Here we go! TANK: Overall it's a very clean design, and looks fine. The glass is 0.160" thick, which is a little thin, but given the small size of the tank it's probably just fine. The front and sides are a single piece that has been bent to provide the curved corners. The back is glass of 0.15"+ thickness (probably the same spec glass, but just natural thickness variance). The bottom is also glass, looks thicker, but I didn't try to measure it. The front and sides glass butt-joins to the rear plate using what looks like standard clear silicone sealant. That assembly is then butted onto the top of the bottom plate using silicone sealer again. Simple as can be, no frame. It does come with a (some kind of foam-rubber) mat you should put it on to minimize stresses from placement on an uneven surface. The mat is a little oversized (good), and if that bothers you it can be trimmed with an X-Acto knife once it settles in. I poured in the last of my ADA Amazonia substrate before filling the tank (OOPS! I should have leak tested it before adding substrate! But I got lucky - no leaks). So that came to 1-1/2" of substrate on the bottom. I added 3 1-gallon jugs of treated water, which brought the water level up to 3/4" from the rimless top. I figure if I had a normal 2" of substrate it would fill to about 1/2" from the top with exactly 3 gallons. I'll grant them the 3.4 gallon rating without substrate, but exactly 3 is an easy number to work with. LID: Plastic, 0.080" thick, no frame. It leaves 1-1/4" inch open along the rear. The clip-on hinges are also plastic, and hold the lid up where you leave it by friction (the plastic lid is very light weight, so it won't fall closed if you let go of it). A pet could easily open this with a paw, and it will stay open... As with the tank, it's a clean, simple design. The lid (actually, the hinges) can be slid forward on the side plates so the lid can be made to overhang the front of the tank, providing a larger gap at the rear (and can also slide back to close the rear gap and make one at the front if anyone has a reason to want that). Day 2 EDIT: The lid hinges are not as stiff as I thought. The lid does not stay where you leave it unless it's almost fully open. This helps make it harder for pets, but now you really do have to move that light out of the way to open the lid enough to do anything. LIGHT: Throw it away! Read my issues below, then order something else without even waiting to see for yourself. Brave words, but the points below are deal breakers for me. Especially #2 & 3. Instant death! -- 1. It has no on/off switch - you gotta unplug it to turn it off. (Most of us use timers, so maybe that's OK?) -- 2. It is on a flimsy neck that simply can't be positioned where you try to adjust it. It just shifts around by itself even if you get it where you want it. -- 3. The lid CANNOT BE OPENED without pushing the light out of the way. Since you won't be able to get the light back where you had it (assuming you were able to get it positioned well in the first place) this will be good for endless hours of frustration. -- 4. If this thing is bright enough to grow any plants I'll eat my Prime membership! But it doesn't claim to be, so just be aware. Day 2 EDIT: Now that the cloudiness from the ADA Amazonia substrate has cleared, and I've moved a few items into the tank - I can plainly see that the light is not even enough to "show" your tank, let alone keep plants alive. Jeez! This light is totally useless. I'm hanging a PAR 20 6500K LED light over it (pendant style) to be done with it (less than 10W consumption, 50W equivalent lux) I'll just adjust the height as needed. FILTER: I've used this type before, and had no issues with it. You get only the small sponge, which I'm personally fine with. I don't use charcoal in my filters because I worry that it may deactivate some plant fertilizer trace elements. And I find that the sponges harbor enough bacteria to not need additional ceramic "bio balls". I'm also of the school that believes bacteria live in the substrate too. So sponge filters are fine by me. If you are not planning on planting, and if you believe in using carbon as part of you filtration, then be aware that this filter has only a small volume to be shared by whatever you want to put in there with the sponge (you'll have to cut down the sponge to add anything else). Day 2 EDIT: The tank is set up next to my bed. This little filter is way noisier than it needs to be. I've replaced it with a single sponge filter with an air pump. (Remember, I'm doing a planted tank with 2 small feeder goldfish, 2 small feeder guppies, and 2 feeder ghost shrimp.) OVERALL: This is a realy nice little tank, and I'm going to be happy with it (with a different light). Cosmetically it's pleasing. I took 3/4 star away because of the counter-productive light. I took 1/4 star away for price/value. Let me make myself clear here - this is a great tank for maybe $30.00, but it's just a bit too pricey for what you get (especially since you WILL need to purchase another light). I sensed this when I ordered it, so I'm good with it, but if price is important you can probably go down to your Local Fish Store and get a 10 gallon glass tank for $10-$15, and a sponge filter and air pump for $15. I'm not counting the price of the light since you need to buy one in both cases. So you could save about $20 if you don't want this specific tank. I got it because I like the form factor and looks of it, and it delivered for me on that count. Day 2 EDIT: Obviously the value proposition has decreased for me personally since I can't use the included filter due to noise. Now it's just a plain 3 gallon tank for $50. I stll like it cosmetically, and am definitely keeping it. If there is a way to purchase just the tank I didn't find it, but you should look again before you get this "kit".
