Novabound Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 First post! Hi everyone, I'm planning to revamp my 5 gallon shrimp tank this weekend and i have the petsmart rimmless tank that has a gray curved wall in the back with a water pump. It seems that there's a ton of detritus in the back that i can never seem to clean well enough. As a result, every water change, regardless of how much i vacuum, there seems to be piles of it in the display area within a couple days. I've moved to feeding a smidge of food once every 3 days and change water once a week for some time, but at this point I've grown fond of the idea of getting a bit more space and rearranging everything. Anywho, any tips for removing the grey wall? I'm afraid brute force may break the whole thing. I'll be emptying the tank and housing the critters and plants in a tub with the sponge filter while i do it. Thanks for reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Smith Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 Dremel, maybe? It would be messy, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn M Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 I have a similar 5 gal tank with the filter section in the back. It is difficult to vacuum it out. IMO it would be better to get another 5 gal tank that didn't have the filter on the back and use the old one for something else or sell it. If I get tired of mine that's what I would do. You also run the risk of damaging the tank and have to buy a new one anyway. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 I think I like projects like this, because even though I can afford another tank I hate to waste the one I have. It's a sickness, I know. If you cut the space open with a dremel or similar, you can probably remove the silicone/glue and plastic remnants from the glass pretty easily with a razor blade. Assuming there is glass behind the gray. I think it is a case of slow, steady hands, and patience. You can do it! ... Then again, I sometimes have to remind myself that just be cause I CAN do a thing, doesn't mean I should. The number of times I have reinvented the wheel when $30 on craigslist would have solved my problem in half an hour...Let's move on. 😝 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novabound Posted July 16, 2020 Author Share Posted July 16, 2020 18 minutes ago, Lynn M said: IMO it would be better to get another 5 gal tank that didn't have the filter on the back and use the old one for something else or sell it. If I get tired of mine that's what I would do. You also run the risk of damaging the tank and have to buy a new one anyway. These are good points, and frankly, is way easier to do. I think petco is doing their infamous 1$ per gallon sale. Maybe i can upgrade them to a 10 while I'm at it. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novabound Posted July 19, 2020 Author Share Posted July 19, 2020 Project took a pain staking 3.5 hours of careful moving of critters and plants, then replacing the old 5 gallon tank with a 7.5 gallon and decorating/replanting. I added a new hardscape i found at the LFS and tied moss to it. Hopefully when the moss grows it'll look like a tiny tree. I used a ziploc bag that I poked holes into to gently pour the water back in to not disturb the sand. Emerald rasboras used to only hide in the crypt in the back but now they swim through the "tree" branches and check out the space. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alesha Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 Love your new layout! It looks great! Let us know how the tree "grows" in. 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novabound Posted September 3, 2020 Author Share Posted September 3, 2020 2 hours ago, akconklin said: Love your new layout! It looks great! Let us know how the tree "grows" in. 🙂 We're approaching the 2 month mark and it's gone through a few changes. It's definitely more mature with a fine layer of mulm on the substrate. I swapped out the emerald rasboras with pseudomugul luminatus, got some floating plants to make them feel safe, and added some bushier plants. The tree moss started to die pretty hard, but like aquarium coop suggests, i waited out the die back.Then came back incredibly lush Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novabound Posted September 3, 2020 Author Share Posted September 3, 2020 That pic looks super blurry, hopefully this one is better 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alesha Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 Well, I'd say your patience paid off! It looks really great! 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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