# Marineland 5 Gallon Hex Owners



## Vaughan06 (Aug 9, 2011)

I was about to order this online but after reading the reviews I had a few questions to ask. I know there are a couple of you owners on here, so hopefully one of you will take some time to answer these questions.

It seems the major concerns about this tank are: the filter, the Acrylic material, and the pump. 

Is the filter really that loud of a machine?

Is it easy to take care of the acrylic tank? Will my gravel scratch it?

With just one Betta being in the tank, should the pump fail after 3 weeks or is it going to actually last?

I guess my final question would be: Is it a good tank for a betta? Or should I continue looking into 5-10 gallon glass aquariums?


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

I had that tank and I hated it. It's a strange shape. It's hard to fit decor in and it led to a lot of swimming around and around. If I had to use it again I would find some way to make two levels in it? Like a platform halfway up so Whiskey would have had more interesting places to explore.

On the other hand, the filter was pretty quiet and it worked fine even after sitting in my basement unused for a year.

The only problem I had with cleaning it was that stuff tended to accumulate in the corners and were hard to scrub out. It did get scratched but you really didn't notice it.


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## Vaughan06 (Aug 9, 2011)

vaygirl said:


> I had that tank and I hated it. It's a strange shape. It's hard to fit decor in and it led to a lot of swimming around and around. If I had to use it again I would find some way to make two levels in it? Like a platform halfway up so Whiskey would have had more interesting places to explore.
> 
> On the other hand, the filter was pretty quiet and it worked fine even after sitting in my basement unused for a year.
> 
> The only problem I had with cleaning it was that stuff tended to accumulate in the corners and were hard to scrub out. It did get scratched but you really didn't notice it.


That is even more I didn't want to hear. Looks like I'll be passing on this tank. Space for more decor is what I am looking for. I am also wanting to build some elevated platforms in the tank.


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## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

I personally liked this tank... The filter is probably the best I ever used. The tank is strong, too- doesnt scratch too easily.

But agreed, if youre looking to decorate, its not the tank for you. Its got a smaller footprint by comparison to most tanks. Its fantastic if you have tall decor in mind or tall plants. I love having my tall plants in there, with driftwood in the center.


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## fishcurl (Jul 14, 2011)

+1 for this tank, too. I really like the filter and bio-wheel. The integrated hood is a nice feature and the tank itself is made out of good quality acrylic. I tried a cheaper $20 Hawkeye tank and it felt like it'd break if you looked at it wrong.

Decor-wise, it works well vertically as Pew says. This tank prolly won't work for what you want it to, but feel free to check out my album to see how I decorated mine.

Marineland also makes the Eclipse series in standard rectangular/bow front shapes. There is a 5 gallon corner and, if you can find it, a 6 gallon bow front. The latter they don't make anymore, but you may find old stock of it somewhere.


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## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

fishcurl said:


> I tried a cheaper $20 Hawkeye tank and it felt like it'd break if you looked at it wrong.
> quote]
> 
> Oh.my.god.LOL


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

I have one. I don't use the filter though. current is a bit strong but I dont recall it being too loud when I do turn it on.

Perosnally i dislike the hexagon shape of it, however the small female that lives in it seems to love it!

It's not very wide, so taller decorations would work better.

It seems fairly durable. I havent scratched it but I dont have gravel in it, I have those multicolored rocks. Taller plants would work nicely. I want to get some but they are $10 each at petco


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## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

If its too strong, its easy to baffle :< Its probably one of the best filter's Ive ever used, super easy to cycle and eventually, after use long enough, it slows to the point where it doesnt need a baffle (but works fine).


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## fishcurl (Jul 14, 2011)

PewPewPew said:


> Oh.my.god.LOL


I still have it, turned it into a quarantine tank for plants. Not the future home of another betta. Nuh uh. Nope. Well, maybe. Wait, whut?

Regarding the strength of the filter, I baffled mine quite easily considering I'd never done anything like it before.

Aquaclear sponge + scissors + strong rubber bands. If you read the how to baffle thread, there's a picture of it towards the last page


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## Vaughan06 (Aug 9, 2011)

Another question: is a water filter even needed? I bought a 5 gallon tank, and it came with a filter... but if it is just 5 gallons, can't I do partial water changes without using a filter?


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## dragonflie (Aug 5, 2011)

Needed? No. But nice to have.

If you want a cheap alternative you can make your own sponge filter. I find them great for betta tanks. Unless you feed messy food regularly (like flake), I haven't found any of my bettas to be that messy; so there isn't much debris..at least from what I've seen. But they do a bang up job with nitrogen cycle; lots of nooks and crannies to hold the little buggers. 

Just my 2 cents.


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## Vaughan06 (Aug 9, 2011)

dragonflie said:


> Needed? No. But nice to have.
> 
> If you want a cheap alternative you can make your own sponge filter. I find them great for betta tanks. Unless you feed messy food regularly (like flake), I haven't found any of my bettas to be that messy; so there isn't much debris..at least from what I've seen. But they do a bang up job with nitrogen cycle; lots of nooks and crannies to hold the little buggers.
> 
> Just my 2 cents.


 
So with a 5 gallon tank and no filter, how often should I change the water?


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

Two a week - One 100% change and one smaller partial water change.


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## fishcurl (Jul 14, 2011)

In terms of maintenance, I highly recommend a filter, too. After the tank is cycled (4 to 6 weeks), your water changes drop to 50% once a week.

Baffling isn't that hard, either. It took me maybe 5 minutes to do.


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

I love my Hawkeye 5 gallons. But I guess everyone is different. :-D

The best part about them is the flip up lid. I have live plants so I have to be able to get my hands in the whole tank. Those eclipses are such a pain to get the lids off. I have 3 Hawkeyes, all planted and I've never had an issue with them breaking and I move one of them back and forth on the counter twice a week. Embrace the Hawkeye!


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## fishcurl (Jul 14, 2011)

Sorry, vaygirl, didn't mean to shoot down all the Hawkeyes 

The one I have doesn't sound as nice as yours, no flip lid, the lighting isn't great and so on. It sounds like they're not all made equally. However, for the $18 I spent on it, I can't really complain XD


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

Oh well then others must be different/cheaper made. I have this one:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hawkeye-5-gal-Tank-Aquarium/14660258


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## fishcurl (Jul 14, 2011)

Now THAT looks like a great tank.

This is the one I bought; it was sold under the Top Fin name for some reason:

http://www.hawkeyeaquarium.com/prod_details.php?cat=20&p=153

I like the idea of a hinged hood, this one definitely doesn't have it.

I don't mind getting into my Eclipse tank; do it a few times and you get quick


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

I think if my tank wasn't planted it wouldn't matter as much. I would have been fine with the eclipse line. Still, they were good, reliable tanks while I had them. Just not as accessible as I needed them to be.


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## Thunderloon (Feb 6, 2011)

PewPewPew said:


> fishcurl said:
> 
> 
> > I tried a cheaper $20 Hawkeye tank and it felt like it'd break if you looked at it wrong.
> ...


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## Thunderloon (Feb 6, 2011)

I've got Goat, a nearly 2 year male, in a hex-5. Its very appropriately sized and if you keep the water high it gets some circulation.

I added a Fluval intake sponge (for the edge) on the intake and used black fluorite for substrate. There's a Wendti in the center and an assortment of Java fern and a small leave long stem in the back. I added a Coralife "pink" bulb for lighting. Its all very nice. One of the little geodesic rubber toys for him to show love with and he's been very happy in it.

When he really wants attention from his owner (my her) he goes and sits in the purple ball thing and watches her. Works every time.

The filter is impossible to hear now after four months running. So happy with the tank and the ease of use I'm likely to get more for the other boys. You can even use a small carbon bag and cut foam sponge up in the top instead of the filtration card. Aqua-tech still sells the hex-5 filter cartridges in 3pack boxes at Walmart.

Every maintenance day you should turn the bio-wheel over and then at least per 4 months clean out the impeller area. The whole filter lifts straight out the top.


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