
Buy Marina Cool Goldfish Kit Now
We bought this tank at Petsmart for about $23. Cheap. But it brought so much heartache to our family. I wish I had read all the reviews, maybe with modifications I could have saved my daughter's Black Molly. The 2 guppies that we first got were killed by the filter within 48 hours. Their beautiful tail got caught in by the filter. Molly (the black Molly) was smarter and quickly figured out that one should not get close to the front if the filter. But 12 days later she died of stress. I could not understand why as we kept water at perfect conditions, water changes every 2 days, a little salt, heater to keep temp constant, etc. I mean, I put a LOT of work in keeping that fish alive because I did not want to break my child's heart after the guppy fiasco. Well, after reading the review about the constant whirlpool, it ALL makes sense! This poor fish would hide inside this castle decor or hover right at the top of the water at the side of the filter, avoiding at all costs the larger front area of the tank. I thought she was skiddish. Now I see she was trying to survive the whirlpool. But I guess eventually she succumbed to exhaustion and stress. We found her dead this morning.We will try the sock, sponge & change position of the filter for the new Molly, Cole. We can't put anything bigger in her bedroom. But I extremely regret having gone for this kit. :(
Read Best Reviews of Marina Cool Goldfish Kit Here
My wife purchased this aquarium, and it didn't take long to see that it was a death trap if you intend to have anything but one one or two larger fish (smaller fish will struggle with the current created by the large filter).Some people here are shutting the filter off at night, but doing that will kill your fish unless you are doing very frequent water changes to make up for it. Defeats the purpose of the filter and your aquarium won't cycle right anyway.
I made some alterations to help make the aquarium a short term solution until we were ready to upgrade (we purchased a petco bookshelf aquarium which is far superior for not much more money).
First off, I would NOT recommend placing the filter in the center of the tank, as the manufacturer recommends. This pretty much makes the entire tank a whirlpool, which will kill smaller fish like neon tetras and guppies who are not full grown. Instead, place the filter over on the far side of the tank so your fish can get away from the suction current and rest. High stress environments usually mean a shorter life for your fish.
Moving the filter to the side of the tank will create a problem. You won't be able to close the lid properly. To solve this, I drilled a hole into the lid's side trim and widened the hole with a pair of needle nose pliers. You need to practice putting the filter into place first so you can estimate where to notch out the hole. This will allow the filter hang bracket to function normally while allowing you to shut the lid completely. Run the filter's power cord through the space just to the left or right of the hood hinges.
You can also place a clean toddler's sock over the bottom of the filter to help mitigate the suction power of the filter. It's not the best solution in the world, but far better than turning the filter off completely for any length of time.
Lastly, I purchased a lamp cord, a socket and a 4 watt light bulb at the hardware store for $7. The raised hood of the aquarium provides plenty of room to install a light and the lid has holes in it to run the wires through.
I hope this helps a few people until they are able to upgrade.
For those considering a better aquarium for just a few dollars more, I would highly recommend a Petco 6.6 gallon bookshelf aquarium. You can find those here on Amazon for $40. It's not much more money and will give your fish more than twice the space, fewer hassles and an environment that is far less stressful to your fish.I purchased this tank for my daughter for her fifth birthday. I am happy with the construction of it, as well as the child-accessible feed-opening in the lid. The size is just right for a little kid, and the colors and decorations are lovely. That being said, it IS a starter tank, and is probably not actually a very good choice for gold fish, as they grow so large. The tank does not come with a heater or a lighting system (which can be purchased separately), so the best choice of fish is a Betta. I understand that most people say that Bettas need a minimum of five-gallons of water, but that hasn't been my experience with any Betta I have ever owned, and our fish is presently quite happy swimming about his 2.65 Gallon bachelor pad. Overall, it's a decent product for the price.
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