Fish & Aquatics

MARINELAND CONTOUR DESKTOP FISH TANK REVIEW BY NIKKI MOUSTAKI

1/15/2016

I'm a big fan of "plug and play" fish tanks that take aquaria seriously. There's no need for your betta, guppy, or molly tank to look like it belongs to a five year old. Thanks to Marineland's Contour Desktop kit, you can have a sophisticated desktop tank that looks like it belongs in a museum.

Attractive pico tanks are all about lighting, lighting, lighting. Marineland got it right when they developed the Contour. The arched LED light is bright, and the blend of white and blue lights give everything in the tank an ocean-like glow. The glass is curved, so there are no silicone creases, giving you a much better view of your fish and plants.

The Marineland Contour isn't just a pretty face. It's an all-in-one tank with a hidden filter behind the black back wall. You will find both a sponge filter (biological filtration) and a replaceable cartridge filter (mechanical filtration). This filter is incredibly easy to maintain. Squeeze out the sponge once in a while, and replace the cartridge about every two weeks to a month, depending on how much you feed your fish.

The flow of the filter should be turned down low for betta fish, which is easy to do. The tank comes in three or five gallon (I have the five), both of which would be good for a betta, but I recommend the larger tank if you want to have more fish. The rule of thumb is one inch of fish per gallon, so don't over stock. You can also include a heater in the back area so that it doesn't spoil the look of your tank.

My Marineland Contour Fish Tank and Betta

All in all, this a very easy tank for beginners, and will also intrigue intermediate level fish owners. It's beautiful and practical. Fins up for the Marineland Contour fish tank!

FROM MARINELAND'S WEBSITE

Marineland’s newest kits are available in either three or five gallon glass aquarium sizes. All kits feature Marineland 3-stage hidden filtration with a Rite-SizeTM Z Cartridge and Marineland Bio-Foam® (included in the kit), and include an adjustable flow filter pump. Bright white and blue energy efficient LED lights feature a 3-way switch (toggle between white and blue, off, and blue-only settings). The white LEDs create a shimmering light in the water that mimics the underwater effect of sunlight, and the blue LEDs produce a relaxing moonlight glow. The kits feature either a hinged or sliding glass canopy for easy feeding and water care dosing. These easy-to-assemble kits are beautifully designed and easy to maintain.

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BETTA FALLS FISH TANK REVIEW BY NIKKI MOUSTAKI

11/24/2015

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Betta Falls fish tank is a unique twist on betta keeping. Bettas, also known as Siamese Fighting Fish, are typically kept as a single fish in a single tank. The males in this species will fight to the death if kept together, and unless you're experienced at breeding bettas, you shouldn't keep males/females or females/females together either. These fish are happy living singly with a human companion that is responsible about feeding and water changes.

Because betta fish are kept singly, you'd need several tanks if you want to keep several fish. Each tank will require separate cleaning and water changes. Enter Betta Falls, your solution for multiple betta keeping with minimal work.

The Betta Falls fish tank allows you to safely keep three male bettas at one time. This is a great set up for a small space or a desktop. Three staggered separate living spaces allow water from a filter on one end of the tank to trickle into each living space, and then back into the base of the tank and up through the filter again. The living spaces have frosted sides so that your fish can't see one another.

The tank features a hidden filter that takes medium sized Aqueon filter cartridges. Many betta tanks or set ups don't even have a filter, so this tank is easier to keep clean than a tank with stagnant water or a small, ineffective filter. I've been using Aqueon filters for years. They're the best bang for your buck and are super reliable. The filter on the Betta Falls fish tank is very quiet unless the tank is low on water. Then it will make a little noise, but this is remedied by adding water. There's a little window in the base that indicates how much water is in it.

A clear top on each living space on the Betta Falls fish tank keeps your fish from jumping out, while still allowing space to feed your fish and for water to trickle through.

This is my Betta Falls fish tank and my bettas (below).

There's an optional LED color changing light that fits perfectly inside the base of the tank to gently and continually change the color in each of the living spaces. This light takes the aesthetics of the tank to another level. It's absolutely beautiful, especially at night. If you choose to have the light at the bottom, you will want to use clear gravel, glass stones, or have bare bottom living spaces.

You'll likely also need a small heater, which can also fit inside the base of the tank so that it's hidden. The entire tank holds two gallons of water, so make sure you buy the appropriate heater. Bettas like water between 78 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bettas need tank decorations to feel comfortable. I always choose live plants as my decor. They help oxygenate the water and add to the beauty of the tank and the fish. Bettas do not like a lot of water flow, but it's very easy to turn down the flow on the water pump itself (which I did), and I also added a few stalks of lucky bamboo plants into the spaces between tanks. The bamboo love aquarium water, and the fish love having something to swim around. These lucky bamboo stalks also help keep the flow down a bit. You can also add other hardy aquatic plants.

If you're starting from scratch with the Betta Falls fish tank, you'll also need some betta food and some water conditioner. I recommend using bottled spring water to start, and then using the water conditioner for water changes. This tank kit contains samples of both food and water conditioner.

Speaking of water changes . . . changing the water on this kit is very easy. Simply unplug the filter, take off the living spaces (they come off easily), and dump the water in the base into the sink or a thirsty plant. Fill it up with bottled or conditioned water, and place the living spaces back onto the base. Plug the filter in again.

The Betta Falls fish tank is good for both the beginner and the intermediate betta keeper. Bettas can live up to four years with good care and a nice tank set up.

Right now, I'm using my Betta Falls fish tank as my betta vacation tank. I travel a lot, often for weeks at a time, so I bring the tank to my parents' house so that they can care for my bettas while I'm away. This way they don't feel burdened by so many fish tanks or like I'm taking up too much counter space. The tank is also very attractive, so they actually like having the fish "visit."

If you don't want to keep bettas but still like the look of this tank, you can also use this tank to grow semi-aquatic plants. The filter eliminates stagnant, smelly water, and the light will add to the beauty of the set up. Fins up for the Betta Falls fish tank!

FROM THE AQUEON WEBSITE

The Aqueon® Betta Falls provides a calming presence of cascading water while showcasing the natural beauty of betta. Betta Falls is large enough to make an elegant statement, yet compact enough to fit anywhere in your home or office. The water is filtered using Aqueon® QuietFlow® power filtration. The aquarium is approximately 2 gallons in size and includes a maximum fill indicator window which conveniently shows when more water should be added to the unit. An internal pump comes with the kit which allows for adjusting the water flow to a slower speed for betta and a faster speed for tropical fish or shrimp. Frosted panels prevent betta from seeing one another, preventing aggression. Included with each kit are betta food and water care samples, ensuring the tools for a successful start to the aquatic environment. Available in black or white.

Approximately 2 Gallons
QuietFlow® Power Filtration
Filter Cartridge
Premium Betta Food
BettaBowl Plus Water Conditioner
Aquarium Set Up Guide

DINO PET REVIEW FROM BIOPOP BY NIKKI MOUSTAKI

11/2/2015

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What's cooler than growing your own plankton at home? Growing GLOWING plankton! That's what you can do when you own a DinoPet from BioPop. The ingenious people at this company have figured out how to bring a small, magical part of the ocean into your home.

There's probably no easier pet than the DinoPet. Seriously. I was a little afraid of it at first, wondering if I could keep it alive. I have fish and dogs, and somehow I do manage to feed myself, so I have no idea why I was nervous about my DinoPet. But I needn't have worried. Simply add DinoFood (also from BioPop) and your dino should live forever if you keep it in a bright spot and don't overheat or over-chill it.

At its essence, the DinoPet is a study, plastic, adorable dinosaur that's filled with a clear, hazy liquid. At night, when you take it into a dark room and shake it, the liquid glows a shimmery blue. It's beautiful.

This is a great novelty gift for the person who "has everything," and most especially for a child or teenager who is into science. It's also great for someone who is allergic to most pets, can't have a pet due to apartment rules, or is too irresponsible to have a hermit crab. The DinoPet is EASY.

I'm really charmed by my DinoPet. I keep him near a window in indirect sunlight, and he has gotten brighter week after week. Paws up for DinoPet!

From the BioPop Website:

The Dino Pet is a living, interactive 'pet' that photosynthesizes during the day and glows brilliantly when you play with it at night. The alluring blue glow emitted by the Dino Pet is bioluminescence, made from microscopic sea life called dinoflagellates.

By using sunlight, water and nutrients, instead of batteries or electricity, the Dino Pet allows you to hold one of nature's most magical occurrences in the palm of your hand. Every year, thousands of people travel the world to experience the magic of bioluminescence in nature. The Dino Pet lets you bring this beautiful phenomenon into the comfort of your own home, and enjoy it night after night.

Far more than a toy, the Dino Pet is a contemporary living art piece, introductory pet, biological magic trick, conversation starter and science lesson that instills a sense of wonder in people of all ages.