Fluval Accent Aquarium Kit Review

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Aspiring fish owners as well as people searching for an easy-maintenance aquarium should take a look at the Fluval Accent aquarium kit. The Fluval Accent aquarium kit comes with everything you need to start up your aquarium except for substrate and fish food. The matching Fluval Accent aquarium stand is sold separately. The Fluval Accent aquarium kit offers an easy water-change system and essential aquarium equipment as well as a modern, espresso colored design that will look great in your home.

Aquarium Kit

The Fluval Accent aquarium kit includes:

• 25 gallon aquarium with espresso-colored trim and cover


• Fluval water conditioner, biological enhancer, and filter cartridge


• LED lighting system: light, hood, canopy


• 150 watt heater


• Integrated filter


• Simpletec maintenance system


• Waste collection bucket

The Fluval Accent aquarium holds 25 gallons of water. This size is great because it is not huge and unmanageable, nor too small to keep many fish. In fact, this 25 gallon aquarium will be able to stock around 10 inches of fish(around 5 fish) while still having plenty of swimming space.

The aquarium has espresso-colored trim on the top and bottom to match the Fluval Accent aquarium stand. The aquarium is made out of pure glass and is very clear to see through.

Note: When filling the aquarium with water, do not fill past the line on the top upper trim labeled with "do not fill over this line". If you fill past the trim, the aquarium will leak water because the trim does not go completely around the tank at the top.

Assembly

To begin setting the Fluval Accent aquarium up, follow these steps or watch the below video. If you need more assistance, refer to this assembly manual.

• Take off the light canopy and take out the filter unit(rentangular box)


• Put the bio-beads, filter cartridge, and heater into their slots, then place cover on top


• Slide the siphon tube into the filter unit, with the hose hanging down


• Hang the assembled filter unit on the back middle of the aquarium


• Place aquarium onto your stand


• Place the lighting canopy and LED light hood on top of your tank


• Open the cabinet and place the water spigot into its pre-cut circle opening


• Attach the hanging drain hose into the spigot on the back of the stand. Tighten the clamp to ensure no water leakage


• Position the drip mat and collection bucket under the spigot in the cabinet


• Place setup aquarium so it will fit almost against the wall, around 4 inches away

Before plugging in your aquarium, pime the Simpletec system for use by following these steps.

• Remove cap from the drain valve Fill the drain valve hose with water until it is almost filled. Replace cap


• Press spigot lever and make sure water comes out and there is no leakage.


• Attach the back of the filter unit


• Add water to the aquarium. Add water conditioner and biological enhancer


• Wait one week before adding fish to make sure the water is ready for them and safe

Equipment

• Pre-set 150 watt heater


• LED Lights


• Filter

The Fluval Accent aquarium kit makes for a pretty showcase majorly because the 150 watt heater and filter are both hidden in the filter unit.

The 150 watt heater is fully submersible and slim. The heater slides into the top of the filter unit. The heater is preset at 79 degrees. This temperature is great for almost all fish. The preset temperature is good becaus you do not need to worry about the temperature accidentally changing by bumping into the wall. Beware that some heaters may be calibrated a little off, and check the temperature occasionally when first setting up. If your heater is miscalibrated, contact Fluval support for help.

The LED light system is one large LED bulb inside of a hood. The LED lighting system is to be placed on top of the aquarium. The light is both bright and energy-efficient. There are 3 modes to set the light to: light, dark, and blue. This offers you the necessary lighting capabilities of a fish tank as well as the extra blue mode for night time enjoyment. There is no light timer, so if you would like one it is necessary to look at an outlet timer.

The filter cartridge is an insert in the filter unit. Water is pumped through the center-column, and through the filter cartridge to catch waste. Users have found that the Fluval U4 filter media found on Amazon works best in the filter cartridge as it catches more and lasts longer. To change the filter, simply open the filter unit, take the old filter sponge out, and place a new one in. You should change the filter sponge about once per month when you do your water-change.

Stand

Unfortunately, the aquarium kit and stand is not sold together anymore. The Fluval Accent aquarium stand is necessary for use with the Fluval Accent aquarium kit because it is designed to hold the filter unit and has a cutout in the back to fit the water-change system and waste bucket.

The Fluval Accent aquarium stand is espresso-color and matches the aquarium perfectly. The setup takes around an hour. The stand is pressed-wood and very durable to hold your aquarium. There is plenty of storage space in the 2 cabinets and shelves underneath to hold the waste bucket as well as any other fish-keeping equipment you have.

Tank Maintenance

The Fluval Accent aquarium kit features Simpletec technology for easy maintenance water-changes. There is a hidden hose in the filter unit that connects the water in your aquarium to the waste bucket in the stand cabinet. To use, simply turn the valve on the end of the hose. Water will start flowing from your tank to the bucket. Changing 2 buckets of water will take approximately 10 minutes. Dump the buckets of dirty water into your bath tub or sink.

To refill your tank, you must add dechlorination solution to the new water. The kit does come with Fluval dechlorination liquid that will last you around 2 months. After this is used up I recommend buying a huge bottle of Aqueon water conditioner for cheap on Amazon. This bottle would last you a good couple of years because it is 16 ounce and you will only need to use 2 teaspoons per water change. The Fluval accent kit also comes with biological enhancer which basically adds good bacteria to your tank to keep ammonia and nitrates under control. While this is good, it is not mandatory if your aquarium ecosystem is healthy and has plants that naturally eat nitrate. You will get 2 months worth with the kit, and this much is probably enough because after 2 months your aquarium should be established enough to manage itself biologically. However, if you just want an easy way to keep your water cleanliness balanced, you may simply purchase renewal packs of the Fluval filter media and solutions on Amazon. This pack should last you 2 more months every time purchased. Alternatively purchasing large amounts of filter media and water conditioner is much cheaper though.

After adding water conditioner and biological enhancer to the water, slowly pour it back into the aquarium on top, taking care not to spill water. At the same time you are changing your tank water, you should also change your filter media sponge so that it can keep on effectively collecting waste.

Warranty

Fluval is known for its awesome customer support. The Fluval 1 year guarantee on this item gives you their warranty to get replacement parts to fix damage or parts that do not work correctly. You can contact Fluval customer support by phone at 1-800-724-2436. You can view the warranty on their product page. This will be in place as long as you meet the following conditions:

• Aquarium on level surface


• Aquarium on surface that can handle full weight


• Aquarium not moved with water inside

Other than this warranty, from purchasing the item on Amazon you will receive a 30 day warranty to return the item and get your credit back if you are unsatisfied or if it is damaged. To do this, view this order on your Amazon account and click to return it. Follow the onscreen shipping procedure to send it back to Amazon via UPS.