Given what I paid and what this products comes with, I really can't complain too much. This product is a good deal, but is not for someone who wants a good quality tank and is willing to pay extra for it (since I am using for a single Betta, I did not want to spend a ton). I bought this product locally and I quickly looked inside the box to make sure everything look untouched and brought it home. I should have looked more closely... after starting to set up the aquarium I noticed the lid was cracked... then I noticed the top of the tank was also cracked. Annoyed, I went back to the store and closely inspected the 4 remaining boxes, and 2 of those tanks were also cracked in the same top corner, and the other boxes were opened by previous customers. after inspecting all of the parts I managed to put together a complete and unbroken set.
Now perhaps these cracks were due to mishandling, but that asidethe plastic is pretty thin and appears brittle (particularly the lid), and this will not take much trama before cracking. Keep this in mind if you plan on moving it around from time to time. I also inspected the 3 gallon cube by the same companythe lid was made of the same stuff but the tank itself seemed to be thicker plastic. That tank has white overhead LEDs instead of the colors and bubbles, and the shape is a cube (obviously) and not as tall or as narrow as this 'half moon' shape. It was a toss up, but I went with the half moon for the colors my daughter wanted and shape.
Everything in the box seemed to be fine upon first set up, although everything seems on the 'cheap' side. I agree with the other reviewer... the most annoying thing is the color lights/bubbler unit wants to float even after weighting with gravel/stones. It took some manuevering to stabilize that component. The good thing is that the bubbler/filter speeds are quite adjustable by dials that control the air coming from the air pump, which is good given that Bettas don't like a lot of water movement.
Once setup it looks pretty nice (and looks nicer if you have fish that will tolerate the bubbler on higher settings as this makes the tank more colorful). Hopefully it lasts.
This tank is amazing! My half moon Betta fish loves his mansion, and has been swimming all over his new crib for 3 weeks now. Plenty of space for him to swim. Extremely easy set up. The tank is a perfect half cylinder shape that makes your Betta fish easy to view from all angles. I highly recommend purchasing a tank heater because the tank is 3gallons the temperature would be best regulated by a heater. The bubbler also provides another toy for my fish to swim through he loves it. Of course the colors are BEAUTIFUL!! the subtle sound of the filter with the bubbler and the colors provides a very soothing environment and conversation piece. At night the lights in the tank project a flowing color changing image on my ceiling. This product is perfect. CAUTION! follow the instructions for water changes to a science, if you add too little or too much water when cleaning the tank the nitrogen cycle occurring already in the tank water will get messed up, causing your tank to become murky, and could rot your fish's fins. Follow the easy instructions and you should be fine though.
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I purchased two of these aquariums for two betta fish my children own. I use only reverse osmosis water along with Nutrafin Betta Plus and Betta Bowl plus when out of the Nutrafin. This uses the Small filter cartridge.
I love that you can adjust the flow of the water coming out of the filter. You can also adjust the air bubbler. There are two valves for each of the tubes. I run both on low for the Betta's well being. I still need to get a mini heater, though. This kit is a great introductory kit for anyone wanting a betta fish.
The betta fish swim alot more in this 3 gallon aquarium than in the Marina .5 gallon tank. I added live plants and bright gravel. We also added a colorful marine paper background, purchased from a local pet store, to give a very beautiful view, instead of just looking straight through it.
The LED lights are beautiful to look at. At first, submerge, entirely, the LED saucer-type device completely under gravel and let the air bubbles blow at medium rate. After two hours, carefully remove the gravel to reveal the LED lights. Otherwise, the LED saucer-type device will just want to keep flying up to the surface. I guess it needs air to be blown into it for a few hours to get settled. I unplug the LED lights at night so the fish can sleep. The air bubbler is still plugged in. The filter has its' own AC adaptor as well. I'm hoping that with a 15-20% water change every week I will only need to change the filter every three weeks. With baby bettas use betta flake food; with large, adult bettas use betta pellets. The flow of the water from the filter does not throw either type of food violently all over the surface.
I really think that using reverse osmosis water (purchased for $1.50 [for 5 gallons] at a water kiosk close to the grocery store) contributes to the success of keeping the fish healthy, as well.
I purchased my aquariums at a local discount retailer for ten dollars less than on Amazon.
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I purchased this tank for my little betta who was too big for his 1 gallon, non filtered tank. The first time I ordered the Tetra Half Moon Bubbler, the tank was cracked, but Amazon sent another within two days (so it's a good idea to inspect this as soon as you get it). It's really beautiful when it's all lit up, I just wish the 'bubbler' itself would stay in place! Piling gravel on top of it helps a little bit, but if you try to move the tank or lift the lid off, the 'bubbler' comes loose again and floats to the top. A suction cup on the bottom would've been a great idea, but alas, Tetra hasn't thought of that yet.
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I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this aquarium and filter set. I have had tanks all my life, and this one was a snap to set up. My one quibble with it is the colored light bubbler, however. Although the light it projects is really nice (and it makes the room look pretty at night), the design is a little awkward with the cord coming out of one side. As a result, the bubbler refuses to stay buried, no matter how much gravel I heap onto the edges. Otherwise, a very good product.
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I use this product regularly in 2 freshwater aquariums. This is a busy household and we don't do as many water changes as we should. So I keep both an under gravel and an over the tank filter and use stress zyme every other week or so. One of the tanks has fancy goldfish, and one goldfish has grown to carp size and he eats a lot and messes a lot. There is a more delicate fish in the goldfish tank that starts to suffer when I need to add stress zyme, long before the tank actually looks dirty. Once I add the stress zyme he perks right up. The second tank is bala sharks with a red tail and an angel. This tank seems healthy, but I throw in some stress zyme when I do the other tank because its a huge tank and its hard to vacuum. And the tanks stay nice with only about 6 water changes per year. We change the filters at about the same rate, but need to add tap water every week (the tanks are great humidifiers, they never get moldy like a real humidifier does!) Anyway, I recommend this product to anyone with a fish tank but no time or desire to do weekly water changes.
