Tetra Water Wonders Aquarium Kit

I bought this tank at PetSmart about a week ago, and so far I'm impressed. The kit includes the Whisper 3i in-tank filter, a couple of bio filter replacement cartridges, tubing, pump, LED light, and two plastic plants that can be attached on a grid like system that runs along the bottom of the tank (there are 8 possible positions). It doesn't come with water treatment, gravel, or food, but it does have a convenient storage shelf that pulls out from the bottom for these items.

Before this tank, I had my Betta in a small Marina cube, which only held a half Liter of water. Two weeks later, I decided to upgrade to this kit. After a day of adjustment, my fish really began to enjoy his new home and has since built a bubble nest. The LED can swivel from side to side and adjust up or down, so I like to angle it towards the filter in the back corner. This allows enough light to illuminate the tank nicely, but avoids exposing my Betta to direct bright light when I have it on. The light itself it great. Using LEDs means very little electricity usage, as well as almost no heat output. The switch is located on the side, so it's easily turned on and off. My only complaint is that the light tends to slide down to a certain point when you raise it all the way up. Not a big deal, but something to note.

The filter has kept the water nice and clear so far. It's easily attached anywhere on the tank via two suction cups on the back end. The top lid of the tank has two small holes on either side for the hose, as well as a large hole for easy grabbing. The two holes are great if you'd like to add a small water heater along with your filter. The Whisper 3i does create a fairly noticeable current in a tank this small, something my Betta did not enjoy at first as they prefer still water. After some adjustment of the plants in the tank and raising it a little higher above water level, the current was reduced enough to not really bother him. I've also placed a small hut in the tank where he can hide and get out of the current if he chooses to do so (which I recommend). I would also recommend placing the plants near or around the filter intake, so your fish won't be tempted to swim around it and get pulled by the pump. A Betta is far to large to get stuck, but it can damage his fins if he's pulled to hard.

The plastic plants are very nice looking, but were somewhat on the hard side. I would keep an eye and make sure your fish doesn't injure his fins grazing against them. So far, mine hasn't had any issues, but it's something to take note of, especially for Bettas.

Overall, for the money you won't find a better tank for a small fish or Betta.

UPDATE: 8/10/2010

After about 4 months of owning this tank, the filter pump finally gave out. It's a shame, because it did work very well. While not a big deal if your housing a Betta, this may become problem for other types of fish that aren't labyrinth fish. Tetra does warranty the filter for 1 year after purchase, but you have to send $5.00 for return postage. The whole filter unit can be purchased for $9.95 new at PetSmart, so it really seems kinda pointless, especially if it will continue to crap out after a few months.

This tank is perfect for keeping a betta fish. It's roomy enough to decorate nicely so your fish is comfortable and has stuff to do. I was hesitant, as I've only had larger tanks before and worried that this would be too small, but it's just right for my betta fish.

I was worried that the filter might be too strong, based on some reviews here, but my betta has done absolutely fine with the filter on, and the filter does an amazing job at keeping the water clear. I'm able to do a full water change once a month, and the water is STILL crystal clear within that time frame. (But I wouldn't recommend going over a month without giving it a full cleaning, because the gravel traps old food and bacteria. Just an fyi for someone considering this as their first fish tank.)

I really love the LED light at the top of the tank, it looks beautiful at night. The storage space at the bottom is handy as well. I keep extra filter packs, de-chlorinator, and some emergency fish meds in there, just in case.

I'd definitely recommend this to someone looking into getting a betta fish. Many people want these intelligent fish as decorations, which I discourage because they tend to keep the poor things in tiny half gallon bowls. This tank is the right size for a betta to live happily and is visually stunning for the owner as well. It's a win/win!

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I bought this locally, and right out of the box, it didn't have the plant grid for the plants that it comes with. Which of course makes the plants all float up the second you try to do anything inside the tank. The filter however is awesome, it has adjustable flow, which is wonderful for a betta or any other fish that prefers little water movement. Keeps my water totally free of ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites. Condensation on the hood is a CONSTANT eye sore. While the setup has it's downfalls, it's still better by far than any other desktop with the dreaded lone undergravel filter and no lighting, often devoid of a hood altogether. I like that it has a cord cutout for if you want to add a heater or an airstone. The built in drawer is also very handy, but I don't recommend keeping water test strips in it, due to the humidity affecting them. It's good for stashing food and dechlorinator though.

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I had always wanted a small, but attractive, aquarium for my desk. I came across this one on Amazon and thought, this is it! It works great with African Dwarf Frogs, I bought two and there is plenty of room for them and their plants. The initial investment ran me about $40 total which included food, a small net, the plant, rocks, water conditioner, etc. I did find mine at Petsmart, but there are more colors/sizes and a lot of sale prices through Amazon that were comparable. I loved the light because its made of LEDs and does not get hot. I'm rather paranoid about hot light bulbs and plastic.

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The filter did a good job of clearing the water while it was working. However, after a couple of weeks the output of water from the pump shrunk to almost nothing (you can see a little waterfall at the top of the filter cartridge unit while the pump is working. I managed to revive it by blowing some compressed air through it and resubmerging it in water and starting it up again. The filter worked for a few days then shut down again. Each time I got it working again, but each time it pumped less and less and lasted a shorter and shorter length of time until it stopped. A month later it is completely dead. The water was not unusually dirty or filled with debris.

Note that the filter is hardwired into the tank. You can't remove or replace it. In fact, in trying to clean it you have to do it right above the tank, since the cord is short. You cannot turn the filter off without disabling the LED lights, probably a good feature if the filter is working, but it might be a fire hazard if the filter breaks as mine did and you just leave the power connected to get the LED lighting while the jammed or burned out filter is straining and overheating.

There must have been other versions of this tank, since in the current 2013 version there is no drawer, no "plants," no gravel, no nothing except the plastic tank and the integrated light and filter/pump unit. Keep this in mind when reading reviews here from others who bought the tank pre-2013. Also, note that many people here reviewed the product before using it for any length of time. I'm wondering why these old reviews are even left up here. Tetra is supposed the change the product's UPC code when they substantially change the product. This is a different product than many here have reviewed.

Although the tank is a nice size and decorative (when properly filled with black gravel, a decoration and a plant), even if you don't care about the filter pump I couldn't recommend it because the pump is hardwired in, and cannot be safely removed from the glued-together unit. When it breaks the whole thing needs to be trashed, or you need to leave the vestigial LED and pump attached to the tank even though they are not being used.

On the positive side, I see here that another reviewer's pump lasted a whole 4 months. I figure that's the range this thing will last: 1 to 4 months.

Future reviewers: Please annotate your reviews with the length of use. Don't unwrap it, set it up, and give it 4 or 5 stars that same day. That is not helping anyone. Put a memo in your calendar to review it 6 months down the line.

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