I have three of these for breeding ornamental shrimp. Got them for a great deal with a local fish store went under a little while ago. I notice there is no review, so here is my opinion.....
The tank:
The "Panaview" idea is a bit false. Because of the hard curve on the corners, it can be very difficult to see what is happening at the edges of the tank, a few inches from the acrylic. That said, for the most part, the flat front leads to clear views of what is inside, and if my shrimp are close to the wall, I can see them whether they are behind the curve or not.
The lid fits into a pair of hinges, but doesn't actually snap in. Makes it very easy to open, leave open, close, and best of all, remove easily for water changes and prevent it from overbalancing backward when aquarium is empty.
The one drawback to the lid is that there is enough room to hook the little hook for holding the filter over the back, and that's about it, unless you're going to do some modifying. Honestly, getting the cord for the heater I use through is a snug fit. This is good for, say, crabs, crayfish, and stronger shrimp that may attempt to go on 'walkabout', but it doesn't allow a lot of space to add additional items such as a sponge filter, airstone, etc. Without the filter in place, I can *just* fit a single airline and the heater cord through the hole. On the one single tank that I use all three, I have simply drilled an additional hole in the lid for the airline. Easy breezy--if you have a drill. That said, I don't anticipate most people attempting to add additional stuff beyond perhaps a filter. Keep in mind, I use it for invertebrates that can climb out--I have dwarf crays in one, and mini-crabs in with my cherry shrimp. If you have nothing that you're worried about getting out, there is a cut-out option for a HOB (hang on back) filter and heater (don't use an HOB heater on this, please! But they will leave large holes, and they don't, honestly, look very easy to remove. The tabs that hold the cutouts in place look quite strong. I have never attempted to remove them, and I can't imagine that I ever will. For my purposes, if I need an extra airline fed in, I'm just going to drill a tight fitting hole, which I suspect is less work anyway.
The lighting:
Their is a bank of nine white LED lights, and nine blue ones. They can be set to have either the white, the blue, or both in place. The light level is enough for lower light plants, such as java moss, java fern, dwarf lily, or most hygrophilia, but if you're thinking of making a nano or pico tank, you'll need to work on the lighting. (If you don't know what I'm talking about there, it's honestly not a concern....though....look it up, as it's a very fun hobby! XD)
I don't think that this tank is terribly aesthetic without the lid it comes with, as it has a lip similar to that on the critter keepers....I honestly don't know how to explain it, but basically, it's a hollow lip that I can fit my fingertips under. Looks better hidden.
The Filter;
I admit to not using this in any of my tanks, but for one. It is a submerged filter, with an open top, and decent sized intake vents. The water flow is also surprisingly strong from it. All said, it would be perfect for a betta (providing it's still hale and healthy...a weak or very old betta may get sucked up against the intake), or other smaller fish. Not so good with my mini-shrimp and other inverts that I keep in here. The entire design is quite open, and shrimp climbing in for the delicious detritus on the insert only to be sucked through the impeller is an all too realistic reality. Not to say that I haven't found use for these, however!!! I keep them in my tank of pre-aged, pre-cycled water that I use for tank changes, and use them for quiet and decent water movement to prevent stagnation. Generally, I've been using them more as a micro-powerhead than a filter. XD I've been pleased, as so far, they all continue to move water rapidly and well, but then, they also aren't really contending with any serious bioload--just that of a few cory's that tool around and help the water I use for water changes in my more delicate tanks age and get it matched perfectly, chemistry wise.
That's about it to this tank. Not a super high tech little setup, but if you're planning on keeping a few smaller, cool water fish (ie: white clouds), it'll work. Better yet, get yourself a sponge filter, a heater, and some shrimp! Not that I'm biased or anything. LOL
A random side note NOT related to this product, but very much related to fish keeping:
If you decide to keep A FEW small, tropical fish and pick up a heater....pick up a good one. Read the reviews. Heaters can kill your fish very quickly if they fail, not to mention cheap ones present a fire hazard. I state this because I once had a cheap hang on back heater literally melt through the wall of one of these tanks when it failed, to much loss of life, very sadly.. You get what you pay for!
I was really pleasantly surprised when I unpacked and set up this aquarium. Very easy! It's just the right size for smaller fish and looks great on a desk...or anywhere! The filter works very well and the lighting is nice. Highly recommend.
Update Aug. 30: Still highly pleased with the tank. Everything still works and the water is staying nice & clean with the included filter. Very happy!
Update: Oct. 24, 2012: Still really like the aquarium, but the on/off switch for the lights stopped working...the lights will only stay on...I have unplugged the light, which is fine as I have African-clawed frogs in the aquarium and they don't need extra lighting.
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We decided to get a few fish and a small tank for our son for his 10th birthday and it has been everything we haoped it would for him and this tank has helped make it a great gift. The tank is small enough to fit on a dresser top, has a lighted cover, very clear plastic for viewing, and comes with a little filter so you have a wider option of fish you can house.
The first few weeks I had been complaining that the included filter was underpowered and didn't seem to be doing a good job keeping the tank clean, but I have since learned that the rocks I chose were the key problem and were effetively locking the gunk down in the bottom and it wasn't the filter's fault at all. I was using the larger decor rocks that are upwards of .75" each. Advice to those buying this tank, use the typical small rocks that come in the 2.5# bags and lok look large chunk kitty litter, that will be more accomodating with this filter.
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I love the tank. It's a perfect fit to go right on top of my dresser. The lights look really good as well. There was a small crack where the lights are, but nothing worth fussing over. It still works perfectly fine. The filter was working great while I had it running, unfortunately it's too strong for my poor little beta fish. Betta's don't like currents as it is, so I think I'm going to switch over to a sponge filter. But besides that the product id great with an unbeatable price! (:
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The tank is small and easy to keep up. Perfect for a small home with limited space. A couple of fish and a snail and it is almost self sufficient as far as cleaning.
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So far the XY-281 seem's to be working just fine.I have it in my 10 Gallon community tank with my Male Betta (Fireball) and 3 pencil fish and 3 cherry barb's plus one miniature pleco.I also have a Aqua-tech 5-15 power filter running on this tank that just wasnt cutting it.Now just about 6 hours after installing the XY-281 in my tank it seems to have cleared up the water making it much clearer.
