piece, a stronger light or a gentler filter, but you have to check yourself that every hose, airline and fitting is there.
Compare prices for the same equipment
Compare like with like: the kit plus the parts it is missing, against separate parts that do the same jobs, each with tax and delivery. A bare tank is cheaper than a kit only until you add the filter, lid and light. The first-year cost calculator adds purchases, supplies and electricity and shows which lines you have not priced yet.
A kit doesn’t tell you which fish fit
A kit’s box does not tell you which fish fit the tank, and the fish pictured on it can be ones that outgrow it. Check each fish’s adult size and tank size before you buy, and cycle the tank before any go in. Which fish fit your tank · Cycling the tank