Product: No Clean Aquarium
Research:
My roommate has been talking about getting a fish for months, but we haven’t had great luck with fish in the past. The first obstacle is our cat, Jack, known to eat a fish or two – and we all have hectic schedules that are not conducive to anything that requires a lot of maintenance (like a traditional aquarium).
Hypothesis:
Described as “Fish Without Fuss” I think the No Clean Aquarium will be a great fit for our apartment. The aquarium is supposed to self-clean, all without batteries or electricity, and most importantly, without a huge time commitment or a need to remove the fish from his environment. We’ll enjoy a new fish addition, Jack will keep out, and maintaining the little guy will be stress free (for the humans and the fish).
Experiment:
I obtained the aquarium and got some rocks for the bottom. My roommate was in charge of getting the fish and a plant. It’s important to note that the No Clean Aquarium is approved only for betta fish. We made plans to set it all up on a night when we’d both get home around the same time. The betta fish was double-bagged from the pet store, and the first thing we did was float the fish bag in a pitcher of water to get the fish acclimated to the temperature. While he hung out in there, we followed the instructions to set up his new environment.
Setting it all up couldn’t be simpler! The aquarium came with instructions and a diagram, but without any pumps or cords it was really easy. First, we had to rinse all the pieces with water – no soap! The pieces can fit together only one way, keeping confusion to a minimum.
The instructions recommend using twisty ties to anchor your plants to the mesh piece that sits in the bottom of the aquarium.
By now the fish had enough time to get used to the temperature of the water, so we poured the water from the pitcher into the aquarium and then added the fish. He looked great inside! We gave him some fish food and watched him explore his new home. We also decided on a fitting fish name – Leonard.
Jack became immediately jealous and tried to push the aquarium off the counter, so we had to reconsider its location. We moved Leonard to a safer table and surrounded him with objects. There is a cover on top of the aquarium, and we were pretty confident Jack would not be able to stick his paws inside! He spent the rest of the evening sulking.
A week went by, and it was time to change the water. We made sure the temperature was just right and poured the clean water in slowly. Sure enough water from the bottom came up through the tube, and emptied into the pitcher. It was definitely filthy water.
Conclusion:
So far, everything is working out as we expected it to – changing Leonard’s water is easy, and he doesn’t seem to mind. We came up with a system to keep track of when Leonard’s been fed – blue card means he ate at night, and yellow card means he ate in the morning. If one of us gets home at night and sees the yellow card, it’s time to feed the fish!
And Jack, well he can’t get into the aquarium. But he did manage to knock it over once. Fortunately, my roommate heard the commotion and was able to rescue Leonard and get everything assembled again in no time. Nothing broke! So, while it’s not completely cat proof, it is still about the most successful aquarium we’ve ever had.
14 Comments
That tank is way too small for a betta. They’ll survive for a while, but it is cruel. Please don’t use these “aquariums”. They are inhumane.
Dirgni,
Do you work in a pet store. How do you know the bettas won’t last very long. I’m thinking about getting one and just wondered what all you know about them. I feel sorry for bettas, at the pet store, in those little plastic cups. Nothing to do but swim in a little 2 1/2 circle. I do know not to put any other fish with them. If you can, please let me know about the livability of the fish.
Ok, I checked it out. Fish like horizontal tanks instead of vertical ones. Fish also give off ammonia that can be deadly in a small tank. The idea of cleaning the water sounded so good to me. If the manufacturers could only make it larger. Glad I saw your comment.
the bettas (fish recommended for the item) is native to Thailand, hence their other name, “Siamese fighting fish”. They are accustomed to rice paddies: small spaces. This aquarium is, by no means, cruel and inhumane. This tank is approved by >this< Thailand native.
Rice paddies are no where near small for a better, but they are shallow. Plenty of room to swim horizontally! This tank is definitely too small. Poor little guy.
Betta*
Bettas can “survive” in this type of set up because they can obtain oxygen from the surface, unlike all other aquarium fish.
There is a difference between “surviving” and “thriving”.
My boyfriend’s roommate’s betta lived in a giant glass jar that is roughly 2 1/2 gallons. No air pump to agitate the water’s surface, no live plants, and no filter.
My betta lives in a small aquarium roughly 2 gallons. He has a Bio-filter, (An Aerobic surface that encourages beneficial bacteria growth that consumes ammonia and nitrite, producing nitrate… nitrate feeds plants, and the plants produce oxygen.), an activated charcoal filter, and surface agitation from water returning to the tank from the filter.
The roommate’s betta never did anything but sit at the bottom of the jar. To the extent that a tap was required to see if he was alive sometimes. He is dead now. I think he lived a year.
My betta swims around his little tank all day every day. He shows personality. He notices when I walk into the room. He swims in and under his plants and rocks. He purposely swims against the currrent of the water returning from the filter. Very active. His fins are very long and bright with color.
Do you all see the difference?
i really like the idea of this no fuss aquarium and am thinking of ordering one.
this may be a dumb question, but after reading the comments re the beta, betta or better fish, i am wondering if this aquarium would be suitable for a couple of generic goldfish or some other kind of pet colorful fish from a regular pet store.
i hope a concerned fish person will respond to my question…
i don’t want to cruely imprison fish of any sort.
mahalo.
Thanks for your question, Carolene. We’re happy to hear that you don’t want to cruelly imprison any fish! Us neither. Our No Clean Aquarium is only intended for bettas. It would not be a good environment for any other fish.
I had a 72 gallon saltwater tank, and had all kinds of problems with keeping my fish alive. They were beautiful, and it just destroyed me to lose one after another after another. So I’m considering this No Clean Aquarium. What happens when we go away? How long can we go without cleaning it? We also have two different places ~ 7 months (winter) in one, and a summer one that’s not winterized, and it can get really cold during the fall (we live in Maine) ~ how cold can the water get? Would 60 degrees be too cold?
Kathy
Hello, Kathy —
Oh dear, we are truly sad to hear about your fish. We love all creatures here at UG and that breaks our hearts.
As to your question we don’t recommend this for your purposes, for several reasons. First, this tank can NOT be used as a saltwater tank. Second, what the “no clean” concept means is that you don’t have to take the whole thing apart and scrub. Instead, you pour in new, conditioned water every 2-3 days–so a long vacation when the tank is left unattended is not recommended. Finally, betta fish are the only recommended fish for this tank, and the water temperature should not drop below 74 degrees.
We’re really glad you asked, so that we’d have an opportunity to give you this important info. Good luck with your future fish, and thanks for reading our blog.
How do you keep the water at 74 degrees?
Hi Sheila, thanks for the question. You should avoid adding cold water to the tank. Always let the water sit at room temperature (for around 24 hours, if possible), before putting it in, that way it will be around the same temperature as the water that’s already in the tank. It’s OK if it’s a bit warmer than 74 degrees, but if you prefer to keep your home cool and worry that your fish is getting chilly, you can check the temperature with a fish tank thermometer (not included, but available at most pet stores).
Hey there Valerie, great article on the no clean aquarium. I personally don’t like them myself, they’re too small for me. But I do like that you mention cleaning and water changes this is important especially for small aquariums like this. And I did see you mentioned in the comments that you’ll only be keeping one betta in the aquarium, very good recommendation and I agree with your completely.
I also wanted to share a great resource for soon to be Betta owners it’s a care guide I wrote myself and I think your readers would really find it useful if you were able to share it with them.
Here it is:https://www.tropicalfishcareguides.com/betta-fish-care-made-easy/
If not, no worries love the site.
Take care.