Mr Aqua 12 Gallon Long Aquarium
With rimless aquariums becoming the main trend, Mr Aqua introduced to the market a unique dimensional rimless aquarium that is 12 gallons long. Now I personally ordered one to see what the rave was all about and if it’s even worth my time aquascaping it.
The Footprint
The reason why this 12 gallon long aquarium is so popular in the community is because of its huge footprint. It clocks in at an incredible 294 inches of substrate space, which is ideal for aquatic plant and shrimp hobbyists. It does have a downside of eating up a lot of money with substrate. Personally for me, I went through about 9 lbs. of Fluval Plant Stratum (with a few hills, of course). More substrate means more room for your shrimp to crawl and graze on.
So the rave that is always talked about with Mr Aqua’s 12 gallon long aquarium is how huge the footprint is for shrimp keeping. I personally measured aquarium out and it clocks in at an incredible 294 inches of substrate space! Which means this 12 gallon long aquarium will eat your paychecks up for breakfast with the cost of substrate, unless you are savvy and DIY it. Now I’m not savvy enough so I bought some Fluval Plant Stratum which sucked about 9lbs worth of it into the hardscape (with a few hills, of course). Looking at the Mr aqua 12 gallon aquarium hardscaped, I can now see what people mean with the enormous footprint and how it creates this almost landscape effect of 2D imagery.
High Clarity Glass & Thickness
Mr Aqua made this 12 gallon long aquarium rimless using 5 mm thick glass. This was done in order to remove the eyesore frame rims that had thinner glass types bowing by the force of the water. Mr. Aqua manufactures their glass in Taiwan which matches the “low iron” glass quality that is typically made in China. Mr. Aqua does have other aquariums that are considered low iron but if you do a side-by-side comparison, there is no real difference besides the price. It definitely is beautiful how clear this glass looks compared to some of the other tanks I’ve used and seen before.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/WTY9MBvIY1k?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0
The bottom of the Mr. Aqua 12 gallon long is made out of 12mm non-tempered glass for marine hobbyists looking to drill holes for sumps. The glass thickness is also there for support if a stand or desk aren’t perfectly flat, causing longer thinner glass aquariums to crack on the bottom from the weight displacements.
Dimensions
The dimensions of the Mr. Aqua 12 gallon long aquarium are just incredible. It seems like this aquarium was perfectly made for every lighting company to easily mount onto it, especially with the new With the depth and width of this 12 gallon long tank, you can be certain to hit high PAR with any affordable lighting you run across, giving you tremendous growth in a short time, or the freedom to choose a variety of plants. Mr. Aqua seriously created a 12 gallon long masterpiece that is great for newbies but is also tailored for the extreme hobbyists.
Seams
The seams and joints are precise but from what I noticed, the silicone was not so flush and also thickly applied on the bottom cervices. Is it noticeable? No, once I added my substrate you don’t even see it. This isn’t a bad thing seeing how substrate is going to be covering it up, but if you are very picky, then you might want to look into the ADA brand tanks.
Aquascaping
The Mr aqua 12 gallon long aquarium is actually one of the best tanks i’ve ever had a chance to aquascape. With these unique dimensions, you have to really use your imagination with depth of field and how to turn this 2D dimensional tank into 3D. I personally went with an iwagumi style for my 12 gallon long because of the sheer length and ability to use space to create a focal point. It’s almost the doppelganger of a traditional aquascape, where you use hardscapes or aquatic plants to create a focal point.
Price
Because of the uniqueness of the Mr Aqua 12 Gallon Long Aquarium, it does sit on the high range of one of his product line – where you could possibly buy the same amount of gallons for half the cost. With that being said, it’s the uniqueness that makes this elongated tank so worth the extra money to have. This price does like to jump up and down from time to time, for right now it’s sitting around $80 + shipping. Now with how much demand there is on this aquarium, don’t expect sales or in-stock to be a common thing. The Mr Aqua 12 gallon long sells out quicker than some of those game consoles when released. You can purchase yours today at:
