What is Reddit's opinion of Marina LED Aquarium Kit, 5 Gallon?

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Oh man. :/ I ended up going with a small 5 gallon set up that I found on Amazon! It was a little more money but it's a great starter kit and included everything that I needed, other than the Co2 and the heater. 😊 the filter is so dang quiet!!

Marina LED Aquarium Kit, 5 Gallon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0173I55IS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_XOcrEbGZSXPW2

Maintenance isn't too crazy, thankfully. :) I get in 30 minutes early on Wednesdays to clean up Bruiser's tank and then Fridays I take about 15 minutes out of my lunch or at the end of the day to water my plants and dust my desk off. 😊

Eh, idk. I bought my tank at 5g for for almost that and it has everything. The filter is pretty quiet, and the size is good for one betta, plus it was in my price range.

My Wisp really loves his tank. When I clean it, I put him next to it so he can watch. IDK if it makes him feel better but it can't hurt for him to see he isn't going back to that tiny cup I bought him in. It's sad, cuz the moss ball cups are bigger than the betta cups at the pet store!

Edit: added more info

It is this tank kit:

http://www.amazon.com/Marina-LED-Aquarium-Kit-gallon/dp/B0173I55IS?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

The tank has been set up for two weeks. There is one betta in it and approx 1/4"-3/4" natural gravel at the bottom, with the depth of the gravel varying depending on where it is, as I have slightly more gravel around any small bunch plants.

It is a fresh water tank with the levels just fine. The light which came as part of the hood (It's a long skinny LED strip light that is aprox 10" long) puts out alot of light which reaches the bottom of the tank well. It is turned on when I get out of bed in the morning and turned off before I go to bed at night.

Different plants require different light, and I expect that not all varieties will work in this environment. Even still, I assume there would be some baseline guesstimate as to when one might know when they might see deterioration in the plants from the hood light not being a wide enough spectrum. There is certainly ENOUGH light, but I am not sure of the light's quality.

A betta will need a 5 gallon tank. They can survive in smaller but they will be very cramped and you'll have to change the water a LOT more often to prevent it from becoming toxic with ammonia. It's not a great life for them. I have mine in 8 and 10 gallons, and they use up every inch of space. 5 gallons is still pretty small as far as shelf space goes! This one looks decent and comes with a filter/heater (and it's on sale!)

If you swipe to the "about" tab on this sub, there is a caresheet/wiki that will provide all the info you need about cycling your tank and preparing. Unfortunately there's a common misconception and "cycling" does not mean just letting the water run through or sit in the tank for a few days. It's a process of establishing a bacteria colony to keep it waste from building up. It seems intimidating but it's a vital set up step before buying your fish!

Honestly everything you need is in that care wiki, I'd definitely recommend checking it out for research. It will tell you about water changes, decoration recs, all of it.

I like anubias as beginner betta plants, since they are just tied or weighed down (not buried), pretty easygoing, and my bettas like to chill on the leaves. As for feeding, I think the weekend schedule would be ok :) I'd just feed a little extra on Friday nights before you go and make sure you don't forget through the week.

Don't let it intimidate you, it sounds like a lot but it's not so bad when you get the hang of things. And it's worth it to see a thriving pretty fish. Best of luck!!

Local chain pet store. It's a Marina LED 5Gallon. This is same on US Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Marina-LED-Aquarium-Kit-Gallon/dp/B0173I55IS

The tank is nice but I don't use the filter that came with it - way too strong and it was noisy.

I have a Marina Slim S10 clip-on filter with quick-change filter cartridges, which came with this