Eclipse Aquarium Filtration and Lighting System

I recently purchased this hood and paired it with a 20 gal glass tank. This is my first tank and I've found it to be very easy and hassle free. The tank stays very clean and clear and the fish seem to be very healthy and happy. It may be a little pricey compared to a standard setup, but for me, the ease of use and convenience of having everything in one package is worth it. And the top access makes maintenance easy. I currently have 5 zebra danios, 6 cory cats and 3 oto cats in the tank and all seem to be doing very well. I would highly recommend this item for the beginner.

I would also highly recommed purchasing and studying several books on fishkeeping (I bought and read at least 4) before purchasing any system and definitely before purchasing any fish!

Good luck and happy fishkeeping!

Yes, I noticed the rattling problem with the pump. It seems that if the impeller isn't inserted just right then there is this really annoying grating noise that over time will drive you nuts. But the solution is simple, take it apart, make sure everything is clean and spinning freely and just start it up again (something you will need to do anyway from time to time for maintenance).

I find the filter setup to work well though, and the overall design to be quite good.

The lighting? Whether you like it or not depends on whether you want real plants or not. 36 watts for a 25 gallon tank, like mine, is not going to cut it. So you have to find a retrofit system. Sunpaq has some options, but you're going to have to be fairly handy with some tools.

I ended up just removing the stock lighting and then cutting out a slot from both the front and back lift up covers and sticking a Coralife 130w unit over the top of the whole thing. About 5 watts per gallon will "get-er-done".

My advise to the Marineland people is to have some different lighting options available for their all-in-one hoods. I think they'd sell more, or at least be able to sell some retrofits or upgrades once people figure out that the stock system has these limitations. As is, the retrofits are coming from other companies.

I bought the thing because the sales dude told me I could upgrade the lighting later. He either knowingly lied, or didn't explain that I would be looking at an exciting retrofit project. ;o)

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I purchased this tank 9 months ago and have been fairly happy with it. It looks nice. I love the rounded corners which look much better than the glued glass panes. The acrylic material is still holding up, but I am a lot more careful cleaning it than with glass. The only problem I've had with this unit is a rattling noise that seems to come from the hood. It can be quite for 10 minutes to a couple of days. Then it starts rattling. I adjust the hood and it goes away. Lately, in the last couple of weeks the pump has started with some serious rattling which I can't get rid of. It annoys me and I am sure the fish are even more annoyed. I cleaned the impeller and every surface of the pump, but without luck. So I think I have to go buy a new pump.

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This is my second Eclipse 3 [not 2 as sold above] for my 29-gallon tank. I love the convenience of it, etc. But the hood light has never properly worked -not on the first one, which I had for nearly three years, nor on the new one. Only one bulb illuminates -unless you take the darned thing apart and do quite a bit of maneuvering daily. Just thought I should share that with all.

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We recently replaced our under gravel filter system with an Eclipse 2 lid. It truly is a complete mechanical, chemical & biological system all in one. Upsides: Looks great, is well designed, keeps the water clean & clear, easy to maintain, the live plants are thriving and our fish are entertained with the current created with the filter outflow. We have not noticed any loud noise issues with the pump/filter. Downside: The dual lighting system and very little ventilation in the lid cause our tank temps to go over 80 degrees during the summer. We tried leaving the back lid open in the air-conditioned room and adding chilled water daily, but the temps still got over 80. We solved the problem by cutting a hole in the back lid and wiring in a small computer fan which we run on a timer when the lights are on. The temp is now consistently at 77 degrees. Despite the lack of air circulation, we are still very pleased with the Eclipse filtration lid.

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