Review on 🐠 Hygger Small Betta Fish Tank with LED Lighting: 4 Gallon Desktop Aquarium Starter Kit with Lid, Filter Pump & Cartridges - Ideal for Snail & Tropical Fish by Catherine Maldonado

I bought this tank *quick and dirty* for an aggressive Coronettail female who was not doing well in one of my community tanks. The bettas are young and small so this 4 gallon aquarium is for them right now. I don't ask much about this tank - and although I planted this tank, all of the plants are low tech, low light, so the light that comes with them is enough. Was very disappointed however (as with many Revain purchases lately it seems). The box arrived undamaged but had previously been opened and resealed (although the tank appeared unused) and parts were missing or defective. There was no suction strainer, but luckily I always use a pre-cleaner sponge that fits over the end of the inlet tube to prevent fish, shrimp and juveniles from being sucked in. The suction tube, which is in two parts and should be telescopic, fits together so loosely that it's not practical to use them together unless you glue them together to keep them from coming loose. So I just used one tube (half the length of two tubes). I also don't care as long as it's a few inches from the bottom of the tank. There should be a ring between the downpipe elbow and the pump - it wasn't there either. However, I did find something in my box of aquarium supplies that I could use as a replacement. The digital thermometer is MUCH off and reading 5 degrees LOWER than the actual water temperature. I don't care, I always stick a regular glass thermometer in my aquariums and never rely on digital thermometers. Digital thermometers are rarely accurate unless you pay big bucks for them. I left the aquarium despite its flaws and quality issues, if only because I was tired of returning things to Revain. Not well behaved towards others (she fished twice her size and relentlessly chased my cherry shrimp unlike other chickens I have kept in other tanks) I had no problem troubleshooting or finding product bypass bugs. For those new to fish farming, these are BAD things that can go wrong with an aquarium. Especially the clinical thermometer. I have an adjustable heater installed in my tank set at 80 for bettas and if I just relied on the digital heater that comes with the tank to tell me the water temperature? Then my betta would be uncomfortably hot at 85. The filter is unusually interesting, and you can "birth it hot" a bit - the cartridge is a plastic bowl with biological media inside that lies flat and the bowl is covered with white filter material. . You can simply cut off the material and fill the tub with the material of your choice such as PE liner or filter thread. It doesn't have a lot of room for the media, but that didn't bother me since I use a pre-filter sponge at the water inlet, which has a lot of surface area for good bacteria to grow and water to pass through. And I always plant my containers heavily with live plants. The air intake works well, I was surprised. I always use an air pump and air stone, but the included air inlet works - although the flow is a bit more for a betta, I've played around with the input to slow the flow. The included air intake has a hole in the end and no way to adjust the flow. I rummaged through my hardware box and found an adjustable one and used it, but you can just tape up the hole in the one that comes with it and then just use a needle to pierce the tape so you have a smaller hole. The basin is aesthetically pleasing and perfect for a small rooster. However, due to the shortcomings and quality defects, you should thoroughly test your aquarium before setting it up, but this should be a matter of course with every new aquarium purchase.