Tank Decision, Hex 5/Mini-bow 5

[Bulldogg629]

Recently I got my first tank (as I stated in my other post, but I didnt want to combine 2 questions) For sake of price it was a "Hex 5" from Wal-mart. As you might have deduced it is a haxogonal 5 gallon acrylic tank. My other choice being the Mini-Bow 5. I went with the Hex on account of it was cheaper and it had the bio-wheel that seems so important. However after filling it with water it seems that the hexogonal shape badly distorts everything that is inside, and depending on your angle either causes a mirror image on the next side over or creates a blind spot. This is driving me nuts, and now I see that the Mini-Bow 5 has come down to the same price at Wal-mart. My question is, as far as I know the Mini-bow does not have a bio-wheel, can anyone tell me if that is true and more importantly, if it does not have one and is not made for one, would it be as easy as making a mount to hold a wheel in front of the output on the filter? Any other pros/cons/opinions on these 2 tanks would also be appreciated.

Thank You

 

[SirWired]

Firstly, 5g acrylic is actually not a very good first tank. It is VERY prone to scratching, and with a tank that small, it will be hard to keep the water chemistry stable (this leads to unhappy/dead fish). You would be much better served by a standard 10g (or better yet, 20g-long) glass. For a beginner, larger tanks are actually easier to keep healthy than smaller tanks. (This goes counter to intuition... it mostly has to do with keeping the water stable.)

The Bio-Wheel is one of many methods of providing Biological Filtration for your tank. It is a pretty decent one that is VERY compact, but on the other hand, if the wheel jams, you will have issues. A standard Hang-on-back filter will also provide biological filtration as long as it has a foam block in it that does NOT get changed regularly.

If you really want the wheel, and your tank doesn't come with one, all HOB filters from Marineland come with one.

SirWired

 

[Hound]

Having a bio wheel is not really necessary in a tank. Some people like them and some don't. If you can exchange your hex for the mini bow I would simply because the bow has a bigger footprint and has better viewing angles. If it's in your financial means and you have the room you should consider the 10g deluxe setup at walmart. If I'm remembering right it's only about $50 and it is a decently good starting set up. In general one should go for the largest tank that space and money will allow for. I still kick myself for going with a 50g instead of springing for a 75g tank when I started out. That being said given a choice between a hexagon tank and a more traditionaly shaped tank I'd go with a traditional shaped tank anyday. Keep in mind fish generally swim more side to side than up and down.

 

[mandimoron]

My first tank was a five gallon acrylic, and while I hold it dear in my heart for giving me my introduction to the world of fishkeeping, I was quite glad to get rid of it and get a proper glass tank. As has been said, it scratched very easily (even with cleaning tools made especially for acrylic tanks), and looked kind of crappy in short order, since algae took to roosting in the pits in the pastic where it was near impossible to get out without causing further damage to the tank.

I would definitely recommend starting with at least a ten gallon glass tank if your budget and living space permit. It may not seem like a big difference now, but once you start getting into the swing of things, you'll begin to appreciate it more.

However, having said that, it's certainly not impossible to keep a nice 5 gal acrylic tank if that's what you have your heart set on. If you choose to stick with this, go with whichever of the tanks has the largest surface area. I'd be willing to bet it won't be the hex tank, but yeah, take a look at the two tanks from that perspective and base your purchase on that. Bio-Wheels are nice, but not necessary by any means.