So the peripherals are all the things that fall by the way side against the big shots like lighting, plants, pumps and substrate. I'm talking about things like planting forceps, glassware, nets and fertilisers.
So where do you get these items? well most good aquatic shops will have everything on that list and if you can buy some of it in your local store then great that helps them out but some of it can be a bit expensive and so we must look to the internet.
Plant maintenance tools you can pick up on ebay, look for stainless steel. I got my stuff from a local aquatics shop, there's wasn't much difference in price; if you're looking for a nice gift for an aquascaper then there are some really nice sets out there that come in their own roll out bags.
The same can be said for glassware, I have no need for outlet pipes so the only glassware I have is my diffuser and drop checker, ebay can be a good place but with the diffuser it's worth spending a little more money (the bubbles tend to be much smaller).
As for nets, you're going to want to think carefully about what you want a net for, for example if you're keeping shrimp then a smaller net with a triangular frame is going to be able to get in those corners, a dark mesh is also going to help hide it from your livestock. If you're keeping very quick fish that are good swimmer then invest in 2 nets, 1 to heard the fish the other to catch them. With fish like puffers they're best not to be taken out of water so a small container should be used to catch them. Think about spines and barbs too you don't want to try and untangle an expensive L number from a poorly made net.
Finally the fertilisers; there are some great shops out there and some great products. First of all do you need fertilisers? Well having a pre made mix of micros isn't going to hurt but if you're running a high energy system then NPK dosing is a must and here you have 2 choices, dry salts or pre-made solutions. I opted for the complete nutrition pre-made bottle from TNC (thenutrientcompany.com) this provides me with NPK and micros all in one dose, I'm going to start with 1ml 3 times a week which is about 3/4 of the recommended dose for a tank my size. I've also gone with liquid carbon from them which I will dose 1ml 5 times a week (rest on saturday w/c on sunday). What I like about their products is firstly the price and secondly they list exactly what is in their mixes so no bullshit.
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