New Life Spectrum Thera A Large Fish 150g

I have 3 fancy goldfish (2-4" excluding tail), and this food is a good size for their mouths. It is a cylindrical pellet with a 3mm diameter, and just a little shorter in height than its diameter. NLS Thera A comes in other sizes for other fish. It has a garlic smell when you open the jar, and the fish seem to smell the pellets as soon as they hit the water. They love it.

Basicaly what the title says. They say its a large pellet for large fish but id like to see their version of a large fish. Any un-eaten food will get lodged in the gravel and is only removable by gravel vacuum. Even a small ammount un-eaten will make the aquarium start to emit a sickly-pungent odor of garlic and fish water, absolutely depleting any carbon or chemi-pure in your system unless taken care of the same day you notice the smell starting to form. This happened only after 4 days with a very small ammount of food fed per day. My oscar absolutely stopped touching it and spits it out. The only reason why i give this product a 2-star rating is because my red-devil tank loves it. but keep in mind that tank has no gravel for the food to get caught in.

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Coralife Biocube, Size 29

I'm an experienced hobbyist whom used to have a 120 gallon reef tank, but had to purchase a small 29gallon due to moving into a downtown condo. This is a great all-in-one compact saltwater aquarium. I have friends whom have JBJ 28-gallon Nanocube which is a good product, but lacks rear compartment cover which leads to increased water evaporation of rear chamber and no refugium. The Biocube is well-designed with 3 rear chambers. Chamber one can hold a heater and filter bag of phoslock, second middle chamber (largest) is a terrific refugium which has visible glass rear wall perfect for attaching JBJ Nano-refugium LED light from exterior using suction cups. I recommend JBJ LED refugium light for $60. I bought 26lbs live rock and decided to keep only 18lbs in main display. I put the rest of LR in middle chamber. I am growing cheato and copepods in the middle refugium chamber. The third left chamber holds water pump. I see no issues with pump which came with Biocube, but also purchased Cobalt Aquatics MJ1200 $34 which is former design of Maxijet 1200 made in Italy as a backup. The Biocube's filter system is quiet and cooling fans do not make much noise. Note that Oceanic makes Biocube protein skimmer AND small UV sterilizer (check Ebay too). I bought a Biocube UV sterilizer which attaches to existing water pump. I change 5 gallons of water weekly and decided against skimmer for space reasons.

The Biocube's lighting system can run hot despite cooling fans. The aquarium was pushing 79 degrees in late March which worried me. It is very difficult to install additional cooling fans into the hood. Thankfully, there are several great companies making retro kit LED light systems for nano reefers. I bought a soldered 95% fully assembled retro LED kit specifically for the Biocube from StevesLeds.com for $294. Since is fully assembled, you simply remove the hood and existing light & cooling systems to screw in the new LED kit. You are removing entire guts of interior hood. Takes less than 1 hr and a Phillips screwdriver. LED kit is equipped with pressurized cooling fan which is used in Sony WEGA TV's. LED kit is dimmable and has 2 controls. RapidLed also makes a similar $245 dimmable kit for the Biocube. The main difference is that Steve's model includes cooling fan. RapidLED does not include fan (you would keep existing cooling fans) and one must purchase a reef controller to dim lights and purchase two separate dimmer controls. Both make great LED lighting retro kit systems so is tough decision. After making my LED lighting system upgrade, I'm very satisfied with my aquarium.

I purchased the Biocube for my husband for his birthday. He had been wanting to start an aquarium, and this was the best aquarium to get started. It was so simple to set up and it's thriving with aquatic life after just a few weeks. We've spoken with a local aquarium expert/salt water fish guru, and he even said that we had made a good choice in getting this aquarium. We are loving it and would recommend it for anyone starting out!

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I purchased this through petsolutions and set it up instantly as an upgrade from the original biocube upon arrival. It's been running now for a week and I love it! My fish are happy as well as the corals I had. The colors in my fish, corals and inverts show better with the lighting on the system. It runs very quietly and is so easy set up, take care of and get to the cambers when needed for your mods or add ons. I found the add ons like my sterilizer and skimmer to be more complicated to set up in the tank then the tank was. I get many compliments on my system and am even considering buying another if I find space to set it up for seahorses or something! I'd recommend if you have looked at this system to stop looking and purchase. Petsolutions through amazon is the cheapest I had seen it online and shipping is included!!

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I tried starting up a saltwater aquarium using my freshwater tank, hang-on filter, etc... While it worked fine for a FOWLR tank, I was unsuccessful when adding corals. After wasting a ton of money and time, I caved and bought this coralife tank. What a life saver! I did a few minor mods like cutting out the tab separating the intake from the second chamber to allow greater flow. Got rid of all those bio balls and added a carbon bag, nodes I already had, purigen, and a protein skimmer. Life is good now. This is worth the money, just do your research on biocube modifications to make this worth the price.

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While the biocube has always been a well-made product, it is not well suited to freshwater environments as the advertising says. My mother had the oceanic 8gal for a lone kribensis and loved the smooth look. I have made more freshwater-friendly alterations to mine (including a new pump with half the gph and a ball valve, different lights, different filter media, etc. etc.) which make it much more suited to freshwater, but it does cost quite a chunk of change. I am very pleased with the final product, it is likely I would not choose to do it again -especially with a product that advertises as being freshwater-compatible.

For anyone who owns this product already and doesn't want to put in the effort of modding the hood and light fixtures, Coralife DOES make a 16" 36w 6700k compact light. There is hope!

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Super Naturals Type: Moonlight Sand

Sand looks great. Be sure to rinse and follow the bag instructions. Tank was a little cloudy for a day but settled and is crystal clear again.

I have this product (the white sand version) in 2 of my aquariums. IMO, it's pretty good straight forward stuff. Sand, in general, is a little tricky to maintain over gravel. But if you have the time and patience, the end product will make your tank look very attractive.

Just note, make sure to rinse the sand before adding it in to your aquarium. Instructions are on the package! Also, after a day or two, it will still look a little cloudy. I did a 50% water change and my tank cleared up by the next day.

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I really love this sand for my betta tanks. I rinsed it in a bucket before adding and the water didn't get cloudy at all. It is very fine and can get sucked up while vacuuming the tank, but only a very minimal amount that is unnoticeable. It is very lightly colored, almost white but not quite. My assassin snails love to burrow in it too.

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Do not order this from petco through amazon. They will take 2 or 3 weeks to ship if they even do...... They will get no more of my business

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Nature Aquarium Polished Glass Gravel - Turquoise Glass Gravel 8 oz. Small

This product was not what I expected. I was disappointed and I didn't like paying $4.00 in shipping for a hand full of tiny little rocks. I will find a use for them rather than send them back and waste more money. I'll probably use them to top off a pot of succulents.

Bought this for my childrens fish tank. It is a very nice look but just seems to be very expensive for what I'm using it for.

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I purchased a bag to display a gorgeous large silvery air plant. It does look dramatic alas, the contents of the bag hardly cover the bottom of the glass bowl. Not enough bang for the buck, in my opinion.

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biOrb Scratch Remover Polish Accessory Pack

I got a magnetic cleaner and it scratched the bajeebus out of my tank. One packet was more then enough to remove all of the scratches. I didn't think it would be possible to get them out. While I don't think it would do much good for deep gouges, it did an excellent job of removing small surface ones.

Scratches were removed fairly well, but there wasn't enough of it to cover all the scratches I acquired while moving my biOrb cross country. Could've used two -or even three -times as much!

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I really like these pads for cleaning the inside of my aquarium. They last a long time and get the inside of my biOrb aquarium clean without scratching it.

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Barely a teaspoon of paste and a pad that you get with the filter cartridge. And it doesn't even work on noticeable scratches. I don't mean deep scratches, but it doesn't work on anything other than haze. I didn't buy it to get rid of haze.

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I think they should be clear in the description of this scratch removal kit that it will remove SMALL, FINE scratches. It will make a slight improvement to larger scratches created by the ceramic media so I recommend being very careful if you have to remove any of the cermaic media and not getting scratches in the first place!

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Fluval 88g-CO2 Bubble Counter - 3.1 Ounces

I have been keeping planted tanks for a long time. I recently set up a DIY CO2 generator for my tank and had used Fluval's diffuser in the past in a similar setup. I ordered another for my latest planted tank and the bubble counter for ease of use.

You do not need to have commercial tanks of CO2, a fancy regulator, or an expensive setup in order to have lush CO2-assisted growth. I use an old Gatorade bottle, some black airline tubing, Fluval's diffuser, and this bubble counter. I wasn't going to get a bubble counter but it was so cheap on Amazon that I went ahead and ordered it, and I am glad that I did! It provides another piece of equipment that prevents the tank from leaking back out the tubing onto the floor and allows you to see if your generator is still producing gas.

For a DIY CO2 generator:

1. Gatorade or other thick plastic bottle. Many people recommend 2-Liters. I think these are too big.

2. Fleischmann's Active Yeast, or some other baker's yeast. Not the Fast Rise kind

3. Airline tubing. CO2 tubing is really expensive and since you are generating your own CO2 for pennies, don't worry too much about gas escaping.

4. Check valve. Very important.

5. Plastic inline connectors for tubing

6. Bubble Counter

7. Diffuser

8. Silicone (if needed)

Drill hole in lid of plastic bottle. Affix plastic inline connector INSIDE the bottle with one side pointing down into the bottle and the other pointing up out of the lid. (if necessary, you can use silicone to get an airtight seal) Attach a small length of airline tubing inside the bottle. This length should be short enough that it will not dip into the Yeast and sugar mixture in the bottle. Affix another piece of airline tubing to the connector poking out of the lid. This goes to the bubble counter. Place the check valve between the counter and the diffuser.

The bubble counter will allow you to count Bubbles Per Second for your tank. (Various plants require different levels of CO2 in the water and are almost always measured in this BPS count.) It should have about an inch of water in it and be attached to the exterior of the tank. As gas is pushed into the counter, you will see a bubble form from the stem inside. It will pop and the gas will float to the airspace above the water level, and after enough pressure is built up, will begin pushing gas into the tank via the diffuser.

For this bubble counter, make sure that the intake and output valves are screwed as tightly as possible. I found a gas leak on the intake because I didn't have the tubing pushed down far enough on the stem.

The diffuser should go in the tank in a location that will provide for the maximum transfer of CO2 gas with the water. In my tank, I have attached it directly underneath the intake for my Fluval 305 filter. The CO2 goes into the filter, slowing through the media for a longer time of gas exchange, then hits the impeller as it is pushed back into the tank. You do not want to put the diffuser near the surface or around an airstone. In fact, you don't want to use an airstone for oxygen in the tank during your photoperiod. Oxygen bubblers cause CO2 to not be in the tank long enough to have a good gas exchange. (I use an air pump at night to make sure that oxygen levels to not drop dangerously while the lights are off and photosynthesis has stopped for the day. I turn off the pump about an hour before the lights to come on to allow CO2 to build back up in the tank and be readily available to the plants when the lights come back on) If you do not wish to have your CO2 go through your filter, put it in an area as close to the bottom of the tank as possible, with as little water movement as possible. You can hide the diffuser anywhere if you are using a bubble counter because you will still be able to tell if the generator is producing gas by looking at the bubble counter.

In the bottle, mix warm water with sugar, swirl it around until the sugar dissolves, then add the baker's yeast. The amount of sugar and yeast that you use will determine how long the generator stays charged. I have had bottles last two weeks, and I have had bottles last two days. Basically, you want there to be enough sugar to feed the yeast as it reproduces. More sugar means longer CO2 production. Keep in mind that a whole packet of yeast will be waaaaaaaaaaaay too much and may cause your bottle to burst.

After putting the lid with its attached line back on the bottle, walk away. It takes time for the yeast to produce enough gas to provide sufficient pressure. You will be tempted to open it. Don't. If after three hours there are still no bubbles coming through the diffuser, one of four things has happened:

1. You have a leak in your system (fruit flies and/or the smell of rising bread will tell you this)

2. You did not use enough yeast, your yeast was not active, or your water was too cold

3. You are impatient and still need to wait

4. You have water in your system and you will have to wait for internal pressure inside your bottle to overcome the water pressure from your tank (this is why I recommend the check valve)

I love this thing. For the life of me, I just could not get my DIY bubble counter to completely seal. No matter what I did, it will spring a tiny little leak somewhere, thus preventing the necessary build-up of pressure. For the 5 bucks you'll spend on one this product, it's a no-brainer. It is way more attractive then an old jelly jar, bottle, or whatever you would plan to use as a bubble counter, it can adhere to the side of your tank with a clip or a suction-cup (both provided), and the aggravation you'll save yourself by not having to drill holes in a jar and seal it off with tons of silicon would alone make this product worth the money. It's small and can easily be tucked out of the way.

My setup:

DIY Co2

-2x 1 liter bottles

-Fluval Bubble Counter

-Feeding into a powerhead for diffusion

-1 teaspoon yeast, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups water mixture in each bottle

-About 2 bps

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The round shape of this bubble counter magnifies the bubbles a bit to make them easier to see. Both a clip and suction cup are included for mounting, but neither work well. The clip is too small the fit on anything but a rimless tank and the suction cup will not stay stuck. On the plus side, the clamping hose barbs fit nice and snug.

Overall this is a decent item for the price.

**Update**

The barbed fitting on the output had cracked causing my tank to empty itself over the weekend. I loosened the fitting to remove the hose and the barb snapped off completely. Changed my rating to one star and will be buying something else.

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Build quality is excellent, it comes with a suction cup to attach it to the aquarium. No leaks and it does what it supposed to do.

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This bubble counter works well for a CO2 freshwater planted aquarium. Connecting it up is a simple matter, but mounting it takes a little ingenuity. Be sure not to connect it too close to your valve from the CO2 source, as should the water back-up too far your solenoid might get water inside, which could render it useless. Check valve(s) strategically placed will prevent this type of damage. It is made out of plastic. It's great for any size tank with a CO2 system, pressurized or not.

Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Filstar Progressive Micro-Filtration Pad

These filters arrived and packaged as well as can expected for filters. These are the best filters I have ever used for my Aquarium. Pricing is very competive. This is the second time I have purchased them and I will again. Thank You for a good product.

Catches a lot of fish tank debris. I can usually rinse it out and use it through two filter cleanings.

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Squeaky Freakies Rubber Dog Toy

My dog is a very heavy chewer. He has only pushed the squeaker up inside this toy so far...he's had the toy for 3 days now. This might be a new record for him to not entirely destroy it!! Very good toy for powerful chewers.

My greyhound (RIP) loved squeaky toys, and for her it was all about removing the squeaker, but this toy held up to her gnawing. There is very thick rubber around the squeaker on the bottom of the toy. She was never able to get it out. My new pitbull girl inherited the toy and she has carried it around, chewed on it, but it still squeaks! And there aren't chunks missing from it. I had purchased KONG Goodie Bone Dog Toy, Medium, Red, and it holds up, but but not really a fun chew toy, it is good for sticking treats in. This bone Nylabone Dura-Chew Double Action Combo Bone Chew Toy, Souper was a waste, she chewed all the green rubber off in an hour and doesn't touch it now. Finally this toy Kong Genius Leo Treat Dispensing Dog Toy was good for a few sessions, the neck was chewed off, and the little flaps holding the treats in were delicately chewed off.

This freaky squeaky is a funny looking toy, good to throw and have your dog chase. And it is a good price. I would buy it again, but so far I don't have to.

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Our little Boston Terrier is a terror with toys, shreds them immediately. He absolutely loves this toy and hasn't been able to make a dent in it yet.

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My dog loves squeaky toys but he tears them apart way too fast. This is a tough toy & he really likes it. Large is really too big for a 55 lb hound though as he can't make it squeak. Probably a med would do better.

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The toy was a big hit with our boston terrier and lab, german Shepard mix. The toy was a bit smaller than what I expected, I will choose a bigger size next time! The squeaker lasted about a week, but in our house, that is a long time. Even with the squeaker not working, the dogs still love to chew on this toy!

Vibran-Sea Narrow Eel Grass Silk-Style Aquarium Plant, Extra-Large 18-19 tall, Plum

Not sturdy enough, it just lies down in the water. Pretty color though. Just wish it would float in the water like it looks in the picture.

After having it in my tank for over a half year, it still looks terrific. Looks like it will do well. It's much more attractive than my previous aquarium "plants" that were all plastic.

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I have a very tall tank and measured about 18 inches to the top. Figured long skinny plant would be able to reach the top (since other reviews made it clear that the bulkier plants sink). Well, this one sinks too it's about half as tall as it was when dried. Still, the color is incredible and they look great, so I'm keeping them.

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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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Aquarium Systems Maxi Jet 600 Powerhead

• Perfect for freshwater or marine.

I've been using maxi-jet pumps for years in various applications, and this one acted like pretty much every other one I've used: It usually starts on its own when plugged in, but sometimes the volute needs to be turned slightly to get the impeller to start turning. When it's running it's cool and quiet, unless there's too much restriction on the output, which causes the impeller to chatter.

In short, it acts like a maxi-jet!

This review might sound negative, but it really isn't. This is my go-to pump when I need a small, cheap, reasonably reliable pump to move water from one place to another. They mix saltwater, transfer it from the mixing barrel to the tanks, feed media reactors, etc.

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bought for use with my underground filter,nice power without knocking fish around. very quiet running. a very reasonable price too.

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These powerheads have been around forever, and for good reason. They are reliable and quiet. I use them to power undergravel filters.

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These are my fall back pumps, as I've used them for over 20 years with marine (saltwater) aquariums. I've used them in sumps, corals, plants, fish (always with a strainer attached) and with maintenance, they have lasted on average 2 years each. Will continue to buy them.

One of my marine enthusiasts also had me try Rio pumps (when they came out years ago). They had sufficient output for sumps, but they also had electrical issues. Not a good thing in saltwater, since it is a good conductor of electricity, let alone for my corals and more delicate shrimp and fish :(

I removed all Rios and went back to these pumps. The sump pump I have is a larger different model, but love the Maxi Jets.

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This is a powerful pump. I also have the 1200. The 600 has PLENTY of power. I use the 600 on the inside aquarium and the 1200 to power the outdoor pond/water feature. It is quiet.

Hagen Fluval Impeller Cover for Impellers with Straight Fan Blades

I bought a used aquarium with a Fluval 204. The seller failed to mention that the Fluval didn't have an impeller cover so I needed a replacement. This worked perfect as I would expect it to since it's made by Fluval.

Marina Betta Kit LED Light

This light is billed as fully submersible, so I put it on the gravel of my betta tank, shining upwards to illuminate an ornament in the tank. After only 90 DAYS, the light has quit.

I thought LEDs were supposed to last "forever!" Obviously, this one is an exception to that rule.

I'm glad it was cheap, so I didn't lose much money. I'll look elsewhere for a replacement.

I bought this light as an experiment because I had to know how well it would light up the Marina Betta Kit. I was hoping that it would illuminate the entire bowl effectively lighting up my betta so that I could see his colors better. It did not accomplish that task in the slightest.

The placement and design of the LED only allows light to shine down and backwards effectively lighting up only the back 1/4 of the bowl. The only time the fish gets any light is when it is directly under it. Furthermore the light seems to create a reflection off the back wall which agitates my betta as it is constantly trying to fight his own reflection.

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I've owned both the Marina Zen cube and now the Half-moon betta "kit" aquariums. I would suggest the half-moon is a lot better, since bigger and there is a lot more room for the fish to swim. Unlike the cube one, which is just way to small (they're very pretty, but my betta could barely swim in that thing! very unhealthy).

This light really ads up a lot to the beauty of the aquarium and the fish. I've put transparent blue glass rocks at the bottom, and the light would reflect on it making beautiful blue reflections. It's very pretty. It made my aquarium look like a piece of art, and my fish seems to like it.

I LOVE it!!

I only wish there was a switch button. There is none. You have to unplug it to turn it off. But I might have a work around, since I'm considering getting a timer to automatically have the light turned on and off at the right time of the day.

On a side note, this lamp will not light up nearly as well if you have the cube version of the aquarium, because of it's design (the light only lighten up the back of the aquarium). I really recommend getting the half-moon version of the aquarium for the same price, not only is it bigger (and better for the fish, plus you get enough room to have some live plants in that thing -very pretty, and the betta will love it), but the light will look a lot nicer.

However, I do think this item is way overpriced for what it is. And at the local pet store, it was even more expensive! I find this quite ridiculous when I think of it, after all it's really just a cheap LED light (probably worth like 50 cents) and a small transfomer (probably made in china for a dollar). But it makes the aquarium look so much nicer.

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Works great for my Marina Betta Tank, and my fishy loves having the light, he likes swimming under it and looking directly into it, like a goober. I do recommend this if you are going to use the Marina Betta Tank. It pops in right where the tank has the holder for it, and it does add nice ambiance.

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The light snaps perfectly into place, although it is very tough to get out for cleaning. It provides a perfect balance of light for both the fish and ambiance.

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Vibran-Sea Narrow Eel Grass Silk-Style Aquarium Plant, Medium 9-10 tall, Deep Plum

Looks nice in aquarium. weighted base is heavy enough. They sway nicely in the current and clean up easily. buying more. >>>> UPDATED >>>> After a month or so in the tank the edges of all the plants frayed, the frayed strings came loose and wrapped themselves around the impeller of my penguin filter. All garbage now.

I saw pictures of this eel grass posted by another reviewer and I instantly just fell in love!

I order it in purple and in all green color as well and combined they look phenomenal in my tank hands down almost as though they are real.

The purple is a very nice and exotic violet almost and the green on it is light so it looks as though it is a salt water plant.

I am very pleased with the quality as well although I would have liked to see the base a little heavier so that it can hold it self better under the gravel instead of having to place rocks or a lot of gravel on it so it can stay down.

The different shades also do not limit you to what other plants you can put in the tank because it almost has all the shades in it so blending is a breeze again.

I definitely recommend it and would buy it again.

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Gorgeous color and looked great in a 3 gallon tank but it frayed badly within 2 months. I had to throw it out. Disappointing purchase. I would not recommend.

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Plant came as promised but did not look like the photo. Very disappointed. This was a total different color and had flowers on it. Would be great for a vase but not for aquarium.

Would not recommend.

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These aquarium plant are very life like and an excellent addition to any aquarium in place of real plants. Only down side is they tend to wear out fast over a short period of time and discolor easier than plastic plants.

Tetra Pond Skimmer

Not quite sure what all the fuss was all about on the stickers and labels from the other reviewer. Sure there are informative and descriptive stickers all over this skimmer but they came right off with a little patience. I didn't rip them off. I took my time and they came off cleanly and in one piece. There was a very little adhesive residue left over but a paper towel with some lighter fluid made quick work of it.

I teamed this skimmer up with a Tetra 1900 gph submersable pump. I have the skimmer set on top of an upside down bucket that I cut big holes in to make it a "cave" for the fish to swim through and hide in.

The only "problem" I've had in the month it's been installed is that a few of my very young shubunkins have been sucked into it. These little guys were born last October, just before I shut the pump down for the winter. I knew they wouldn't survive the winter cold so I put them in an aquarium over the winter months. We've had a very warm spring and I started the pond pump up mid March when I noticed my water was over 65 degrees. I decided to take the 12 new fish and put them in the pond and give them more room (than the aquarium). I check each morning to see if there are any of the little buggers in there and normally there are one or two. I was trying to figure a way to lessen the chance of them getting sucked in. I thought of splitting the intake for my pump to include maybe a separate underwater prefilter to take some of the suction away but then yesterday morning I noticed when I push down on the weir (from the inside when the top is tipped up) that the water "flow" into the skimmer seemed to be less intense. Actually slowing the turbulance down enough that it seemed a little fish could work his own way out. I ended up putting a small rock onto the wier to weigh it down. That seems to be doing the trick. Time will tell...I will still check each morning and write an update.

Anyway, for the money, this skimmer does a great job keeping the water surface much cleaner than it was without the skimmer. I used to have to overflow the pond when I would see any kind of clutter or debris on the surface I didn't like. This has been a great upgrade to my pond. It whisks away leaves, flower pedals, and any uneaten food to keep it from decaying and clouding the water. I've actually been opening it up later in the day and scooping out any food still floating in there and putting it back for a snack for my little buddies. If you want a skimmer to help keep your pond cleaner and clearer, don't hesitate buying this one. It's a real bargain. I hope I've helped balance the bad reviews on this thing. The stickers just need a little patience and this thing is plenty sturdy to do the job it's intended to do and do it well.

I've wanted a skimmer for a long time and this one is just 1/2 the price of the next cheapest one so I decided to give it a go.

The worst thing about Tetra products is that their website has minimal documentation compared to other brands such as Laguna which even has pdf's of the instruction manuals. So to find out if a Tetra product works for you, you'll have to search forums or consumer reviews for information.

The kit comes with 3 ft of 1.25" hose, coarse filter, internal filter basket and a 1.25" hose fitting that you can fit on either side of it. There are 3 large stickers on the skimmer, but you can peel them off pretty easily. You'll also need to buy a couple of hose clamps to make sure the hose attaches securely to the tube fittings, they could have been included in the kit, but it's not a big deal to buy them.

The outlet for this skimmer is 1.25" so you should find a pump that has a 1.25" inlet. I've attached it to a 2 filter arrangement that only accepts a 1" tube so I had to get a step down attachment that goes from 1.25" to 1" at the hardware store.

Placement: Placement is very important for this to work. You must place this skimmer so that it is horizontally level and the water level is about an inch from the top of the skimmer inlet (the inlet is 3 inches high so you've got a little room to play with). The skimmer floats and capsizes if there is not enough water in it (level of water too low) and sinks (if the water level is too high), so you have to secure it on some kind of level platform near the edge (to empty the basket and clean the filter). If your pond is very deep all around or if you don't have some kind of platform near the edge then you're out of luck, this skimmer will not float at the right height or stay put by itself. There are 4 small niches on the edges where you are supposed to put stones in to prevent the skimmer from floating off but the spaces are just too small to put enough stones in to do that.

I don't know how Tetra expects you to hold the skimmer in place as there are no flanges or attachment points built in. I have it temporarily secured right now with two rocks holding it down, but I plan to either drill a couple of holes in it to tie it down or wedge it securely in a rock setting. But once it is in place it works great. I can see the surface debris and detritus floating into the skimmer right away. For this price, this skimmer is a great deal, in fact I couldn't find anything close to this price. You just need to work at it a little bit to fit it into you pond. Highly recommended for those who don't mind doing a little extra work.

Update: I had to go to the hardware store to find step up and down adapters because the filters and the pump had different size hoses but I've found that Laguna sells hose fittings and adapters that make connections between different sized hoses a snap. Just follow the links below:

Laguna Y-Connector Supplied with 3 Click-Fit Connectors, 1-1/4-Inch

Laguna Multi Hose Adapter, 3/4 to 1-1/2-Inch

Another update:

This skimmer rocks. It not only sucks a lot of floating debris in but it also helps clean the pond water by catching the tiny algae which makes your water green. I have a couple of fish swim in (one idiot went in twice and you would have thought that he learned his lesson the first time) so I've elected to leave the top off so you can see inside it.

It has intakes on both left and right and comes with a plug so you can seal up the side you don't use. Theoretically, you can line up 2 of these skimmers in series so you can clean up the pond more efficiently, but I used the other intake to plug in another DIY filter to increase the filter surface area. Works great. I really love this skimmer and highly highly recommend it.

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I was excited when I saw this skimmer. I have a small pond and it was the size I was looking for, and at a great price. It is a new product, however, and you can definitely tell that they have not fixed all the kinks. First, there are stickers all over it -on the lid, on the weir and at the base. There are even a few "Made in China" stickers. Since this product is supposed to be placed in the water, I figured it was a good idea to remove the stickers. Wrong! Only the one on the weir came off easily. The others were hard to remove and left a lot of glue. These are big stickers -the one on the lid covers almost the entire lid and the one at the base covers half the base. The only way to remove the glue is to use turpentine or something similar. However, the lid is made of cheap plastic that began to melt with the turpentine, causing my rag to turn black. Now I'm kinda nervous all of this is going to poison my pond water. Then, after I put it together, I realized two problems: 1. they had to bend the basket to make it fit and then, you have to place the basket just right and 2. the hose that connects the skimmer to the pump DOES NOT fit the fittings that are included in the package. I purchased the Tetra Pond pump recommended for the skimmer and the fitting screws onto it without a problem, but the hose is clearly too large for the barb on the fitting. It falls right off. Tetra Pond apparently figured out this at some point but their solution was to suggest that the hose be clamped with clamps that are "optional" and "not included". That's like saying the engine mounts in a car are "optional" and "not included". Basically, there is no way the skimmer and pump will work without the clamps or a hose that fits over the barb on the fitting so I'm going to purchase those now. I also noted that the skimmer does not come with straps like other skimmers so you have to lay something under it to get it to the right height. Basically, if you are handy and have free time, and want to save some money, this might work for you. But if you want it to work with the minimum of muss and fuss out of the box, try another small skimmer like Cal Pumps Small Pond Skimmer or PondMaster's Mini Pond Skimmer.

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This skimmer was very easy to install and I had it done very quickly. I like that I didn't have to cut the liner to install it and it was easy to adjust the height of the unit with flat rocks. The gravel in the corners keeps it from floating away. It really was covered with stickers but they came right off.

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I have a 3 tier swan fountain in a 500 gallon pool. Have been fighting bug and debris contamination for a year. Pump pre filters help, but this baby solves the problem before it becomes a problem. Added this skimmer and the water now remains crystal clear. I love this skimmer. Had my wife and kids remove the stickers, so no problem there for me. Add rocks in the bottom to keep it from floating away.

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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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It leaks :-( When I hooked it up to the faucet, it leaks out of the bottom. So, I am wasting water and not getting the suction that I need,

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Tetra ReptoMin Sticks, Reptile Food

This food has kept my turtles happy since they were babies.

They love it and they are well nourished.

I also want to thank Ray Haberson of South Carolina for his continuance and loyalty to the preservation of the diamondback terrapins.

I have a young painted turtle, and I had to find some food for it. I read some reviews of the ReptoMin foodsticks throughout the internet, and I figured I'd go with it. So, I go here to Amazon (because they have everything, no joke), find it in no time, and click the buy button. A couple days later, the stuff ships, and to my suprise, this isn't some small-fry food shaker. This is the mondo-ultra kingsize box when you compare it to the size of my turtle. I'll be glad in the future, because I know I won't have to reorder it anytime soon. Anyways...

I take out a couple pieces of food, and drop them in the water for the turtle to go at. Right away, the little booger turns around, sees the food, and takes after it. This stuff is like a turtle's delicious cake. Naturally, I found out that I had to soak it for a few minutes to let it soften up for the young turtle to be able to eat, but it doesn't matter to the turtle, he just loves the stuff (well, don't soak it too long or all of the flavor will dilute). He never did go through any kind of "Hmm, I've never seen this before, therefore it's probably gross. I won't eat it" type of stage. He dove right in. I've been feeding it to him for a little over a month now, and he's growing quite rapidly (I don't actually know the gender yet, fyi, you can't tell on young turtles such as this one). What can I say, he loves this stuff. I'd recommend it with full force, and when the time eventually comes, I'll buy it again.

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You can break them in half if they're too big for your turtles. I've been feeding them ReptoMin since they were newborns. They love it!

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We have a year old Western Painted water turtle. They are more carnivorous than Red Eared Sliders (but still need vege matter to be healthy). I have had a really hard time getting him to eat anything other than dried shrimp and insects and worried about him getting enough nutrition. We have tried lots of different turtle foods and even fish foods. But he loved this food right out of the package it has a softer texture than the other turtle foods we have tried but doesn't disintegrate in the water. It is also in small enough pieces that he can easily eat it even though he is only 1 1/2 inches long.

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My Red Ear Sliders aren't too picky about what they eat. However when it comes to a consistency Tetra's Reptomin sticks are the best. I tried others in large or bulk quantities and this one in my opinion, is best in food quality and consistency. I bought others and I get big clumps of sticks stuck together or product variations. The Tetra turtle sticks dissolve a little slower, giving my turtles more time to eat them whole. These sticks work great with my auto feeder, allowing more equal distribution each time it's on. My turtles are getting bigger so I had to buy bulk. Amazon has the best price around PLUS free shipping. At pet stores I've seen this 2 pound bag cost almost $50.

Aqua Medic Fish Trap

This trap was used in my 55 gallon tank to catch a six-lined wrasse. You do have to manually trip the trap, but I was able to catch the wrasse on the first attempt after 3 days. My fish wouldnt go near it for 2 1/2 days. This may take a while. There is a nice feeding tube you can put the food into. Worth the buy if you need to get a fish out of your tank without clearing out all of the live rock.

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Finnex 200-Watt Hang-On Electronic Controller Aquarium Heater, Titanium Tube, 60 to 80-Gallon

This aquarium heater has been in place and working for several months. I have been very happy with its performance to date. It gives me confidence in lowering my houses heat seating during the day while at work in the winter months. It would be nice if it had some feed back on the actual water temp, a digital read out or something. It currently has two lights, a green one to indicate it is working, and a red one that indicates when the heat element is actually on. I like this type heater especially though for its greater resistance to breaking as opposed to the glass tube models.

titanium is the way to go very,very acurrate a must have for saltwater aquarium with temp control for your tank

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I bought and tried some cheap heaters with good reviews and everyone was junk, almost lost my fish a couple of times, this heater is awesome, unbreakable, and is within 2 degrees plus or minus, it does tank some time to heat a 55 gallon tank but once set, it is set it and forget it, day or night its dead on, no more worries or getting up all night to check temps, dont buy the cheap junk, put out the few extra dollars for this unit and be done with it, thank you for a great product.

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The school's turtles are very much happier than they were before the heater! If we implement another turtle tank I will definitely put one of these in!

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works great nice item i bought 4 of umm and they work perfect I would by again if i had to

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Lee's Betta Keeper with Lid, Gravel and Plant - Small

I used to have one of these Betta Hexs in college for my bettas. At the time they were perfect given the lack of room I had in my dormitory but looking back at it, the bowl wasn't ideal. The betta hex is the size of a coffee cup. Bettas need more room than a coffee cup. I learned the hard way that if you don't keep the cover on, the betta will jump. I can't really blame the fish for jumping. Look at the size of its living quarters. I have my current betta Blutengel in a half gallon bowl. It may not be ideal but he is thriving and has the space to swim around happily. I guess the only good things I can honestly say about the betta hex is that it is perfect for a college dormitory and it is easy to clean but for the fish not very comfortable. Bettas need the room to swim around, not to sit there floating.

This tank is too small for your betta to be happy and healthy. There is no room for the betta to swim. A heater cannot be used in such a small tank, and the tank's temperature will fluctuate a great deal. The betta's wastes will build up quickly and the water will have to be changed quite often. All of these factors will stress out your betta and cause him to become sick and die.

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Too small for a temporary home. Not bad I guess if you wanted to put one in there while your changing your REAL tank. You can get a 5 gal for cheaper at some places. Please be kind!

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I bought this betta keeper kit with two packets of sea-monkeys, and so far everything has been fantastic, the tank holds 24 ounces which is just PERFECT for two packets of sea-monkeys, which would need 20 ounces of water. I started my packets earlier today and already have some babies, I can tell I made a good decision in starting my sea-monkeys out in a tank like this. The sea-monkey brand tanks are so childish with their bright colors and funny shapes, I'm an adult and I want to look like one. (and yes, adults can own sea-monkeys, just like they can own goldfish and betta fish). So I thought long and hard and decided to try it with this kit. I didn't use the gravel or plant, because I didn't want my baby monkeys to get crushed by the gravel and the plant wouldn't stay put by itself. When the monkeys get older I will add something into the tank for them to play in and around, but until then they are bare tank and they seem to like it already!

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Too small for a temporary home. Not bad I guess if you wanted to put one in there while your changing your REAL tank. You can get a 5 gal for cheaper at some places. Please be kind!

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