hygger Small Aquarium Heater, 25W Submersible Betta Fish Tank Heater with Adjustable Temperature External Controller, Turtle Heater with LED Display for up to 5 Gallon Tanks

I have this Hygger heater for over a year https://a.co/d/051gDVit Unfortunately, after a year it automatically throws an error signal out for "End of Life" even though it still works, so mine is currently flashing between "EL" and the temp. Google tells me this is normal and heater is still working fine; it's mostly precautionary.

I'm a very new keeper but have some advice from reading here for years and trial and error 😄 I have a Hygger sponge filter... Hygger is a known brand. The nice thing is, the filter pump on mine is integrated (and under water), so no annoying exterior air pump buzzing away. I also have a Hygger heater with thermostat, not one of the glass tube type. I have a 5 gal aquarium from Walmart (best prices, comes with hood/light). 5 gal is not really big enough for most fish, but I have some Endler's guppies in there. They are small, pretty, and have small mouths so can't eat the shrimp. They are very active, flashy, and will beg for food all the time. Stick a few pothos cuttings into the water (with the leaves above the waterline) to help with ammonia, then add more live plants for shrimps to hide! It's fun watching the pothos send roots into the water. I'm just getting into shrimp, so learn from me lol... if you have access to RO water, use that and remineralize with salty shrimp. It's a pain to try to adjust tap water/filtered water to get the optimal parameters! I have my tank on a nightstand rated to hold 150 lbs. It conveniently has drawers to hold the equipment and is super sturdy. Be careful with snails; nerites won't reproduce (I don't think) but leave polka dot eggs everywhere. Other snails I've heard can reproduce a LOT, even a single snail can hold fertilized eggs for a long time, so you don't know if she's preggers! Last, but API water testers! The Master Test Kit and the KH and GH liquid tests. Warning, directions are in VERY fine print lol. DON'T rush cycling the tank. Shrimp are sensitive to bad water. I learned this years ago with my first attempt at shrimp. RIP. Cycling is theoretically simple but I found it pretty confusing lol. It will take weeks. Good luck, the boys will love it! (are they prepared for potential shrimp deaths?) Filter: https://a.co/d/0j1gHIUP Heater: https://a.co/d/00dEW1ox Aquarium: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Aqua-Culture-5-Gallon-Glass-Aquarium-Starter-Kits/3580988737