biOrb Silk Plant Pack Medium, Purple/Green, 2 Pack

These BiOrb plants are nicely sized for medium tanks. Both are are relatively the same size, (the purple one is larger, though, which is kinda ironic because the picture show the purple on smaller.) They are almost too tall for my 3.9 gal/15 L vertical tank. (I don't own a BiOrb.) I recommend this for 5 gallon tanks and up. Good quality, semi-unrealistic up close, though. When I first got them I was disappointed because they looked very fake, but after I rinsed them and put them in my tank they looked pretty good. My female Betta loves to hide in them, as she is a shy fish. The bases look a little awkward, unless you cover it with a lot of rocks or you've got lots of gravel.

Sometimes with these Biorb plants it's hard to figure out the sizes from the pictures. These medium silk plants are roughly the same size as each other even though the photo makes the purple one look smaller.

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I have a small tank (3 gal) and these plants fit perfectly in it. It's only about 12in tall but they fit great and float around gracefully near the surface of the water. My betta really seems to like swimming through them and resting on the leaves. They look pretty realistic in the tank to boot. The colors aren't so bright that they look fake. I also like the anchors. They did a good job making them look realistic as well. My gravel covers most of the base but a small section of it shows so I'm glad they paid attention to that part too. It just looks like a rock.

Like others have mentioned, the picture is somewhat deceiving. The purplish plant is really basically the same size as the green one so if you're looking for two different length plants, you're going to be dissappointed.

Overall I really like these. They look great in the tank and my fish is a fan also. Can't do much better than that :)

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I decided to buy some fake plants for my aquarium since most live plants have a hard time living in the water I have coming out of my tap. These plants were very vibrant in color which only gets better once they're in the tank. And I LOVE the weights on the bottom they stay in place and don't disturb the substrate very much since it's nicely rounded. I only hope they come out with other varieties of plants so I can buy more! If you want any for the background of your tank however I'd definitely recommend getting the largest size, as the medium wasn't as tall as I'd hoped.

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They look absolutely stunning in my aquarium. I've had people ask if they were real. You can't tell at all they are fake plants. Highly recommend!

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Fluval Nano Aquarium Filter

I bought this for my 6 gallon book shelf tank, and while it is a little big for it, I love it. I can just fit it into the tank, but I do not use the spray bar. The suction cups work well and keep the filter positioned nicely. The only frustration with the suction cups is that if you are not careful in mounting them they slip and you will not get it where you want it (since I have little room to play with, that was important). Also, if you do not apply careful (VERY careful) pressure, you will cause a slight seperation between the impeller unit and the filter base...which leads to my main gripe and the reason why I did not give this 5 stars. The two pieces come apart too easily when trying to move things around. The suction cups should have a lift off tab, because they really stick.

As for circulation....you will have plenty. It is a pretty powerful little filter and creates a strong current when fully open. The beauty is that it has a little plastic valve that controls the flow and works very well once it is set. Setting it is another point of frustration....but once you get it, you won't have to play around with it and you can forget it. I tried several different mounting options both horizontally and vertically and finally settled on the traditional vertical mount. I also bought the carbon inserts....pretty much a waste of money and I got pieces of carbon on my white sand. A MAJOR pain. I am not deducting from this rating, because it is not part of this set up, but rather an optional purchase. Still, if your tank is cloudy, chances are you need a good amount of activated carbon....here's a tip. Get an old nylon stocking, tie one end. place enough carbon to fill the slot and tie the other end. Easy and cheap and very functional Don't forget to rinse it a bit before putting it into the tank. The little cartridges are just not enough and too expensive.

I did have a problem with sound as well, as if it were grinding gears, but I think the problem was air. I completely submersed the filter, and angled it to make sure all the air got it, and sure enough, no more grinding sound. I will also mention that this was one of those VERY rare times that I did not look to Amazon first and bought this at a local (well known) "pet company." Serves me right and lesson relearned...Amazon has it for half the price and free shipping!

This is very quiet as long as everything stays FULLY submersed. I like the filter box, as you can put your own media in it, which I recommend, as I mentioned with the activated carbon. If anything changes, I will update. So far, I like it!

This filter works fine for a small tank but the high flow rate bothers my fish. If you turn down the valve, it causes the motor to buzz annoyingly. Next time I will buy a tank capable of taking an external canister filter. But if you need a cheap in-tank filter this one will do the job.

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I bought this at a local aquarium store in hopes of replacing my Marina S10 Slim profile filter for my 5 gallon shrimp tank. It was too large to fit upright in the tank and the flow was far too strong for my shrimp. The flow is adjustable but when I turned it down it rattled so loudly that I thought something was broken. I then moved it to my 10-gallon hospital tank and again the flow was so strong that the fish constantly struggled to not be swept away. (I did have a few ill/weak fish get stuck to the intake and expire.) I have turned the flow down and have that annoying rattle in the kitchen where my hospital tank is located. (****Update: After three weeks the filter finally quieted down, probably because water flow is more impeded by matter in the filter media. I raised the rating to three stars from two now that it does not sound like a train is going through my kitchen.)

In the future I am going to buy a mini canister filter (either the ZooMed 501 turtle canister filter or the TOM aquarium mini rapids canister) for my smaller tanks in order to have the spray bar and better filtration for my planted tanks.

Also, the filter cannot be moved while it is on; the portion that contains filter media falls off very easily if the filter is plugged in. Both parts of the filter are stuck to the glass with suction cups but they are no longer attached to each other, and trying to put them back together with the filter running is impossible.

I would not recommend this for anything smaller than a 15-gallon tank. The flow is far too strong for most creatures that would live in a nano tank.

I like Fluval products but I do not recommend this one.

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This exact same filter came with my Fluval Ebi tank.

*The actual media included in the unit comes with a large thin sponge layer followed by 2 more sponge layers...no biological or chemical filtration is included although it is possible to custom fill the media chambers with your own mix.

*The motor is attached MAGNETICALLY to the media chamber...needless to say that means this thing pops open in half quite often, releasing waste products and dirty water back into the tank every single time you want to move the filter around or take it out for cleaning.

*Popped the filter in after scaping the tank and wanted to use it to clear the water of the substrate that got kicked up, it's rated for tanks up to 15 gallons and with the Ebi being a 9 gallon tank it's technically more filter than you actually need...have had the thing running for about 12 hours now and the water is STILL extremely dark and murky...the stock AC20 that came on my Edge cleared the water to almost crystal clarity in 30 minutes.

*Uses a spray bar design to supposedly re-direct water current so as to not disturb sensitive fish and plants, except that when the waterflow is set to low it sounds like a bucket of gravel that got tossed into a food processor and when it's set to high it actually creates just as much if not more water disruption than other filters and because this thing is designed for smaller tanks (specifically nanos) that totally negates the entire point of having a difficult to clean spray bar.

*Impossible to put a sponge or bio-bag over the filter intake to protect fish fry and baby shrimps.

At $15 this thing is a flaming rip off when there's literally dozens of cheaper and better designed filters out there, like the AC20 which is only $3 more but about 300x the filter that this thing is. Hagen usually makes amazing products and I am a huge fan of their Fluval line of nano tanks and accessories but there is seriously no excusing how piss poor this product was designed and priced. I wouldn't even take it for free.

If for whatever reason you *MUST* have an anemic internal filter that's grossly overpriced buy this product..otherwise do the smart thing and get yourself a decent hang-on-back filter.

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The motor on the pump stopped working after three weeks. If you want a cheap filter then this is the one for you. However cheap costs more in the long run. Disappointed that I did not get what I expected to be a decent pump for a small 7 gallon tank.

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Jardin Aquarium Fish Tank Diffuser Bubble Wall with Suction Cup, 23-Inch, Green

Only one side of this actually worked well. The other side had a few random bubbles coming out but nothing like the side closest to the air hose. I ended up moving the cap to the first section and just using it. It looks pretty like this and I don't have to worry about it coming apart. I should have just purchased the 12" one.

I looked all over the Permian Basin for this and was thrilled to find it. It arrived so fast I was surprised by my delivery. The fish love swimming in the bubbles and think they can hide behind them. It adds a beautiful feature to my aquarium.

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These normally work good but mine came bent in one of the sections which stopped the bubbles from going all the way across.

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ReptoFilter

PROS:

Filter is Quiet.

Inexpensive.

Pre-Filters are available.

You can use reusable filter bags, a cheaper alternative.

Supplies are available at any given pet store.

CONS:

Filter will clog up, especially if you feed your turtle in the tank.

Expect to clean tank and replace filters about once a week.

Pre-Filter come in packs of three for about $8/ea can add up.

Cleaning out reusable filter bags, expect to be handling a significant amount of turtle goo.

I had my red ear slider since it was hatchling, about a year. I was broke and didn't much about turtle maintenance but judging by the name, ReptoFilter, and the fact that I found it in the Aquatic Turtle section, I bought it. Something is better than nothing. Turtles are deceptively messy. In the beginning, I has happy with the filter because it seemed to do the job right. As a plus, the filter is super quiet and the only time it made a noise is about the time it needs to be changed anyway. Although pre-filters are available, I found it cost-effective to clean out and refill reusable filter bags. I even fed my turtle in a separate tub to reduce the debris. In the beginning, everything was great.

As the turtle grew, so did the mess. And I found the filter having a hard time keeping up with my turtle. I had to unclog it a few times. Although, We'd make it a point every week to clean it, it took a significant amount of our time and energy to routinely to that. Ultimately, despite my efforts to try to maintain the filter as best as I could, the filter died on me. So, I got my funds together and got a three stage canister filter. I'm thankful for buying this filter, it got me by. Although canister filters come off pricey, there are better in the long run because you'll only be cleaning it out months at time.

I purchased this for a pair of painted turtles to be housed in a 10 gallon tank and I am overly pleased. I find it to be a lot more powerful than anticipated, and it's extremely quiet. We have the tank in the same room where we sleep and it doesn't bother me one bit. I am a very sensitive sleeper also. The slightest of disturbances will awake me from the deepest of sleep. Regardless of where you keep the water level, it's as tranquil as ever.

This filter is so powerful that it usually sucks 1 inch chunks of cucumber right to it's grate. It does not harm any of our fish and it doesn't bother the turtles either. The refills are very affordable, and if you perform water changes regularly, this filter will do an exceptional job. I have no issues with the heavy duty suction cups, other than sometimes they suck to hard to the glass. I will usually have to give the cups a pinch to break the suction from the aquarium wall. Be careful, because if you pull the unit too hard the suction cups will pop right out of the holes in the back. They are easily placed right back into place, though.

I have owned fish tanks for over ten years and I find the Tetra Repto Filter (10 gallon) to be one of the most impressive I have seen. This unit is submersible, so you will need to get used to the natural process of algae forming on the cord, as well as the casing of the unit. The filter blends into the background and visitors hardly ever comment on the appearance. Like any other filter, you want to rinse out the (black) bio filter each time you do a (carbon) filter change. As long as you're not planning to use this for a much larger tank, I think you will be impressed too.

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After looking for quite some time online I finally bought this filter for my 50 gallon turtle tank and it has been the best purchase I've made since owning this turtle. It is quiet and keeps the water very clean. I actually purchased a second one (more than enough for the size of my tank) and I've gone from changing the water every two weeks to every other month I just replace the filters regularly but for me it is well worth the cost to not have to dump out the heavy tank as often.

I highly recommend this product. It is easy to clean and the filters are very easy to change.

You will not regret this purchase!

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I have 2 of these filters in a 75 gallon tank with about 35 gallons of water (10" or so)...1 filter on each end. In the tank I have a juvenile Western Painted turtle. It works absolutely beautifully, keeps the water crystal clear and practically odor-free and creates an incredibly soothing waterfall. I wouldn't exactly call it "whisper" quiet, however, I do keep the tank in my bedroom (about 7' from where I sleep) and the sound of the waterfall completely drowns out the faint humming sound that comes from the filter pump. No sleeping problems whatsoever. I think the reason why these filters have a somewhat bad reputation is because people think you MUST have them sitting on the bottom of the tank in order to work properly...greatly limiting the amount of water you can have if you have a bigger tank since the water level has to be below the lip of the filter. This is untrue from my experience. I have both of them propped up about 5" on aquarium decorations and rocks so that the water level is about 4" below the lip. The only thing about doing this is that they're unable to clear the chunks of debris off the bottom of the tank since they're 5" off the ground. This isn't a problem for me at all though because I have a small fish net and a gravel vacuum that I use to regularly clean the chunks off the bottom of the tank. I actually prefer it this way because it seems like to me that by not sucking up the chucks of debris it would extend the life of both the filter and the cartridges.

Now to the filter cartridges. Instead of buying the 3-pack Reptofilter brand cartridges for usually $8 or so (~$2.65 each) I buy the 12-pack Whisper Bio-Bags for about $10 (~$.80 each). They're exactly the same as the Reptofilter brand cartridges but the only downside (isn't even really a downside) is that they come unassembled and with only 1 frame instead of pre-assembled and a frame for each cartridge. I've found that they usually last anywhere between 2 weeks and a month but the life of these cartridges entirely depends on the size of your tank, amount of water and the messiness of the creature(s) in your tank.

Overall, for the money, these are hard to beat. They keep my tank looking beautiful with very minimal upkeep. After a while I might end up forking out the extra cash for a good external canister filter but I just don't see the necessity quite yet for that good and powerful of a filter when these do the job perfectly fine. Plus I like the idea of having a filter on each end of my tank, greatly increasing the water circulation and vital surface agitation.

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It worked fine for a few days, about a week. But, then it wouldn't work after. Something may have gotten inside like a leaf or sand but then again, aren't things suppose to go into it? Its a filter. Wouldn't buy it again, it was so cheap but then it broke on me so fast. Not even worth five dollars if its lifetime is a week.

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Aquarius OT6000 Coral Decor Insert for Ocean Treasures Collection and Other Aquariums

I have had this in my aquarium for about 3 months now. I loved the size and colors. It looked great in my tank, but it is now losing paint, all over! Really disappointing!

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TOM Aquarium Rapids Mini Canister hang-on-the-tank C-80, 80gph

I'm using this for a 10gal heavily planted freshwater tank. It's very quiet and the spray bar discharge is excellent for my plants. The output stem arrived broken but Amazon sent me an entire new unit and TOM sent a replacement part, excellent service from both. The best feature is the ease in using custom filter materials. I use an AquaClear 300 sponge on one side and BioMax in the other. Seems to do the trick. No stop valve to help maintenance, as in more expensive canister filters, but at this price it's understandable.

UPDATE: My shipping charge for returning the original unit were also refunded, Amazon's return policy is excellent!

UPDATE 2: Jan. 2012, it leaks, replaced it with a Finnex 360. It's a little larger, we'll see how long this lasts.

I got this to use with a 2 gallon betta tank. The plan was to use it as a filter and also increase total amount of water. It seemed perfect as the spray bar would avoid causing a current which my betta does not like. For some reason i just assumed that it would have a flow control, but, as it turns out, there is no flow control and the spay bar sprays water much like that in a kitchen sink. Its way too powerful for smaller tanks. Dont bother with this for tanks 5 gallons or less. The quality of the hoses are suspect, they dont seem like they would last. I got the palm azoo instead for my 2 gallon betta and its perfect! The flow control turned all the way down provides a gentle filter output.

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11/02/2010 CORRECTION. I did exactly as the buyer "Professor Bubba" suggested in review of "Zoo Med 501 Turtle Canister Filter" : I replaced the filter that came with pump with a nylon bag ($1.50) purchased at pet shop filled with over-the-counter activated carbon (got the entire carton for $6.50)and could not believe the results. It's been two weeks so far and water is clear. Thank you Bubba. ..and Yes this filter seem to be capable of producing crystal-clear water.

---------------

10/05/2010

CONS: The filter never produces crystal-clear water, it always murky. Filter requires cleaning weekly. Perhaps it's just not powerful enough for a 10 gal tank.

PROS: Whisper quiet. Quick and easy set-up and maintenance.

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Initial thoughts:

The filter is dead silent. I switched from a HOB Whisper filter to this canister filter.. and wow. After leaving the room it's being used in for several hours and walking back in, I thought it had stopped workingI couldn't hear a thing!

The filter media included is so-so. Though I haven't been able to see how well the ceramic media works, I can already tell that the other included media wasn't all that great. Read up on what kind of filtration you want(chemical, mechanical, biological, etc.) and make your own media.

SO FAR, the only con I have:

The hoses. They're tragically short and hard to manipulate. You can't bend them into place at all. I may switch out the included hose for a different one.

I spent a good quarter of an hour wrestling with the hoses to let the water distribute through my TEN GALLON tank as efficiently as possible, and it's still not what I want. Oh well.

Overall, it's easy to modify this little canister with your own filter media, it's silent, and it's powerful.

----EDIT----

I've had this sucker running for a month, so it's time for an update.

The hoses seem to have loosened a bit, so that's kind of nice. I'm still planning on replacing them with longer and more flexible tubing if I can.

No leaks, no damage, the impeller is still running smoothly without any noise.

You'll want to make a media basket for the ceramic. I'm working on a plan to make a partition for the side that gets the water from the tank so the pipe leading in isn't so difficult to shove back in after cleaning. Again, if you're going to get this filter, prepare to play around with the filter media.

ALSOthis little guy does NOT have a shut off valve. Be warned! Not only can this make things messy but it can be difficult to prime the filter again. I'll add shut off valves when I replace the hoses so I don't get fish water all over my dorm. If you don't build one, get a bucket or cut a gallon milk jug in half to catch any water that comes out and QUICKLY lift the top of the filter above your tank to stop the water flow!

So far, it's working great on my little planted tank. It's perfect for my Betta boy and his Corydoras catfish friends. My bio load may be small at the moment, but it's keeping the water wonderfully clean with minimal maintenance on both the tank and the filter.

Overall, this filter has some major flaws, but it is great for the price you pay.

----Last edit----

The filter has been running strong for almost a year now. Still silent and still good at what it does. If I have any complaint it's that this little guy has ruined HOB filters for me.

Admittedly, I never bothered with replacing the tubing, but I will update if I do.

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Ok first off this canister filter has great potential i bought one on sale when i saw the carbon bag in it i immediately tossed it out (garbage). how to set it up : first get a peice of bio foam and cut it to fit snug on top of intake side then put some aquarium cotton , then cut a polishing pad to size then u have the ceramic rings at the bottom on the return side i put in a marine land activated carbon bag wrapped it around the return tube , wallah pro filtration five stage filter in seconds i use it for my 20 g long marine tank and the water is crystal clear for a whole month !!!then flow starts to slow down no problem just do ur monthly maintenance and flow will be back to normal. Great product Cheers!!!!

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Aquarium Systems Maxi Jet 600 Powerhead

• Perfect for freshwater or marine.

I've been using maxi-jet pumps for years in various applications, and this one acted like pretty much every other one I've used: It usually starts on its own when plugged in, but sometimes the volute needs to be turned slightly to get the impeller to start turning. When it's running it's cool and quiet, unless there's too much restriction on the output, which causes the impeller to chatter.

In short, it acts like a maxi-jet!

This review might sound negative, but it really isn't. This is my go-to pump when I need a small, cheap, reasonably reliable pump to move water from one place to another. They mix saltwater, transfer it from the mixing barrel to the tanks, feed media reactors, etc.

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bought for use with my underground filter,nice power without knocking fish around. very quiet running. a very reasonable price too.

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These powerheads have been around forever, and for good reason. They are reliable and quiet. I use them to power undergravel filters.

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These are my fall back pumps, as I've used them for over 20 years with marine (saltwater) aquariums. I've used them in sumps, corals, plants, fish (always with a strainer attached) and with maintenance, they have lasted on average 2 years each. Will continue to buy them.

One of my marine enthusiasts also had me try Rio pumps (when they came out years ago). They had sufficient output for sumps, but they also had electrical issues. Not a good thing in saltwater, since it is a good conductor of electricity, let alone for my corals and more delicate shrimp and fish :(

I removed all Rios and went back to these pumps. The sump pump I have is a larger different model, but love the Maxi Jets.

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This is a powerful pump. I also have the 1200. The 600 has PLENTY of power. I use the 600 on the inside aquarium and the 1200 to power the outdoor pond/water feature. It is quiet.

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All Glass Aquarium AAG20007 Inc Economy Hood, 16-Inch

These hoods are cheap, but they serve the purpose for a freshwater aquarium. As another reviewer stated, it does not have a protective cover, so it is exposed to evaporative water and splashing, but the lights are set up a few inches, which helps a little in the case of splashing.

The best part about these hoods is that you can replace the inefficient and low wattage incandescent bulbs with good mini compact fluorescent tubes (preferably the single loop kind, not the spiral kind) which output about 13 watts per tube to give you 26 watts over a 10 gallon tank. It has been just enough light to grow my plants, whereas a single tube fluorescent hood or light strip will only give you 15 Watts.

Perfecto does have a better quaility incandescent hood that you can retrofit with fluorescents for $10-$15 more.

I was very disappointed with this product because all of theese parts are exposed to water,wether it be condensation or fish splashing about or humidity.There for allthe components rot away very rapidly,I have even kept the water levels lower and this does no good.If this problem could be solved perhaps then they would be worth the money!

G.Ogden

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perfect top for 5 gallon aquarium,takes a standard incandesent bulb or you can use a screw in flourescent bulb.has knockouts in the back for heater,filter.etc.

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Hood as stated, however the type of bulb the hood takes is either pink, blue, or clear. The problem is the "clear" bulb is more like a weird orange instead of a white which distorts the fish colors and is very hot so it heats the tank up too much!

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The only problem I had was that it does not come with a light. The pinch outs for the filter and the heater both worked fine. Fit my 5 gallon tank perfectly. Happy customer.

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4 ft. - 8 Lamp - F54T5-HO - Fluorescent Grow Light Fixture - Spectralux 6500K Lamps and Wire Hanger

We are happy to give this product great review, just what we wanted and just what was advertised, Thank You!

The build quality is very nice, the lamps are good quality and the electric cord is very long. I have been using them for about a month now with no problems at all.

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nice and cool option for any grow room, I always had a heat problem not anymore I love it oh yeah

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