Tetra Starter Line 105 litre tank - Opinions?

[Huscarl86]

So I have been looking at upgrading or possibly starting a new tank for a while, and I have come across the 'Tetra Starter Line' tank, which is a 105 litre tank, for just £125.

Seems too good to be true, so I looked at reviews online and they appear to be quite good. I am quite dubious about reviews online, as I think too many people leave good reviews without testing the product properly, so I thought I'd ask here, what you guys think about this tank.

In return I plan to write a review of my current 40 litre tank which I have had for 1.5 years and post in the tank reviews section of the forum.

Here is a link to the: Tetra Starter Line 105

Positives about this tank:
+Very cheap for a good sized tank
+I could collect from Argos, which is very close to my house

Negatives:
-Perhaps a bit too cheap?
-Apparently the filter is not so great, but I plan to use a sponge anyway
-Preset heater, which I will replace anyway.
-Doesn't come with a blue light, but there is spare sockets for one extra light bulb. Need to find out if there is a switch for each bulb or not.

 

[2tank]

Its seems pretty decent most of my tanks are just glass glued together with silicon. So all in ones are sounding pretty good.

 

[seangee]

Looks fine. As @2tank says a tank is just a glass box. Ignore the filter cartridge(s) and cut a piece of sponge the same size and use that instead. It will save you a fortune in the long run. Check the calibration on the heater - personally I don't trust non adjustable heaters. Finally if you have algae problems you may want to get a dimmer for the light. Budget tanks (no judgement - I have 2 ) are often paired with lights that are too bright

 

[AquaBarb]

Ive got the Tetra Starter Line 105 and 54 and there great little tanks. Well built and cant fault them.

The filters not too bad tbh, i run it for 2 years without issuse. I just used filter sponge like Sean mentioned instead of the Tetra cartridge and i took the outer casing off which you can do to half the filters size. The only downfall is the suction cups arent the best. I just run a duel sponge filter now.

I never use blue lights but there is a slot for a second blub. The Tetra lights what come with the tanks are ok but certainly not the best around. I did upgraded the light not to long ago.

Heater will definitely need upgrading.

 

[Huscarl86]

I never use blue lights but there is a slot for a second blub. The Tetra lights what come with the tanks are ok but certainly not the best around. I did upgraded the light not to long ago.

Thanks to 2tank, seangee, and AquaBarb for the replies.

Particularly good to hear from somebody who owns this tank. Are the two bulbs controlled independently (I.E a lightswitch for each bulb)? I want to be able to use one or the other, and sometimes both at the same time, or will adding a second bulb to this tank mean they will both be on all the time?

 

[AquaBarb]

Thanks to 2tank, seangee, and AquaBarb for the replies.

Particularly good to hear from somebody who owns this tank. Are the two bulbs controlled independently (I.E a lightswitch for each bulb)? I want to be able to use one or the other, and sometimes both at the same time, or will adding a second bulb to this tank mean they will both be on all the time?

Yes the light as its own independent switch. (Like below)

So if you want a second blub you will need to buy similar

 

[Kyle E.]

Errm it kinda sounds like you should get a glass box and buy the accessories at this rate lol.

What I understand has been said:
Tank is fine, normal.
Lighting is meh. Was replaced by Aquabarb.
Heater is meh. Non adjustable so probably replace.
Filter is meh, needs some fixing.

If you are gonna do all that why not just buy the box and then buy good accessories?

 

[Huscarl86]

Errm it kinda sounds like you should get a glass box and buy the accessories at this rate lol.

What I understand has been said:
Tank is fine, normal.
Lighting is meh. Was replaced by Aquabarb.
Heater is meh. Non adjustable so probably replace.
Filter is meh, needs some fixing.

If you are gonna do all that why not just buy the box and then buy good accessories?

I do not see how. At £125 for a 105 litre tank it's still a good price, even without the accessories. In my first post it says I will be using a different heater and a sponge filter. Plus half the problem is transporting the thing, but this tank I could pick up just over the road from Argos.

I'm not sure what sort of glass box you are suggesting or where to get it. I can't get it delivered because nobody is in my flat during the day.

 

[AquaBarb]

Errm it kinda sounds like you should get a glass box and buy the accessories at this rate lol.

What I understand has been said:
Tank is fine, normal.
Lighting is meh. Was replaced by Aquabarb.
Heater is meh. Non adjustable so probably replace.
Filter is meh, needs some fixing.

If you are gonna do all that why not just buy the box and then buy good accessories?

The tank for its size is a really good price new(we dont get dollar per gallon deals here in the Uk)

I had the tank running for 2 years with the filter and light without issuses but even with buying a sponge filter and upgrading the heater its still going to be a good deal.

 

[Huscarl86]

Yes the light as its own independent switch. (Like below) View attachment 125833

So if you want a second blub you will need to buy similar

Wow... that makes things even better. This way I can have the blue and white lights on separate timers, which is the main problem I have with my current tank, I have to change from white to white/blue, to blue manually, which is an annoyance, especially as after the blue light goes off at night, I then have to switch it over to white for the next day when the timer comes back on.

Sorry for waffling, but it's been annoying me for a while, and this looks like the solution.

 

[AquaBarb]

I do not see how. At £125 for a 105 litre tank it's still a good price, even without the accessories. In my first post it says I will be using a different heater and a sponge filter. Plus half the problem is transporting the thing, but this tank I could pick up just over the road from Argos.

I'm not sure what sort of glass box you are suggesting or where to get it. I can't get it delivered because nobody is in my flat during the day.

Their are suppliers on Ebay say who sell just the tank its self without the accessories. DIVERSA have one for £109 which is the cheapest ive seen but it didnt look as good quailty and didnt have a lid.

 

[AquaBarb]

Wow... that makes things even better. This way I can have the blue and white lights on separate timers, which is the main problem I have with my current tank, I have to change from white to white/blue, to blue manually, which is an annoyance, especially as after the blue light goes off at night, I then have to switch it over to white for the next day when the timer comes back on.

Sorry for waffling, but it's been annoying me for a while, and this looks like the solution.

Oh god yeah, no brainer then. Get it ordered lol

 

[seangee]

I do not see how. At £125 for a 105 litre tank it's still a good price, even without the accessories. In my first post it says I will be using a different heater and a sponge filter. Plus half the problem is transporting the thing, but this tank I could pick up just over the road from Argos.

Yes it is a good price. I recently bought a similar volume glass box at a similar price. Then I had to make a lid and find all the other bits and pieces before I could set it up (deliberate choice as I wanted a very specific size and had most of the other bits lying around anyway). Then of course I had to add 50 quid delivery charge for a pallet - and suddenly the Argos deal sounds very good!

 

[kennethsross]

Thank you for the comments above. They were enough to convince me to head along to our local Sainsbury's and bring home one of these starter set-ups. It may be January before I get the chance to start establishing it; my first tropical tank in 50 years!

 

[Deanleechtropical]

I have this tank and im finding i keep getting algee problems and have my light down to 5 hours because my plants have algee on them and so does my orniments