Marineland Portrait Review

The product we are going to review this time is the Marineland Portrait, a 5 gallon aquarium that satisfies the needs of anyone who are looking for cool fish tanks that fit into their budget and space. Like every other thing that you can purchase, this too has its own pros and cons. 

The pros of this product exceed the cons by quite a lot, however, it’s important to keep in mind that everything is relevant to your own environment and situation, so a minus in someone’s book might be a plus in yours.

Our team has made sure to bring you a third-party opinion, with everything you need to know so your choice can be as clear as possible. The Marineland ml90609 Portrait aquarium kit comes in a box that contains a 5 gallon fish tank with filter and heater, as well as a LED lighting unit for that extra jazz in your setup. If you’re currently on the market for small fish tanks, the Marineland Portrait will undoubtedly be one of the better choices.

Walls Material	Glass
Shape	Cuboid with rounded corners
Color	Clear/black
Style	Modern/Cuboid
Size Options	5-Gallon
Light	LED Light
Filter	3-stage filtration
Heater	Yes
Air Pump	No
Lid	Yes
Accessories/Decor	No
Require aquarium stand	No
Ideal For	Freshwater and saltwater
Extras	Daylight/moonlight lighting

Marineland Portrait Overview

Purchasing a home aquarium is confusing as it’s a thrilling experience. Especially if you’re new and just looking for a small tank to do everything a tank should do for the long term without having to compromise on many other things. Below you’ll find all you need for deciding whether to make this purchase or not.

Pros

• Simple to put up and built to last. The materials used are of excellent quality, so you can be confident about your fish’s safety.
• The filter and heater may be put in a compartment on the rear, leaving extra room in your aquarium for decorations and your Betta to roam without ruining the aesthetics.
• Good design that allows for all types of decor to be fit comfortably, without showing the cables.
• LED lights that have both blue and white lights to create a night and day ambiance for your fish and they even flip out of the way if you have to clean the tank.
• The filter is silent and its cartridges are common enough to be found in the majority of pet stores.

Cons

• The filter strength might be too strong for some fish like the Halfmoon Betta.
• The rear compartment is hard to reach therefore not easy to clean.

What’s Included in the Box?

• The tank itself
• Glass canopy
• Filter
• Filter pump
• Biofoam
• Base

Features of Marineland Portrait

The Marineland Contour is a great tank for new and experienced fishkeepers alike. Together with the tank, a filter and lighting system are also included in the package. After putting the product through its paces, our team has come up with a list of things to consider before making a choice. You’ll find all you need to know about this tank in the sections below, so you can make the best decision possible.

Tank and Design

The tank is one of the most essential elements to consider when purchasing an aquarium kit. And the aquarium tank that comes with this aquarium kit will look fantastic in your house. The tank’s rounded design and glass material help in letting you view the fish more clearly. 

The build also looks good in any setting allowing you to place your aquarium in places where more traditional aquariums would not fit. You may use it as a house aquarium, a work aquarium, or a decorative aquarium as a result of this. Finally, the tank is made of glass rather than acrylic. While what you like is entirely personal, the glass will give charm to any area it is placed in.

Dimensions go by 9.63 x 9.63 x 17.05 inches and it weighs around 12 Pounds. With everything put on it, there are about 4,5 gallons of water for your fish to swim, which isn’t much, but it’s not little either if you put the right amount of fish. Yes, you are limited to stocking this tank, but if you choose the best fish for 5 gallon tank you will have a wonderful tank.

As for the durability, this tank is built like a tank (the military ones) and unless you throw it out the window, chances are that it won’t suffer any irreversible damage. The glass makes sure it’s scratch-proof so you can see your precious fish as clearly as possible. You can definitely tell it’s made of quality materials just by looking at it and the everyday use won’t make it lose its jazz. 

When unboxing it, you’ll feel like a little kid on Christmas, because it’s really easy to set up and all the instructions will make it seem as if you’re building a lego set (totally easier though). When you see the final product after you’ve filled it up with everything, you’ll be surprised by how little money you paid for such a good product. 

Filtration System

The filtration system with all three stages (mechanical, biological, and chemical) is easily one of the best features of this tank. The chemical stage is possible due to a Rite-Size Z cartridge and the bacteria is removed through BioFoam. You may not tell the difference of the water but rest assured the fish can. 

The filter provides freshwater, clear from all that pollutes it, improving the life quality of your fish. It even stays in the hidden compartment along with the heater to not be an eyesore.

The Foundation

The base included in the box is simple and serves its purpose admirably. If you’re part of the people worried about your aquarium collapsing, the base is absolutely strong enough to keep that from occurring. You won’t have to worry about causing any harm to your furniture either. 

Furthermore, it is simple to attach and detach, it’s made of plastic and however frowned upon plastic is, it still makes a solid foundation that does the job and isn’t a hazard under any circumstance. 

Lighting System

The lighting system is one of the most important parts of a tank. The lights themselves feature both white and blue LEDs, so you can leave them on all day without bothering your fish and reproducing the natural day and night cycle. 

This lighting will also allow various low-light plants to thrive properly, ensuring their longevity. Besides these lights are stunning and are a good addition to the overall aesthetic of the tank.

Upgrades: Marineland 5 Gallon Portrait Mods

Nothing is perfectly going to match up to your ideas. Therefore a good option would be mods. Mods are additions you put to your tank to suit it more to your personal needs in order to get the best performance for your aquarium. These things vary from equipment to equipment and below you’ll find a list of things to add to your Marineland Portrait.

• Command strip/hook for the lid: It can be pretty cumbersome taking that lid on and off. Adding a command strip and command hook help raising the lid of your tank without slippery fingers. We recommend choosing a transparent command hook because it provides less of an eyesore of the tank.
  
• Pre-filter sponge on the output nozzle: will allow adequate diffusion of that output of water from the filter without having to sacrifice the chlorine so the amount of water you’re filtering doesn’t have to take a hit. Bettas fish prefer little to no flow in their tank and this pre-filter can accomplish just that.
  
• Filter floss: extra polishing for your water so that it looks crystal clear by adding more mechanical filtration to your system (Tip: change often).
  
• 25 watt or 50-watt heater: depending on the type of fish or plant you are going to have in your aquarium, you may or may not need a heater. Marineland Portrait comes without a heater, therefore a heater must be purchased if your fish or plant requires a specific temperature. You can add this additional heater to the back of the tank and after you set it up you will forget that it is there.
  
• Add live plants: The included light system in this tank is only suitable for low light plants as well as medium light plants that you can float closer to the light. We added Anubias Congensis to the tank and is doing just fine. It is important that you put something in the tank that can allow Bettas or any other fish to hide from the light when they want to.
  
• Addition light with a timer or a timer to the existing light: having a light schedule will be more natural for your fish and plants, help their circadian rhythm, and also will allow you to not overload your tank with light all day.
  
  Our best recommendation would be to purchase another light. Orbit Reef Aquarium Light would be the best choice if you want to have different plants in your aquarium or if you will transform your aquarium into a reef tank. If you want to keep only the existing light that you just purchase a timer.

Warranty

Do you have children? Other pets? Clumsy hands? You’re not alone. There are 73,000 tanks in the world, and it’s certain that’s just how much I broke last year. Jokes aside, aquariums can be a scary thing to handle when you’re constantly surrounded by fast little beings that want to grab whatever they see. 

If you’re concerned that anything may go wrong with your aquarium, you’ll be relieved to hear that it includes a warranty. Not only that, but the customer service at Marineland is excellent. Satisfied customers (including us) have remarked that Marineland’s customer service is excellent. When you buy from Amazon, you also have the added security of being able to return a tank if it doesn’t function.

Alternatives

Although the Marineland Portrait is an amazing choice, there are other products with similar attributes that can be a choice for people with other requirements. Each of these products was tested on its own by our team and is neither superior nor inferior to the main product of this review. 

If you want a more detailed description of each of these products, simply click on their name and another review from our team will pop up. You can be sure that as professionals, we viewed each product as if it was bought by a beginner, in order to provide a clear and complete review for you to make the best choice.

Fluval Spec V

If you don’t need a huge tank and want a clean, professional appearance, the Fluval Spec V is the way to go. It comes with everything you’ll need and is designed in a concise form that’s perfect for modern homes. 

Tanks around 5 gallons aren’t very heavy, so you won’t need to go out and buy stands, and it’ll be easy to transport if you want to change things up around you often. Overall, it’s a beautiful tank with good equipment that will almost certainly last you long and fulfill all the basis of tank-care

Fluval Flex 9 Gallon

If you’re looking for something similar but larger, look no further. Fluval Flex is your best bet. The main differences between this and the Marineland Portrait are the size and design. It also has LED lighting and a three-stage filtration system, as well as all of the essential components.

Because of its unique design, the Fluval Flex has a lot of style and fits in various interiors, especially modern ones. This tank, aside from its look, has a larger capacity and can contain more fish or give more open areas for single fish to swim in. Overall, it’s a terrific solution with no weaknesses in any area that will leave you satisfied for years to come.

Marineland Contour

The Marineland Contour Aquarium is the last but not least. It’s a great tank for novice and experienced fish owners alike. In addition to the tank, you’ll receive a filter and lighting system that are just as good as the ones we discussed for the Portrait.  If you are looking for similar features as Marineland Portrait but a different tank design, then take a look at Marineland Contour.

The unboxing experience between this and the portrait is the same, with similar features and form factors. We advise you to purchase any of them as long as they’re available because there’s no great difference between the two.

Final Thoughts

The Marine Portrait is an excellent starting aquarium. It also presents an opportunity to raise fish without that extra effort that they sometimes require. With its clean design that looks excellent in any setting, this aquarium will meet all of your fish’s demands in style. This is the way to go if you’re searching for something small and compact to move about anytime you want without worrying about its weight.

Even the alternatives listed above are viable options provided they meet your requirements. It all boils down to personal choice and different case circumstances. This product is definitely in the top 5 or if not the best 5-gallon fish tank for the Betta fish, and even one of the best fish tanks in the market. 

However you see it, this is a choice you can’t go wrong with. As long as you take care of it, these products ought to last you years and leave you beyond satisfied. We’re glad to have assisted in your choice and hopefully have made it clearer for you.

FAQs about Marineland Portrait

While we’ve shared a lot of information about selecting the Marineland Portrait in this review, you may still have a few unanswered questions. Use the FAQs below as a resource to learn more about this 5 gal fish tank.