Stocking and Lighting for Marineland 5g Portrait

[gizzo12]

Hey everyone! I recently converted my marineland 5g portrait into saltwater after being a planted tank and was wondering what I could stock in it and also any recommendations for budget lights that will grow coral (softies and lps)

I would like an active fish that will swim around the water column rather than hide or stay at bottom if possible.

 

[gizzo12]

Hey everyone! I recently converted my marineland 5g portrait into saltwater after being a planted tank and was wondering what I could stock in it and also any recommendations for budget lights that will grow coral (softies and lps)

I would like an active fish that will swim around the water column rather than hide or stay at bottom if possible.

 

[User1]

I threw one together for a quick isolation tank when a captive raised matted file fish was too small for my main display. It was the size of a dime and couldn't handle the tanks flow. Ended up in the over flow for a bit then sump. Had one of these sitting around so took some of the tanks sand, a rock or two, and next water change used left over water. Everything fine and it worked well.

One of the rocks had some green button pally / polyps and the stock light didn't do much for it. So I had a old DIY royal blue, cool white LED that I made. Removed some of the lights so not to over power it and placed it on the glass lid. Worked very well. Put in a few coral frags that I made - all soft - and it did better. Xenia and Fuzzy Lobo. Anyway once the fish grew after 2 months I moved it back to the display and moved everything with it.

You are looking at a Nano tank. So zoa's, mushrooms, some LPS and SPS will work but a lot depends on the lighting. I was going to build a stand out of 2 x 4's and a 1/4 inch back board to hang a low intensity LED light. You don't have a lot of room although it is deep. You want to try and prevent burn or too much intensity yet keep spectrum control.

Long and short of it is:
Small fish - clown gobies, pistol shrimp goby pair, fire fish
Corals - depending on light - zoas, soft, lps, and sps can work.

 

[VKP01]

I have something similar sized, I found that the ABI tuna blue bulb works good, but you might want to get different lenses for it because the leds don’t have great spread. I use it on my 4g mixed reef and the lps like it. Any Par38 reef spectrum bulb should work though.

not going to find many/any swimming fish for a tank that size tbh. Clown gobies are popular, and green banded gobies could be a good fit.

 

[gizzo12]

I threw one together for a quick isolation tank when a captive raised matted file fish was too small for my main display. It was the size of a dime and couldn't handle the tanks flow. Ended up in the over flow for a bit then sump. Had one of these sitting around so took some of the tanks sand, a rock or two, and next water change used left over water. Everything fine and it worked well.

One of the rocks had some green button pally / polyps and the stock light didn't do much for it. So I had a old DIY royal blue, cool white LED that I made. Removed some of the lights so not to over power it and placed it on the glass lid. Worked very well. Put in a few coral frags that I made - all soft - and it did better. Xenia and Fuzzy Lobo. Anyway once the fish grew after 2 months I moved it back to the display and moved everything with it.

You are looking at a Nano tank. So zoa's, mushrooms, some LPS and SPS will work but a lot depends on the lighting. I was going to build a stand out of 2 x 4's and a 1/4 inch back board to hang a low intensity LED light. You don't have a lot of room although it is deep. You want to try and prevent burn or too much intensity yet keep spectrum control.

Long and short of it is:
Small fish - clown gobies, pistol shrimp goby pair, fire fish
Corals - depending on light - zoas, soft, lps, and sps can work.

Awesome! So do you think I could keep a single firefish in there for stocking and maybe a snail or two? I also plan on doing a gap wall on the back and then some lps and softies.

 

[User1]

Awesome! So do you think I could keep a single firefish in there for stocking and maybe a snail or two? I also plan on doing a gap wall on the back and then some lps and softies.

I think it is a option. I would look at the Nano subforum also for better recommendations. Or even search on Nano fish for saltwater. We really are limited due to the size. The good news is you have height. They are pretty decent tanks although I'm not sure I had flow right because I didn't want to put another power head in there.

LPS will be fine. Mushrooms, zoas, depending on lighting even some sps up top. One thing to note is that you will need to try and picture the end size of the coral as it relates to the placement in your tank. Say something like a torch or frogspawn can get huge, or a hammer, and you will have no more room.

Check out the nano forum though here. I think you may get more information. Sorry I can't provide more as I've since taken mine down and no longer have it up. I do have it in the garage though packed away for a later project / date.

Best of luck.

 

[gizzo12]

I think it is a option. I would look at the Nano subforum also for better recommendations. Or even search on Nano fish for saltwater. We really are limited due to the size. The good news is you have height. They are pretty decent tanks although I'm not sure I had flow right because I didn't want to put another power head in there.

LPS will be fine. Mushrooms, zoas, depending on lighting even some sps up top. One thing to note is that you will need to try and picture the end size of the coral as it relates to the placement in your tank. Say something like a torch or frogspawn can get huge, or a hammer, and you will have no more room.

Check out the nano forum though here. I think you may get more information. Sorry I can't provide more as I've since taken mine down and no longer have it up. I do have it in the garage though packed away for a later project / date.

Best of luck.

I have the fluval COB light on it for now but if I added blue light strips would that be able to grow coral? or any other suggestions? I am kind of on a tight budget.