Review on GloFish Aquarium Kit: Stunning LED Lights, Whisper Filter, and Hood Included! by Michael Zambrano

I got this as a cheap betta aquarium which I am temporarily keeping an eye on as it looked so sad in its small 1 gallon bowl. It's a good size and not a terrible design - it doesn't look as cheap as it actually is. The 1 pound per gallon gravel recommendation works well since 3 pounds of gravel is ideal for a depth of about 1 inch. The filter is not only of poor quality, but also dangerous if you have small fish. The fighting cock I care for is already an adult, so not small, but a few days after I brought it into this aquarium, I found that it was somehow stuck in the filter. His fins are torn and he's shaking a lot so I have to work hard to make sure he doesn't get fin rot or any other disease while he recovers. The filter is very, very cheap, even compared to other cheap filters. It's basically an open bucket — there's no top lid — and you just stuff a small bag of charcoal or whatever gas stations have in it. The motor on the bottom sucks in water and pushes it through the top in an aesthetically pleasing waterfall. The open top design of the bucket allows the fish to accidentally jump in, which I think happened in my case. I didn't overfill the tank and left at least an inch of room at the top. I recommend throwing this filter straight in the trash when you get this tank. I have a Penn Plax Cascade 300 filter in my main betta tank and would 100% recommend it for a small tank over 3 gallons. It is fully submersible, minimizing disturbances to the water surface for them to build their bubble nests, and features two-stage filtration - mechanical through a sponge and with a carbon cartridge. It is completely closed, so such incidents do not happen to it. The lid is also thin. There is no hinge or connection to the aquarium - it just sits on top so it can be easily felt and dipped into the aquarium, worrying your fish. I don't use a flashlight, but I can't imagine anything electrical connected to such a thin piece of plastic. The light seems to just snap into place, so that's not the safest thing either. Overall, this is a cheap tank with cheap accessories.