EHEIM Aquastyle ~ 9 Gallon Lifestyle Aquarium

September 12, 2011

Tenille

It amuses me when a review opportunity presents itself to me and it ends up being something that has either been a bone of contention in our household or something that my husband has been debating forever. It’s a sign, of sorts, when the item becomes a review – like we were supposed to have it all along.

You see, my husband has talked about getting an aquarium for ages. My kids didn’t have any pets so if we were to get any – a fish would be a great starting point. I just didn’t like the whole look of aquariums.

I likened them to something very 80’s like, unless you are like friends of ours who have 3 huge saltwater aquariums that look stunning in their house.

Basically, my thought was if you’re going to have an aquarium you’d have to ‘go big or go home’, because a nerdy regular aquarium just wouldn’t work with our decor.

Apparently I haven’t been paying attention.

EHEIM, a company that’s been helping families keep fish and more for over 40 years, distributes some incredibly stunning, modern and non-nerdy aquariums for households and offices.

We were sent a fully-equipped 9 Gallon Lifestyle Aquarium to try out and after seeing it online, I was actually excited to add this “live art” to our household.

The square aquarium itself, with a glass lid, is a nice change from the older style I was familiar with. Then, adding in the 40″ tall pedestal that fits perfectly really made this aquarium complete (pedestal is sold separately from the Lifestyle Aquarium).

Set up was easy – my husband handled it all! Even if he left it up to me, it really was easy. Being aquarium newbies, we embarrassed ourselves going into the pet store and stating we were ready to start with fish that day. You see, you need to add the water first, get the correct PH level, and make the environment hospitable for the fish to live in (who knew?)

Once we had done the appropriate first steps, we were ready to add some fish to the tank. We originally wanted salt water fish, because they are so much more pretty and entertaining, but realized that we should start with some easy-care fresh water fish first and then maybe move on to salt water down the road.

The kids loved picking out “furniture” for the fish, and naming them of course. We started out with just 3 about 3 weeks ago and have since added a few more tiny fish and a bottom-feeder type that amuses us by “dive-bombing” around the tank.

What do you think? I surprised myself by how much I love our new aquarium. It really fits in well with our decor and works as a divider between the living room area and dining room area. Plus, it’s of course a great conversation piece and the kids love their new pets.

There’s of course a learning curve with owning an aquarium and keeping fish. The features of the EHEIM Aquastyle 9 Gallon Lifestyle Aquarium are all listed here, to give you an idea of how helpful it is to have everything you need to start all in one box. We were also treated to a $75 gift card to get the “fish furniture”, cleaner, and fish of course!

Since our initial purchase, the only issue we’ve encountered is keeping the water clear. It gets cloudy from time to time and through Google my husband learned that the problem could be caused by too much light (so we only keep the pretty lamp on for a few hours in the evening) and of course the PH level. So, we’re working to remedy that currently.

The Aquastyle Aquarium from EHEIM comes in 4, 6, and 9 gallon tanks making them perfect for a desk or counter at work or on a pedestal at home. Use the EHEIM Locator link on the site to find Aquastyle aquariums near you.

What a fabulous giveaway I have for one of my lucky readers! EMEIM is giving 1 of my readers the opportunity to win an Aquastyle 9 Gallon Lifestyle Aquarium (MSRP $159.50) and a Display Pedestal ($149.50), a total prize valued at $309!

To enter to win, leave me a comment here telling me your plans for incorporating this aquarium into your home/office if you won – where would it go? What type of fish would you get?

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