StockEwe49 Posted November 16, 2021 Share Posted November 16, 2021 Hi all, I have recently been thinking about getting a small nano sized tank. Maybe for some shrimp or just plants. Specifically I am looking at the MarineLand Portrait 5 gallon Aquarium. Corey actually did a video on this tank a while back and how you can modify it! Does anyone have experience with this specific tank or are there any Nano tanks you recommend that have worked well for you? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GameCzar Posted November 16, 2021 Share Posted November 16, 2021 (edited) That's a great choice! I'm also a fan of the Aqueon Frameless tanks! The Aqueons are on sale at Petco at a great price right now! Edited November 16, 2021 by GameCzar more info 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted November 16, 2021 Share Posted November 16, 2021 On 11/16/2021 at 4:54 PM, StockEwe49 said: Hi all, I have recently been thinking about getting a small nano sized tank. Maybe for some shrimp or just plants. Specifically I am looking at the MarineLand Portrait 5 gallon Aquarium. Corey actually did a video on this tank a while back and how you can modify it! Does anyone have experience with this specific tank or are there any Nano tanks you recommend that have worked well for you? I prefer tanks that are "landscape" instead of "portrait" in shape. The Fluval Spec series looks nice, if you're going for a kit. It's twice as expensive though . . . so that's a matter to weigh. Of all the tanks I ever bought, I've never been unhappy with a 20 gal. long. You might enjoy at 15 gal. long too if you can find one. I realize that may not be a "nano tank" though to you. Personally, anything less than a 30 gal. is "nano" to me. I love the 20 gal long because it's low enough to get great light penetration to the bottom, and long enough to plant / stock with diverse plants and livestock. Good luck! I hope you share photos or videos once you decide and set up. These aren't necessarily nanos . . . but I'm adding some photos from my basement for fun... 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StockEwe49 Posted November 16, 2021 Author Share Posted November 16, 2021 @Fish Folk I agree Nano is very subjective that's why I included the 5 gal as a baseline! I love that second picture from the top. What size is that, it looks like there is killifish in it? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted November 16, 2021 Share Posted November 16, 2021 On 11/16/2021 at 5:30 PM, StockEwe49 said: @Fish Folk I agree Nano is very subjective that's why I included the 5 gal as a baseline! I love that second picture from the top. What size is that, it looks like there is killifish in it? Yes! That's my 33 gal long. Very. very unique tank. I use 3x Sponge filters and a tiny pump to move water across the tank. Aquarium Lily and Crinum bossing the center. Moss on Dragonstone pieces scattered everywhere. Yes, they're Killis. Africans - "Emerald Killifish" (Fundulopanchax Scheeli) Watch this in 1080p.... At the very beginning, you'll see two 5-gal tanks hidden inside the cabinet. MTS masters degree 😜 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindabee53 Posted November 16, 2021 Share Posted November 16, 2021 @Fish Folk Is that yarn in one of your tanks? If so, why? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted November 16, 2021 Share Posted November 16, 2021 The definitions of nano and pico are a bit fluid. For small tanks, I like Seapora/Aquarium Masters/Deep Blue. I’m a big fan of black silicone, because it breaks up the refraction for aquarium photos. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted November 16, 2021 Share Posted November 16, 2021 On 11/16/2021 at 5:53 PM, lindabee53 said: @Fish Folk Is that yarn in one of your tanks? If so, why? Why, yes it is! That’s a breeding mop for Killis. They lay eggs in the yarn mop, and I pull eggs out every day when working on a new batch. Here they are spawning in it… 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted November 16, 2021 Share Posted November 16, 2021 (edited) I have three of the Aqueon frameless cubes. They are a bargain during the 1/2 off sale. If you’re looking at all in one tanks like the Marineland I’d recommend taking a look at the Imagitarium 6.8 gal frameless. It goes on sale during the 1/2 off sale and it’s a bargain for less than 50. It includes a good light and a huge internal sump filter with two large coarse sponges and room for plenty more media. Ours is a low tech plant growing machine! I’ll post a pic of ours after my wife gets off work, it’s in her office. Edited November 16, 2021 by Patrick_G 3 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StockEwe49 Posted November 16, 2021 Author Share Posted November 16, 2021 @Patrick_G Wow I will check that out, looks great! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindabee53 Posted November 17, 2021 Share Posted November 17, 2021 On 11/16/2021 at 5:03 PM, Fish Folk said: Why, yes it is! That’s a breeding mop for Killis. They lay eggs in the yarn mop, and I pull eggs out every day when working on a new batch. Here they are spawning in it… @Fish Folk Silly me! I thought yarn was for knitting and crocheting. 😉 Thanks for taking the time to respond. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnimalNerd98 Posted November 18, 2021 Share Posted November 18, 2021 I also love the Aqueon frameless cubes. I had a 5 gallon portrait tank and ended up selling it. Disclaimer: all of this is my own opinion, and I feel like it shouldn’t dissuade you from getting a 5 gallon portrait tank if you really want one, especially if you have a scape and stocking ideas for it. Here are my issues with the 5 gallon portrait: 1) The compartments in the back are kind of locked in place, so although you can optimize it like how Cory shows in the video, it is still very limited in how much you can customize. I played around with cutting sponges for so long, and the spacing was just never optimal. Not to mention, I felt like there was just a lot of wasted space behind the weir. 2) Because of the height of the tank, I felt it was difficult to adequately churn up the water. You either had to turn the pump higher to get the water whipping around (but because of the small size, it just put more stress on the fish by constantly moving), or you had to have multiple air stones to prevent dead spots. 3) The kit light was just not ideal for plants. I ended up getting a replacement, and then I wondered why I spent $50 on a tank kit when I had to spend another $20-30 for a decent light. It was hard finding a light that was easy to attach, small enough, and was strong enough to penetrate down to the gravel. 4) I find the drain holes (spiral shaped) near the lower middle right of the back to be particularly ugly. I ended up spending a lot of my time thinking of ways to hide that spot in each of my scapes. There are some pros: 1) The lid is nice and thick (a little hard to open though. 2) It has a small footprint and a decent water volume. Here are some of my old setups. A 6 gallon cube, MarineLand Portrait, and Fluval Spec V (I also didn’t end up keeping my Fluval Spec V). 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevesFishTanks Posted November 18, 2021 Share Posted November 18, 2021 Fluval spec and flex are really cool all in one setups. Best for the money as far as flexibility and options would prob be the dollar per gallon aqueon 20 gallon long 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StockEwe49 Posted November 18, 2021 Author Share Posted November 18, 2021 @AnimalNerd98Thanks for the pros and cons! The main reason I had been thinking about getting a portrait style is I've never had one and I am debating about getting a pea puffer, so I think they would like a tall tank setup. I will keep this in mind, I still haven't decided yet on what tank! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnimalNerd98 Posted November 18, 2021 Share Posted November 18, 2021 I kept a pea puffer in the 5 gallon portrait tank. She is living in a 20 gallon community tank now. For me, the thing that got annoying is that I couldn’t have any snails in there, so the algae grew on all of the sides of the tank. Since it is a deep tank, you often have to get up to past your elbows when scrubbing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted November 18, 2021 Share Posted November 18, 2021 I'm really loving my Aquatop 4.12 gallon cube. It's my first low iron glass tank so it's crystal clear- you don't know how clear this really is until you look at your typical glass tank and this tank. Plants have never grown faster either. I have 9 CPDs in here, 1 Nerite and a bunch of bladder snails. Running on a small heater (my only heated tank because top temp was 72) and Hygger nano sponge filter. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted November 18, 2021 Share Posted November 18, 2021 I have a 5 gallon imagitarium tank for my shrimp and plant tank. It's okay - inexpensive, comes with a light in the lid and a HOB which I don't use as I'm using a sponge filter. I also have an Aqueon 5 gallon minibow which is the quarantine tank. The light stopped working on that within days, and the filter didn't last long either. They're okay. Aqueon also makes a 5 gallon glass tank which is what I'd get if I could find one in stock! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cys aquatics Posted November 18, 2021 Share Posted November 18, 2021 Preview Preview 9:34 Petsmart Top Fin 5 Gallon Glass Aquarium $49.99 Unboxing ... YouTube · More Aquarium Co-Op Sep 20, 2017 here is the one that i use, @Cory did a review on it 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StockEwe49 Posted November 19, 2021 Author Share Posted November 19, 2021 Wow thanks to everyone for replying!@AnimalNerd98 Even with a magnetic algae scrapper? That would be a pain if so...@xXInkedPhoenixXI can definitely tell that the water is really clear! It looks great!@Maggie That is what I have been hearing I think I am considering that as an option!@Cys aquaticsI will watch that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonder Boy Posted November 19, 2021 Share Posted November 19, 2021 (edited) I bought a used TopFin Retreat (just like in Cory’s video). I pulled out the pump and compartment so it was fully open. One sponge filter, plants, and substrate later - it’s a nice little shrimp tank. Edited November 19, 2021 by Wonder Boy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnimalNerd98 Posted November 20, 2021 Share Posted November 20, 2021 On 11/18/2021 at 7:02 PM, StockEwe49 said: Wow thanks to everyone for replying!@AnimalNerd98 Even with a magnetic algae scrapper? That would be a pain if so...@xXInkedPhoenixXI can definitely tell that the water is really clear! It looks great!@Maggie That is what I have been hearing I think I am considering that as an option!@Cys aquaticsI will watch that! Haha, I’m a bit of a cheapskate and I have never bought or used an algae scrubber. The thing that might hinder that is the rounded edges on the front pane of the tank. I’ve never tried though so don’t take my word on it 😊 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn T Posted November 20, 2021 Share Posted November 20, 2021 I've got that exact tank - the Marineland Portrait 5g. I HATED the base that came with it, so I put it on a piece of foam mat instead (cut from a sleeping mat used for camping - bought new, didn't steal it from my hubby 😁). I initially did it as a betta and shrimp tank, but the betta died on me. The Amano shrimp are still doing fine though. I modified the filter, of course, and have made a few more modifications since setup. Pulled the components out of it and replaced them with coarse sponge and a layer of filter floss. I put some bioball type media in the left side of the compartment where the pump is, and shortened the tube feeding water from the pump into the tank to accommodate that. Needless to say, the shrimp spend at least as much time in the filter compartment as they do the tank, so it's hit-or-miss to see them at any given time. LOL CON - the light is only good for low-light plants. It's far too weak even for plants that require medium light, I've found. In fact, I've got a light on order to replace it so I can at least grow medium-light plants as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StockEwe49 Posted November 21, 2021 Author Share Posted November 21, 2021 It seems there is a majority of consensus that the Portrait MarineLand 5 gallon comes with issues like needing a new light and ugly backing, that will need fixing out of the box even though it is offered as an all in one tank kit. I am considering the Aqueon rimless cubes more that the MarineLand now. Thanks for everyone's input! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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