Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have three of these for breeding ornamental shrimp. Got them for a great deal with a local fish store went under a little while ago. I notice there is no review, so here is my opinion..... The tank: The "Panaview" idea is a bit false. Because of the hard curve on the corners, it can be very difficult to see what is happening at the edges of the tank, a few inches from the acrylic. That said, for the most part, the flat front leads to clear views of what is inside, and if my shrimp are close to the wall, I can see them whether they are behind the curve or not. The lid fits into a pair of hinges, but doesn't actually snap in. Makes it very easy to open, leave open, close, and best of all, remove easily for water changes and prevent it from overbalancing backward when aquarium is empty. The one drawback to the lid is that there is enough room to hook the little hook for holding the filter over the back, and that's about it, unless you're going to do some modifying. Honestly, getting the cord for the heater I use through is a snug fit. This is good for, say, crabs, crayfish, and stronger shrimp that may attempt to go on 'walkabout', but it doesn't allow a lot of space to add additional items such as a sponge filter, airstone, etc. Without the filter in place, I can *just* fit a single airline and the heater cord through the hole. On the one single tank that I use all three, I have simply drilled an additional hole in the lid for the airline. Easy breezy--if you have a drill. That said, I don't anticipate most people attempting to add additional stuff beyond perhaps a filter. Keep in mind, I use it for invertebrates that can climb out--I have dwarf crays in one, and mini-crabs in with my cherry shrimp. If you have nothing that you're worried about getting out, there is a cut-out option for a HOB (hang on back) filter and heater (don't use an HOB heater on this, please! But they will leave large holes, and they don't, honestly, look very easy to remove. The tabs that hold the cutouts in place look quite strong. I have never attempted to remove them, and I can't imagine that I ever will. For my purposes, if I need an extra airline fed in, I'm just going to drill a tight fitting hole, which I suspect is less work anyway. The lighting: Their is a bank of nine white LED lights, and nine blue ones. They can be set to have either the white, the blue, or both in place. The light level is enough for lower light plants, such as java moss, java fern, dwarf lily, or most hygrophilia, but if you're thinking of making a nano or pico tank, you'll need to work on the lighting. (If you don't know what I'm talking about there, it's honestly not a concern....though....look it up, as it's a very fun hobby! XD) I don't think that this tank is terribly aesthetic without the lid it comes with, as it has a lip similar to that on the critter keepers....I honestly don't know how to explain it, but basically, it's a hollow lip that I can fit my fingertips under. Looks better hidden. The Filter; I admit to not using this in any of my tanks, but for one. It is a submerged filter, with an open top, and decent sized intake vents. The water flow is also surprisingly strong from it. All said, it would be perfect for a betta (providing it's still hale and healthy...a weak or very old betta may get sucked up against the intake), or other smaller fish. Not so good with my mini-shrimp and other inverts that I keep in here. The entire design is quite open, and shrimp climbing in for the delicious detritus on the insert only to be sucked through the impeller is an all too realistic reality. Not to say that I haven't found use for these, however!!! I keep them in my tank of pre-aged, pre-cycled water that I use for tank changes, and use them for quiet and decent water movement to prevent stagnation. Generally, I've been using them more as a micro-powerhead than a filter. XD I've been pleased, as so far, they all continue to move water rapidly and well, but then, they also aren't really contending with any serious bioload--just that of a few cory's that tool around and help the water I use for water changes in my more delicate tanks age and get it matched perfectly, chemistry wise. That's about it to this tank. Not a super high tech little setup, but if you're planning on keeping a few smaller, cool water fish (ie: white clouds), it'll work. Better yet, get yourself a sponge filter, a heater, and some shrimp! Not that I'm biased or anything. LOL A random side note NOT related to this product, but very much related to fish keeping: If you decide to keep A FEW small, tropical fish and pick up a heater....pick up a good one. Read the reviews. Heaters can kill your fish very quickly if they fail, not to mention cheap ones present a fire hazard. I state this because I once had a cheap hang on back heater literally melt through the wall of one of these tanks when it failed, to much loss of life, very sadly.. You get what you pay for!