Review on 🐠 5 Gallon Marineland Portrait Glass Aquarium Kit with Hidden Filtration and LED Lighting by Stacy Brooks

First of all, CAUTION: Although widely advertised, such small aquariums are NOT suitable for novice aquarists as they are very sensitive to every little thing you do with them and need to be careful be taken care of so they don't crash and/or turn into algae farms. If you're looking for something for your kids or someone who wants to immerse themselves in a hobby, this isn't it and it's sure to put them off right away. Bigger is always better for new people. Really, do yourself a favor and get yourself a 20 gallon system at least, 30 would be better. They're nowhere near as delicate as those glorious little 2.5-5 gallon bowls. You will have much more space to play with decorations and other things. With these little tanks, you have to pretty much figure out what you like and what you intend to do with them. Definitely a very nice tank. The glass is 1/4 inch thick, bent in one piece on the three faces, and the clarity is excellent. Mine came with no scratches. I'm not a fan of the filter but Marineland are in the business of filters and this tank is no doubt just a platform, albeit a good one, to sell you replacement filters. A good component filter would be better, more efficient, and easier to maintain without risking tank accidents with an all-or-nothing cartridge change. Small aquariums like this are notoriously unstable and hate the filter cartridge and big water changes. Everything will be fine, just be careful with the filter. On the other hand, the design of the slide that holds the cartridge is pretty easy to modify for bio rings, sponges, and carbon bags. There is also enough space to hide the heater. The light isn't very bright. Bright enough for low light plants, but not so much for high light swords and the like. It also has blue light. Luckily, the arm is designed so you can tie something like a 7.5-inch Mingdak LED strip to it for amplification. The Mingdak strip is also waterproof and submersible, that's all. If you are creative enough you can probably install some additional LEDs directly in the case with the existing ones as well. There's a lot of space. Not satisfied with the lid and stand. The lid is held in place by two plastic strips on the side that rest against the top edge of the tank. The problem is that the glass sits flush with that top edge. To open it you have to slide it back, which lifts the little black filter compartment cover which doesn't and won't stay in place the first time. This part is very poorly designed. It's really thin too. No doubt I'll just throw it away. Stand. I will not even try to use it. It just sits under the tank and cannot hold the tank up. It is also on the bottom glass pane and not on the rims of the sight glasses. It's probably good, but I don't like it at all. He's hollow too. It's just a thin square plastic ring. So if you are using it and need to pull the tank out for some reason, it will likely bend and lose its position under the tank. In the worst case, it can break. In general I am satisfied with them. The price is definitely a big plus. I paid about $35 for a cheap 3-gallon plastic Tetra with a crappy filter, extremely low light, and an air pump that sounds like my washing machine, so that's a huge (HUGE!) move for only $10. I say it's a good buy and a very good tank. The accessories have their little issues, but there's nothing that can't be handled, especially at such a fantastic price.