Mini Bow Desktop Aquarium Kit - 1 Gallon

This tank seems like a good, quality starting tank. Setup was easy and it came with everything I needed for my betta fish including water conditioner and food. Unfortunately my fish seemed to think that death was preferable to confinement. When I put first placed him in the the tank he seemed much more lively and active, but soon after I noticed that he seemed to be hiding underneath the filter. Thinking that perhaps the current was too strong, I turned it off while I thought of a way to dampen the current. But when I woke up the next morning to check on him I found that he had wedged himself into the small niche that is formed by the indent in the corner of the filter and died. Disappointing to say the least.

I'm giving the product 3 stars, because no one else has mentioned any sort of similar issue so perhaps my fish was just the William Wallace of its kind, but the indent in the filter seems unnecessary and most sources that I've read seem to think that you don't even really need a filter for betta tanks with less than 5 gallons. Couple that with a fish who prefers tight spaces and it seems like more trouble than it saves.

I'm going to get a second fish and update this review depending on how things go.

Just got this tank. Seems to be well built and is good for a betta, but not much else. My only complaint is the light bulb gets pretty hot and seems to deform the hood a bit. Not sure if this is going to cause any future problems.

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It is an ideal tank size for a betta. The filter works just fine and not too strong for the betta. I like the two convenient open holes for easy feeding. The light seems to generate too much heat if it is turned on for a long period of time which can cause the top cover melting out. I put in about an inch of gravel at the bottom. The water looks so clean after a week later. I can now do the 50 percent water change on the weekly basic. The betta seems to be happy with it.

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I like this tank so much I will soon get another!

For a few years I've enjoyed having a Betta in a globe fish bowl on my desk at work. Last November my little scaly friend passed away so I went looking for a new desk companion. Well there were TWO beautiful fish and I just couldn't decide, so I just bought both! (I'm going somewhere with this, I promise) I decided to keep one fish at home and the other at work but I obviously was going to need a new bowl as Bettas are not all that good together. Well I found the Aqueon Mini Bow here on Amazon and despite mixed reviews I thought I'd give it a try. And I'm glad I did. This tank is fantastic. It's INCREDIBLY quiet. So quiet that you have to check to see if it's turned on. Silent is the word.

Ok, so the reason I gave you back story on owning two bettas is this: My standard globe bowl at work I've cleaned 3 times in four months. My Mini Bow? None, Zero, Nata. AND it's still on it's first filter! This tank has a VERY simple filter style, it just sucks up water and lets it flow over the top of the filter before gently flowing back into the tank. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done VERY well. I think another thing that helps this tank stay clean and clear is my snail. He's very active, but he obviously doesn't clean the water, just the surfaces. So grab a snail when you pick up your betta as well.

There are two things that many of the negative reviewers have said about this tank that I've got solutions for.

Reviewer complaint one: Too strong of a current for the fish.

Solution: Fill your tank up with the correct amount of water. The tank has a specific recommended water line and when your water is at the correct level, the drop from the filter is almost none. Yes, there is a little current, but not enough that it looks like the fish is always having to fight it.

Reviewer complaint two: The hood gets too hot and starts to deform.

Solution: I didn't notice any SIGNIFICANT heat on mine when used for reasonable time periods (a couple hours at a time). But just in case other reviewer were right, I devised a wonderful double-benefit solution. A custom Heat Shield! (See my photo in the customer photos section) It's made of aluminum foil and electrical tape and takes maybe five minutes to construct/install. Just remove the screws from the clear plastic, then cut a piece of aluminum foil to size and secure it to the contours of the plastic with some electrical tape. Now the the top of my hood doesn't get warm even after being on for a few hours plus being that betta are tropical fish they prefer warmer water, so the heat shield also helps direct the heat into the water!

Pros:

Fairly Inexpensive

Inexpensive Filters

Long lasting Filters

VERY Quiet

Lit Hood

Feeding hole

Clean

Cons:

Two separate cords (one for filter, one for light)

UPDATE (4/11/12)

So I did in fact buy a second tank and oddly it did at first seem as though the current was a bit much for the fish with this tank. But there are a few possible reasons why this is the case. It MAY be possible that some tanks have a more powerful suction/filtration system, but I kinda doubt it. So here is what I think is going on. First, with the first tank I purchased, before I even turned it on I had a tall plant RIGHT in front of where the water spills over the top of the filter. I think this breaks up the current quite a bit. Second, the fish from my first tank has much larger fins. Third, the first tanks filter has been in use for a while and is probably dirty enough to slow down the water flow a little bit. Fourth, the fish in the new tank had been a lazy SOB for like 8 months. I think he may have been over feed while I was on vacation and may have developed a swim bladder issue. So he floated at the top fairly frequently. So take him from a no water-movement bowl to a tank with some flow and it is gonna look like he's being thrashed around. Fifth, the fish simply hasn't had time to adapt. After a week or so in the tank with the pump on he found a bunch of places that he likes to chill out it, with seemingly no current issues. BUT that doesn't mean I didn't feel the need to ease him into this tank transition by turning off the filter for periods of time.

So these are my suggestions for those with current concerns.

1. Get a tall plant and place it on the opposite side of the tank as the filter. Also put some little plants on the bottom. This gives your little fish plenty of places to relax.

2. Add an inline switch (kinda like a lamp toggle switch on a cord) Here's one from amazon:

Leviton 5410 Appliance Switch, Feed-Through Switch Rocker, Single Pole, Single Throw, 3A-125V AC, Brown This will make it easier to switch the filter on and off.

3. Give it time! If you just bought your fish or have had him in a bowl for a while he has been lazy for a long time. He just needs time to adjust.

All in all, my fish seems a LOT more happy in this tank. He used to float around the top so much that I though he was dead plenty of times. Now he swims around and plays and I bet he's very excited for his tank to ALWAYS be clean.

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We were looking for a small tank that was quiet. This one is great. It looks nice and we never hear it. For the first few days I kept checking it to be sure the filter was working. Very happy with this purchase.

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