walmart mini bow-fronts any good?

[dogartist]

Does anyone own or know about the acrylic mini-bow fronts made by aqua-tech? or am I being seduced by the pretty colors they come in
I have seen the 2.5 at my hick wal-mart I would like the 5 or the 7gal.
just wondering if I would get my worth from it?

 

[grimlock3000]

I had a 2.5g minibow and I thought it was terrible. The filter sucks and takes up a big chunk of the tank and the light is nasty looking and makes everything look bad. Forgot about changing the light or filter as well, the way it is setup you are pretty much stuck with it. If you NEED a small tank, I would reccomend the 6 gallon curved front acrylic tank with the flourescent bulb and Bio Wheel filter, they sell for $40 at most Wal Marts. Even then, I think a 10g glass tank is a much better purchase.

 

[dogartist]

Thanks for the heads up. Do you know which company makes the 6gal ?.I will check out other walmarts for that one..
I'm just crazy for the bow-front look...

 

[grimlock3000]

Marineland makes the 6g tank and Wal Mart sells it under the brand name of Regent or Aquatech.

 

[general tzao]

there excellent for a betta or 2 guppys ( NOT TOGETHER!) but not much more
(NOTE: a 15-25w heater is required unless you plan 24-7 light activity to maintain 72+ degrees for tropical fish throughout the winter, or have a warm house with no drop at night)

 

[Sati]

Do you all think a tank of that size could house a male and 1 or 2 female betas happily?

 

[Fruitbat]

Sati....

Yes...a tank that size could house a trio of bettas. Keep in mind, though, that male bettas can be pretty rough on females if the males are feeling 'randy' and the females aren't. It would be best to provide hiding places in the form of plants (real or artificial) for the females.

 

[Sati]

I've never had male and female betas together so maybe it's a bad idea. I wanted to get my BF a little tank he could have on his desk at work is why I ask.

 

[screaminbuckeye]

I have 2 All Glass mini bow 2.5 gallon tanks with a male betta in each. I also have an Aqua Tech 5 gallon bow front from Walmart. The 2.5 gallon tanks (and the 5 gallon versions) have lousy filters that I had to replace. On the other hand the Aqua Tech 5 gallon (more expensive than the All Glass ones) comes with a bio wheel filter that is really easy to maintain and does a great job. I would say that the Aqua Tech 5 tank is comparable to the Eclipse systems for much cheeper (I own one of each and I regret spending more on the Eclipse). Spend the extra money at Walmart and get the Aqua Tech tank you will be much happier with the filtration and it will make accomodating several bettas much easier.

Don't let the flashy colors of the all glass mini bows fool you they are made kinda cheeply and marketed to kids and naive college students (I have 2 so I guilty of not researching the tanks). I actually had my betta, Brutus, nearly get sucked into the crappy filter. The aqua tech filter is small and can be hidden behind decor.

 

[Sati]

I don't want a bright colored tank because I prefer the fish to be the art, instead of the tank/gravel, etc. The only problem I have buying from Walmart is that I think they're the devil, lol. I might have to break down this once though. Thank you for the info

 

[screaminbuckeye]

I totally agree with Walmart being the devil. I hate the store too. But they do have inexpensive fish stuff and as much as I like to support my lfs I can usually save some serious cash by going to Walmart.

 

[general tzao]

ummm... you can buy 2.5 minis anywhere... petco, pet smart, online ect...