Review on 🐠 Fluval Chi II 5 gal White Aquarium Set (10505) - Enhanced Features and Stunning Design by Rita Lenora

This is a nifty little tank, only good for a male Betta, some shrimp or something similar. You may be able to accommodate a couple of female bettas or bettas and a snail here. Please don't put goldfish in this thing as I've read in product reviews of people doing this - and as Fluval shows on their packaging, shame on them - because a small and simple filter won't handle all that waste! Five gallons isn't enough for high-waste fish, regardless of filtration. My bachelor betta swam around and explored the entire tank shortly after he was released so he must be very lucky as bettas usually sulk in a new spot for a day or two. The open water surface is enough for air to breathe, but not so much that the water falling out of the filter is a problem. In general, this is a peaceful fish residence. One issue that isn't great for male bettas is that all four sides of the tank are highly reflective, so my fish would often admire their own image. He realized that he could escape from this "competitor" by swimming to the filter (no reflection in the upper part of the black cube, in the back corner) or by sitting under a fake floral ornament. But if this aggressive display persists, I need to cover the back wall of the tank to give the fish a non-reflective side to retreat to. Or give him another house. Pros: Aesthetically pleasing design, nice gurgling sound from overflows (I put big polished stones in mine to soften the sound), good lighting, great product packaging (100% recyclable cardboard, no foam or styrofoam!), awesome easy construction. Cons: The light coming up through the filter well is on constantly (irritating), the silicone caulk on my tank's fillet welds is sloppy. And why on earth would they put a big white logo on the front of a normal tank? People buying these things are looking for minimalist, quiet designs, not flashy logos. But overall I'm happy with it. My fish too. Ordering Note: The Chi II, unlike its predecessor, comes with a cap, so don't be tempted to buy one (Revain, grrr). As for heaters, I think the immersion option is the way to go as there isn't much room to hang a thermostatically controlled heater over the edge of the tank as the filter cube takes up most of the surface area. I think you might have room if you don't use a lid, but then you have terrible evaporation. And since the water level is so high in Chi, your fish can jump out. I think a cover is required. Update: I've added a submersible preset heater and my fish's appetite has improved dramatically. He's still faking a fight with his reflection in the mirror, but it doesn't seem to bother him. Cleaning the Chi filter is quick, easy, and clean, but vacuuming such a small tank is problematic. When I vacuumed the bottom of the aquarium and the ornamental plant, the siphon had removed half of the water from the tank. You don't always want to do 50% water changes! I'll start using a turkey blaster for a little cleaning and maybe get one of those electric vacuums that don't vacuum. CAUTION: I just had a weird disaster with the waterfall filter on this aquarium. I placed the polished stones in a tray on top of the filter box to decorate and enhance the sound. This morning one of the rocks somehow moved causing the return water to run off the rock and overflow the rim of the tank! Luckily I was out for less than an hour when this happened, but in that time the tank was almost a quarter empty. The filter worked just before drying out - it seemed to be leaking. There was water everywhere. What's really scary is that the water ran down the wall where the socket is, so it could have done a lot of damage. If you have pets or small children who might play with rocks, leave them out. Or use small pebbles or a clear dome accessory. Learn from my mistake. Addendum 10/16: There were issues with excessive evaporation and evidence of fine mist hitting objects near the tank. Chi accessories and spare parts are hard to find these days so I came up with a hack that worked. Place four large, flat, polished stones in the four quadrants on top of the filter cube. Make sure they don't disturb the fountain. Place a small glass bowl (I used a "3" diameter) upside down on top of the stones. Now you've reproduced the fountain cap that should have come with the aquarium but probably didn't. The water still has room to flow, but noise, splashing and evaporation have been greatly reduced. Looks ok too.