Hi, I am thinking of getting one of there. Right now I saw they are on sale. I am tanking of having one, or at most two (splitting) male betas in the tank. Does anyone have an opinion on which is the better tank? I think the chi looks really cool but don't know if it practical. Anyone have some ideas? thanks!
I have both. The spec is technically better, it has the longer layout that is preferable for bettas and is very well designed, with the filter hidden in a side compartment. You will have to baffle the filter output, it is much too strong for a betta. I used a piece of pantyhose :) The Chi design is really cool, but the light is worthless if you want to grow plants, and the filter, while the flow is fairly weak, disrupts the water at the surface, which isn't the best environment for a betta. I finally took the Chi thingie off of mine, added a fully submersed filter and a plant light, and turned it into a really cool looking tree stump/rain forest planted tank.
Don't know anything about the Spec, but I picked up a Chi on Black Friday. I don't have a fish in it yet, but there're a couple things I noticed about it. The filter and light run on the same circuit, so if you put it on a timer both the filter and light will go off. Therefore, you have to manually turn the lights on and off if you want to keep the filter going at all times. I'm not overly fond of the filter media they make for it as it doesn't look like it provides much surface area for bacteria and it comes with carbon built in - when I do put a fish in there, I'll probably DIY media for it. You can't replace the lights, and the ones there aren't that great for much more than showing off fish, so you're pretty limited in terms of live plants. I think it'd be difficult to divide, but not impossible. Because it is taller than it is long, it'd probably be best for a short-finned or female betta.
Overall, I really like the tank. The filter is really quiet, the tank looks really cool, and it has a very manageable footprint that doesn't take up much space. Posted via Mobile Device
Last edited by pittipuppylove; 12-17-2012 at 09:48 PM.
i got the spec 5 gallon,no complaints so far,the filter output is reeally strong even on low setting so u i put sponge around it,now the water is calm u wouldnt even think the filter was running,it comes with 7500k led lights so u can grow some plants it in right away without buying any extra lighting. the length of the tank is nice,it comes with a lid,i think the chi lid is sold seperately.,
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