Review - Marineland Eclipse System Aquariums

I have several hobbies, and one of them is fish keeping. I have had many sizes and types of tanks and filtration systems over the years, and I currently have one 12 gallon fresh water tank. My tank is the Eclipse system 12 made by Marineland.

The eclipse comes in rather odd sizes. They have a line of three, six, twelve, and twenty nine gallon tanks. They also offer hexagonal and corner tanks. The tank is Acrylic which means it’s lighter and stronger than glass, but unfortunately, scratches easier than glass does. Acrylic tanks can be molded into any shape, and Marineland has taken advantage of this by rounding the corners to give the tank a stylish look. They have also designed it with a curved front that presents a clever optical illusion. The tank appears to have more inner space than it does. My twelve gallon tank looks more like a twenty gallon thanks to this design. Since there is no glass in the design, there are no unsightly seams or silicone sealant.

The curse of fish keeping is the ugly and noisy equipment needed to maintain the health of the fish and the condition of the tank. This often ruins the aesthetics of the setup. If it isn’t pleasing to the senses, there’s little point in the hobby. The last thing you want is to find yourself spending all your time in tank maintenance, struggling to balance the looks of the tank with the heath of the fish. Many a fish flushing could be avoided if this ugly factor could be removed. It’s stressful on you, and on your finned friends.

The Eclipse system appeals to me because it solves that issue completely and effectively. I’ve never used any freshwater set up that was more appealing to the senses, and healthy for the fish. Everything except the water lift tube is in the hood. There are no external parts or equipment. The tank is lit with a self starting compact florescent fixture. It lights the tank well for viewing and highlighting the colors of the animals, but lacks the brightness to keep plants in the back of the tank healthy. If live plants is an interest of yours, this isn’t the ideal tank for it. Having said that, I have had good success growing plants directly under the light in the front of the tank. There are two cords that are needed, one for the filter, and one for the light. There is an exit point in the hood at the left rear and a wire guide to take them down the edge to the bottom as inconspicuous as possible. The aquarium rests on molded rows of rounded, solid feet in the tank bottom. This is a blessing because it allows the hobbiest to better clean up spills, and allows air to get underneath. This is another example of the little details that make it a fine piece of equipment.

An aquarium filter is the demon all fish keepers must face. It’s all about the ammonia. Ammonia = dead fish. Fish food, pee and poop all break down into ammonia. In addition, dissolved solids like metals and chemicals need to be removed, as well as solid junk like cat hair, my own personal biggie. A combination of biological, chemical and mechanical filtration handle these three life support issues. In a perfect world, we would all have wet-dry filters. This kind of filter combines a media that is wet but not submerged, to promoted the growth of oxygen loving bacteria, submerged media to promote the bacteria that dosen’t need exposure to air, chemical and mechanical filtration. Unfortunately, these systems are very expensive. And they can be a real pain.

Marineland claims to have successfully developed a system that provides all the aspects of a wet dry system into a single compact filter. The filter consists of cartridges that have pads and charcoal in them (hardly a new idea) and an added component that is unique. It’s called the Bio Wheel. It’s a water wheel with a pleated fabric-like insert that spins as the water moves past it. the surface is always wet but one side is always exposed to the air. The idea is to provide a medium that promotes the growth of oxygen loving bacteria, the ones that help “eat” the ammonia. I have read many opinions from many different people about how well this actually works, if at all. In other words, is it just marketing hype?

In a word, no. I have had two bio wheel systems, and they are simply amazing. I have never had ammonia in my tank, and I am terrible about cleaning it, or changing the water. My experience leads me to one conclusion; The bio wheel system really works. This is the type of filter in the Eclipse system. This filter is absolutely amazing. It’s so efficient that I don’t give it much thought anymore, except to change the filter cartridge once every two weeks. I have an ammonia meter in the tank. zero ammonia 100% of the time. And the filter is completely quiet. Completely.

The Bio Wheel agitates the water and keeps it oxygenated. The only shortcoming in the whole system that I see is that there isn’t a good way to vent the gases from the agitated filter water. Every now and then, usually when I feed the fish, I leave the filter cover open for fifteen minutes just to vent. The tank is quite healthy.

I heartily recommend this tank. It looks like a piece of furniture, something attractive enough to be in a doctors office. The filter is efficient and silent. The lighting is attractive and healthy for the fish, and a plant or two. Ugly wires and equipment are hidden or not there at all. And the Acrylic design is fantastic. It’s not the cheapest tank in the pet store, but I feel it’s well worth the few extra dollars. One extra bonus is that the Acrylic acts as an insulator. I don’t have to use a heater, I never have. The room temperature takes care of it because the water doesn’t lose heat through the glass. If you’re looking to buy a full aquarium system, or replace an old one, this is a very good system.