Looking for a 5 gallon office desk tank

[Jeff]

Is the Fluval Spec V really that impressive, compared to say...an Aqueon 5g tank? Is it really worth a $70 difference?

I understand you generally get what you pay for, but Aqueon isn't some no name brand. They make good tanks.

Do you have any other 5g recommendations?

Edited March 16, 2022 by Jeff

[Brandon p]

The aqueous would be fine. I buy used tank all the time and never had on break. You could have either one and the fish would care. I personally Like the fluval spec in the black and the filter and heater set up. Here is are some other choices you want to look at(fyi marineland and aqueous are tan by the same company and have the same standards of quality.

 Aqueon Ascent Frameless LED Aquarium Kit, 6 Gallon

Marineland Portrait Glass LED Aquarium Kit, 5 Gallons, Hidden Filtration

 

MarineLand Contour Glass Aquarium Kit with Rail Light
 

hygger 5 Gallon Fish Aquarium Starter Kits, Arc-Shaped Aquarium Kit 

Hygger Horizon

Fluval Flex( this one might be to large of footprint would have to check. 

I use a lot of hygger stuff I love the horizon, fluval spec , fluval flex

 

Edited March 16, 2022 by Brandon p

[Sean]

I have one of the Aqueon 5 gal and 2 of the above mentioned Marineland portrait 5 gal’s. I do like the marine land ones as they look sharper imo. I hate the whole back built in filtration system they have as it consumes a little over a gallon of the 5 gallon space.
 

I did a hack on both of the Marinelands, by removing the entire back filtration section by carefully using a flat razor and cutting out the silicon for that piece. I then simply use a nano sponge filter which takes up little space comparatively and the fish have a full 5 gallons to use and not 4. I also like that these have a black background adhered to the back already so gives a clean black backdrop. I also like that they are a little taller and narrower than the Aqueon 5gal as it helps fit on the desk better. they do look nice and fits well on my work desk at home. 
 

The Aqueon is fine and still works well. It is a little wider and more cube shaped. So if you’re wanting more horizontal space then this might be what you’ll want to consider between the two. It doesn‘t come with the silly back filtration contraption that Marineland put together, so less work up front. But imo it was still worth it. The cover is a little flimsy on this one comparatively but is fine. You get more square corners if that’s the look you like, but for me I like the seamless rounded corners that Marinelands has. 
 

I currently have the Aqueon on my desk and the two Marinelands in our bedroom side by side with Bettas in them and are great for what they are, but if I can get another deal on another Marineland I’ll be replacing the Aqueon 😉 
 

it sounds like I’m hard selling the Marineland….but I kind of am because I still think they are a great looking aquarium for the price. Also if you wait for a good sale at petco, chewy, or amazon, you can get them for like $40! I did on both, so even more worth it. 

[Apulo]

I have two of the Aqueon frameless cubes (6 gallon and 14 gallon) and I love them to death.

[JettsPapa]

I have a basic black frame $10.00 tank on my desk.  I think it looks fine.  I can't do rimless because I have hard water and don't want to fight the mineral line at the top of the water.  As long as I keep the tank close to full that line is hidden behind the frame.

[AndreaW]

What are you putting in the tank? I ask because people often get 10G tanks for Bettas, and some are better for them than others. ie: they like a lower flow water, warmer water, and humid air for their labyrinth organs to breathe. If you have built-in heater/filter, sometimes you have to modify them to work the way you want. Also, a cover is a good idea for a Betta because some jump and it holds in more humidity for them to breathe.

I don't have either tank, so I can't tell you, but I know both are used/modified for Bettas. These are just my thoughts though.

[Anon]

On 3/16/2022 at 6:04 AM, JettsPapa said:

I can't do rimless because I have hard water and don't want to fight the mineral line at the top of the water.

I wish I thought about this before I bought my first tank! My tanks with rims look much cleaner. My water is so hard I have to hand-dry my dishes to avoid spots all over everything. 

[KaitieG]

I also have the marineland portrait on my desk.  It takes up so little space and looks super clean and nice.  I also have CRAZY hard water, and I haven't had issues with deposits yet, but I've only had it since Christmas.  One thing I particularly like about the tank is that the lid really holds water in well--I have very little evaporation loss from that tank in particular.

[Brandon p]

On 3/16/2022 at 9:04 AM, JettsPapa said:

I have a basic black frame $10.00 tank on my desk.  I think it looks fine.  I can't do rimless because I have hard water and don't want to fight the mineral line at the top of the water.  As long as I keep the tank close to full that line is hidden behind the frame.

I would do the same because I can see spending that much on a tank. I have a hygger tank I love it but I got used from the LFS for fish. But I would go with the least expensive 5 gal that I could get. I don’t see much difference in quality. I made my own 10gal 20 years ago and still works. I’m now build tanks in my future but I could do it. It cost more to-make a tank than buy one for tanks under 75- 100 gallons.

[Jeff]

On 3/16/2022 at 9:53 AM, AndreaW said:

What are you putting in the tank? I ask because people often get 10G tanks for Bettas, and some are better for them than others. ie: they like a lower flow water, warmer water, and humid air for their labyrinth organs to breathe. If you have built-in heater/filter, sometimes you have to modify them to work the way you want. Also, a cover is a good idea for a Betta because some jump and it holds in more humidity for them to breathe.

I don't have either tank, so I can't tell you, but I know both are used/modified for Bettas. These are just my thoughts though.

Would be for a trio of male guppies. I want to help Twin Cities Guppies after that video on Sunday. 

Edited March 16, 2022 by Jeff

[binkysmom]

if you can do it I would get a regular 10 gallon. A lot more options. And guppies reproduce so rapidly you'll want that extra space.

If it's just males you won't have to worry about babies though.

I do like the Spec V for the horizontal swimming space.

[Jeff]

@binkysmom My desk really isn't big enough to house a 10g. So, I'm trying to figure out a 5g.

I'm not typically a fan of vertical tanks vs. horizontal; but the Marineland is intriguing...and definitely a good possibility considering the small-ish area I have on my desk.

Thanks everyone!

[Jeff]

Looks like I'm going with the 5g Marineland Portrait tank.

How's this for stocking?

-trio of male guppies

-1 Scarlett Badis for a centerpiece 

-Cherry Shrimp for the cleanup crew on the bottom

Edited March 24, 2022 by Jeff

[Dawn T]

I have the 5g Marineland Portrait tank ("Betta" tank in my signature, though it's now an Ember tetra tank). I bought one for my writing desk after seeing a review by Cory. I modified the filtration it came with (hate cartridges!), basically hotrodded it 😁, and recently put in a different pump (snails LOVE the pump it came with, so it clogged constantly). It's my first rimless tank, and I'm very happy with it.

Edited March 24, 2022 by Dawn T

[castiel]

I have a Fluval Spec V on my desk and while it's a nice tank and I'm happy with it I personally don't see much justification for the price being so much higher then other similar tanks, it's a nice tank as I said but it doesn't have the best footprint for any type of scaping.