Shame On You, Tetra!

[RobberyinCSharp]

My mother bought me a 15-gallon starter kit from Tetra as a Christmas present this year. I was absolutely ecstatic! I opened the box and checked the contents of the kit. Everything that should've been there was, in fact, there. The hood, the lamp, the fish food, the water conditioner, etc. However, I checked the filter that came with the tank - and it was made for 5-10 gallons max! At first I thought that maybe I had received the "lemon" tank from the company and I could just exchange the kit. But no! I went back to the store and our LFS tried to give us some blabbering nonsense about how a 5-10 gallon filter would work sufficiently for a 15 gallon tank, and all of Tetra's kits were packaged with insufficient filtration systems.
I'm so irked right now. I've been lucky/unlucky enough to see what happens to your fish with insufficient filtration. What about parents that buy these kits for their small children? The ones that DON'T have any experience fishkeeping.
I know I sure as heck don't want to be the parent that explains to my child why his her her Christmas fish is dead....

GRRRRRR....

 

[Man of fish]

Hmm I wonder if the 15 gallon success kit is the same.

 

[StandbySetting]

Chill man, the filter will be fine, the circulation will just be a little weak though.

 

[RobberyinCSharp]

Hmm I wonder if the 15 gallon success kit is the same.

Yes sir, that's the exact kit my mother bought me for Xmas...

 

[Fishy friend2]

I Got the same kit and the same filter.... Good thing that I was upgrading so I used the filter from my old 5 gallon with the filter that came with the 15 gallon tank

 

[BigbruiserAl]

Filter ratings are just guides to help people out there not law and they will do no harm to the fish within reason.

(putting a 100L filter in 400L tank is obviously silly )

 

[mishmash]

A couple of people have posted how the filter will work fine. I'm wondering how that logic works ? A filter that is rated for a tank with a maximum volume that is only two thirds of the actual tank it is to be used on ? Surely at best that means that it would restrict stocking levels ? Its a small enough tank in the first place in terms of keeping on top of good quality water. I would have thought decent filtration would be even more important ?

Apart from anything else, if the kit is marketed as a 15 gallon set up it could be construed that to supply a filter that is rated by its own manufacturer as not being suitable for the tank it was sold with, is a contravention of trades description ? If you were sold, say, a greenhouse kit marketed as a "total greenhouse solution" and they only gave you two thirds the panes of glass you needed to build the greenhouse, would you be satisfied ?

Most advice on here as that "you can't have enough filtration" and "circulation is all important" (depending on type of setup). So I am a little confused as to why an under rated filter is acceptable. For my part, I would not be happy.

 

[StandbySetting]

A couple of people have posted how the filter will work fine. I'm wondering how that logic works ? A filter that is rated for a tank with a maximum volume that is only two thirds of the actual tank it is to be used on ? Surely at best that means that it would restrict stocking levels ? Its a small enough tank in the first place in terms of keeping on top of good quality water. I would have thought decent filtration would be even more important ?

Apart from anything else, if the kit is marketed as a 15 gallon set up it could be construed that to supply a filter that is rated by its own manufacturer as not being suitable for the tank it was sold with, is a contravention of trades description ? If you were sold, say, a greenhouse kit marketed as a "total greenhouse solution" and they only gave you two thirds the panes of glass you needed to build the greenhouse, would you be satisfied ?

Most advice on here as that "you can't have enough filtration" and "circulation is all important" (depending on type of setup). So I am a little confused as to why an under rated filter is acceptable. For my part, I would not be happy.

Their would be a sufficient colony of bacteria for standard stocking of the tank, it's just that the circulation would be a bit on the weak side which means that Algae is more likely to grow and detritus accumulate.

 

[mishmash]

Their would be a sufficient colony of bacteria for standard stocking of the tank, it's just that the circulation would be a bit on the weak side which means that Algae is more likely to grow and detritus accumulate.

And that can never be a good thing. These kits are often sold to new fishkeepers. It seems like Tetra are setting their customers up for a fall to me

To the OP. You have a decision to make. Complain about it and consider all the hassle of a trades description complaint. Or accept that there may be problems as mentioned above and keep it. OR sell the filter and buy a more capable one. Either way I can totally understand your annoyance at this situation. Good luck.

 

[StandbySetting]

I still don't know what the big hoo haa is about, there is no case for a trade descriptions complaint as the box clearly states that the tank comes with x model of filter.

Just sell the filter on here and buy a more suitable one with the money you make from the filter.

 

[BigbruiserAl]

I still don't know what the big hoo haa is about, there is no case for a trade descriptions complaint as the box clearly states that the tank comes with x model of filter.

Just sell the filter on here and buy a more suitable one with the money you make from the filter.

yup yup trade descriptions would not even let you finish your sentance sorry, i would use in 15 gal is not as if your going to be stocking goldfish or oscars

 

[TheShrimpGirl]

I've noticed that this is the type of filter used in many 15 gallon tanks. You probably will have no problems at all with this filter and it's circulation. It will certainly keep the water clear if you stock within reason and do the recommended amount of water changes for the tank.

If you do have some problems with algae or anything else that is circulation related you can simply add an extra turbine or other product to the tank to increase the water flow and solve the problem that way instead of completely replacing the filter.

 

[MBOU]

Personally, I would still contact Tetra, not expecting anything out of it but if more people mention it to them, then maybe they will do something about it. Same with everything, people arent mind readers, if you have a problem, tell them... worst that can happen is...well.... nothing and you wont be any worse off now.

I would just state that you are really upset to find that they sell a tank with their own brand filter that states it is for a much smaller tank. Play the worried or upset card... always works better as no company wants an upset customer.

 

[mishmash]

I still don't know what the big hoo haa is about, there is no case for a trade descriptions complaint as the box clearly states that the tank comes with x model of filter.

Just sell the filter on here and buy a more suitable one with the money you make from the filter.

How do we know what the box states ? If thats the case I am definitely wrong StandbySetting, because yes, if the box states it comes with a specific filter then there is no come back, but I didn't think the box stated that... in which case it would be reasonable to expect the contents to all be suitable.

Personally I cannot understand why any company would deliberately include a filter that categorically states it is only suitable for tanks of less volume than the one it is supplied with. Their marketing department would surely expect repercussions from concerned customers and the bad feeling and disappointment it creates is not worth it I would have thought. Its not a matter of a "hoo haa", its a matter of expectations. If you buy a full set up you expect the contents to be relevant to the main item. In this case an under rated filter has been supplied.

Furthermore, the difference in cost to manufacturer between one filter and the next size up is peanuts if anything at all. For example, all Aqua One heaters cost the same whether they are 50W, 100W, 150W, 200W or 300W. I just don't get the policy of including an under rated product in a package like this and can fully understand why the OP is disappointed.

 

[Tolak]

The PF10, rated for 5-10 gallon tanks, moves 90 gph. The Compact 20, for up to 20 gallon tanks, moves 105 gph. Being a Tetra filter, once you add the media (pads) and a bit of the usual aquarium debris you can cut that rate in half, truly a quality filter. 45 gph vs 52.5 gph, not a big spread. Just adding the pad will drop the flow 20% easily, 72 gph vs 86 gph.

Not a big difference. Stocked properly it will work.