Aqueon Evolve 4

[jnelson]

Bought the Aqueon Evolve 4 about two months ago as a small desktop tank for the girlfriend. It has some pros but also a couple of cons that need to be considered.

 

The Good:

Decent price. Has a better-than-expected stock light and grew macros/softies/easy LPS with no problems. Filter chambers were more than big enough for carbon, filter floss and a heater. Filter/overflow also keep the display at a constant level, which is great. Clip on cover is a nice touch and helps with evaporation. Display area is a respectable size and was pretty easy to aquascape.

 

The Bad:

The acrylic scratches VERY easily. I started off with a Fluval Edge which was also acrylic, and that didn't scratch nearly as bad as this. I was even using an acrylic-safe Mag Float but that didn't help. Stock return pump was a bit noisy no matter how I moved it around in the back chamber.

The Potentially Ugly:

Over the last few weeks, the acrylic has started bowing out on all sides of the tank. It got noticeable enough to be concerning and we broke the tank down. Since it's a desktop tank, that means it's around electric equipment and the last thing we need is water damage and a potential fire hazard.

 

Doesn't seem like I am the first person to experience this either, so I wonder if Aqueon is going to address this...

 

Bottom Line:

I'd say save your money and go with one of the other various offerings in the same size range (Fluval Edge/Spec, Eheim Aquastyle, IM Nuvo, etc.). A few extra bucks on one of these tanks could save you a lot of potential hassle later.

[Salty_Snack]

First off the fluval edge is glass, not acrylic, so no suprise the edge didn't scratch but the evolve does.

Second off I don't know anyone who has an acrylic aquarium and doesnt expect a few scratches from time to time, especially if they are using a magfloat.

Third off the tank is made of a polymer so it will bend and bow a little, but glass does as well. You have nothing to worry about with the evolve. It's not going to break on you.

 

My experience with the evolve 8 has been similar/different. The stock light isn't very good and neither is the return pump. The tank itself is relatively well built and I've leaned live rock up against the sides during aquascaping and expected to find a scratch but did not. The sides do bow out a little but again it's plastic so that's totally normal. For the money it works well and looks good.

 

Cleaning tip: use a piece of acrylic to clean the inside of the tank. I went to the local hardware store to get a small piece and make myself a hand scrapper. Not supriseingly, acrylic doesn't gouge acrylic if your careful with it.

[121a]

I know this is a bit of an older thread but I've had this tank for 6+ months now and I think it is wonderful.

 

Pros:

-Clean

-Built in filtration

-Powerful stock pump (though loud if it gets dirty)

-Nice size

 

Cons

-Cheap stock light; mine is flickering but I use it for a fuge light anyway so no worries

 

As to the bowing, yes it does bow. But it is acrylic, so this is expected. Glass even bows slightly. I have yet to find a scratch in mine, so I don't veiw this as a concern. As with any acrylic tank, you should be careful when cleaning the tank. Use an acrylic safe magnet or scrubber. If you wanted to keep anything more than a few lowlight soft corals, you need to replace the stock light. I believe a lot of people use the PAR series lamps, cheap and powerful.

 

Having said that, I absoutley love this tank and I recommend it.