So after owning a Mini Bow 5G for almost 4 years now I have decide I wanted a change. The filter it came with was perfect for Bettas but since that broke it has been hectic trying to find one that works great with that tank. On top of that we have a problem with small, small snails that are breeding like crazy and we can't seem to get rid of them. I have read that we need replace everything to get rid of our snail problem.
A couple of $2 assassin snails will take care of your pests without replacing anything ... and there are quite a few filters that can work for you in the Mini Bow!
That being said, That Hawkeye tank is a seriously good deal. The filter needs a little bit of adjustment, but it's not that big a deal. I'm not a fan of larger hex/column tanks, because the vertical swimming area is great but the horizontal is not so much. The Top Fin isn't a bad deal either, but really the best thing it has going for it above the Hawkeye is only that it's glass.
So after owning a Mini Bow 5G for almost 4 years now I have decide I wanted a change. The filter it came with was perfect for Bettas but since that broke it has been hectic trying to find one that works great with that tank. On top of that we have a problem with small, small snails that are breeding like crazy and we can't seem to get rid of them. I have read that we need replace everything to get rid of our snail problem.
Any suggestions or personal reviews on these tanks for 1 Betta and some live plants? Any help would be VERY greatly appreciated. :)
I know I will need to buy a heater and Thermostat and have already been looking at the Hydro or Hagen Elite Mini Submersible heaters.
Personally, I go for the maximum square footage before capacity. Not sure if a rectangular tank may have lower square footage (footprint of the tank). Since I do have all the specs, and I do not like Hex tank, I'd play safe and go for TopFin because I can return to a local PetSmart. Second would be Hawkeye, but may need to pay shipping on a return..., definitely not the Exlipse, too tall and narrow in the photo.
heater, I prefer 50W Aqueon, tried and true for me.
Thank you both so much for your input! I can't tell you how much it helps. Either way I will have to order the tank online since the nearest Petco/Petsmart is 3 hours away and we don't have any plans to head that way.
So it looks like its defiantly between the TopFin or Hawkeye. Those who have the TopFin, Do you like the filter it comes with as far as current flow for one Betta?
It also seems I would need to get Florescent bulbs for the TopFin?
Dosing copper (Seachem Cupramine, or there are several different ich treatments that contain copper) will get rid of your snails and it's fish safe. You can then use seachem's cuprasorb to get the remaining copper out of the water if you want to reintroduce different snails or other inverts in the future.
Thank you both so much for your input! I can't tell you how much it helps. Either way I will have to order the tank online since the nearest Petco/Petsmart is 3 hours away and we don't have any plans to head that way.
So it looks like its defiantly between the TopFin or Hawkeye. Those who have the TopFin, Do you like the filter it comes with as far as current flow for one Betta?
It also seems I would need to get Florescent bulbs for the TopFin?
if you know the size, 50/50 CFL blue light. But you can also get a GE special Plant bulb (has a blue tint on the bulb) for $5 at OSH or Home Depot, plug it into a student desk lamp $5-$10 from Target and it will be much cheaper. I usually, plug it in the morning when I wake up and then uplug it when I leave for work, about 1 hr/day in addition to my LED. It makes the plant grow faster and lusher.
if you know the size, 50/50 CFL blue light. But you can also get a GE special Plant bulb (has a blue tint on the bulb) for $5 at OSH or Home Depot, plug it into a student desk lamp $5-$10 from Target and it will be much cheaper. I usually, plug it in the morning when I wake up and then uplug it when I leave for work, about 1 hr/day in addition to my LED. It makes the plant grow faster and lusher.
The 50/50 blue doesn't really do much. You want to make sure that plant lights are in the 6500k spectrum (listed as DAYLIGHT on CFL bulbs). Blue light doesn't help plants grow, really ... they need a temp more on the red end of the spectrum.
The 50/50 blue doesn't really do much. You want to make sure that plant lights are in the 6500k spectrum (listed as DAYLIGHT on CFL bulbs). Blue light doesn't help plants grow, really ... they need a temp more on the red end of the spectrum.
oh yes, forgot to mention 50/50 CFL Blue daylight:
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