Edit: Sorry it's long, but it might be worth a read if you're thinking about the tank or looking for a contender for a new one.
So I thought I'd chime in with my two cents about this little tank that I recently purchased as I think it's a great tank for a betta. It's the Petco's brand 2.5 gallon desktop aquarium. (Link:
http://www.petco.com/product/113978/...-Aquarium.aspx ). Going in to buy this to be honest, my expectations weren't that high. I mean, I thought it'd meet all my needs, but I never thought I'd be as impressed with it as I am. It's a bit pricey at $39.99 but I had a $10 purchase reward card and a $20 gift card so I wasn't worried about price to say the least.
Specs:
2.5 gallon (9"L x 11"W x 12"H) - LED lighting (Including a day/night lighting option) - Petco Power Filter 5 (Internal) - Acrylic Tank
Tank: The tank is made of thick acrylic. It's got a curved front, however it's not completely curved as in oval shape. (Better seen in the picture section.) The lid I am really impressed with. It has 3 points that hold it on the top of the tank, two in the back and one in the front that is larger and you use for opening the lid. The three points allow a gap between the lid and the edge of the tank so air can get in and keep condensation from forming. There is also a cutout that the light stand goes around that the filter fits in. The only flaws that I can say is, with a bit of a curved front, there is some minor distortion depending on which angle you're looking at and in the little cutout for the filter there are these ridges that prevent you from using the suction cups on the filter (However, the filter comes with a hook that you can hang from the top of the tank and that has worked for me).
Size: The size is very nice, The filter is pushed out of the tank enough that there is plenty of swimming room and I have 2 large plants in and a large asian lantern in it with plenty of swimming room left.
Lighting: I love the LED lighting. It's very bright and creates a nice shimmer in the tank. There are two options, the day light and the night light. The day is white and the night is blue. (Just refer to pic section).
Filter: This filter is WAY too strong for a betta. It's a power filter and you can tell it. It's a petco brand filter and you use replaceable petco filter cartridges. After seeing how strong it was, I immediately took out the cartridge and put in my own drawstring bag of charcoal and ceramic pieces and stuffed a very large sponge in the compartment where the cartridge goes. This has done the trick and has a nice flow now. I don't like that the filter doesn't have a top, but I can deal.
Sidenote to the lighting and filter: Both are supplied by a single cord. What's nice is that they have seperate connectors which allow you to unplug one while leaving the other operating. Especially nice with the filter, that way you can still see what's going on and you don't have to mess with your power strip or whatever to find which one you need to unplug. Easier seen in pictures.
Pics:
Tank in normal LED light - Very nice color for the tank. Just to give you an idea, the lantern in the tank is 8.5"H.
LED Night light - I'm not a big fan of this, but it's growing on me. I don't use it much still but it might be nice in the dorm if my roommate is going to bed because it's much dimmer than the day lighting.
Top view of the tank - you can tell the shape, how the lid sits on the tank and the general roominess in the tank.
The back of the tank - You can also see one of the seperators on the cord that I'm holding (for filter). The other is on the bottom of the pic at the base of the light.
Overall, I have to say I'm really impressed with this tank and it's a nice compact size that it will be a great addition on my dormroom desk. I'm happy with my purchase and Dash approves of his new digs.
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