10 Gallon Fish Tank

Showing posts with label tank fish. Show all posts

Hagen Exo Terra Plastic Terrarium Plant

The leaves were a lot smaller than I had anticipated but being that i got the Large, it was a lot of plant. The only problem with it was the suction cup. it didnt want to stick at first and it was really annoying but (it may sound gross) after applying some saliva its actually kind of difficult to remove. my cornsnake absolutely loves it

TOM Aquarium RP3 Plus (Rapids Pro Filter with Auto Fill System, 700gph pump)

What was truly great about this product is the fact that it it was close to $100 cheaper than anywhere else listed when I searched prices.

I have just set up a saltwater reef again for the first time in over 10 years. So much has changed since the first time. The set up instructions leave a bit to be desired. The system is rather picky getting the adjustments just right; but once you do, the system works great! I ended up calling the company and talking with technical support for 1/2 an hour asking questions and getting answers to those questions; I was having issues with water movement and keeping the filter at the level of fill that they recommend even with the auto fill system. The filter seemed to be bringing an excess amount of bubbles back in to my tank. They recommended increasing the height of the auto fill tank up 2 inches more than the filter and also they truly mean it when they say the hoses should be as straight and as close as is possible. Each bend in the hose cuts down on the efficiency of the 700 GPH pump. I truly don't know if I would have been nearly as satisfied with the system if I hadn't called them for support with my issues.

This works sooo well! I have a 55gal reef tank and this suits it perfectly. I've used a couple canister filters (marineland magnum with dual bio-wheels and penn-plax cascade 700). To clean and change out filter media, you have turn off the filter and completely take it apart. With the TOM Aquarium RP3 Plus, you can keep everything running if you want and just change the filter pads right on top. It comes with everything you need for a typical wet/dry filter (bio-balls, ceramic cylinders, activated carbon pillow, prefilter pads as well as an activated carbon prefilter pad) as well as a built-in protein skimmer! There is no need for drilling your tank for an overflow. This does it for you! It uses a siphon to draw water from the tank and if the power goes out, the siphon is lost so it is next to impossible for your filter to overflow and spill out all over you floor! If your thinking "What happens when the power comes back on?" Well this amazing siphoning overflow box starts the siphon all by itself by drawing air from the siphon chamber as the pump runs. So you guessed it, water never overflows from the filter or your tank.

Another great idea this wet/dry filter has is a water top off system. It holds about 3.5gal and when constantly matches the water level in the filter. If water in the filter gets low, so does the water in the reservoir. When that happens, you will hear a gurgle sound as water empties little by little until it reaches the right level again. I usually have to fill the reservoir every 1-2 months depending on the temperature of the room.

Get this! It will save time on filter maintenance giving you more time to just relax and just watch your tank as it is meant to used!

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Well, long story short. Decided to grab one from Warehouse deals ( Amazon returns, etc. ) for over $100 less. They said, Like new in package? well upon it's arrival, it was cracked on the top by the skimmer cup. Upon looking, I decided to try it and works fine. Though a cosmetic crack in the housing, which I can glue. So far doing great and at 1/4 the cost of a brand new one ! And like everyone else, I had to adjust the skimmer cup so it would emit the correct amount of air from the cup.

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This product is cheaply made. The plastic is very brittle and the pumps are cheap. My plastic male connector on the receiver broke the first time i took the hose off. My hose that connects to the auto fill had a crack in it and it leaked a good amount before I noticed it. The pumps suck. It's a 700gph pump max at 4ft the gph far less. Upgraded that to a maxijet 3000 after the stock pump literally fell apart after a month of operation. A week later the skimmer pump started making noises. I cleaned it but is still making a loud noise. Ordered a good skimmer pump to replace it when it dies. The valves that cutthroat connection between the auto and filter leak when closed. Not a big deal except when you got the hose disconnected. Comes with bio balls that are a joke. Took that crap out and just added some good quality carbon, a lot of filter floss and some fluval biomedia and phosban. Threw out most of the original filter media except for the ceramic rings at bottom. Replaced all hose with larger diameter vinyl. Works much better but it's still brittle plus I paid an extra 200 just to make it work properly. Go buy a 20 gallon standard tank from petsmart for 50bucks and some acrylic sheets from lowes. Have them cut it if you don't want too. Buy good quality products the first go and you'll be set. Might spend a little more than buying this but it will last a lot longer and work better. Easier mantaience too.

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its a great filter.. little noisy but it is okay... the auto fill system is gorgeous. Very easy to install.

Finnex Might Ray 21 LED Light, 18 White, 3 Blue

I have only had this product for a few days. From what I have seen so far this is an excellent product. The size is good. The construction seems solid. The lights are bright and crisp.

I purchased three of them to place side by side over a pico reef tank. It was very difficult to find a led product with the right spectrum and strength to support coral. I think this is a solid product and hope more products like it come out soon.

Updated Review latest at the bottom....

First Review: This is a nice little light in almost every way for a small tank. Ours is 2.7 gallons and has a few friendly guppies in it and some live plants. The form factor is really good, having a switch on it is great, the goose-neck is solid and stays where you put it. But we've had this thing for a few months now and had it on about 14 hours/day and it is noticeably less bright and a lot bluer than it was when we got it. Originally the "daylight" looked very white and the "moonlight" was very blue -cool. Now the daylight is almost as blue as the moonlight, with the day light brighter but not nearly as bright as it used to be. All the LEDs are still on. Not quite sure how this happens, or why .... Other than that, this is a great little light, and maybe we got a bad one....

Update: So, after another few month of ever lower light output we tossed it in the trash. Being a glutton for punishment I bought another cheap Chinese LED light a "Hossen: New 2013" off Amazon. It's very bright! But it's only been on a few minutes.... we'll see how it does.

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Gonna keep this short and sweet.

The price is right. It cannot be your only light on a nano reef but it makes a killer secondary/dusk light. I am running a Hagen AquaClear Power Filter 50 (200) on a FT1202RD-D65: Finnex 4 Gallon Aquarium, 6500k w/ moonlight LED & Filter RED and I picked this up for supplemental light. The tank is shimmering and it is making 2 lbs of live rock look like a fantasy world. I do not have a camera good enough to dignify this beauty. I nearly wept. Will impress chicks also ;)

You can also just run the 3 blue LEDs and that looks great too. I just got it but will update if anything goes wrong. Seller got it here fast. Peace.

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It doesn't stay on a 5.5g glass tank's rim. I needed to use tape to hold the cord to the rear of the tank.

IT is dim as well on that size tank.

I bought the Finnex LCL-60 and it is miles brighter, fits perfectly and is able to grow some soft corals.

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This is very bright light but keep in mind that the light is focused so it won't light up the whole tank. You may need to raise it up a little to cover most of the bottom of the tank but it looks great!

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Como Multicolor Flower Ball Grass Plant Decor for Fish Tank Aquarium

For me I didnt not like this item. It is very very big and I was not expecting it this size.

COlor combination is not ideal red, green and then purple. Didnt like the red in there.

But products overall from this company is highly recommended.

K&H 8103 Fish Feedometer For Ponds With Safe Feeding Indicator

Product worked great for about 10 days then quit working. Checked battery and it was still good. Changed anyway and still doesn't work. Trashed it.

Delivery was great. Arrived quickly. Hard to determine the color of the flash from the house in the daytime. You can tell more by the fish actions.

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Lee's The Ultimate Super Pump

I needed a replacement T pump for my python water changer and this works> Just wanted to let everyone know.

I got this pump because a previous reviewer said it worked with the Python siphon. I needed to replace it. It looks exactly like it and the same size, but it's a different color (Python is green). This pump was a free shipping item and the Python pump was not, so I chose this one over the Python.

It hooks up to the faucet just like the Python, but make sure you keep the metal adaptor that came with your Python pump because the one that is on Lee's is plastic...booo. That can become weak and strip over time. Got everything hooked up just fine, but it was siphoning extremely slow. it took a while to get the water up the tube and to the sink and if I picked up the vac out of the water and then put it back in, the suction goes away completely. It won't suck up anymore unless I empty all of the water out of the entire line. Once it's all empty, I can slowly get my suction back. Oh, and if you hit the python switch to stop the flow for a second, the same thing happens. You have to empty all the water out of the line before you can start again. Very frustrating and takes a lot more time. It works but you'll be standing there for awhile. I have a 30g tank, so maybe people with smaller tanks have much more success. This is a great backup if you are in a bind, but I still suggest getting the Python pump for your Python vac.

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Just got this little venturi, put it on the wash sink in the basement, which has a faucet that is threaded for a hose. Then hooked a full length garden hose to the side port and stuck the other end in the sump well, in the other corner of the basement.

Turn on the faucet, you create enough suction to raise water a few vertical feet through all that hose, believe it or not!

A lot easier than bailing the sump, if the power goes out.

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Aquarium filters remove many harmful chemicals, but nitrates do accumulate over time, and the way to remove them is by periodic partial water changes, usually something like 20% per week. The old way was to siphon water out into a bucket, which was dumped down the sink, commode, or in the yard. The bucket was then refilled and poured back into the tank.

To change water in this manner was a little bit labor intensive on a small tank, and really time consuming on a larger tank.

I stumbled on my pump in a Thrift store, where I found it on a shelf for $1. In all honesty, I'm not 100% sure mine is Lee brand, as it wasn't in the original package, and there is no name on it. It may actually be a knock-off. Mine is made of blue plastic, and looks identical to the item pictured.

It operates by connecting it to a water supply, which can be either an outside hose spigot, or by using the adapter, a kitchen faucet.

Water flows through from top to bottom, past a venturi located where the side fitting is, creating a suction which will draw water out of the aquarium through a hose. I purchased 50 feet of clear vinyl hose from my local aquarium store, attached it to this device, and put a suction strainer on the other end to avoid sucking small fish into the hose.

In use, I drop the suction strainer into the tank, unroll the hose, and attach the pump to the water tap outside my front door. Opening the diverter (the blue collar) on the pump outlet, then turning on the water tap starts a siphon which removes as much water from my tank as I desire (water tap can be closed once siphon starts so long as the pump is lower than the tank, siphon will continue).

Closing the diverter on the pump outlet stops the siphon, and opening the water tap with the diverter closed refills the tank.

I can't imagine any way to make water changes any easier. I've been using this device for years now, and it still works great.

There are also attachments which allow you to vacuum the gravel with the water siphoning out of the tank, if you feel the need to perform this task (I never vacuum because I don't use an undergravel filter, because I use EcoComplete substrate, and because I have fish which eat any food which falls to the bottom, so for me, the need simply isn't there).

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I bought this as a backup to my sump pump, I hook it to a hose in my basement shower and stretch a hose to my sump pump well. I tested it and it took no time at all to pump the well dry. Hopefully I won't need to use it in this way, but I am confident it will work next time we have lots of rain and the power goes out. Very cheap compared to other sump pump backup methods

Took 1 star off because i would prefer it to be a little more heavily built.

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Marina Floating Thermometer with Suction Cup

It's cheap, it works, and it stays put. Not sure how much else you need to know. This is a thermometer for a fish tank, not a superconductor.

Every aquarium needs a thermometer, and in my opinion, this is the best one to have. You never have to replace batteries like the digital kind, it's more accurate and more attractive than the black stick-on kind, and it doesn't interfere with the lid like the metal hanging kind. My only complaints are that there is a fairly narrow viewing angle on the mercury (red line), and the clear suction cup that it comes with can turn white and lose its flexibility after a while. Otherwise though, it's a great little thermometer and I recommend it over any other.

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This is now the third thermometer I've had on my current fish tank. It's also the best one.

The readings on one of these thermometers is generally more accurate than that of the adhesive strip you can apply to the front of the tank. The suction cup is also good on this one--I had to get rid of another one because of that problem.

You'll need this no matter what kind of fish tank you have so you can adjust your heater.

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As a thermometer, it seems to work fine.

But if you're using it in a acrylic tank, DON'T USE THE SUCTION CUP! It left two permanent ring shaped marks on my tank, after about a month of use. I can't get them off by scrubbing or rubbing, or even scratching with my fingernails. (added a picture of the mark to the product images)

Be warned!

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I bought two of these for my betta tanks. Although I felt the readings were accurate, while changing the water in one of the tanks, the thermometer shattered and sent the liquid and all of the tiny black balls everywhere. It made a mess and has made me wary about using the second. Hopefully they'll make the glass a little stronger/thicker in the future.

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Mardel CopperSafe Fish Treatment (Freshwater/Saltwater), 16-Ounce

Mardel CopperSafe Fish Treatment, 16-Ounce

This stuff is great. I don't consider it a treatment as in only use when your fish is infected. I use this more as a preventive. Meaning I use this all of the time with my fish. Granted I usually keep Cichlid fish that are more hardy than most fish. I feed my fish lots of live food so keeping my fish free from parasites is a must. Coppersafe is pretty safe on fish that aren't sensitive or delicate. Yes if your water supply is heavy on copper you do need to watch out. The below user who rated this at 2 stars may live in an area where his local water supply is polluted with copper. I usually use 75% of the recommended dose as to keep from overdosing. Testing your water for copper is recommend wether or not your using Copper Safe. Bottom line is I've been doing this for years and my father before I used Copper Safe before my birth and this is some damed good stuff.

If used as directed, it does keep the nasties out of the fish tank. I have been using it for years, and it always helped. Read the instructions carefully before applying. It helps to estimate how much volume of the fish tank is taken up by gravel and ornaments, because if one does not consider that, it is easy to overdose. Adjust the quantity of CopperSafe, considering the volume that is NOT water.

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This product is effective but lacks a bunch of information. I used this product throughout a 2 week ich battle. This medicine is very effective, combined with salt, heat treatment and 25% water changes. The white spots on my tetras were disappearing every 2-3 days until the 2nd week it was all gone.

This product claims not to affect your biological filter or alter your water levels. When using this, my water levels never changed and my tank remained perfectly cycled. It only raised my pH a little bit. It is still a good idea to test and monitor your water during treatment.

Copper is a STRONG medication, be very careful not to overdose. Before starting your treatment it is best to get some paper and record the start of your treatment and how much you have been dosing your aquarium.

You will want to do a 25% water change before the treatment. Once accomplished, Use half the recommended dose of copper and monitor your fish for atleast an hour before adding more. If they start showing signs of stress, immediately do a water change but if they are acting normal use the full recommended dose. It is important to use the full dosage if possible to maximize the strength of the medication for killing ich parasites which will be a pain to get rid of the longer they stay alive.

Once you notice a couple white spots disappearing, it's very important to do a 25% water change to remove the ich in its free swimming stage. Don't forget to replace the copper medicine each water change.

To maximize effectiveness, you should turn up the heat slowly 1-2 degrees every hour until you reach a temperature of 85-88 degrees. If your fish are gasping for air the temp is too high. Add 1 Tablespoon of aquarium salt per 10 gallons of water will also help your fish relax and breath properly during treatment.

Warning: Do not use salt if your fish are sensitive it can cause shock and death if used in great amounts at once (Do research on your fish)

To those who read this, please let me know if my review was helpful at all. Thanks!

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I have been using copper safe for years because it's such a great value in my opinion. It lasts and works for 30 days, so you can add fish to the aquarium while the tank is being treated to ensure you are not bringing more problems into the tank. I also like it because it removes chlorine and the filters do not have to come out as long as the filters with carbon are older than 5 days. The larger size it the best value for me as I have many larger tanks and the special design in the bottle makes it easier to measure and keep track. Although it is blue in color, it does NOT change the color of the water in the tank. Copper safe gets rid of a lot of diseases for your fish especially the most common ICK or white spot disease. I hope this helps my fellow aquarium enthusiests, Enjoy! :)

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works great, lasts a long time and good price too. my fish had ick and i tried everything for a long time. Tried several different brands and once i came upon this it worked first time out.

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API Phosphate Test Kit

PLEASE DON'T BASH A PRODUCT BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T READ THE DESCRIPTION AND THE PRODUCT WAS NOT INTENDED FOR WHAT YOU ARE USING IT FOR!! The title is clear, "Aquarium Pharmaceuticals 63L Phosphate Test Kit FOR FRESH OR SALT WATER AQUARIUMS"

This is not meant to offend or make anyone look stupid but I just hate to see people bash a product just because it wasn't made for their application, which if you read the description for this kit, you can easily see that this product is made for aquariums, NOT POOLS! Also, for someone to think that this is used to remedy Phosphate problems...it says "test kit" and literally says no where in the description that it remedies anything. Even the name of the company is "AQUARIUM Pharmaceuticals"...keyword "Aquarium". Mistakes happen, but regardless of this product being listed in the wrong area, if people would just read the description before hitting "Add to Cart", then these issues wouldn't occur. And if you're still unsure, contact the manufacturer or do a simple Google search...

It's not the products fault that Amazon listed it in the wrong category. READ!!!

I have a few planted aquariums around my house, 2 low tech, and 1 high tech all decked out with everything you could imagine. I mix my own fertilizers for the high tech tank and dose for a specific amount on a daily basis. I ordered another companies phosphate test kit, while it was very accurate it was a little cumbersome to use compared to API's version. The API version of the kit comes with a glass tube much like their other kits which I prefer over the tray method I used in the other brand kit. The API kit appears to be just as accurate as the other brand in my comparisons and makes testing for phosphates a little less time consuming. The color chart that is included is a little difficult to read, the lower levels are very similar in color, but I have come to notice the subtle differences over time.

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This test kit gave me the same results as the pool store's test. Therefore, I would say it's excellent.

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This product claims it can be used for salt water aquariums but it cannot. The scale needs to start at much lower levels of phosphates to be beneficial for saltwater.

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I have been in the hobby for decades and find API a quality test kit. I really like the ease of use and the quick directions on the back of the color chart with a more detailed instructions included. Check out their other water test kits like the nitrate and nitrite, these with the pH are must have's.

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Marineland Penguin Power Filter Replacement Bio-Wheel

For the rare occasion that your Bio-Wheel gets damaged (they don't ever need replacing if they are in working condition), this replacement filter wheel is top-notch. I picked one up a few weeks ago because I downgraded to a smaller fish tank with a filter that required a Bio-Wheel that I didn't have anymore. The wheel works in the Penguin 99B filter, as well as the Marineland/Aqua-Tech Hex 5, and the Eclipse system 5 hex tank. Very versatile bio-wheel that fits most small tank filter assemblies. Also, the seller (OzBo) was great, and had super fast shipping.

The bio works great and they last a very long time or forever if you move just put the wheel in a glass of the tank water. i didnt know this when i moved and i just threw it away thinking i could find a new one at a pet store. i was so wrong i look at big and smal pet stores and none of them had it. the shipping will cost more then the product tho! but 8 bucks and with how ling it last it is worth it.

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The old one was lost when we moved. SO I needed a replacement. It arrived very quickly and in perfect condition. Thanks!!

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I love my bio wheel! These tanks are so cute and I love watching my fish and shrimp play. Helps keep health Bactria in tank seems to last forever.

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Couldn't find the bio wheel in any local stores. So looked on line and found the ones I ordered. Great price. Fast to ship. Ordered extra so as to have some on hand. Keep up the good work.

Aqueon AQE17102 Evolve Desk Top Aquariums Tank, 8-Gallon

Hello Everyone,

I purchased the Evolve 8 a few weeks ago because the design is much more aesthetically pleasing compared to most of the nano-tanks out there. I really like how the sump and filter pad is hidden behind the tank. However, I did notice that the sump is INCREDIBLY LOUD!!! However, I found a very easy fix for this that I wanted to share with everyone. If you are incredibly OCD like me and don't like the loud buzzing this tank makes, follow the instructions below to eliminate the pump sound.

Step 1

Go to Lowes and buy the pond pump filter below (I picked it up for under $12.00):

Smart Pond Water Garden Replacement FilterStep 2

Pull the sump out of your tank and remove the suction cups on the bottom

Step 3

Take the black foam piece out of the Garden Replacement filter and wrap it all around the sump. (You can use the blue piece instead, but the black one will let more water into the sump)

Step 4

Place the now foam covered sump back into its compartment in the Evolve tank. The sump may start making some noises at first, when it starts to prime itself, but after a few seconds the buzzing should go away and you'll be left with a dramatically more tolerable low level humming noise (about the same as you'd experience on a normal canister or cascade filter).

Step 5

Enjoy your beautiful AND QUIET Aqueon Evolve nano tank!!!!

I'm sure this technique will work on all of the Aqueon models. You can always trim off some of the black foam to get it to fit into the smaller compartments in the Aqueon Evolve 4 and 2. The Garden Replacement Filter is HUGE compared to the sump so don't worry if you make a mistake. You'll have a lot of material to work with. Hope this helps!

I've just set up my Aqueon Evolve 8 on my desk in my office, and I am thrilled with it so far. It is somewhat less than 8 gallons, but there is ample room for 6-7 small fish. I have read several complaints about the pump being noisy, but mine makes almost no sound at all just a low hum that is easily ignored in an office environment. I love that all the "ugly" parts, like the filter and pump, are hidden in the black compartment so it looks really nice on my desk. There was also ample room to add a heater so I can keep tropical fish. My only complaint is that the lid doesn't sit very securely on the top of the tank; it is easy to knock in if you are messing with it much, but that is only a minor problem. I definitely recommend the Aqueon Evolve 8 to anyone looking for a small and attractive aquarium.

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1. as many have stated, 8 gallons it is not, calculations put it at 5 usable. Inside tank dimensions are: W 11 3/8, D 8 3/4, H 11 5/8

2. as many have stated, but to the contrary, mine (the stock pump) is NOT loud, it is quite quiet. The bubbler is 10 times louder. The only thing I can think of is if people are positioning the pump touching a wall, then the vibrations may get amplified. Mine is in the center on the bottom.

3. * does not include heater or bubbler. BTW, the pump, heater, and bubbler fit in that sump area quite nicely (ie snug, but doable)

4. It's a good looking little unit. Once I'm moved into my new place I will be purchasing another for a small saltwater tank :)

**Edit: so after 6 months or so the pump did end up getting LOUD, real loud, tiny machine gun loud. Replaced it with Ehiem 300. The output diameter is bigger, but it was an easy fix, the stock hose size fits snug into the hose that comes off the new pump (hose bought at hardware store). I was worried about to much flow (currently housing a beta) so I drilled a small hole in the side of the hose to relieve some pressure, which just feeds back into the sump area. Still a great tank, working on creating space for another one.

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I just put it together and it seems like a nice aquarium kit. It includes the light, air pump, and filter. No heater is included, but the instructions advise buying the Aqueon miniheater which has suction cups and can be put in the back box, along with the submersible pump, which also has suction cups.

I'm unsure if the filter will be adequate, since it's just powered by the air pump flowing water through the filter cartridge. I'll add to this review if there's a problem.

The instructions for assembling the filter apparatus were inadequate, but it wasn't difficult to figure out.

The kit also included a small fish food sample and some water conditioner.

***

August 14, 2012. The light seems to have dimmed somewhat over time.

Also, I bought the recommended Aqueon miniheater, but I think it's better for a 10 gallon tank. It kept raising the temperature to 84 degrees F, which is a bit higher than the recommended temperature range for tropical freshwater fish.

Another problem is that the tank warped a bit after water was in it for a while. The lid no longer snap fits on it.

***

October 26. Part of the LED light went dark and part started flickering. Had to switch the light.

***

November 12. The company replaced the lamp for me at no cost, including shipping.

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I got this tank after researching a nice tank between 5 and 10 gallons for my betta. After a bit of poking around, I decided this would be the best choice.

This tank isn't cheap you could get a rectangular 10 gallon setup with heater, light, and filter for far less than you're going to pay for the Evolve 8. What you are paying for is the aesthetics of the tank itself.

The filter is integrated in the tank behind a black panel. There is also a lot of space in the back designed to fit a heater, and the light is an attractive shape and lights the tank very well. The result is an attractive display space with nothing but the display.

The LED light included is good enough to grow low and medium light plants, making it ideal for a planted tank. It can also support a miniature reef aquarium do an image search for this aquarium and you'll see all the possibilities.

The filter is fairly quiet. It was quieter when I first got it, but it's not too bad now. The current from the filter is adjustable, but is still very strong. I had to resort to creating a filter baffle because it was making the tank uncomfortable for my betta.

The size is also nice. 8 gallons is enough for one small school of fish, makes a comfortable home for a betta, or may even be a mini community tank for solitary species of fish.

All in all, I'm very, very happy with my purchase.

UPDATE: I have had this tank now for about 5 months and I'm still incredibly pleased. There was a clicking noise for a little while coming from the pump, but disassembling it and scrubbing it with a toothbrush quickly fixed the problem. I LOVE this tank! Very attractive, very sturdy, very nice.

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EcoSphere Closed Aquatic Ecosystem, Pod

EcoSphere Closed Aquatic Ecosystem, Small Pod

I received one of these as a gift about three years ago. I am a hard core believer in "research what you must care for" as once you take a living thing in and state "I shall care for it" you are responsible for a life. Or several, in this case. Rather quickly, I learned that these shrimp are "Halocaridina rubra" AKA "Opae Ula" AKA "Hawaiian Red Shrimp". They are found in small wild pools in the lava rock all over Hawaii. Rather disturbingly, their habitat has been reduced by roughly 90%! Yet people still continue to collect them from the wild. As of now, I have yet to hear a confirmation that the Ecosphere company is, in fact, captive breeding these creatures. If they are, in fact, wild catching these, even from a pool on their own property that they help to maintain, this may have a rather strenuous impact on what is left of the population of these shrimp, given the number of these spheres and "BYOES" they ship out annually.

The sad fact is that the only people truly giving a representation on the current quantity of these available in the wild are the people who are catching them in order to sell to the general public--and of course, it is in their best interest to state that they are plentiful in the wild, as their livelihood depends on it. Granted, this is pure extrapolation, but I think it is, at the very least, a point worthy of consideration before you purchase one of these kits.

These shrimp are slow breeders with small clutch sizes, and a rather high "infant mortality" so to speak. In short, they are a species which much be protected when possible, and encouraged to breed-be it in captivity or in the wild, in the hopes of creating a sustainable population that our children and our children's children will be able to enjoy.

Keep in mind when purchasing an ecosphere that, regardless of all other facts, the very limited environment dramatically discourages breeding and prevents perpetuation of a species that is currently undetermined in status.

(I am editing in this additional paragraph some time after the original review, in response to new knowledge and many reviews that latched on to this topic rather than my main point. I made NO changes to the original review. The site itself now says that they are 'raised at their facility.' When I contacted them, I was told that they are 'farmed' and 'raised in Arizona' and I had difficulty getting any more information. Certainly they wouldn't answer my other questions about their setup, which is understandable. If they are breeding, they likely have proprietary information. This may VERY WELL mean that they are captive bred. However, as I have worked in the aquatic pet industry for years.... farmed can mean several things. That they are brought in from the wild and raised in captivity, more often that they bring in wild populations and breed babies from them, replacing the breeding stock with wild stock regularly--less stressful to wild population, but still not ideal--or that that are in fact breeding and raising multiple generations on site. Regardless, the point of the review is what follows, not where they are sourced from. And for anyone who thinks all pet fish are captive bred, or that captive bred is cheaper--no. Google these shrimp. You can buy the wildcaught ones at about $1 a piece. You can buy captive bred ones at $5-$10 each. Which actually makes the BYOE sets you can find in some public aquarium gift shops a good source to buy stock shrimp for your own colony if they are captive bred. Just, please consider a better, bigger environment for them. Honestly, the worst impact on the wild population isn't the Ecosphere's, wildcaught or not. That would be Ocean Rider who harvests these from the wild to feed to seahorses to keep them red. Consider, if it was cheaper to breed them, why is Ocean Rider still offering wild caught ones for sale?.... But I digress. The main point of this review is to point out the potential suffering, not the sourcing, and, more than anything, give you the opportunity to make your own decision and give you enough information to start your own research from here. So please, read on.)

Now, skipping the biology and ecology lesson, and on to the ecosphere itself.... As I studied the limited literature and information available on these shrimp, I learned that although there is the odd ecosphere which reaches just that right balance of diatoms, algae, bacteria, shrimp, etc., the vast majority are nutrient starved, and the ecology inside of them, at the microscopic level, becomes damaged and even destroyed. Then you are left with a couple of shrimp that are incredibly hardy, attempting to live in water that is high in ammonia, nitrites, and/or nitrates, with little to no oxygen for breathing, and eating forms of algae that are in fact, not at all nutritious for them. Because these insignificant seeming little creatures have adapted to such an incredible fluctuation of natural habitat in the wild, they are able to withstand starvation for months and even years.

Look at it this way: The average Opae Ula shrimp life span is roughly ten years, with some living upward of 20. Ecosphere happily informs you in the informative brochure that if you take care of them well (ie: set them in the appropriate light and temperature) they will average a whole 2-3 years! So.....1/3rd of their expected lifespan......

Not so good, in all honesty.

The instructions then go on to explain that on occasion customers excitedly announce their shrimp going 8-20+ years. Which really, that's fantastic! But this is the exception, not the rule.

These shrimp are, slowly but surely, starving inside of these closed systems. If the correct bacteria and algae do not grow (and often they do not) then these poor little creatures will shrink a small bit each time they moult their exoskeleton. According to several sources I have read, they will, in fact, consume themselves at a very slow and painful rate.

Again, not to say that some spheres will not survive 20 years plus ND prove this wrong, but, sadly, the vast majority of spheres are going to slowly decline, taking the living denizens inside down with it.

All of this said, I received my little ecosphere, containing four opae ula shrimp, and I chose to believe that I would balance the lighting and the temperature perfectly, since I honestly couldn't figure out how to get the shrimp out. Fast forward two years, and my first shrimp dies. What a wake up call. I felt terrible. All the shrimp were on the small side when I received them, as I had been hoping for closer to the ten year mark from these fellas. I immediately got online once more and researched all that I could. This time I learned how to remove the plug, and so I did. The three remaining shrimp were decanted carefully into a 2.5 gallon cube aquarium that was carefully balanced to match the specific gravity of the water inside the sphere, with a small airstone and an LED light. I will state that when I tested the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate of the water inside of the previously sealed sphere, I was absolutely appalled. I have zebra danios that couldn't have lasted an hour in that water.

In any even, I started off with only the water from the ecosphere, and daily added about half an ounce of the newly mixed sea water, in an attempt to not shock these delicate little creatures. Now that everyone is happily adjusted, I can monitor the amount of food available, do roughly one 50% water change a year, and care for these fascinating little animals interactively, rather than passively. I can respond to their needs and keep a close eye on the quality of their water, and thus, their life. Low and behold, my three shrimp have become roughly ten shrimp in less than a year (exact counts are tough, as they now have many hiding places and I am never sure that some aren't tucked away and hiding! Far more natural and comforting to them than complete exposure as they are subjected to in the spheres!). In fact, I am almost certain that those little reddish jiggy looking things that I noticed in the tank yesterday are, (I hope), more larvae.

Please, I encourage potential owners of ecospheres to research these shrimp and learn what you can before you purchase. If you still choose to purchase them, fine! But please, do make an informed decision.

In all honesty, I have to seriously wonder about the honesty of any company that simply states that they are giving you "ocean shrimp" and does not provide you with a latin species name to look up information and a natural history on the organism. Particularly when it is a company that claims to be encouraging an awareness of ecology, who is selling a species that is so vulnerable in the wild as these little fellows. If they were truly a company encouraging the thoughtful preservation of our ecology, it seems to me as though they would be attempting to inform new owners of as many facts as possible about their new pets; not hide what they are to prevent you from purchasing them cheaper elsewhere. (or whatever reason they have for not telling you exactly what kind of shrimp they are).

I wish potential owners the best of luck with their fascinating new aquatic denizens, regardless of how you choose to get your hands on them and welcome them into your home, and I sincerely hope you give these thoughts some consideration.

Cheers, and happy shrimping!

This is a very interesting thing to have sitting on your desk--mine came with four small shrimp that I found actively swimming around in my unit the second I unpacked it. The idea that these things will live on their own in this sealed containment unit for YEARS is truly fascinating.

The merchant takes a lot of care in shipping this item; since there are live creatures swimming around in this thing, it has to be shipped via one-day shipping, which costs about $20. But trust me when I say that it is totally worth the extra cost.

Looks like the customer support for this is pretty extensive, though I have not had to contact them myself (doesn't look like I'll have to any time soon.)

I'm more than happy to contribute to the small list of reviewers that have all given it the full 5-stars. You will not regret it either if you give it a chance, I think. Especially if you're an Earth Science Major like I am.

Buy EcoSphere Closed Aquatic Ecosystem, Pod Now

The EcoSphere got here today. It was very well packed, little chance of it breaking in transit. I noticed that the shrimp were not moving when I got it, but after about an hour they were swimming around energetically. I realized the water was just cold from shipping, after warming up they were fine and happy. =) All in all, it's really cool and a good conversation piece. I'm pleased with the purchase.

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This item arrived within 3 days without special shipping, and over the weekend. It was packaged securely and the contents appeared to have traveled well.

When we opened the box-WOW-what a surprise. The pictures are amazing and accurate but do not do it justice at all. Quality, quality, quality. I purchased the small pod (oval) and it contained a good layer of white stones, shells, 3 pink and 1 grey shrimp. I recommend reading the booklet, it contains alot of information. It literally takes 2 minutes and gives a complete overview, especially regarding the lighting and cleaning. My family is very excited to have this and have been watching it all day. It requires no care for a ton of enjoyment.

This has been way beyond my expectations for an unusual and unexpected gift for our house. I will provide an update as time goes by but for now, feel extremely satisfied with this purchase.

UPDATED ON 9/15/2012 (4 WEEKS) The shrimp are still alive and moving around. The algae has maintained its same size and no build-up. Again, just read the booklet and there is no maintenance required for such an unusual gift. Everyone that visits our house from youth to adult is amazed and continues to watch it. Something that I noticed is that our pod has more gravel and a variety of shells more so than the pictures show.

I would highly recommend this purchase for anyone-quality product with tons of enjoyment and no maintenance.

UPDATED ON 2/22/2013 (6 MONTHS) All the shrimp are still alive and moving around. The algae has maintained its same size. About a week ago, I noticed a few smaller than pea size spots on the glass. I read the booklet regarding the spots and got the small booklet with the magnet. You just put the open exposed magnet GENTLY at the bottom to find and attach the inner magnet. I say GENTLY because you might not see it before it shoots up to your magnet and might injure a shrimp. I had about 5 spots and gently rubbed them out. It took maybe a minute. Again, just read the booklet for proper care then there is literally no maintenance required.

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I bought this for a family member who had been admiring them for years, but never wanted to spend the money on one. I was a bit concerned when I chose the free shipping which stated 3-5 days. When I placed the order on Wednesday, the confirmation estimated the delivery date to be the next Monday. The sphere needs sunlight to survive. Much to my pleasure and surprise, it arrived the next day via FedEx. It is smaller than anticipated (the ones Brookstone used to carry were twice as big), but it is lovely and there were three little shrimp happily swimming around in the sunlight. My son will love it! This is why so many people do business with Amazon.

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36013 Mini Aqualight T5 Light Fixture

I bought this light because it fit my proflex model 3 sump that I am using as a refugium perfectly. Unfortunately, the first light only lasted about a week. I exchanged it for a second one, which only lasted about 10 days. I would NOT recommend this product. Heed the advice of myself and other reviews. Look for another alternative, or take your chances. That being said, Amazon's WONDERFUL service resulted in a speedy replacement, and ultimately a speedy response and FULL refund on the second return.

This would be a great light, if the bulbs did not keep burning out. I've replaced the same bulb twice in the space of a few months and my tank is now dark because I can't continue to keep buying replacement bulbs for it and will need to look for a different solution. Waste of money.

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On my second fixture. The first died within a week was replaced via Amazon. The second died 10 days outside of Amazon's return window. Save your money and the headache. Look for another solution.

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this light is awesome! very bright good bang for your buck. for 7 days...

after only 7 days of owning this and leaving my light on for 12hrs a day (planted tank) my light shut off and stopped working today 03/30/2012. received on 03/23/2012

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I got this product i was so happy for my sump but after a week the light bulb doesn't work anymore. I leave this on for about 5-7 hours at midnight only.

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