If you want to run this as a tropical tank you’ll need a heater – The recommended one for the tank is the Fluval Edge 25w Heater – Buy it here. Some stats on the latest version of this tank And here’s how it looks on week 4. The plants have started to take and the fish are adding some nice splashes of colour. I always think bog wood looks a little boring in a larger tank, but in a small Flex tank with some pants around it can be quite a feature.

I’ll soon be adding a guide to setting up a bogwood tank/wall in your tank but here’s how I did it in the Spec tank. I do think this would work better in a deeper tank as it would be easier to setup. Once the tank is clean, the next step is to get the filter fitter correctly. Before you put it in set the flow rate on the filter box if you’re unsure just start it in the middle of the setting. It is tempting to oversize your heater, but remember, aquarium heaters do not fail "off" they fail "on"...so you put a 50W heater in a 5 gallon tank, which is total overkill, and in five or six years when that puppy fails you have betta soup. First of all, you should be looking for a submersible heater; one that can be fully dunked. Aquarium heaters are predominantly of this type. Second, if it comes with suction cups for mounting, strongly consider not using these. It is generally too tight to get the heater mounted with them on. When you shove the heater down into the pump section, it will get wedged somewhere between the glass and the outlet tube.

How to Install the pump:

If you want to do this add some sand or aquatic soil to the bottom so you don’t damage the tank. Bogwood setup

What I like best about the Fluval Spec line of aquariums is their ‘all in one’ appearance, where the display tank, lights, and filtration system are all in one box. When setting up our Spec V aquarium, it was only natural to try to find a heater that would fit into the pump section and be totally enclosed. In my research, I found a few heaters that would work well. I will talk about these and also go into some other aspects of aquarium heaters. Option 1: Fitting a Heater in the Fluval Spec Pump Section The Fluval Spec 19 Litre aquarium in a beautiful white finish is a stunning aquarium, ideal for first time fish keeping hobbyists. Integrated with a fantastic LED lighting system, aquarium fish and plants have an ideal source of natural looking light available for the best growth and developmental results whilst also enhancing the vibrant colours of your aquarium inhabitants. Do I sense a wave of these new, longer-shaped tanks hitting the market? I hope so because I love them. This tank has just become my latest project, but what I'm doing with it is top secret — for now. Use a clean cloth and just water, rinse out and clean over the tank thoroughly. Rinse over the filter sponges and replace them as they were. Step two – Setup the filter The question in my mind is the balance between smaller - so a smaller mouth and can eat only the small fry; or bigger and so cannot go where the fry may hide.If you decide on putting the heater in the main display, consider the Cobalt Aquatics Neo-Therm . It has accurate and reliable electronic controlls. It is slightly too big to fit in the pump section, but would be small enough to not be very noticible hiding in the display tank. What Wattage of Aquarium Heater do I Need for my Spec? It’s easiest to lower the pump into place by hanging onto both the outlet tube and the power cord. Once you get it roughly into place, there is no way you can get hands down to adjust the position a little or to press it down to suction it onto the bottom of the aquarium (unless you have super tiny hands). I used a wooden spoon to scoot it around into the best place and then press down on the top of the pump to suction it down. CPDs - need too many and also apparently love to hunt and being so small can go anywhere the fry go

There is no need to modify the tank to disperse heat. The Fluval heater will fit in the compartment with the return pump, and therefore the return pump will draw the warmed water into the tank. If you poke holes in your return compartment, you are going to draw water in through those holes because of the suction of the return pump and you'll be bypassing the filter. For a betta, that tank is just fine the way it is, and very well designed. Make sure to verify your aquarium heater’s thermostat with a separate thermometer. Preferably, an accurate one. It is not uncommon for the more inexpensive aquarium heaters to be off by a few degrees, where a heater set on 76F will actually hold low at 74F or may be high at 78F. The actual number is not that important. What is important is that you can realize where to set the dial to achieve your desired temperature and that the heater be consistent. I've also seen so many different aquarium companies recommending different wattages for different gallons. The general consensus seems to be 50W for the Spec V however reading your comments I think you might be right.. always better to be safe than sorry! Would you recommend just a 25W for keeping a Betta in 5 gallons? I live in Melbourne Australia, not sure if that helps give everyone an idea of the weather There is another that will fit in the taller Spec III (but will not fit in the smaller pump section of the Spec V): Then used some bubble wrap to pour the water over to avoid disturbing the setup I have (This is my top tip for filling your aquarium!).I think this is the preferred method for putting a heater in your Fluval Spec – it keeps things tidy and clean in appearance. Things get somewhat tight in the pump section of Fluval Spec aquariums, what with the pump and outlet tube traveling up from the pump occupying part of the space. I found that there is enough room for a heater, but you have to look for ones that are small enough. I know a lot of people struggle with the age old question of what heater fits into the compartment of the Fluval Spec V (5 gallons). I would love to hear from owners who have successfully fit a good quality heater into the compartment and been able to heat up the water accurately and made sure it remained stable. In short, the heater goes wherever you can fit it and will probably be different from model to model. I came to the above pump orientation because it led to a nice spot for the heater – wedged in between the center wall and the outlet tube. I have detailed pictures of the heater installed in my Hydor Theo Aquarium Heater review. How to Remove the Pump from a Spec Aquarium In a search to find a heater that is small enough to fit in the pump section of a Fluval Spec aquarium, you will come across some models that are do not have an internal thermostat and are thus always ‘on’. They are small, simple, and usually have very low power of around 10-20 watts. I would avoid these. I’m not averse to using a heater that is a bit underpowered as I think that most heaters are oversized for the heat loss experienced in the winter. However, without the ability to adjust with changing conditions, you will not be providing your aquarium inhabitants with temperature stability. As the environment changes with light schedules and room temperatures, the heater will always be on and will not alleviate these fluctuations. I don’t see much benefit in them and suggest you find a way to control your heater, either with a model that has an internal thermostat or by an external temperature controller. Accuracy and Reliability: Then added the pants where there is soil and added moss to the wood using super glue – Yes it really works!

If you have hardwood floors or hardwood stairs in place but they are in bad condition, don’t fret! One of our consultant associate companies, Plancher NewLook, gave us advice on how to deal with saving the existing hardwood stairs. Their recommendation was to get everything out the room before the aquarium is installed, so that the hardwoods on the stairs can be sandblasted. You can also do the entire hardwood floor surface area if you have the budget. The end result is a shiny, new-looking space that provides a great home for any aquarium.Ultimately it's your choice. I feel the Fluval is worth the price, as most things in this hobby tend to be. The filter itself is huge for the size of tank and wins lots of brownie points for being in the form of an open chamber. I cannot wait to play with and tweak mine, trying out different resins and media, although if I'm honest there's nothing wrong with what's supplied. This aquarium would make an ideal last-minute Christmas gift, says Nathan Hill - and he's not giving his up without a fight! Finally, if you are not going to spend the extra money on an external controller or a model with electronic controls, consider selecting a heater that is slightly undersized. This will at least lessen the carnage if it fails ‘on’ and will give you more time to notice the problem and react before things get out of hand. It goes in the end compartment as shown below, push it right down to the bottom (we used a bit of cardboard to push it down as its a bit of a tight fit).