Fluval Spec V Aquarium Review & Unboxing (Video Update)

Fluval Spec V Aquarium Review
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Last Updated: May 26, 2022 by Dave Gibbins

In this video I unbox the Fluval Spec V a fish tank / aquarium that I have bought to house a betta fish along with some live plants.

I little further down this article you will see a full update review of the Fluval Spec V after months of use.

Want to know what you will get for your money? This full unboxing shows all the contents.
Here are the contents of the box…

1. Tank
2. Lid
3. LED light – with day and night mode
4. Filter (3 stage)
5. Activated carbon insert (to go with filter system)
6. BioMax insert (to go with filter system)
7. Pump (with tube for outlet)
8. Power cords for light and pump

Fluval Spec V Aquarium components

In addition I bought a 50w Heater (25w may do the trick) it was a Hydor 50 Watt– it is a perfect size to neatly fit away into a hidden section.

This Fluval Spec V Aquarium is 20.5 inch long (52cm) x 7.5 inch high (19cm) and 11.6 inch wide (29.5cm) and is 5 US gallons in volume. The tank is glass and has a solid aluminum frame. It also has a very neat black box compartment which houses the filter and pump keeping them out of site. The heater I bought also fits nicely into that section (did a little bit a measuring up before buying).

I was worried the heater may not work in this compartment due to not being directly in the water of the main section of the tank – however after doing some test (before adding fish) I confirmed that the water in the main section did still heat up.

Fluval Spec V Tank Review

The Fluval Spec V is a fantastic tank for beginners or aquarium enthusiasts alike. If you are looking for a small, low-maintenance, tank to add your home (particularly one for a betta fish) there is really no reason to look any further. Especially with the great prices of this tank on Amazon.

I will go into the positives and negatives of every aspect of the tank below. Any further questions feel free to comment and I will publicly answer them for all to read.

Design

The Fluval Spec V has a modern / minimalist design that will fit well in most homes.

There is a hidden compartment (not visible when looking at the fish) where both the filter and pump fit plus all of the wires come out from the same place making the tank look really tidy. This attention to detail in design from Fluval means that you can proudly make this tank a focal point of any room.

This hidden compartment can also house a heater (must be purchased separately). I measured this compartment and the the Hydor 50 Watt Heater fits in nicely.

(I will soon add a how to set up a Fluval Spec V which will go into this in more detail.)

The tank is made out of glass and constructed with an aluminum frame which looks great, it feels sturdy and feels really high quality.

The Fluval Spec V comes in two color ways. There is an option of black or white with the aluminum trims. I chose the black version.

Size

The Fluval Spec is a small compact tank and is only 17.2 x 10.6 x 6.3 inches.
The tank holds 5 gallons of water, a fantastic sized tank for a betta fish.

I also like the dimensions of the tank, although a ‘small’ tank there is plenty space for the fish to swim. Quite often 5 gallon tanks are shaped like a cube – deeper than the Fluval but shorter.

The Fluval is rectangular and therfore is longer horizontally. It is this longer length in the rectangular design of the Fluval Spec V that I like. Especially for betta fish where depth is not an issue. Betta fish like to live at the top of the tank so this rectangular design has given them more space to swim.

The tank also has plenty of floor space for live plants and decorations.

Filter and Pump

Filter and pump are hidden in a nice and tidy hidden section and they work great.

I have had many friends ask me if my tank is switched on because of how quiet – almost silent – the filter and pump is.

The filter is a ‘three part’ filtration system. It comes with a Biomax insert to grow the beneficial bacteria and a granite insert to help with water clarity. There are two sections for easy replacement of these inserts for the future.

Pump has speed option for fast / low filtration. For a betta fish I have set mine on the lowest option However, I feel it is still a little bit too powerful for a betta fish’s liking. To fix this I have one sturdy fake plant in my tank which I have placed in front of the pump outlet to help baffle the water flow. This seems to have worked perfectly.

The Included LED Light

The LED light that is provided with the Fluval Spec is powerful enough to keep most low / medium maintenance plants alive (ask at the pet shop before buying the plants if there are any powerful light requirements). The light lights up the whole tank brightly and looks great! I have bought a timer for the plug socket so I don’t even have to worry about turning the light on and off. 8 hours a day is a good time that will mean algae doesn’t grow too fast.

The light also comes with a ‘night time mode’ a lovely deep blue light will shine into the tank allowing you to view your fish in the dark without causing too much glare and reflection on the tank in the dark room and without over feeding the bacteria.

Fluval Spec V Aquarium Unboxing LED

Evaporation

This is the main downside to the Fluval tank. The lid has a hole in it so that the LED light can shine directly into the tank. However this hole allows for water evaporation.

Keep an eye on the water level as after about a week the water level can be about half-an-inch to an inch lower than where it started. This is close to being too low for the top hole of the filter. Which will mean the water won’t be filtered correctly.

(As a safety measure Fluval have included a filter inlet hole lower down, so the pump will always be pumping water – however the water will not be cleaned as thoroughly.)

Luckily week-to-week it is time for a water change anyways. However I always keep an eye on this and often add a little bit of clean water to the tank mid-week.

Additionally this will also be an issue for any open topped tank.


Fluval Aquarium Review Summary

Check out the review summary and star rating below…

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