# Betta Approved - 2.5g Petco Desktop



## SaylorKennedy (Aug 11, 2009)

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/PETCO-25-Gallon-Desktop-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.
STAMPED BETTA APPROVED


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## laughing (Mar 12, 2011)

Wow, I'm glad it worked that well! 

I have PetCo's 2.5 gallon "Bowfont Betta Tank". I love them, but the filter is strong, too, so I rarely use them until I can get some sponge to help baffle it.

What I like about your tank is the fact that it has LED lighting which really helps with live plants! My lighting is bright, but not "plant growing" material. It does allow my anacharis to grow superb, though.

I hope this helps people out! I may have to buy one myself. Nice review!


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## SaylorKennedy (Aug 11, 2009)

Thanks. I am thinking about switching to live plants once I research plants and LED lighting because I don't know too much about LEDs. We'll see.


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## copperarabian (Apr 27, 2011)

I love live plants  I have some in each of my tanks and I think they are gorgeous, plus they have the benefit of creating better water quality


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## Lion Mom (Jun 14, 2010)

TERRIFIC review and pictures!!! 

And your guy is a CUTIE!!!


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## rainbowmissy (May 12, 2011)

That's a nice tank!  
I like the blue light XD

And Dash is so adorable!


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## Amitisti (Jun 21, 2011)

I like that tank 
do you have a heater in there...and what size/wattage would one use in a tank that size?


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## SaylorKennedy (Aug 11, 2009)

Currently I do not have a heater as it's extremely hot in my room and the water temp is staying at 79-80 without one. I am planning on buying a 25watt one soon. This is the one I'm planning on buying.

http://www.amazon.com/Hagen-Mini-Su...X8QG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1309584572&sr=8-2


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## elijahfeathers (Oct 15, 2010)

That's a really wonderful review. I have to run to a petco soon, and yeah, I think I might pick up one. I've got a 2 gallon tank... but it's a banged up critter keeper type thing. Not pretty to look at. As far as the heater goes, do you see a spot with that lid that looks like the cord would fit comfortable?


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## SaylorKennedy (Aug 11, 2009)

Yep. There is enough room to either put the cord out the bigger outlet by the filter. (First pic)
or you can put it between the gap and the edge of the tank, although it sort of displaces the lid a bit but it's not that noticable. (second pic)


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## elijahfeathers (Oct 15, 2010)

Well thanks for the tip. I'll keep an eye out for it. lol C: And hopefully I'll have pics soon!


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## RobertTheFish (Jun 6, 2011)

SaylorKennedy said:


> Thanks. I am thinking about switching to live plants once I research plants and LED lighting because I don't know too much about LEDs. We'll see.


 
I'm pretty sure LEDs will do nothing for plants. You said dorm room? You probably have enough ambient florescent lighting to grow something low-light like an anubia.


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## betabettafish (Jul 3, 2011)

does anyone know if the PETCO mini bow one gallon tank is a good home for a small, male, crowntail betta? hes currently in a MARINA 1/2 gallon tank and im planning to upgrade. Any information would be a great help. Id like the information in the form of a message to my profile. THANKS!!


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## Thunderloon (Feb 6, 2011)

SaylorKennedy said:


> Thanks. I am thinking about switching to live plants once I research plants and LED lighting because I don't know too much about LEDs. We'll see.



The 2.5 has the same lights as the 2 gallon petco hex tank, which I've never(always) had a problem growing brown and green algae.

I've run into a little problem with the lights, don't run them without the pump running or they can start having a failure in which two or three begin blinking.


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## Thunderloon (Feb 6, 2011)

betabettafish said:


> does anyone know if the PETCO mini bow one gallon tank is a good home for a small, male, crowntail betta? hes currently in a MARINA 1/2 gallon tank and im planning to upgrade. Any information would be a great help. Id like the information in the form of a message to my profile. THANKS!!



You can get a 5 gallon AllGlass made tank at walmart for the price of the 1 gallon bow-front. The walmart kit comes with a reliable and easily modified filter and uses regular fluorescent screw-in lights.


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## elijahfeathers (Oct 15, 2010)

Alright, I've gotten this tank too. It's super cute and I love the way it looks-- I previously had a 2.5 but it was a dinged up critter-keeper type, and this looks much nicer.

Fist thing-- I didn't pile the gravel up to the filter and it too my fish all of about 2 mins to get curious and wedge himself behind the filer. The filter is strong, however my male is a PK and does not seem too troubled by it unless he is swimming at surface level directly in front of it. I may baffle it anyway, but he's not being thrown around in there or anything. I 100% would not put a long-finned male in this tank without baffling it though.

It is as you said very roomy-- the design is quite appealing imo. I'm really glad this review was up, cause I got this tank and I'm loving it already. I'll get pics once the air bubbles vanish some.


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## Thunderloon (Feb 6, 2011)

Since the 2g hex and 2.5g bow front Petco tanks use the same filter, that uses an enclosed cartridge (zero bypass flow) you can actually submerge the filter deep into the tank all the way till only the end plug is sticking up out of the back. 

This will take care of the output flow issues.


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## SaylorKennedy (Aug 11, 2009)

elijah, I'm glad you found this helpful and am excited that you like it as much as I do! And Thunderloon, there is a difference between the 2.5 and Hex in that the cutout where the filter is supposed to go has these ridges that nearly make it impossible to use the suction cups on the back of the tank. I'm sure if you're determined enough you can jam it down into the very bottom of the tank and it might work, but otherwise you have to use the hook. It's a flaw that I'm absolutely befuddled by.


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## elijahfeathers (Oct 15, 2010)

Well I've tried that and it worked-- putting it under the water after reading this. I set the filter so it was on the last notches in the hook, hung it down, and just filled the water up a bit higher. Works great. lol


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