
Image from Amazon
When it was time to retire our 29 gallon aquarium, we went back and forth with getting a 55 gallon or a 75 gallon tank. I personally wanted to go as big as the space at our house would allow. But I wasn’t sure we’re up for the commitment of having a huge tank and so much more fish. Eventually, we settled on getting a 55 gallon aquarium. Specifically, we bought a 55 gallon Marineland (Aquaria) AMLPFK55B Biowheel Aquarium Kit with LED light.
Marineland (Aquaria) BioWheel 55 Gallon Aquarium Kit with LED Light Details
- Dimension: 50.5 x 15 x 23.5 inches.
- Shipping Weight: 72.4 pounds.
- Tank Size: 55 gallon.
- Shape: Rectangle.
- Material: Glass.
- Ideal for: Freshwater and saltwater fish.
- Item Model Number: 47497290552.
Marineland (Aquaria) BioWheel 55 Gallon Aquarium Kit with LED Light Features
- Bio-Wheel aquarium kit with updated hood and LED lighting.
- 3 position switches – on, blue and off.
- LED aquarium light integrates securely into place even when hood is open.
Package Comes With:
- 55 gallon glass aquarium.
- Fluorescent lighting.
- Filter.
- Cartridge.
- 200 watt submersible heater.
- Fish net.
- Thermometer.
- Food and water care samples.
- Set up guide.
Our Review
Unpacking and setting up the tank is easy. We got everything done in under an hour. Everything it came with is made of plastic – hood, filter, trim parts. The biowheel filter holds a double filter with an adjustable intake. I like how the whole filter system is quieter than what we used to have.
The LED lights are basically just 2 LED panels that go on each side of the split hood. They are removable and came with detachable power cords. They provide a nice shimmer effect to the aquarium.
Unfortunately, I don’t think they have enough light energy to make my plants grow. So I had to make adjustments and get a different set of LED lights. The three-way manual switch is nice, but it would have been nicer to have a timer in there.
I liked how for the price I get a lot of stuff to go with it. Not many brands do. I still have some equipment from our old aquarium so it wasn’t really any trouble or was it absolutely necessary. But we figured the price is enough of a bargain and it’s always nice to have new equipment.
The thermometer it came with seems ok. The startup pack came with some fish flakes, a net and some water conditioner. Don’t expect too much. The net isn’t long enough to reach the bottom of the pool and the water conditioner really isn’t a lot. I had to wet my arms up to my elbows just to reach the bottom of the tank. The thermometer sticker peeled off easily, too.
However, I am mostly happy with this aquarium. It’s holding out rather well. Other than the peeling thermometer sticker, nothing has broken or fallen apart and we have been using this for almost a year now. I did buy a few replacements (like the LED lights), but those worked just fine with the rest of the system setup.
I did have a minor issue with the LED lights flickering. But we traced it back to the power adapter. I replaced that with a different one and everything worked out fine again. No more flickering lights.
Pros
- Easy set up.
- Quiet filter system.
Cons
- Lights that come with the package cannot support plant growth.
- Light is manual, no timer.
- Short net.
- Thermometer stickers tend to peel off.