Bill Smith Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 3 minutes ago, akconklin said: It looks fabulous, @RovingGinger! I hope they are happy there! I would guess nitrates would be an indicator if the tank was overstocked, which I don't think it would be with only 3 fish. So, altered behavior would be a better indicator, I think. But I'm no expert. I'll be interested to see how they do! Agreed. The gobies will tell you if they're not happy. 🙂 In my opinion (and I believe I've heard in many livestreams), an "ideal" setup is irrelevant if the fish aren't stressed. Excessive nitrates can be a stress factor. Lack of space can be a stress factor. And so on. Ultimately, I view our "job" as fishkeepers is to remove stress. It looks fantastic, and I don't think you're overstocked. But I wouldn't trust me on that front. 😉 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted September 20, 2020 Share Posted September 20, 2020 I also removed the partition from my portrait and installed a sponge filter after the tubing came off from the return and pumped about a third of the water out onto the floor while I was at work. I have always used the pedestal and did not attempt to remove the vinyl, mostly for aesthetic preferences. I just keep a colony of green Neocaridina in it currently, but I did have a betta in it originally. Overall I think they are pretty great little tanks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alesha Posted September 20, 2020 Author Share Posted September 20, 2020 Thanks for sharing, @Aubrey! I'm beginning to really enjoy this little tank too. I've dropped 3 little guppies in it for now. It cycled pretty quickly with the plants in there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shkote Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 I finally got mine cleaned up, and excess silicone removed. I don't plan on using the pedestal with it. I remember seeing something about sticking a mouse pad under it in an AC video awhile back. Does it have to cover the entire bottom? I'm not very familiar with rimless tanks and self leveling mats. Since the pedestal itself doesn't actually cover the entire bottom, would it be okay if the mat doesn't either? 🤔 I found an extra Milwaukee mouse pad laying around this morning. It's 1/4" thick, would that work, or should I invest in an actual mat for the entire base of the tank? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Nelson Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 I'm tearing this tank down this weekend and was planning on getting rid of it but after seeing this I may rip that back plastic divider out instead. I hate loosing fish and shrimp back there. Thanks for the suggestion! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alesha Posted September 24, 2020 Author Share Posted September 24, 2020 45 minutes ago, Lynze said: I finally got mine cleaned up, and excess silicone removed. I don't plan on using the pedestal with it. I remember seeing something about sticking a mouse pad under it in an AC video awhile back. Does it have to cover the entire bottom? I'm not very familiar with rimless tanks and self leveling mats... Since the pedestal was made specifically for the tank, I don't think I'd go by that size for a different means of cushioning. If I were going to use a mat under it, I think I'd put one that would cover the entire bottom. However, you might want to read @Bill Smith's comment above about the pedestal helping to catch all the drips when working with the tank. I decided to go with the pedestal after reading that. 😉 Can't wait to see what you do with this little tank! 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alesha Posted September 24, 2020 Author Share Posted September 24, 2020 14 minutes ago, Tim Nelson said: I'm tearing this tank down this weekend and was planning on getting rid of it but after seeing this I may rip that back plastic divider out instead. I hate loosing fish and shrimp back there. Thanks for the suggestion! Yay! I'm so glad you were inspired by this topic! Once you get that plastic out of there, it really is a nice little tank! I'm excited to see what you put in there!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alesha Posted October 3, 2020 Author Share Posted October 3, 2020 (edited) On 9/16/2020 at 6:19 PM, Bill Smith said: This is the light I used for mine (non-affiliate): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QQ9K3R9 I'm a big fan of NICREW lights for their short-term affordability. Hey, Mr. @Bill Smith, do you have a pic of your Nicrew Nicrewon this tank. I'm having a little bit of trouble figuring out how to clamp it on & still have the back plastic piece in place. 😁 Thank you! EDITED to add: I think I've got it now. My light was just turned the wrong way on the clamp. Just twisted it around... works just fine now. Edited October 3, 2020 by akconklin Add more info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Smith Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 Sure! Happy to help, but I fear it's not going to be all that helpful to you. My Portrait is underneath a small corner shelf, and I attached my NICREW light to the underside of that. The attachment to the tank is an illusion. Basically I took a piece of black plastic, epoxied an inch of that to the light, and then stuck the whole thing to the shelf with some double-sided tape: I don't think that's going to work in your case. However, I have some thoughts: 1. You can always DIY something that the light can attach to, and put that behind the tank, if there's space. A wooden stand comes to mind. 2. The gooseneck twists around backwards, so if you need to reverse the black plastic attachment, that is an option. 3. If you can get it to attach without the black plastic "lid" piece of the tank comes with, you can then cut a notch out of that later to make it fit. Bandsaw is ideal, but a soldering iron could work to melt you a hole So what's getting in your way? Let's see a pic or two and I'll see what I can do to help you solve it. 🙂 Bill 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alesha Posted October 3, 2020 Author Share Posted October 3, 2020 20 minutes ago, Bill Smith said: Sure! Happy to help, but I fear it's not going to be all that helpful to you... So what's getting in your way? Let's see a pic or two and I'll see what I can do to help you solve it. 🙂 Bill Your solution was both brilliant and elegant.👌 I edited my post above. You can see my pic. Yep... it was the gooseneck that was facing the wrong direction. The light pointed up. I could have taken off the nut & repositioned, but I just twisted it around. It doesn't sit perfectly straight, but close enough that it doesn't bother me. Thanks again for the recommendation. It lights my new Green Tiger Barbs up beautifully! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Smith Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 33 minutes ago, akconklin said: Your solution was both brilliant and elegant.👌 I edited my post above. You can see my pic. Yep... it was the gooseneck that was facing the wrong direction. The light pointed up. I could have taken off the nut & repositioned, but I just twisted it around. It doesn't sit perfectly straight, but close enough that it doesn't bother me. Thanks again for the recommendation. It lights my new Green Tiger Barbs up beautifully! Great, glad to see it worked! As for it not being perfectly straight, I think if you over-correct a little, it will start to "relax" over time and you will be able to get it straight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alesha Posted October 3, 2020 Author Share Posted October 3, 2020 36 minutes ago, Bill Smith said: Great, glad to see it worked! As for it not being perfectly straight, I think if you over-correct a little, it will start to "relax" over time and you will be able to get it straight. Thanks! That's what I did and what I was hoping would happen. 🙂 I really appreciate your help today. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shkote Posted October 7, 2020 Share Posted October 7, 2020 Here is the Marineland Portrait I had set up originally for a very short time before I realized I did NOT love it, tore it down and threw it in storage... I tore it apart and it ended up being the "big jar" I was looking for. I meant to update this since it has been up and running, but time got away from me. Here it is now... unfiltered, unheated and home to just plants and snails, but I will be putting in some Malawa shrimp, and eventually some Orange Rilis. I don't think I would have used it again if it wasn't for this thread, so thank you all! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alesha Posted October 8, 2020 Author Share Posted October 8, 2020 17 hours ago, Lynze said: Here is the Marineland Portrait I had set up originally for a very short time before I realized I did NOT love it, tore it down and threw it in storage...I don't think I would have used it again if it wasn't for this thread, so thank you all! @Lynze, it looks wonderful!!! I just love the look after the plants have taken off...it looks super lush! What kind of substrate did you use? Are you pleased with it? I actually have a 2nd one of these. The first one I'm using as a QT for the 3 SAEs and 13 green tiger barbs I got last week. But the second one I plan to plant, much as you did. I'm still deciding what I want to go in there. I'll be eager to hear how the shrimp do when you add them. Thanks for the update!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shkote Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 @akconklin it is dirted with Black Diamond blast media on top. If everything does well, I may add a small airstone and USB pump and put a couple of male Staeck Endlers in eventually. I have some fry growing out right now. The temperature is staying pretty stable. Since this tank is set up at work, everyone now stops to see if I've added any kind of swimmers yet. I catch them standing in front of it and just staring, even at just plants and snails. No one else here is into anything aquatic. They looked at me like I was crazy when I told them I was doing it, but one of them thanked me for it the other day and said "I had no idea I needed this in my life" and I guess they don't realize that it's nerdy home hobby spillover because I'm running out of space, but I'll take it. 😆 I'd love to see what you do with the 2nd one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alesha Posted October 8, 2020 Author Share Posted October 8, 2020 1 hour ago, Lynze said: They looked at me like I was crazy when I told them I was doing it, but one of them thanked me for it the other day and said "I had no idea I needed this in my life" and I guess they don't realize that it's nerdy home hobby spillover because I'm running out of space, but I'll take it. 😆 Ahhhh...that is SO awesome! You've offered a few moments of peace to someone's hectic day at work. That is an incredible gift. So glad your hobby spilled over! 🙂 And endlers would be awesome in there. I had one male and 2 females in this tank before I got the new fish. (At least, I think they were endlers, but my guppies and endlers are so mixed up that I don't know. I only bought guppies last year, but one of my females gave birth to endlers. I didn't even know what they were. Had to look them up and now they are alllll mixed up.) But the male endlers are so amazingly colorful that you can usually tell them apart from the rest. And he looked great in this tank! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mamabotanica Posted September 20, 2022 Share Posted September 20, 2022 My pump on this tank seems to be on the fritz. Is there a model any of you have used that fits in that small area behind the back panel? Would appreciate any tips on a new model. Thanks, Joan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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