Aquavista 500 Wall Mounted Aquarium with Seaweed Background

The instructions are pretty skimpy, but not much assembly is required since most accessories (heater, air pump, lamp, background) are built into the unit.

After securing the wall bracket and putting the bio rings on the filter sponge, the book says to fill it with water, then hang it on the wall bracket. I thought, why risk a crippling back injury? Hanging it BEFORE adding the water seemed more sensible, and using a bucket and step stool was easier for me.

It comes with a net, the gravel, a long-handled "grabber", a suction hose for water changes, a scrubber, 3 sponge filters and about 50 bio-rings for the filtering system. The air pump for the bubbler is a little loud, but you can turn it on or off with the electric control. The temperature, lights, and filtering are all controlled with the side panel, either automatically or manually. You always have to reset the clock should you need to turn the tank off, but your other settings are retained and the constant temperature readout is in nice big numbers.

The T-4 lighting tube didn't work from the getgo, so I attempted to unscrew the lamp cover and check the connections. The screws are tiny T-9 torx-head, but the fixture was DOA. Customer service did send me a new one, however.

The top flips up for access, and the unit has a 3/8" thick 6 ft. electrical cord. I wanted to hide it with cord cover, but it's a little big so I'll probably just paint it grey to match my wall.

There's not much floor space for decor and plants, but adding a few is good for the fish and adds depth and beauty to the background. On top, the small surface area of water-to-air restricts the amount of water oxygenation, so use the air pump a lot to compensate.

Being only about 4 inches wide limits the choice of occupants who can actually turn around in it. The booklet suggests several species that would be too large within a couple of months, so please disregard unless you plan on buying a larger aquarium soon. After cycling the tank through its deadly ammonia spike, I finally decided on 4 fancy guppies. They're a small but hardy and active species, and come in beautiful colors. It might also make a good Betta tank, since the filtering system is gentle, but they don't like rapid water movement or air bubblers.

Keep in mind that the small water volume is less forgiving and can quickly turn poisonous from fish waste, so plan on doing more frequent water changes and maintenance than the book suggests. I siphon out 1/3, or two gallons, every week and replace it with fresh, dechlorinated tap water of the same temperature.

For the price I wish I had bought a bigger tank, but there's a premium for convenience and "living art", and it does look pretty cool on my wall, I have to admit. As long as you're aware of its limitations, it should bring you lots of enjoyment.

This tank looks good for few months, but since the filter is so small eventually it can't handle keeping the tank clean. The site has no directions on maintaining tank, or replacement filters? Barely any room to clean the tank. Good concept but not good in the long run, tank looks terrible now (green) fish aren't too happy. HELP!?!?

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I have had my Aquavista for about two months. It is low maintenance and we really love it. If you check out their website and click on the "parts" tab a window comes up which says "check next week". It has said that since I bought the thing, they have tons of frames but for some reason no parts. My guess is they either don't have parts, which is scary, or their parts are so high priced they would rather not list them on the web site. I am going to be ready for a new filter soon and I am not quite sure what will happen with that. Another warning, once you mount it to the wall you will never get the thing off again without bending the bracket. The directions were skimpy at best and we really wish we had known this along with some other things we had to learn the hard way. Overall I think it is one of the better wall mount tanks on the market. Expect some aggravation with the skimpy directions and probably parts.

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First, I would like to say that if you are considering buying this product, you should read this. I was very mislead by the youtube videos, and all the product reviews on this product. I have had this product for over 6 months. Let me explain to you, my story.

1. Purchased Product, Received Product fairly quick. Missing Mint Cloth, Screws & Hardware, also the entire lightning balast system /including bulb.

No problem? Just exchange it right? Wrong. 2nd Product Received with the same accessories missing plus a plastic part on the aquiarum cover/lid was broke off. And instead of the aquarium saying Aquavista (under where the frame goes, it said "china" embedded in the plastic.)

Hmm.. I think to myself.. This can't happen a third time can it? Why, Yes it can! It came from china. Same missing accessories: Screws & Hardware, cloth, lightning ballast system + bulb. Wow, Right off the bat someone would rate this a 1 star.. Not me, I'm willing to give it a shot!

I call Amazon, they told me to contact Aquavista. Aquavista Customer Service Support was very nice, they sent me Lightning Ballast + bulb that i had to install / + free filters.

After setting up this aquarium, i had bought my own pebbles / Rocks. ( this will become a nightmare as small rocks will fall in the filteration area and become stuck). I followed the manual, waited to put fish in tank.

I have had a horrible time with this tank, I have to clean this tank at least once every week otherwise the tank becomes filthy and fish start dying. I have had horrible, horrible experiences with this tank. Here's one to mention. One morning, GloTetra Disappeared. Hmm.. Where he go? Called aquavista. They told me to check behind the aquarium background. (was really fun trying to take this off after setting aquarium up.) Long story short, in the bottom right side of tank, theres a small hole (between black filter cover and background in corner of tank) where little fishies can get through. SO, Mr. Fish was stuck behind the tank. Long story short, becasue i had to bend background alittle to get fish on other side, small rocks fell between the plastic and background to where the picture would not fit the way it should. Had to take the entire tank apart, fake aquarium plants, small ship, fish, rocks.. everything. This was truely a nightmare. This didn't happen once, but three times. Once with a albino frog (didn't have to take the tank apart because he was easier to get) and also a neon tetra who is decaying in the bottom of the tank under the black filter. Oh yes, this causes disease and all fish will die, Except my Pleco + Frog. I have bought a water testing kit before all of this happened, and the ammoneia levels were extremely high. (50-100% water changes + cleaning of all objects/rocks) per week. To top things off? If you accidently overfill the aquarium with water (there is a meter) water will drip on your floor. But one time dripped on the right side instead of the left side. This caused the LCD touchpad + Screen to short out. Aquavista customer server was extremely nice, and sent me another one for me to replace. I paid $ 140 160 for this product and felt that I extremely over paid for cheap china plastic and poor quality. Poor Filtration in a 5.5 Gal = Death to all fish (cept pleco+frog or other high immune system species)

I would not have gotten this product if I would have known all of this could happen. It's truely a beautiful tank when it is lit up and turned on. Then the beautiful moment is ruined by fish who sink to the bottom of your tank lifeless and dead. Go to your local pet store to buy an aquarium worth spending this much money on.

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If I could rate 0 stars, I would. This was possibly the worst purchase I have ever made. It is kind of a hassle to hang and I hang a lot of stuff on walls for a living, there is no room for the cord behind and the bracket is cheap. Once you get it up, it looks nice until the water overflows out the overfill drain even before it gets up to the max level mark, pouring water all over your couch or whatever is underneath. Small fish disappear, big fish swim out the overfill drain and are impossible to get out. Basically there is nothing good about it.

Fluval Shrimp Stratum

Pretty good stuff for shrimp tank. I use it on all my shrimps tanks. This stuff make keeping CRS, OEBT and, Cherry very easy. A bit light but settle well and don't cloud the water. It keep the PH low and gorw plant just fine.

Update:

09/29/11 Somehow the survival rate of the CRS and OEBT shrimplets are very low. Severial berries but only 3 babies survies so far. They are in 2 difference tank. Neocaridina (cherry veriaties) breeds like roaches. I changes out the products both tank with Akadama soils, and crushed bricks. Will update if it make any difference. But so it's not that impressive with Caridina.

Update:

10/11/11 The rest of my OEBT hatched fine in crush brick and serveral Crystal shrimplets are swimming around on Akadama. Conclusion: in my experience, I would only use this stuff for Neo. Don't waste your money if you are into a more expensive shrimps. This stuff is not good for survival rate.

From my experiance Stratum takes my pH down by .2 which no ammonia leaching. Keeps my shrimp and wallet happy!

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I've had very good luck with this substrate. I was a bit worried, because others have mentioned problems such as difficulty planting with it and breakdown over time. I've had good experiences on both fronts--I planted my 2nd tank with FSS with dwarf hairgrass, and I thought it would be a royal pain to slip in all the individual nodes. In the end it was a compete non-issue, and the hairgrass actually rooted more quickly and solidly than in Eco complete (which I have in another tank). The only item I had trouble planting was a heavy stem plant--for those, you'll want to weight or temporarily cover with a rock, etc. until they root.

Shrimp seem to thrive in tanks with FSS, although I have noticed a fairly severe pH buffering effect for the first few weeks, so be careful or you can have some die off. This seems to fade over time so if you need big buffering you will have to augment or look elsewhere. Once established, shrimp breed like rabbits (I have RCS and Blueberry Shrimp), and seem to enjoy themselves. I've had no real soil breakdown to speak of in about 8 months, but I will keep watch on it. No need to wash this beforehand, by the way; in fact, there are nice small granules n there you'll probably lose if you wash it. I had no problems with dirtying up the water at all, if you fill your tank intelligently, you won't have issues with clarity.

As a parting thought, I would like to mention the "look," I personally find this quite attractive for substrate; the dark color shows many types of shrimps, fish, and snails well, and it looks nice in photos. The only potential negative is it is ate dark--if you put very dark species against it, you won't get the same effect as a light species. In that case, you may want a lighter-colored substrate. Otherwise, thumbs up all around from me. Just watch that pH buffering effect for a bit, depending on your water type you may have some instability for a few weeks.

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I used this in a 2.5 gallon nano and it buffers the water nicely if you want a shrimp tank, I saw a nice drop in pH, kH, & gH, but this substrate is extremely light so I would not recommend it for use with fish and definitely not for bottom dwelling fish. I planted some low light, low growth plants along with a couple high light, high growth plants and everything is doing well, but I still wouldn't use this in a tank any larger than 5 gallons and never with fish.

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Lower layers turn into mush after a few months and is like having a layer of dirt on bottom of tank.Granuales are tiny and fragile and will break apart and get sucked into vac so its impossible to clean and if you stir it up it mucks the tank up real quick.

I also havent seen any benifits to the Shrimp. I have two ten gallons both with red cherries and the tank with regular cheap gravel seem to show better colors. So now I am stuck with a tank with dirt on the bottom that I cant clean and will have to replace.

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Exotic Environments Egyptian Vase Aquarium Ornament

I bought this vase today at my local major pet retail chain. I was looking to replace a bridge for my betta fish Khufu (the paint on four ends of the bridge was falling off). I didn't see any other bridges so I opted for this vase. I must say I like this vase better than a bridge and apparently so does Khufu. He pretty much took to the vase right away. Usually it takes a day or two for my bettas to figure out the purpose of the ornament I place into their tanks. I think it is really adorable seeing my boy Khufu swim in and out of his vase, and it is even cuter when I see his cute face sticking out of the top of the vase. I am glad I bought this vase for my betta fish. It has proven to a source of amusement for him. If there is one thing I have learned from my bettas, they love swimming in and out of things like vases. It alleviates their boredom in captivity.

My Betta fish instantly fell in love with this vase and spends a lot of time in it It's very dark inside, and sometimes I can't even see the fish while he's in it. I filed down some jagged edges with a nail file before placing it in the tank. No holes are too small for a betta fish.

Perfect size for any tank, and if you have a 10 gallon or larger, there will be a lot of room left for other decorations.

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this is an absolutely beautiful item, but i do wish that it were larger! the service was wonderful with this seller. thank you.

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I have an Egyptian themed tank and my cichlids LOVE this little broken vase. I, myself, didn't have to deal with sharpened edges like some of the other people have said. I have a bright Yellow cichlid who has decided that this is his house and whenever I come to feed him, he sticks his little head out of the hole and it looks SO cute. If you have large fish, then this isn't for you. but if you have smaller type fish, less than three to four inches, they will love it.

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I love this piece, it works really well with my daughter's Mediterranean tank theme. The fish love it...this was a great purchase! I would have liked this to be larger but it is still wonderful!

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API Root Tabs 10 Count

AVOID THIS PRODUCT!!

I purchased these tablets as I renewed the plantings in an existing aquarium. I was told (by the owner of a large and reputable aquatic store) that the plants needed fertilizer at the roots, because they are root feeders. Knowing what nitrogen and phosphorus are capable of, I inserted sparingly, deep in the gravel. Within a couple of weeks, the nitrate level in an established aquarium is through the roof, and my water looks like green jello. I now have the aquarium covered to limit algal growth, and have purchased a UV filter to try to kill the rest. I am currently doing three 30% water changes each week to reduce N + P, and after two more weeks, it's still pretty green.

The cost of the tablets is far more than the few dollars for the product. Right now I have over $100 invested in getting rid of the algal bloom, and haven't seen my fish in weeks, other than their outlines when I feed them (sparsely).

Up until I used these tablets, I used a liquid micronutrient additive, which never caused a problem. I would recommend trying a micronutrient tablet, if have plants requiring root zone feeding. I have used Seachem tablets, and they contain only trace N and P, and a number of other micronutrients required for healthy plant growth.

I have use these on my 20L for 8 months they are a great product. My planted tank is an official grow beasts.

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this item is okay but needs some improvement. I would suggest that you use another tab instead. I used this in a 55 gallon that's lightly planted. A good way to use this is to give each plant 3 tabs. Other than that it's not that bad but needs improvements.

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Instant Ocean Reef Crystal Sea Salt Marine Mix

This is the only salt mix I use anymore, and I no longer have to add any trace elements. Just keep up with your weekly water changes, and this mix will give your reef everything it needs.

I've used Instant Ocean Reef Crystals for a long time, and everyone in my 700 gallons of salt water has been happy for an equally long time. That includes fish, inverts, macro algae, polyps, etc. I'm not a fish, but I think this is the right product for a saltwater aquarist who want to save money without cutting corners on product quality.

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Dissolves better than Red Sea (I was using before) and has everything you need in it for a reef tank. No additions are needed if you perform regular water changes.

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Excellent product to use with my nano coral reef. A must buy if you have corals in your saltwater aquarium.

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Nothing much to say about salt. This is salt. Lots of it. The small crystal size means it dissolves pretty quickly. That also means it clumps together very quickly when humidity is high so make sure to keep in an air tight container once you open it. The salt inside is split into 4 sealed bags, which keeps it fresher if it takes you a while to use this much.

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Zoo Med Reef Sun 50and50 Fluorescent T8 Bulb 15 Watts, 18-Inch

A 50/50 bulb produces the pure white that I like in my fresh water aquarium. Not sunny or warm. This is sold by Amazon, returns are easy if you don't like it.

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Fish Food - Tropical (Flake), 8.5 Oz.

I like the fact that this food comes in the larger size hard disk shaped flakes... Imagine small cornflakes. This enables you to either feed whole flakes, or break and crumble into smaller peices according to fish size. I feed this product to fish that range in size from golf ball sized goldfish to feeder guppies. What stands out to me about Aquadine is that I've witnessed fish that don't usually eat flake consume this readily. e.g. Black Ghost Knife. I'm glad I found it at such a good price, pet shops just aren't what they use to be.

Bought this product for my feeder guppies. But guess what!? It's not FLAKE food. It more like pelletized food only its disc shaped. Well I noticed in another review this was noted previously. Thats what I get for not reading the reviews!

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BestDealUSA Automatic Fish Food Feeder Digital Timer Aquarium Tank Black New

I had this 5 weeks and it's having a hard time for the food to come out of the little hole. I took the volume reducer out to get a larger amount but no luck more than half the time no food comes out. I was going to return it but I went past the 30 days. you are supposed to connect air to the connector on the bottom I had not and now I am trying it that way will edit this review when I get results everything else on this feeder works OK connected the air tube from the air pump and now it works perfect =

Elite Silicone Airline Tubing for Aquarium, 10-Feet, Blue

I cut it mine so I could use it to power two air stones from my air pump. They fit the tubing pieces well.

We recently had to replace our old pump, but the tubing didn't work with the new one. We ordered this and it's great because you can tell it's durable and having so much of it means that if anything did happen to this we could cut another length without having to buy another tube. It works perfectly and it seals tight with the new pump and air stone, so the output into our tank is just amazing.

Highly recommended!

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I bought this to use with an airstone and it does it job well. The funky blue color is kind of an eye-sore, so I'm thinking of switching to black--but functionally, this stuff does the trick.

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Great for what it is supposed to be. Just an air tube. I purchased this to air-rate water for plants and the vinyl smell consumed the water. Be sure to throw away first batches of water or soak in vinegar before use.

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Tubing is thick wall, remains pliable and does not kink as easily as some other brands I've used over the years.

Aquarium Hood Back Strip

I bought this backstrip for my 20 gallon tank and it fits perfectly, very easy to install if you just snap it on instead of sliding it on. the package was in great condition, not at all bent and arrived a day early. i would definately reccomend.

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Fish Food, Saltwater Comm. Aquarium (Flake) - 8.5 Oz.

Shipped fast and extremely happy with the product!!! We moved to a location that does not have a fish store that carries this product, was so happy finding this online and with the price and speed of the shipping I gave a 5 STARS recommendation!!!!!

Ok this is FLAKE food for all those that dont know the difference. Flake is not the thickness but in fact the shape. The pellet type is cylinder shape for this company. The flake is in fact a very small disk shape.

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