Eclipse Aquariums

[piranha_trader]

Hi all....just wanted to see some opinions on these all-inclusive aquariums. Ive seen them as displays and they have looked very nice to me. Im not really sure how big they come but I cant imagine them being coming in sizes larger than 30 gallons.


Anyways, if youve seen them or have them, please let me know what you think as I am considering getting one.

Aloha

 

[wendywc]

I think they're awesome. Any system with a biowheel is tops, IMO.

 

[charlie4486]

i have to agree with wendy bio wheels are the way to go (IMO).

 

[piranha_trader]

Yeah didnt know that it came with a biowheel. What I like about these eclipse packages is that the filters come totally built in so theres no back filter hanging in the back, no extra wiring etc....I can just plop it on top of the counter and it almost looks like a piece of furniture I suppose.

What I dont like though is the limitations in size. Ive only seen them in 12 gallon sizes. Have any of you seen them in like a 20 gallon acrylic?


That would be fantastic.

 

[wendywc]

I wouldn't bother with the acrylic kits. Alot of common glass tank sizes will fit with their canopies/hood kits. A standard 29 gallon will fit the Eclipse 3 system here. http/www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod...=2004&Nty=1

And bigger canopy systems are available too. http/www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...mp;pcatid=16730

 

[piranha_trader]

I wouldn't bother with the acrylic kits. Alot of common glass tank sizes will fit with their canopies/hood kits. A standard 29 gallon will fit the Eclipse 3 system here. http/www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod...=2004&Nty=1

And bigger canopy systems are available too. http/www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...mp;pcatid=16730

You mean you can buy the filter/light hoods separately and fit them with a glass tank? Sweeeeeet.....thanks for the links Wendy. That 29 idea sounds like just the ticket.

 

[wendywc]

You mean you can buy the filter/light hoods separately and fit them with a glass tank? Sweeeeeet.....thanks for the links Wendy. That 29 idea sounds like just the ticket.

Yep, best of both worlds!

 

[Will91]

I took a serious look at the Eclipse systems before I bought a larger, 26 US gallon Bowfront by All-Glass. I can tell you that MarineLand is a top notch outfit. The BioWheel design is quite a breakthrough. I used MarineLand's BioSpira to get my tank cycled extremely quickly and it worked fantastic. I had a couple of discussions and e-mails with MarineLand and they were very helpful. They exclusively manufacture aquarium products so they know what they are doing.

I don't much like acrylic tanks - they tend to scratch easily and give a more distorted optical view into the tank. I believe you might be able to purchase a glass tank and fit it with one of the BioWheel hood systems. Alternatively, hang on the back filters work great too. I am using a Tetra Whisper 30 filter with my tank. It uses a Bio Sponge as the biological filter. It seems the BioSpira in combination with the Tetra filter worked great...I saw no ammonia with my API test kit since the BioSpira bacteria were there and ready to process it and I only saw a small nitrite spike (BioSpira has both ammonia and nitrite processing bacteria). They seemed to set up shop very quickly on my Tetra BioSponge.

Good luck.

 

[piranha_trader]

Thanks for the help guys.

Now which hood combo should I fit with a 20-gallon glass tank? Any of you know? I was just told by my LFP that I should go with the hood combo that sports the two bulb lighting system.


Any of you know which hood combo has the two bulb with biowheel to fit a 20-gallon?

Thanks very much in advance if you can help.

 

[wendywc]

If you look at the item listing in the first link...
Eclipse 1 is 10" x 20", 150gph, with one 15watt 18" T8 bulb
Eclipse 2 is 12" x 24", 200gph, with two 15watt 18" T8 bulbs
Eclipse 3 is 12" x 30", 250gph, with two 18watt 24" T8 bulbs

Of course, in this range, you don't have a choice with the lighting... it is what it is. You just need to get the right size hood to fit the tank you have and/or getting.

If you're getting a 20 gallon long, the standard tank dimensions are 30" x 12" x 12", so you get an Eclipse 3.
If you're getting a 20 gallon high, the standard tank dimensions are 24" x 12" x 16", so you get an Eclipse 2.

Just check the dimensions of the tank you're getting. But I would recommend getting the biggest tank possible.

 

[piranha_trader]

If you look at the item listing in the first link...
Eclipse 1 is 10" x 20", 150gph, with one 15watt 18" T8 bulb
Eclipse 2 is 12" x 24", 200gph, with two 15watt 18" T8 bulbs
Eclipse 3 is 12" x 30", 250gph, with two 18watt 24" T8 bulbs

Of course, in this range, you don't have a choice with the lighting... it is what it is. You just need to get the right size hood to fit the tank you have and/or getting.

If you're getting a 20 gallon long, the standard tank dimensions are 30" x 12" x 12", so you get an Eclipse 3.
If you're getting a 20 gallon high, the standard tank dimensions are 24" x 12" x 16", so you get an Eclipse 2.

Just check the dimensions of the tank you're getting. But I would recommend getting the biggest tank possible.

Thanks Wendy for the terrific help.