It can be difficult to know what aquarium to buy for your first aquascape- here are our top picks for beginners!
Aquascaping continues to be an incredibly hot topic. We have so much inspiration out there for us on Instagram, YouTube, magazines and in contests like IAPLC. However, it can be incredibly daunting as a beginner fishkeeper not knowing what to buy.
Luckily there are some great beginner friendly aquarium kits available on the market to set you on the right track. These often include a low iron glass rimless aquarium, filter and a good LED light. Here are some of our recommendations should you want to try your hand at some underwater gardening.
All prices quoted were true as of the time of writing this feature.
Superfish Scaper aquarium set
Each kit includes an ultra clear glass tank, with neat clear silicon, a long lasting LED light and a hang on the back filter. Also, you get a foam mat for your tank to sit on, a background poster, some plant fertiliser and liquid carbon.
The LED lights will happily grow most easy to medium live plants. With the addition of pressurised CO2 and a nutrient rich substrate even many advanced plants are attainable.
You will need to add a heater to your shopping basket to keep tropical fish however, as this is not within in the kit. The tanks are available in various sizes from nano tanks up to sizeable 140 litres. Also, there are rectangular or cube shaped tanks depending on your preference or space.
Tai Strietman's latest aquascape in a Scaper 45 tank, featured in the November 2025 issue.
For a classic rectangle aquarium your options are:
Scaper 45- 45x32x32cm holding 45 litres for £98
Scaper 60- 50x35x35cm holding 60 litres for £115
Scaper 70- 60x40x28cm holding 70 litres for £165
Scaper 90- 60x40x38cm holding 90 litres for £155
Scaper 140- 77x45x40cm holding 140 litres for £270
For cubes your options include:
Scaper Qube 15- 25x25x25cm holding 15 litres for £73.99
Scaper Qube 25- 30x30x30cm holding 25 litres for £87.49
Scaper Qube 60- 40x40x40cm holding 60 litres for £114.99
Aquael Shrimp Set Day and Night
These Aquael tanks are great options for those without too much space. They are taller than they are wide making them less suitable for small active fish. However, they are ideal for shrimp as their name suggests. Also, these tanks come with a glass lid should you want to use it, meaning they can also work well for Bettas, too.
Again, this is a complete set with everything you need to start your journey in planted aquariums. These tanks even include a preset heater as well so there's no additional purchases of equipment needed.
Alex Bell created this nano planted tank using the old style Aquael Shrimp Set 30.
They are available in 3 sizes each available in white or black:
Aquael Shrimp Set 10- 20x20x25cm holding 10 litres for £74.74
Aquael Shrimp set 20- 25x25x30cm holding 19 litres for £81.86
Aquael Shrimp Set 30- 29x29x35 cm holding 30 litres for £104.99
Aquael Ultrascape
This one breaks the rules a little bit, as you only get the tank, light and cabinet, no filter. However, this does give you a little but of scope to choose a filter that suits your requirements. We would suggest the Oase Filtosmart Thermo or Biomaster Thermo as these include an inbuilt heater. This removes equipment from the tank and keeps your scape looking crisp.
The light unit is actually multiple smaller lights housed in a box that matches the cabinet. These lights are incredibly bright though. On our Editor's planted tank that featured in the May 2025 issue, he only runs two of the three units.
A classic Nature aquarium built by George Farmer and maintained by Alex Bell in an Aquael Ultrascape 60.
These tanks are available in a set with the cabinet which is what we would recommend. Two sizes are available with either Snow or Forest style cabinets to suit your home's decor.
Aquel Ultrascape 60- 60x30x36cm holding 64 litres for £326.99
Aquael Ultrascape 90- 90x60x45cm holding 243 litres for £612.48
Fluval Visi-White
To complete our list is this new addition to the Fluval fish tank offerings. We loved the Visi-White aquarium when we saw it up close at the On The Road event. Steve did a great job scaping the larger model on the day.
What makes this tank stand out, other than the stunning cabinets, is the little added extras. You get a powerful external filter for even better circulation, and these come with glass inlet and outlets. Plus, included in the kit is a Bio CO2 reactor to give your aquatic plants the best chance of thriving. They are a bit more of an investment, but if you are confident you'll love the aquascaping hobby it might be worth it.
A Ffuval Visi-White 90 in Hunton oak at Fishkeeper Southwest scaped by Steve Bell.
You can choose between two sizes both available in two colours here in the UK, Hunton Oak and Dusty Grey.
Visi-White 60- 60x36x36cm holding 78 litres for £579.99
Visi-White 90- 90x45x50cm holding 202 litres for £939.99
Once you've created your stunning aquascape, don't forget to share it with us, head over to the Reader's Tank page to upload your photo!
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