Description
The Marineland(R) 5 Gallons Portrait Aquarium creates a great feature piece for any home. With hidden filtration and an LED lighting system, your tank can come to life with the natural daylight and moonlight settings. Rounded corners and advanced filtration give you a beautiful view of your fish from many sides.
The Marineland 5 Gallons Portrait Aquarium Kit is a five-gallon curved glass aquarium. The kit includes
- Marineland’s 3-stage hidden filtration with a Rite-Size Z Cartridge
- Marineland Bio-Foam
- Adjustable flow filter pump.
Marineland(R) 5 Gallons Portrait Aquarium
The bright white and blue energy-efficient LED light is hinged for easy access to the tank and feature a 3-way switch to toggle between white and blue, off, and blue-only settings. The white LEDs create a shimmering light in the water that mimics the underwater effect of sunlight, and the blue LEDs produce a relaxing moonlight glow. Also included are a base and a unique glass canopy that slides to the back of the aquarium for easy feeding and water care dosing. This easy-to-assemble kit is beautifully designed and easy to maintain.
rmweston –
This is a great rimless glass aquarium priced at half of what I have seen similar tanks go for. Not including the pedestal, the tank is 14″ high and roughly 9-10/16″ wide and long. The pedestal adds another 1-1/4″ of height without increasing the footprint. There is plastic divider siliconed across the back of the tank creating a separate rear 2” compartment. A sheet of glass lays over the front compartment of the tank with a small gap at the front which permits air flow with the outside room. The rear compartment has a somewhat flimsy plastic piece covering it (more on this later). Overall, the aquarium is well protected from the outside and there is no risk of fish jumping out or cats jumping in.The filter caddy and pump are nicely hidden in the rear compartment and there is just enough room to squeeze a small submersible heater as well (not included). The rear compartment is a really nice feature in that it hides all of the wires and accessories from the viewing area of the tank – a very clean and minimalist look. The current from the filter is strong as other reviewers have noted, but it can be dialed down or redirected away from the surface as needed. I personally like the strong current because it evenly distributes the nutrients I add for my plants throughout the tall aquarium without creating dead spots.The filter is actually a pretty nice design. It has an inlet on the lower right of the divider as well as a surface skimmer at the top right. A 3″ wide filter caddy sits in the rear compartment and reroutes flow from the inlet to the pump on the left side. The pump recirculates the water into the main tank compartment through a spout in the top left of the divider. As I mentioned above, there is room in the rear compartment between the pump and filter caddy that can accommodate a smaller heater, just make sure to put it low because the rear compartment tends to have a lower water level than the front compartment.The aquarium came with an LED light source that includes a day and night toggle switch. The light is fairly bright but insufficient for growing any decent live plants. I replaced it with a Finnex Planted+ Cliplight and have been very happy with the illumination and growth rates of this tallish tank.I have only two complaints about the build of this tank, but neither are deal breakers.1) The rear compartment provides plenty of room for a multi-stage filtration system but is instead restricted to standard carbon cartridges. I would have liked to see a basket system where sponges, floss, bio media, Purigen, etc. could be used. I ended up remodeling the filter caddy with a 1/8” acrylic sheet and some acrylic cement and now I can use whichever medias I choose.2) The plastic cover for the rear compartment is flimsy and ill-fitting. It’s raised at the edges and just looks bad. I had some extra acrylic from my filter modification so I ended up replacing this too. Considering the quality of the rest of the tank, I’m not sure why they would cut corners here.Despite these two minor complaints, the aquarium is very high quality overall and definitely worth the price. With my filter modification and some heavy planting, I’ve been able to keep a male Betta, three Otos, several ghost shrimp, and a couple Nerite snails without issue. I think it’s a great looking tank and I would definitely recommend it to others.
Old cntry gal –
I got this tank for my betta and I love it. It is a very upscale classy look. The light on it is fine for a few low light plants. Most of all, my betta really loves it. I did take the suggestion of another reviewer and covered the output valve with pantyhose netting to cut the flow down, even after setting the pump flow at its lowest. This works well to keep my betta happy. I did buy ammonia remover blocks to add to the filter. The filter is not the greatest in my opinion, but it works ok for my one fish. I like how the glass top slides back to feed the fish, and I do like the filter and pump being hidden behind the back panel. I do a bi-weekly 50 percent water change on this tank just to keep the water fresh and it works fine. The back cover, as stated by other reviewers, is flimsy and could have been designed better to match the quality of the rest of the tank. Overall I am very happy with the look and overall design of this tank and I recommend it for any betta owners.
Amazon Customer –
I LOVE this tank! I bought it when it was on sale for $40, and it was WELL worth it. I’ve had it for a few days now and had zero problems hooking everything up.PROS- beautiful tank design and dimensions- glass- filter is SILENT- movable output nozzle from filter- all lines and cords are hidden- white and blue moonlight LED settings- small footprint on table/deskCONS- base is cheap plastic and is not attached to tank- filter flow needed to be modified for a betta: lowest setting was too high for my female veil tail. I simply cut a triangular piece of sponge and shoved it in the output nozzle and arranged my plant so the waterfall would fall onto a leaf (see photos – sorry they’re rotated), and now it’s perfect!OTHER NOTES- heater needs to be placed in the top left corner to allow the cord to be put into their cut out notch. The pictures in the instruction booklet say to put your heater horizontally, but it’s easier and eats less cord length as shown in my photos.- it really only holds 4 gallons after you add gravel and decorations. I’m sure if it was filled to the brim with nothing in it, it would be 5 gal, but realistically it’s 4.
jaynie –
This is a great starter fish tank. The glass work is really nice. Filtration system is good. Minor peeling of black trimming, easily fixed by glue. Overall style is very chic.
Shara –
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this Beautiful little tank so much I bought another one. I use it as a salt water tank. I also added a http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Q88PIFK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00 and it works GREAT and looks nice also. if you are “thinking about” buying this….stop now and BUY BUY BUY you will love it!
Mudshark –
I love this tiny little tank! I’ve always had large to very large tanks, and loved them, but due to current space restrictions, opted for this to go on a work desk. It runs quiet, filtration is adequate, no complaints!!
Vaporsilver –
Don’t want to repeat too much will just give a brief rundown. This is a great aquarium. It might be best for bottom dwellers and mid range fish. The current is strong at the top unless you employ the fixes in other reviews. The tank is near my bed, and you can barely hear the pump. If you have the water up to the max fill line, you barely hear it at all. I installed the tank in the late afternoon on Saturday. I added 2 plants and Mopani wood and conditioned, slightly aged tap water. By Saturday night, I added 5 African Dwarf Frogs. The discoloration and cloudiness from the Mopani freaked me out until I watched some videos and found that the tannic acid helps lower ph, promotes growth, improves the color, appetite, fights fungal infection, and also, stimulates breeding. Sunday was a boring day. The frogs all hid under the Mopani. By Monday morning, I did a 15-20% water change. About 15 minutes later, I saw two of the frogs “hugging” which is how they breed. I am amazed I was able to establish this aquarium so quickly. The water looks like weak tea, but they obviously must be happy. I would suggest Mopani wood in order to get your aquarium established too. I will need a gravel cleaner as the frozen worms I have don’t all get eaten and worm pieces are floating around not sure about this filter and the compartment is so tiny I could barely get my hand in there to get the cord to plug it in. There is a knob to adjust the pump, but I didn’t even attempt to find it. If I need to make sure all the connections are secure at some point, not sure how I will do this easily. The glass lid is great, the small plastic lid is a bit warped and yeah you have to not mess with it too much but it doesn’t take too much away from the tank. The stand is not attached, but with the weight of the full tank this is not a problem. The light seems great for the plants, but yeah it hasn’t been too long so may have to update my review if that changes. I was worried that the tank would be a bit high for the frogs, but they don’t seem to have an issue with it. They do stay on the bottom most of the time. Overall, this tank is fantastic. Love the shape. Just hoping that the filter gets the job done.
Haley –
This is great! Got it home and set up in no time. The set up instructions leave a little open to interpretation, but once you’re done it’s perfect! Bob my betta and his friends have never been happier. Highly recommend if you’re not prepared to commit to a huge tank, but want something big enough for a few species and plants. The added heater keeps it a perfect 78 degrees too.
R.K. –
This unit was an upgrade for my daughters Beta tank. It is absolutely fantastic. We have had it for over a month now. The adjustable pump can be turned down really low so the flow does not bother a Beta. I have seen people complain that the flow is too fast for a Beta but I’m wondering if they just didn’t lift the pump out and reduce the flow. It is really just a trickle at the lowest setting. The pump is also as close to silent as you can get. The tank is in my daughters room and she does not notice the pump even at night when the house is silent. The blue light works great as a night light also.Because it is 5 gallon we have been able to add a Beta a snail, and a shrimp along with a live plant. This helps to build a small eco system that reduces tank maintenance. This tank will be much easier to live with than the smaller 1-3 gallon options.If you are looking for a beautiful 5 gallon tank that has a nice built in filter and great lighting look no further than this beauty.
Mel D. –
This is the best 5 gallon tank you will ever purchase for the price. I love the vertical design, curved edges, glass lid that slides open, and the lighting that has two settings (natural and blue light). Moving my betta from a tiny tank to this 5 gallon tank has really made him come to life. He loves exploring his new environment with all the fresh vegetation. I realized pretty quickly that even on the medium setting for the water pump it was too strong of a current for my betta. He was being suctioned to the filter. Since the pump is adjustable I was able to lower the setting and he can swim with ease. I also bought a heater with a built in thermostat. It’s really nice to have for betta fish that need to be in warm water. Keep in mind that the tank, light and heater will require a total of three outlets.