Marina 5 Gallon (19 L) LED Aquarium Kit – Ideal for Beginner Aquarists and New Fish-Keepers

I did a lot of research before deciding on this 10 gallon Marina tank. It was the tank kit that consistently showed up on internet reviews as one of the top tanks, especially for beginners. The filter is excellent and very quiet, the lighting is beautiful, and it's spacious digs for my son's Betta fish!I love that it came with small bottles of both the "Fluval Cycle biological enhancer" and the "Fluval chlorine/water purifier." My son had of course, against my advice, ran out and bought the betta fish before the tank was even set up. I was nervous because the tank had not yet been "cycled," meaning that it had not been filled with water, had the filter running, and had the chance to cycle to develop good bacteria on it's own, which typically takes about 4-6 weeks. Because this kit came with a bottle of the "Fluval Cycle biological enhancer," I was able to add the Betta fish the same day as setting up the tank (which is not recommended if you can help it, but it luckily worked out ok in this instance). I also used Poland Spring water to fill the tank instead of my tap water, along with of course adding the recommended doses from the bottles of the provided Fluval chlorine purifier and biological enhancer.The filter on this tank is excellent and I like that it has 3 separate cartridges, so you can change one every few months (never change them all at once or it will throw off the cycling of your tank). Only changing one filter at a time maintains the good bacteria growing on the other filters in the tank. There are also some youtube videos available on how to modify/replace the filter cartridges with other "media" so they don't need to be changed regularly, which I have already started doing. It's also better for the long term cycling of the tank to not get rid of cartridges on a regular basis (don't do it every 2-4 weeks like the directions say!), since there is so much good bacteria on the cartridges which helps the tank stay healthy, and you don't want to throw that away.I purchased a Eheim heater separately, which is a nice fit in this tank. I also purchased two thermometers separately, one digital one and one traditional one, and put them on opposite sides of the tank.Also, really important, make sure that you have a good place to put this tank, because once it has water in it, it is SUPER heavy, over 100 pounds! I had not thought of this until a few days before the tank arrived, so I ran out and purchased a fish tank stand at a local pet store which could support the weight. You don't want to risk just putting it on a regular piece of furniture because of how incredibly heavy it is once it is filled with water.One negative is that the lid does not have a hinge on it, it comes completely off when opening it all the way. It's a minor inconvenience as we mostly use the open feeding hole in the top right corner to feed our betta.Overall an excellent tank kit!! It's been over a month now, and our betta is happy and healthy and we are thrilled with our purchase!

Best kit available for quality and price. The light is suufficient for Jungle val, Cabomaba carilinaina, anubia, java fern, java moss, and my frogbit and water lettuce. I have rapid growth rates and multiply my plants every few days with the light that comes in the hood. I did use filter sponges instead of the cartridges, im about efficiency and longevity. Great buy, glass came in flawless

UPDATE - I came into the office the next day, flipped the switch and was delighted to see the light come on. The tank looks great! Now, I'm listening to the rattle of the filter and I feel sorry for fish that have to hang out in that water the rest of their lives feeling and hearing that pump's buzzing. I don't mind it so much, but I hate it for the fish. It is loud, but my brain gets used to it as background noise.Yeah, I saw the other reviews complaining about the light not working or stopped working after a little while. I thought I'd take my chances cuz what are the odds that every single one is bad? Well good thing I don't play the lottery because my chances we're not very good on this one! Put the whole thing together with water and decorations and following all the instructions. It's so cute! I set it up in my office and I can't wait to move the fish from my house to the office.But the very last step was turning on the light to view my masterpiece and I was brokenhearted when nothing happened. I changed the plug to various different outlets I detached the cord from the plug and put it back in. Didn't even get a flicker!From looking at the other reviews with the save issue, and since Amazon is the sender instead of the manufacturer, I see no review responses saying that they would replace the light. So I guess I now need to go out and buy a light. One of the main reasons for taking the fish to the office was because I'm going out of town for a while and I need my employees. And now that whole thing is on hold because I can't bring the fish in if they don't have a light. So, the rest of the aquarium is perfect, I love the skinny filter, the tanks adorable, but you're taking your chances on the light. Just know what you're getting!

The 5 gallon kit is EXCELLENT! I was looking to replace a 3.5 gallon aquarium purchased at Petsmart that had the pump die. Problem was, the pump was made for that specific aquarium, and I could not find a replacement. Found this thinking it will be your standard new fish owner kit. You know those kind, pump, hood, tank, MAYBE some flake samples and water conditioner. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the box to find a net, stick-on thermometer, FULL SIZED bottles of water conditioner and bio treatment, AND a jar of general-use fish flakes! (I completely missed the picture in the description showing everything.)Everything is solid quality, some reviews mention the hood being a little flimsy but for such a low-profile hood, there is bound to be a little flex. Pump is super quiet and cleared the water of any cloudiness in less than 10 minutes. Everything was very simple to setup. The care guide that comes with this is GREAT if you are a first time fish owner. The only other items I purchased were a small adjustable heater, and a glass thermometer that sticks to the inside. Gravel and decorations were brought over from previously mentioned aquarium being replaced. This kit DOES NOT come with any gravel or decorations, which I personally prefer because I like to choose them myself.Also, the packaging. I was concerned because shipping glass aquariums can be kind of hit or miss. This item came in the box you see in the pictures, which was inside of another box cradled in styrofoam, which came inside if ANOTHER box. Everything arrived in pristine condition.Overall, I would not only recommend this aquarium to my friends and family, but will likely be buying the larger kit once I have more room.