MARINELAND LED Starter Kit Tanks ADVICE

Hello, new to this fourm, but not the site.
I need to upgrade to a larger tank and i'm currently looking at the Marineland 20 gallon or 29 gallon LED starter kits. Do I still need to purchase an airstone with a pump and tubing? I can't find anything about that online, but I don't understand how the fish can breathe without an airstone, so is the starter kit REALLY complete, with the exception of plants/gravel? Also, is Marineland a reccommended aquarium? My only other option is a Top Fin tank of the same size but the Marineland has LED lights and a biowheel filter.

The fish I currently keep and plan on buying in the near future are the following: Harlequin Rasboras, small Corydoras Catfish, KuhlI Loaches, Guppies, Zebra Danios, Ghost Shrimp, Betta Fish, and Freshwater Angelfish. Thanks for any feedback.

 

I really like Marineland aquariums and products... just not the starter LED lights. I don't want to discourage you from buying it, but I do want to warn you. The lights are VERY nice at first, very pretty, but once the humidity/moisture seeps up into the LED strips, the light strip dies. It's a common issue with these kits. They wouldn't even replace my light strip which was under warranty. So I'm not very happy with the kit I bought. Left me with a useless "hood" and a useless light. If you want to get the kit, I suggest you try to seal off the light fixture the best you can.

I've had great experience with Top Fin kits. Ok, so, I did have a heater and light stop working... I just happened to get a faulty kit. Their tanks have lifetime warranties though (well at least they did when I bought them, I imagine they still do) and so the light and heater were replaced without a problem.

As for a pump... it's not completely necessary but it's a nice thing to have. Normally the filter causes enough surface agitation to provide enough air to the fish so they can breath. If you ever need to provide more air to the tank, such as for active or sick fish, then all you need to do is lower the water level. However, not all people want to look at a lowered water level or want to hear that (the noise of the filter water running down), so that's where an air pump comes in handy. Personally I run an air pump in all my tanks. You don't need an air pump for each individual tank, either... I have only two air pumps for 13 tanks and they do great. So if you already have an air pump you could split it off between that tank and your new tank.

 

Welcome to Fishlore.

It's surface agitation that puts O2 into the water. So the pump and airstone just creates surface agitation. Agitation can be from a splash/ripples from your filter or ripples from a canisters spraybar. Powerheads that move the surface etc.

Fish do enjoy the bubbles to play in.

If you are not planning on keeping plants then that setup with LEDs is fine for general lighting for a fish only tank.

 

An airstone isn't absolutely essential to set up an aquarium, but most people do use one for the extra aeration. You should get water disturbance with the filter which is good for aeration. IMO, Marineland is a good product. I have 2 biowheel filters on the back of my 70 gal. tank. I am happy with them, but you do have to clean out the wheels once in a while to keep them moving. Always rinse in tank water when you do a water change.

Oh yeah, welcome. Glad to have you here.

Go for the 29. You'll be glad you did .

 

Thanks for all the info! The LED lights seemed to look so cool on the box. That's unfortunate that they die out quick. I have no idea how to safely cover them without hurting lights and more importantly fish. Do you know if the Top Fin starter kits are an all in one package with a hood, heater, lights, and filter? I have one Top Fin tank but it is much smaller and the acrylic scratches very easily. Trying to get an all in one package to save money and make setting up and cycling the tank simple as possible.

 

You started 3 threads on this. It's confusing for members.

Edit: it's been fixed.

 

Think I am going with the 29 gallon. I can add some extra fish to the schools, and then hopefully raise some happy Angels in the future!

 

You started 3 threads on this. It's confusing for members.

I posted in 3 different areas lol, sorry. Thought I could reach out to more people. I assumed most would only post in a certain area..

 

I have an airstone in my 90 gallon oscar tank. I live in twilight zone Arizona, and transporting her was concerning to me, so the stone not only went in the cooler with her to bring her home, but I put it in the tank with her just to ensure she was getting enough current. She likes swimming through the bubbles, and when she's feisty, she grabs the stone! I've wrapped the tubing around the tank so she doesn't drag the pump in the water. It causes calcium buildup under the glass, but I haven't the heart to take it out. I just wouldn't use an airstone in any other aquarium.
My opinion on the LED lighted hoods is that they are marketed for the glofish fad, though I have one for princess Juliet (my female betta). No problem so far with the light, though I never use the blue. But then, I only bought it for the hex shape....

 

Well, years ago I had a Top Fin filter and it died on me after only a couple months. Since then I have used Marineland filters. When all my other filters seem to come and go... my Emperor 280 just keeps humming along. I would highly recommend Marineland.

 

Duplicate threads have been merged. As already stated, starting multiple threads for the same topic is very confusing. Simply find the most appropriate forum and start a single thread per topic.

Good luck with your tank plans.

 

would I be able to use a Bio Wheel Filter on a Top Fin tank? never tried mix matching parts before..They are essentially the same as far as what they come with except for the filters and hood/lights, so its really between those two items. They both come with heaters, not sure if theyre different or not.

 

As far as I know, you can use whatever filter you want on whatever tank you have. Just make sure the filter is the right size for whatever size tank you buy. Brand name doesn't make a difference.