# Are Mini Bow tanks good tanks?



## Kuro (Dec 24, 2012)

Are Mini Bow tanks good tanks?

my parents bought me a Mini Bow 5g tank for christmas though it wont be here till the 3rd of january at the earliest as the ordered it late. they got it for me because i really dont like the tank my black orchid CT male Aero is in because of its weird shape and that the lid is propped up on one end to allow room for the filter and i worry about Aero jumping out even though its a small gap and we have a young cat the overly curious and i worry she may stick her foot and try to swat him. 


so to all of you who own mini bows now or have in the past are they good a good tank? does the filter do a good job? does the filter need baffled? i hope its a good tank cause then Aero would more room(his current tank is 2.5g) and i wouldn't have to worry about him jumping or about the cat. and with it being acrylic and not glass it will be lighter and it wont be as much weight on my computer stand as there would be if i got a glass tank.


thanks


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

I hear the currents too strong.


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## AquaticGirl101 (Nov 3, 2012)

I have a Mini Bow 2.5 and I love it! So does my fish! There is a slight gap in the back behind the filter, so I put my heater there  The filter current in mine isn't to bad actually. It only makes some surface movement. Good luck!


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## registereduser (Jul 30, 2010)

Any filter current can be baffled in different ways.

I have the 2.5 as a hospital tank and I like it very much. I don't use the filter though.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

I was told by the person at me local Petco that the design is built to allow current.


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## AquaticGirl101 (Nov 3, 2012)

My current is not bad at all.


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## bryzy (Nov 3, 2012)

I have a mini- bow 2.5. It's a good tank. For $30, or in your case more, you get a filter, a hood with a light and some beginner food and conditioner. Yes, the current is a bit strong, so I took a price of pantyhose I fixed it spend the mouth. It muffled it pretty well.


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## stareyes (Oct 18, 2012)

I have the 5 gallon mini bow and I really like it. I do have mine baffled, mostly because it pushed the floating log around too much. There is a space in the back but it is really easy to cover it with something . Overall I really love this tank, and so does my little guy!!


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## Friendlyfishies (Aug 16, 2012)

Do you have pictures of how youve baffled it? Ive always wondered how you could baffle those types of tanks...


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## Juditko (Dec 28, 2012)

*Aqueon 2.5 mini bow*

We just got one, and the current on ours does not seem too strong at all. It's much more gentle than the other tank we had, and Fish is very happy. It does say to keep it filled to the black rim, and I find that does help the current be gentle. Don't know about the 5 gallon.


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

I had a 5 gallon minibow tank. I liked it a lot, and the filter current isn't too much at all. Even in the 1 gallon minibow, the filter doesn't create a current that is too strong for a long finned fish (I currently have a small guppy in my 1 gallon because I'm treating him for ick, poor thing). The only real problem I've ever had with the filters in the minibow tanks (I've had the 1 gallon, 2.5 gallon, and the 5 gallon and they all have the same filter) is that with my halfmoons with longer fins their finnage sometimes would get caught in the intake and rip, but a layer of cheesecloth does the trick to stop that. I absolutely love the bow tanks, and the only reason I got rid of my 5 was because I traded it to a friend for a 10 gallon tank.


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

I had a minibow 2g years and years ago and I suppose it was okay. I didn't like the slight distortion it gave of the fish from certain angles though.


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

This is true. But the bow tanks aren't as bad as those halfmoon tanks, which make everything look twice the size it is normally, and rounded, no matter what it is (including the fish lol). And it's nice to have something different than a rectangular or square tank.


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

Fishehgobloop said:


> This is true. But the bow tanks aren't as bad as those halfmoon tanks, which make everything look twice the size it is normally, and rounded, no matter what it is (including the fish lol). And it's nice to have something different than a rectangular or square tank.


Absolutely xD I can imagine having one and looking over and seeing my tiny pleco be a monster O_O 

I kinda want to get a 2.5 or 5g mini bow for my desk or something ._. I can't stop myself I want more fish xD


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

I've seen an alarming number of fish and other bettas be sucked into the intake tube of the stock filter with the minibows. For that reason I highly suggest using a prefilter sponge with them, or replacing the filter altogether.. but then again it's a very expensive tank if you're not coupling the filter in the price.

I'm a little old school - standard glass aquarium.


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

... sucked in? No way. The filters are absolutely way too small to suck a betta in. MAYBE if you had fry in the tank, then yes, but even my smallest bettas never even got stuck to the filter to the point of not being able to get off. Like I said, the only problem I ever had was fin ripping. I just can't see that happening, Callistra, at all. 

And Kithy, I have one halfmoon tank with my crowntail in it, and he has super long fins anyways, but sometimes I look over and at the right angle, he looks like a giant spider. But, he absolutely loves that tank, and his decorations actually look great (I tried really really hard to find good decorations for that tank).


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

Fishehgobloop said:


> And Kithy, I have one halfmoon tank with my crowntail in it, and he has super long fins anyways, but sometimes I look over and at the right angle, he looks like a giant spider. But, he absolutely loves that tank, and his decorations actually look great (I tried really really hard to find good decorations for that tank).


That would scare me xD But it sounds really cool :3 I am having a hard time resisting lol


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

lol. Off subject, I absolutely hate spiders (whining, crying, kill it with fire, the whole thing) but it really is cool. I'll only ever have the one halfmoon tank though.

I really do like the minibow tanks, though, especially for a different look, I think they're great. (I get really bored with standard rectangle tanks). 
The only "bow" tank that I don't care for are the Marina ones with the concacve bow as opposed to the convex bow (or the one that bows in instead of out).


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## TheCheese909 (Aug 11, 2011)

This video here shows how you should use a 5 gallon Bow tank with a Betta:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd0GFqGTgGQ


The filter that comes with the Aqueon 5 Gallon Bowfront Aquarium is the same that comes with the MiniBow and 2.5 BettaBow. It's pretty good with the 2.5 as in it handles that amount of water perfectly, same with the Mini, however in the 5 gallon it's far too small. The intake can also be horrible for your Betta's precious finnage, especially if you have a HM or CT. I can almost 100% guarantee you that the intake will harm either of those types of fish's tails. 

You can either replace the filter or add undyed cheesecloth around the intake of the original and just make sure you keep up with the water changes since that filter isn't the best for a larger aquarium. Frequently changing the cheesecloth as well, even though it gains BB after awhile it will start to get slimy and disintegrate. You may be able to wrap a spongy bit around it instead, that would work much better.

I have owned 2 MiniBows, 2 BettaBow 2.5s and my 5 gallon Bowfront. I like the Bows as they stand out a little bit more than a normal tank. They are great "desktop" aquariums just as they advertise them to be. They give your Betta (or other fish) a good sized aquarium and are also "stylish." It was a bit of bad designing on the hood VS filter cord though however, you are correct in saying they don't fit properly together (_oops!_). The filter pads for these are not the best, since they are so close to the light of the aquarium they can grow algae really fast.. To keep this from happening too quickly don't keep your aquarium light on for too terribly long during the day (no 8+ hours of light), him having light from the rest of the house should be fine for his partial lighting.

Oh also, don't worry too much about your Betta jumping from that area at the back I have never had any issues with my Bettas being interested in that area of the tank, though none of mine are much for jumping either. If you have concerns about it you can always set a piece of plastic over it, like 1/2 a broken CD case. It should also be good for if you're worried about your kitty as well, you can even use a small piece of scotch tape to hold it to the lid so kitty doesn't accidentally push it off.


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

Fishehgobloop said:


> lol. Off subject, I absolutely hate spiders (whining, crying, kill it with fire, the whole thing) but it really is cool. I'll only ever have the one halfmoon tank though.
> 
> I really do like the minibow tanks, though, especially for a different look, I think they're great. (I get really bored with standard rectangle tanks).
> The only "bow" tank that I don't care for are the Marina ones with the concacve bow as opposed to the convex bow (or the one that bows in instead of out).


Bleh me too. I can't even kill a spider in a video game without freaking out in my chair. The only exception is when I get to beat it up (FFXI) but on Skyrim I run xD

I feel like I'm running out of outlets xD I really wanna put a small tank with like an EE betta or something on my desk but I so need a bigger desk. With my computer, TV and xbox.. I'm out of space /pout


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## Juditko (Dec 28, 2012)

I used a cutout piece of plastic craft canvas to cover the hole at the back (someone else's suggestion here.) You can customize it and cut out for cords, etc.


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

Fishehgobloop said:


> ... sucked in? No way. The filters are absolutely way too small to suck a betta in. MAYBE if you had fry in the tank, then yes, but even my smallest bettas never even got stuck to the filter to the point of not being able to get off. Like I said, the only problem I ever had was fin ripping. I just can't see that happening, Callistra, at all.
> 
> And Kithy, I have one halfmoon tank with my crowntail in it, and he has super long fins anyways, but sometimes I look over and at the right angle, he looks like a giant spider. But, he absolutely loves that tank, and his decorations actually look great (I tried really really hard to find good decorations for that tank).


Usually not all the way it but enough in to severely deform them and kill most. There are tons of threads in this forum alone about it happening.

Here's just the first few google reported: 

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20121104094139AAxaFF4
http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/freshwater-beginners/94465-aquaclear-20-sucked-up-my-betta.html
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=115777
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=121594
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=118921
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=114271
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=113398
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=113302
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=111875

Trust me I've seen a TON of those reports, and most have been from the minibow filters, and in most cases the betta didn't make it.


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## Juditko (Dec 28, 2012)

Thanks for this info about the cheesecloth. I think I'll take care of that right now. Just a wrap around? Also if anyone knows how to rig a sponge on there, please share as that sounds more practical long term. What kind of sponge is safe to use?


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Yahoo does not count as a source. But the rest seem good.


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## TheCheese909 (Aug 11, 2011)

callistra, the Yahoo! link does not say what filter that fish was sucked into. 

The 2nd link is for the AquaClear 20, which is not the filter that is used in the Bow aquariums.

The 3rd link says nothing about what filter was used.

4th, is a regular 5 gallon aquarium from WalMart which carries a much more powerful filter than the Aqueon filters.

5th is a filter from a 10 gallon starter kit, not the filter we are talking about.

6 says nothing about what filter nor does it say exactly how he was stuck.

7 the OP said he "I know he probably got sucked into the intake", note the key word "probably". This also does not mention what filter was used.

8 says their Betta darted under a huge filter for a small aquarium and his finnage started to get sucked into the filter, which happens if a Betta gets too close to a filter, actually it happens to any fish who gets close to a filter. It doesn't mean the whole fish was SUCKED into the filter like you keep saying happens all the time. If it happened ALL the time then no one would use a filter with a Betta.

9 also says nothing about what filter was used.




I don't know if you are aware but we are not talking about any old filter we are talking about the Aqueon Bow filter that comes in the MiniBow, 2.5 BettaBow and 5 gallon Bow. The filter looks like this:











There is no way possible unless the Betta was a fry for it to actually be fully sucked up into the filter like you keep saying, it's impossible. However, a Betta can get his fins torn in the filter intake, which is why we suggested the sponge or cheesecloth. The intake is not nearly strong enough for a Betta to not be able to free himself from so there would never be any fear of a Betta drowning because of the intake or having serious bodily injuries. It's completely impossible, please understand what filter we are talking about and don't post unnecessary threads that don't pertain to what we are talking about.


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## Juditko (Dec 28, 2012)

I clipped off a piece of filter mesh to wrap around until I can get a sponge. On another thread someone mentioned a fluval edge prefilter sponge A1387 as being a good fit and help prevent fin damage. I'm going to try that.


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## aemaki09 (Oct 23, 2012)

It depends on if you have short or long finned fish.
I have a PK in a 2.5 with the filter on and he does perfectly fine with it, but my CT and VT in 2 of my others cant have it on because its too hard on them.
I personally wouldnt risk it at all and just use the tank without a filter, or replace the one that came in the tank with a sponge filter.
BUT these are nice tanks and I love them, just wish they chose a different filter with them.


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## TheCheese909 (Aug 11, 2011)

I've heard of the fluval edge sponge to be good too, i think they are almost the perfect size to wrap around the intake. Smart idea with just the little piece of filter mesh, i'm sure that will work for some time before it needs a change, it's alot more hardy than just cheesecloth.

Our HMs and CTs never had any issues with the intake or outflow of the filter in these aquariums. My HM loved to play in the outflow and never got pushed around by it. I say just watch your fish and make sure he does okay with it, all fish are different and handle filters in different ways.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Carter usef to wrap around the filter. He could easily escape. Sometimes his fins weigh him down.


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

callistra said:


> Trust me I've seen a TON of those reports, and most have been from the minibow filters, and in most cases the betta didn't make it.



callistra, NONE of those SPECIFY what filter. For a filter's intake to be strong enough to trap a small fish, it would have to be extremely powerful, and the MiniBow filters are not anywhere near that powerful. 

I think we've used this particular filter in one way or another with all of our fish and never had any other problems. Just fix up the intake so there are no ripped fins, and you're good to go.


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

I'm well aware of what you're talking about, and I know none of those reference minibows specifically.. like I said that was just the first few searches that came up. I wasn't willing to spend hours trying to find all the old threads I've come across which reference minibows specifically. If you don't want to believe me, that's no skin off my back..I just pray it's no skin off any of your betta's backs really. Hopefully you will never have to experience what I have seen, but believe me or not, I have seen many threads with minibows killing bettas and plenty of unsettling mutilated betta photos to boot. It doesn't happen to every betta thank G-d, but I've seen enough to know it's not a fluke.

All I'm saying is spend pennies and seconds to protect your betta from a potential life threatening situation.. Last I'll say on the subject.


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

Don't worry, callistra, it's no scales off of my fish's back. It's all about being smarter than the filter.  That's where research and good preparation come in, I agree with you on that.


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## TheCheese909 (Aug 11, 2011)

I personally don't use those filters anymore since I changed my 5 to a different filter and my other aquariums are basic rectangular tanks. The bow filters are not strong enough for a 5 and I do find it hard to believe that anything too horrible could happen with them since I've even had young Ghost Shrimp in with those aquariums and filters. I'm not calling you a liar by any means, so I hope you don't think I am, I'm simply saying I find it hard to believe these bows could cause any devastating life threatening problems.

As FishehGoBloop said, it's all about being smarter than the filter. And yes, research is the key to everything.


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## Juditko (Dec 28, 2012)

So I picked up the Fluval edge prefilter A 1387. $2.70 tax included at Petsmart. Fits perfectly on the Aqueon stock filter for my 2.5 mini bow. It does seem a bit big but we will get accustomed to it. I do have a question since that sponge sits close to the side of the tank... Hopefully no one has had a fish get stuck between tank wall and sponge?


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## Fae (Oct 25, 2012)

I have the 5 gallon MiniBow for my betta and I love it. It is great for small spaces like mentioned before (I keep mine on my desk at work). I have my filter baffled because it was rough for my CT at first. He did get a bit of fin damage because of the intake, but I was able to stop that right away by sticking a small piece of filter foam in there. Works like a charm, and baffles it too. Before I had gotten this tank my poor little dude was in a half gallon cube (luckily I wised up pretty quickly) so he didn't like the current at first, and I had to elastic band another piece of foam around the out flow (I tried the water bottle thing, but I couldn't get it to stay, and he kept trying to play in it and I was worried he'd get cut). He doesn't need the foam there anymore, because he has grown strong and healthy, but its a good place for BB to grow, so I'm keeping it. I stopped using the filter cartridges it came with, and replaced it with some plain Fluval ones that fit nicely because I read that plants don't really like the carbon (not sure if that is actually true though) and because it slows the flow down. I found the incandescent light bulb it came with got quite hot and would fluctuate the water temp too much, and making it too hot with the heater, so I changed that out for the Aqueon 50/50 daylight/bluelight CFL flouresent bulb. It is much better for the plants and they are growing like crazy (especially the banana plant I have in there!). I did order one of those Azoo Palm Filters for this only because I'd like one that hangs off the back instead of being inside like it is. I just find that it is annoying to have in there, but that is just me! We'll see if I actually want to change it out and compromise my cycle once it gets here, haha. All in all, Sir Gilbert the Lionheart and his trusty snail On Nom are both very happy in there!


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## rubinthebetta (Oct 9, 2012)

I literally _just_ went out and bought a Minibow 2.5 gallon, and I'll see how it works. I am kinda worried about the filter, but I don't think I'll be able to get a sponge thingy for it. I'm thinking cheesecloth might work, but what is cheesecloth? I don't mean to sound dumb or anything, but I have no idea what it is.


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

lol, it's okay. I had no idea what it was when I first heard of it. This is what it is:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cheesecloth-3-yds/19757785


It's ridiculously cheap, like a couple of bucks for the small one which is more that you'll need. We used one package on all of our filters (I believe we had between 10 and 15 at the time between 3 of us) and we barely made a dent in the pack. Works great, though.


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## Shadyr (Mar 27, 2012)

I have a pair of minibow 2.5s for my kids bettas, and I just took the filter off completely. You have to do water changes anyway, right?


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

Yep, water changes come either way, lol. Old Fish Lady has a thread on water change recommendations right here:


http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=115758

If you can keep up with a tank with no filter, and the proper water changes, then that is okay (I personally know that I can get slack, or lazy, or busy depending on my work schedule and it's hard to get the 100% changes in sometimes). So I know it IS a bit easier for some people to have a filter. But, as my mom always says, "you do you." Which is basically do what works best for you and your schedule, for the health of your fish. (I sometimes wish that I could stay home with my fish all day lol, but alas, that's impossible).


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## Juditko (Dec 28, 2012)

Have had fluval prefilter on mini bow filter 2.5 gallon for a couple of days. Fish is happy and so are we. Safer for him and makes the filter current extremely gentle-even more so than before.


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

great to hear, Juditko. I'm happy that everything is working out for you and your betta.


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## Juditko (Dec 28, 2012)

Yes we are quite pleased with him; thanks!


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