StoneAndRoot

See the whole receipt before you buy a planted tank

$394.03 with sale prices, $434.43 without. That's the core gear for a first 20 gallon low-tech tank, priced line by line at two US stores, with most quantities worked out. The exception is the ammonia dose for the cycle, which the book leaves open. Prices checked Oct 31 to Nov 1, 2026.

Not included: stand, rock or wood, bucket, ammonia, tax, shipping, fish.

Buy the PDF$17

PDF, 25 pages, 11 chapters. Read it on your phone or print it.

Cover of the Buy-Once Beginner Gear Guide, a white water plant on cyanotype blue
What the whole tank costsThe five-minute check, by sizeCycle first, and feed the cycleHow much soil to buyThe $134.03 filter questionThe light: 30 inches, 6-8 hoursCO2, plants and fertilizerThe three things to skipHow much work it isWhat we still can't tell youYour order-week checklist

"Whenever I'm encouraged to do such things, money stops me"

A viewer left that under a scape video, and it's a fair reaction. Nobody shows the receipt.

The videos show the finished tank. Then the comments fill up with the same questions, and they don't get answered.

"Would have been more helpful if a chard was provided as to what should be the quantity of various kind of substrate as per various size of tank"
"It will be really helpful if you can explain the details of Light, Fertz and Co2"
"how often does it require to get cleaned ?"

So you sit in front of a full cart, unsure what you need, looking at a 150 gallon filter. It was $178.99 on the Front Desk Review price tracker on Aug 1, 2026. This guide is the chart they asked for, the total nobody prints, and the homework done before you spend.

Here's a page for free: how much soil

Viewers keep asking how much to buy. One line of math gets you the liters.

Before
"Some soil"

Two 8.8 lb bags in the cart at $33.98 on sale, because nobody gave you a number. You still don't know the depth.

After
L x W x depth / 61

30.25 x 12.5 x 2.5 / 61 = 15.5 L. Stratum sells by the pound, and we found no manufacturer conversion, so liters alone can't pick that bag. The one weight guide we found is rough: a 17.6 lb bag, $32.99 on sale from $49.99, sits inside its 15-18 lb range and just under its 18-27 lb range.

Liters2 in2.5 in3 in
10 gallon7.0 L8.7 L10.5 L
20 long12.4 L15.5 L18.6 L
40 breeder21.7 L27.1 L32.5 L

Our math, using common tank sizes, so measure yours. That weight guide is one unsigned hobby site, so treat it as rough. PetSmart prices in the US, checked Oct 31 to Nov 1, 2026.

The book does the same for the heater, filter, Prime, fertilizer and light.

What's inside

25 pages, 11 chapters. Every chapter ends in one thing to do.

  1. p. 5
    What the whole tank costs
    The total, what it leaves out, and two swaps that bring it to $341.01.
  2. p. 7
    The five-minute check, by size
    Heater, filter, soil, Prime and light for 10, 20 and 40 gallon tanks.
  3. p. 8
    Cycle first, and feed the cycle
    Why an empty tank doesn't cycle, and what to test while you wait.
  4. p. 10
    How much soil to buy
    The formula, the chart and why one bag beats two.
  5. p. 12
    The $134.03 filter question
    A sponge set against a 150 gallon canister, with setup and cleaning.
  6. p. 14
    The light: 30 inches, 6-8 hours
    Four lights, the hours to run, and a preset that stays on for 17.
  7. p. 16
    CO2, plants and fertilizer
    Two low-light plants, no CO2, and doses with limits.
  8. p. 18
    The three things to skip
    Plus judgment calls on ADA, Seachem and SunSun for this tank.
  9. p. 20
    How much work it is
    Tropica's 15 to 20 minutes a week for a 57 L tank with a cleaning crew, including a water change, plus how much water and trips.
  10. p. 22
    What we still can't tell you
    The questions we couldn't answer.
  11. p. 23
    Your order-week checklist
    From measuring the tank to the first zero reading.

Flip through some pages

The whole receipt, with a total of $394.03
Page 3
The chart of quantities by tank size
Page 7
A scale drawing of soil depth with bag prices
Page 11
Lights compared by price and fit
Page 15
Drawn plate of Java fern and Anubias
Page 16
Brand verdicts and how long each Prime bottle lasts
Page 19

Why trust this

Trust the receipts, not the host. Mr. Root is a made-up character who has never kept a tank, and neither he nor StoneAndRoot bought, tested or vouches for any item in this guide.

So every number shows its work.

No reviews appear here because the guide is new. They'll appear once they're real. AI helped write it.

Questions

Is it worth $17?

One line on the receipt can swing your total by $134.03, going by the SunSun's Aug 1, 2026 tracker price. Add the soil chart, the light settings and a cycle plan that actually starts, and $17 is less than the price of the 100 W heater on sale.

Do I need CO2?

Not for this tank. Both plants on the receipt list no CO2 need, and the guide explains what you give up by skipping it, which is speed.

Will the prices match where I live?

Only if you're in the US, and prices move. We checked them Oct 31 to Nov 1, 2026. The quantities work anywhere, so use those and look up your own prices.

Does it cover fish?

There's no stocking advice. It stops at a cycled, planted tank. The only fish note is a short one on feeding while you're away.

How do I get it?

You get the PDF after checkout. It's one file, and it opens on a phone, tablet or laptop. Store links in the book work with a tap.

Do the links pay you?

Not in this edition. If paid links are added later, each one will say "paid link" right beside it.

How do I reach you?

Write to support@stoneandroot.com. Use that address if the PDF doesn't arrive or a link in it breaks.

Price it before you pour it

The cost of waiting is ordering first and finding the filter line afterward: $134.03 at the SunSun's Aug 1, 2026 price.

Buy the PDF$17