Interpet Fish Pod

In common with many smaller aquarium the ’Fish Pod’ comes complete with everything but the kitchen sink, the fish and the water! From scratch the starter can create a fully functional cold-water system with what is described as a ‘panoramic’ design to enable good all round visibility. The system is complete with options for individually controlled day or night lighting so that fish and plants are kept healthy. At just over £120 depending on where you buy, it isn’t cheap and there are kits available to allow for conversion to house tropical species.

What we liked:

For a start it is stand-alone and has really good visibility from front via the bowed glass and to the sides  – there are no uprights to obscure the view. It is compact for a 14 gallon (64L) tank and can be adapted easily for tropical as well as cold-water use. 64 litres will accommodate a smallish but attractive number of fish and plants.

The top easily lifts off to allow for cleaning and feeding and contains the lighting and filtration units

What didn’t we like?

Being brutal – it looks a little utilitarian despite the attraction of great visibility., For the price its probably a bit on the small side, yet great for a starter unit – pluses and minuses there.

Where does it score on the ‘top ten’?

  • Visibility has to be a 10/10
  • The fact that all the controls are in the top and it includes separately switchable lights is a definite bonus – 9/10
  • The ‘fresh out of the box’ system includes ingredients to filter and make tap water safe takes away some of the issues for the novice  – and reduce the sticking period by half (around 3 weeks)– 10/10
  • Stylistically it seems to be a throwback to the 80s and 90s and whilst this is offset by great visibility scores it down to 6/10.

Overall 8.5/10

Key facts and features:

  • Overall dimensions – 0.60m x 0.32m x 0.37m
  • All round glass with a bow front and no uprights
  • Holds 64 litres (14 gallons)
  • C/w 7w filter, and sponges plus carbon and biomedia and switchable lighting (on top of tank)
  • Added features being the inclusion of Interpet’s ‘Bioactive Tapsafe’ and ‘Filter Start’ accelerators
  • There is available (at extra cost) an upgrade unit that can convert the tank from cold-water to tropical and this comes in the form of a 100w heater and thermometer kit.