The filter itself is huge for the size of tank and wins lots of brownie points for being in the form of an open chamber. I cannot wait to play with and tweak mine, trying out different resins and media, although if I'm honest there's nothing wrong with what's supplied. The Fluval Spec 19 Litre aquarium in a beautiful white finish is a stunning aquarium, ideal for first time fish keeping hobbyists. Integrated with a fantastic LED lighting system, aquarium fish and plants have an ideal source of natural looking light available for the best growth and developmental results whilst also enhancing the vibrant colours of your aquarium inhabitants. It’s easiest to lower the pump into place by hanging onto both the outlet tube and the power cord. Once you get it roughly into place, there is no way you can get hands down to adjust the position a little or to press it down to suction it onto the bottom of the aquarium (unless you have super tiny hands). I used a wooden spoon to scoot it around into the best place and then press down on the top of the pump to suction it down. You’ll need to tank this on and off to do water changes, float new fish, clean the filter and its easier to take it off to clean the glass too.

If you want to run this as a tropical tank you’ll need a heater – The recommended one for the tank is the Fluval Edge 25w Heater – Buy it here. Some stats on the latest version of this tank I would also love to hear people's opinions on which wattage to use for a 5 gallon tank such as this and what they've found worked. I am housing one Betta fish so the temperature needs to be around 26 degrees celsius (between 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit). Ive heard people use both 25 and 50, but 50 sounds like the safer option. Once again I'm not sure!Ultimately it's your choice. I feel the Fluval is worth the price, as most things in this hobby tend to be. This screws into the end section where the filter is really easily, just slip it over and the tighten it up to secure in place. Oh, you'll also need to scout about before you find the light switch. On the side of the LED strip is not the most obvious position.

If you want to do this add some sand or aquatic soil to the bottom so you don’t damage the tank. Bogwood setup My advice at this time is to mess around with what you have already. Then settle on a layout you like. Since this Fluval model is compact and more traditional looking, you will most likely use this as an accent within a room and not as the visual centerpiece of the space. This means that the rest of the space in your room should be able to carry its own visual appeal and aesthetics without relying upon the look of this smaller aquarium. Be mindful of the qualify, finish and appearance of hardwood materials in your floor (and your stairs!) that are part of the room that the Fluval Spec is placed in. Bright, shiny hardwoods speak for themselves in creating a visual impact separate from the aquarium.I always think bog wood looks a little boring in a larger tank, but in a small Flex tank with some pants around it can be quite a feature. The question in my mind is the balance between smaller - so a smaller mouth and can eat only the small fry; or bigger and so cannot go where the fry may hide. It is tempting to oversize your heater, but remember, aquarium heaters do not fail "off" they fail "on"...so you put a 50W heater in a 5 gallon tank, which is total overkill, and in five or six years when that puppy fails you have betta soup. As a general rule, the 5 gallon Spec V aquarium can have either a 25 watt or a 50 watt. I use a 50 watt and it certainly does not need more heating power. I think a 25 watt would have sufficed as well for our home. CPDs - need too many and also apparently love to hunt and being so small can go anywhere the fry go