What is Reddit's opinion of Marina LED Aquarium Kit, 10 gallon?

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I like this one: link

Can you see it? It’s a Canadian link lol

I just recently purchased and set up This Kit.

I used the included Nutrafin Cycle Biological Aquarium Supplement at the recommended dosage for the last 3 days, as per my LFS instructions. Upon researching this product I've discovered that it can be a quite poor choice to begin a cycle. Supposedly it can contain none of the required bacteria (as it may be dead), and it must be continually used to maintain your cycle.

My tank is filled with only substrate and water at the moment, with the filter running.

My water sits at about 7.0 PH, and is somewhat cloudy at the moment.

The plan is to have a Betta with live plants, and maybe some bottom dwellers.

My questions are this:

How can I know that my tank is ready for fish, is the bacteria even present? Can I take the current tank into a more natural cycle as is. Should I just start over and begin a natural cycle.

I'd hate to go buy a fish now only to find out the tank isn't ready, or have it crash as I would rather have a natural cycle and don't want to have to rely on this product.

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Thank you for your help.

Oh don't worry! Im glad for your concern Its a 3.5 gal :) So it is border line on the too small side. Ive been looking into bigger tanks. My boyfriends cousin is looking to get rid of a 55gal but I think thats too big for now for a novice like me. I've been looking into other tanks around the 10-20 gal range. I was actually going to ask around about this one in particular:

https://www.amazon.com/Marina-LED-Aquarium-Kit-gallon/dp/B0173I55JM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Its really in my price range, like under it actually haha I was looking to spend 100-150 on a new tank and if this is any good ill happily get this one. This tank is pretty cool it goes back farther than what you can tell in the picture its a square so I think its 12 inches all around

No problem! I love this kind of stuff! Neon tetras is what you had? Those are great beginners but they are kind of small. Platties are a good beginner fish that do best in groups of about 3 or 4, especially in a ten gallon. They get to be about 2-3 inches long, and come in many bright, beautiful colors! They also look really pretty when the tank is decorated! Black skirt tetras are also really hardy, and do well in groups! If you wanted variety, you could also throw in a mystery snail or two!

Tanks are pretty easy to shop for. Honestly, the best place I have found is amazon. There are two routes to take. The first is that you could buy all of the parts separately, or you could buy a kit with most of hte stuff oyu need. For beginners, I definitely reccomend getting a kit. This is a pretty good kit that runs pretty cheap! You'll also need a heater for a 10 gallon tank. I use this one because it can be placed either along the wall of the aquarium or along the bottom. You'll also need substrate, or gravel/sand for your aquarium to make it look really nice and to give good bacteria a medium to grow on! This is essentially a preference for what you want your tank to look like! I use this because I like to make my tank look pretty natural, but it is entirely up to you! The most basic rule is you need about 1 pound of substrate per gallon of aquarium. Also, you need to get a gravel vacuum to clean the gravel. I use a small one for my tank because it lets me be more precise. You'll also need some water conditioner to make your tap water safe for fish! Some people use aquarium salt in their tanks, but I've found it's not entirely necessary. You'll also want to get some plastic/silk plants for your tank! Live plants are preferable, but with a 10 gallon tank fake will be fine! Silk is usually recommended because it has less of a tendency to rip fins, but plastic works fine!

So, essentially the bare bones of what you need are:

• 10 gallon tank kit ~$70 (if you go to places like PetsMart or PetCo, you might be lucky and find one on sale for like $30-$50!)
• 10 gallon heater ~$15
• About 10 lbs of substrate or gravel ~$15-$20
• Water conditioner ~$12
• Fish food (flakes, pellets, blood worms, etc.) ~$4
• Gravel vacuum ~$8
• Decorations ~$10-$20 depending on how much you want in your tank

Total: ~$130

All of these prices are from Amazon and my own experience, and can vary greatly from store to store. Especially during sales and such. You might get lucky and get all of this stuff for less that $100! It really does depend on where you are and what's available around you!

If you have any other questions, please let me know!

 

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Might this be a good tank? I would get a 20 gallon, however I do not have the space for it! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0173I55JM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_3sO8FbD0A8W2J?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1