Great tank for an office or bedroom. Looks very stylish and the filtration system is silent and discreet. There's even a place to hide a water heater. The only thing that needs improvement is the included light. Don't get me wrong, it illuminates the tank evenly and adequately, but the way it's mounted causes the thing to sag on one end and it's not bright enough to grow most plants. Because of this I replaced the included lamp with a Finnex Ray 2 and it fits the tank perfectly!
I didn't get this tank through Amazon, but the reviews on this site gave me the insight to make the purchase anyway, so I thought I should give back to the great customers who educated me.
I give this tank a 5 star rating, even considering the strong filter pump. The pump can be adjusted to a setting that is quite manageable when you adjust the swivel output nozzle to point towards the bottom and against the glass. There are quiet spots in the water, even in this 5.5 gallon aquarium, that my Half Moon Betta can hover in and look very peaceful. Plus, I put in a large piece of hollow driftwood to give my Betta a place to escape if need be. Actually, he seems to enjoy the water output (which is 1" from the top of the water line) as he often swims directly up into the stream all the way to the top of the tank. He'll do this three or four times, then pull over and rest. I imagine he's getting some fishy exercise. Reminds me of a dog hanging his head out the window of a moving car. In still water, Bettas tend to be calm swimmers, but this tank provides just enough room and water circulation to keep my Betta quite active. And he's not being pushed around, he's patrolling the tank like the Type A personality that Siamese Fighting Fish are know to be.
The construction is clear glass. I have 5 small live plants, a moss ball, smooth gravel and the driftwood. The underwater pump is the quietest I have ever had, and I've been maintaining aquariums for over 20 years. It's on my desk and I sit about 2 feet away. I hear the air conditioning, the refrigerator and conversations outdoors before I can hear this pump. Perfect for an office environment.
The filtration is biological and physical with the water running through a corse sponge, a small bag of charcoal and a bag of porous coral pellets. The pump is amazing. At full speed it could easily keep a salt water reef healthy. But by reducing the outflow and adjusting the nozzle, the surface of the water is so calm that my Betta can easily grab some air wherever he is in the tank. Remember to adjust the pump's output BEFORE you put it in the tank, because it sits on the bottom and you'll need a long stick or the handle of your net to push it down.
The LED light is pretty, but not strong enough for the plants I have, so I have the tank near a window to pick up some indirect sunlight throughout the day, and some direct sunshine for a few minutes in the early AM. Once my tank is biologically stable, I plan to add an African Dwarf frog and a couple of Rainbow Tetras. That's close to being overstocked, so I will probably have to do a 20% to 25% water change each week. We'll see how the water tests out.
To recap, this is perfect Betta tank with lots of room for his highness to roam and a little more space for some tank companions (especially when you consider the strength of the filtration system). But, from a name like Fluval, it had to be great, right?
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My betta really like this that he keeps playing all day.
My only complain is the night blue light switch. Sometimes it's working and sometimes not.
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I actually have this tank in Black, not that the color makes a difference in how it all works, which is very well indeed.
The sponge filter medium is HUGE for the size of the tank, and has two good-sized cutouts to hold the bio-beads and any other medium you might want to put in the filter. I added a second bag of bio-beads as this tank was replacing a "standard" 5 gallon that had a betta and a couple oto cats in it. By using the bio-beads from the existing tank's filter I had no concerns about cycling the tank before moving my fish into it.
The filter pump is surprisingly powerful for its small size, even on the lowest setting, so much so that I had to make a spray bar return for it to reduce the force of the water coming back from the filter. My betta was getting "blown" around the tank because the current was so strong, and it made us both unhappy. With the home-made spray bar my betta was much more comfortable.
Because the center of the lid is open (so it doesn't block any of the light from the LEDs) the tank is prone to evaporation loss more than it otherwise would be. As I do weekly water changes this isn't much of an issue, and it is common with open-topped tanks anyway. But I wanted others to know that it is something to deal with if that matters to you.
The light works well and my live plants are growing nicely with it. The screw that holds the light bar in place is only plastic, and seems to have stripped the threads even with careful handing, so I will probably have to replace it with a metal screw so the light bar is more secure. I have the light on a timer, so the 2-way switch for white vs. blue LEDs is not an issue to me, but if you don't use a timer on the light you'll have to manually switch from white daytime to blue nighttime lighting.
Everyone who's seen the tank comments on how good it looks! I'm very glad I bought it even with having to make the minor modification of the filter return. For fish that like a strong current or a nano marine tank the powerful filter pump would be ideal.
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I bought this tank with the intention of putting a single male betta in it and taking it with me to college, so naturally I was wanting a tank that was quiet, small, had good filtration, and also a modern look. This tank has exceeded my expectations. The pump is extremely quiet, to the point where you have to listen for it in order to hear it, and the water circulates very well. It was easy to set up and I have had no problems with it. The only thing is that the pump can be rather strong for a betta. My betta did get stuck on the filter for the first two days, but then after that he stopped and started swimming around more. Since then he has not gotten stuck anymore. Also, depending on how quickly your fish would eat their food, if they wait to long the pump will suck the food up quicker than other tanks and you might have to turn it off temporarily to feed. Other than that great tank!!
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This stuff did the job for me. I was infested with the little buggers so I followed the directions and they were gone.
