# Product review Aquarium Fish Tank ST320 - 6.6 Gallons Black/Silver



## Stone (Jan 6, 2013)

http://www.truaqua.com/aquarium-tank-st320.html OK I just received this tank and un-boxed it and started setting it up. the price is totally awesome at about 28 bucks, it says free shipping but there is some "special handleing" charge of 5 bucks or so it is a steal for a complete tank,It takes me a few days of prep to get a tank up and running, so it will be a few days before I have any real pics of this tank set up, right now it would just be the boring pics of me gluing broken slate tiles to the back and painting the back black. So here is the review, the tank itself is very nice a great size as it will fit easily next to my 10 gallon on a 36 in wide shelf the glass is very clear, they did a good job on the silicone. The lid was my one concern when I ordered it, it is actually pretty nice the opening in the back might be an issues depending on if you want to replace the under-gravel filter with a hob. The light in the hood is a 7200k at 13 watts, it's not the perfect color for plant but will work, will be a bit of a pain to change bulbs there is a bunch of screws holding the cover on, but yeah there is no way water is going to get in there. the lid/hood is connected to the rim of the tank and it does have little bars to prop it up with for cleaning and such. You can remove the lid/hood easily if you decide to go with another light with no real issues other than not having a hood for the tank. I am opting not to use the under-gravel filtration, and will go with a sponge filter, it is just going to be a betta npt and dirt and under-gravel just seems like a bad idea to me. I will use the power head for something don't know what yet. I will have it set up in 2-3 days and will add some pics of what I will have done with it


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## KasumiBetta (Jun 28, 2013)

Um...will you post the boring photos of the slate tiles? I've painted black before, but never done tile. Why the tile?


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## peachii (Jan 6, 2013)

KasumiBetta said:


> Um...will you post the boring photos of the slate tiles? I've painted black before, but never done tile. Why the tile?



We do the tile because it gives it a nice look, not just a plain background. I glue moss between the tiles and after it grows in, it looks great.

I have pictures of the 10 gallon we did about a month ago, right after the tiles were in.


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## peachii (Jan 6, 2013)

Pictures of the 10 gallon planted and about a month of growth. The moss is growing in well. I cut very into very fine and small pieces because I didn't have much of it - taiwan moss, willow moss and java moss and mixed it together and glued it between the tiles. 

Pictures of the 40B that I glued Peacock moss in some of the holes between the tiles. Will clip and glue further down after it grows in a bit. 

Pictures of the 6.6 gallon freshly glued and with the lid off.


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## TurtleBarb (May 9, 2013)

what kind of glue do you use to glue the moss down?


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## peachii (Jan 6, 2013)

GE Window and Door Silicone from Lowe's for the tiles- it's 100% silicone with no additives so is safe to use.

Super glue for the moss.


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## Stone (Jan 6, 2013)

Super glue for the win


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## TurtleBarb (May 9, 2013)

thanks!


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## MCW (Oct 13, 2013)

Please post with an update when you get the tank set up  I just bought the same tank at TruAqua. Really good sale price :-D I was considering another tank but it cost twice as much and is smaller :|


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## SorcerersApprentice (May 31, 2012)

I'm assuming the outside of the back of the tank is what's painted black and then the slate is glued inside? Either way, looks awesome in the 10g!


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

oh WOW!!!!!!! this is so cool!


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## peachii (Jan 6, 2013)

SorcerersApprentice said:


> I'm assuming the outside of the back of the tank is what's painted black and then the slate is glued inside? Either way, looks awesome in the 10g!



Yes outside is painted black and the slate is inside the tank. 

We love the look of it because unlike doing a DIY background with styrofoam this looks great and takes up very little (almost no) space in the tank.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Is it easy/possible to remove if you ever sell the tank or change your mind? If I can get permission to do that in my tank, heck yes, it's happening. Looks brilliant.


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## Stone (Jan 6, 2013)

Yes with a little effort you could remove it


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## SorcerersApprentice (May 31, 2012)

Is it any particular kind of paint?


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## Chronic Apathy (Nov 11, 2013)

How much does it cost to set up the tiles, including the glue? Have you tried doing it without live moss, and do you have any recommendations for fake moss that would still look good?


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## peachii (Jan 6, 2013)

Chronic Apathy said:


> How much does it cost to set up the tiles, including the glue? Have you tried doing it without live moss, and do you have any recommendations for fake moss that would still look good?


They were 2.00 a tile. We got 4 or 5 and busted them up, was plenty to do a 40 gallon, 10 gallon and 6 gallon and still have some left over.

No idea about fake moss, we use all live plants so not familiar with fake ones at all.


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## sandybottom (Nov 29, 2012)

truaqua also has a 20 gallon for $59.99/free shipping.was $499.99.it is under curved glass tanks.it has hood,light and top filtration.this sale has been going on for a year now.may need different color temp t6 bulb.the one it comes with is 15000k i believe.i first saw this sale a year ago when i was looking at the uv canister filters.i think truaqua is aquatop. atleast the cf400/cf500 canister filter,heaters and air pumps are.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

I've just realised I wouldn't be able to do it on either of my tanks, as I have nothing else to keep my fish in whilst the silicone dries. Poops.  Oh well, future tanks shall be slated! 

You should do a tutorial thread, Peachii.


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## Stone (Jan 6, 2013)

SorcerersApprentice said:


> Is it any particular kind of paint?


We use non toxic acrylic paint, I get it at walmart it is in the craft section its like 50-60 cents for a little bottle


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## KasumiBetta (Jun 28, 2013)

That is SO COOL!!!!  I'm totally doing that with my next tank! Thank you so much for posting.


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## SorcerersApprentice (May 31, 2012)

Very awesome, thank you for sharing! I had tried black construction paper in the past but it uh...didn't work so well once it got wet, lol.


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## alex5467 (Nov 2, 2013)

also heres a 10gallon tank set with a hood and internal filter. This seems to be cheaper than from truaqua if you're going to change the ug filter and has ~3more gallon

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11459462

there was a $4off $15 coupon also a few days ago. I think we should have an up-to-date deals thread where we can find the best deals on various things


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## sandybottom (Nov 29, 2012)

krylon fusion spray paint is a good choice too. it is non-toxic after curing 24-48 hrs.


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## SorcerersApprentice (May 31, 2012)

alex5467 said:


> I think we should have an up-to-date deals thread where we can find the best deals on various things


+1

Good idea!


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## MCW (Oct 13, 2013)

> Originally Posted by *alex5467*
> _ I think we should have an up-to-date deals thread where we can find the best deals on various things_





SorcerersApprentice said:


> +1
> 
> Good idea!



I agree too :-D Maybe there could be a sticky at the top of the page where one can post sales and deals. A moderator could clean out the sticky every so often to remove expired sales.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

alex5467 said:


> also heres a 10gallon tank set with a hood and internal filter. This seems to be cheaper than from truaqua if you're going to change the ug filter and has ~3more gallon
> 
> http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11459462
> 
> there was a $4off $15 coupon also a few days ago. I think we should have an up-to-date deals thread where we can find the best deals on various things


Has an incandescent hood and those are much cheaper than fluorescent. If you have to order online, there's shipping. Just a thought.


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

I glad you posted about the GE silicone I've considered buying it before but was afraid to. I am ordering silicone from ebay and my projects use a whole lot of it.


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## scootshoot (Oct 11, 2010)

Stone said:


> http://www.truaqua.com/aquarium-tank-st320.html OK I just received this tank and un-boxed it and started setting it up. the price is totally awesome at about 28 bucks, it says free shipping but there is some "special handleing" charge of 5 bucks or so it is a steal for a complete tank,It takes me a few days of prep to get a tank up and running, so it will be a few days before I have any real pics of this tank set up, right now it would just be the boring pics of me gluing broken slate tiles to the back and painting the back black. So here is the review, the tank itself is very nice a great size as it will fit easily next to my 10 gallon on a 36 in wide shelf the glass is very clear, they did a good job on the silicone. The lid was my one concern when I ordered it, it is actually pretty nice the opening in the back might be an issues depending on if you want to replace the under-gravel filter with a hob. The light in the hood is a 7200k at 13 watts, it's not the perfect color for plant but will work, will be a bit of a pain to change bulbs there is a bunch of screws holding the cover on, but yeah there is no way water is going to get in there. the lid/hood is connected to the rim of the tank and it does have little bars to prop it up with for cleaning and such. You can remove the lid/hood easily if you decide to go with another light with no real issues other than not having a hood for the tank. I am opting not to use the under-gravel filtration, and will go with a sponge filter, it is just going to be a betta npt and dirt and under-gravel just seems like a bad idea to me. I will use the power head for something don't know what yet. I will have it set up in 2-3 days and will add some pics of what I will have done with it


OMG thanks for the link. Awesome price. Decisions decisions :blueshake:


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## MidnightsSong (Feb 11, 2013)

The ten gallon is gorgeous! I think if I end up getting the 6.6 gal I'll be doing the slate thing. It's so beautiful.


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## MidnightsSong (Feb 11, 2013)

I have a really dumb question...How does the filter work? And do I still need to get a hang on the back of the tank filter with the one that comes with the tank?


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## scootshoot (Oct 11, 2010)

Bombalurina said:


> Is it easy/possible to remove if you ever sell the tank or change your mind? If I can get permission to do that in my tank, heck yes, it's happening. Looks brilliant.


With effort sure but if I was a perspective buyer of a used tank and came across one that was already pre-setup like some of the ones peach's shared on page 1, I'd definitely pay a couple bucks extra. Besides it would let your tank stand out from amongst the crowd.

Definitely a huge natural upgrade over the Styrofoam background method that I have come across in the past.


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## fidget (Aug 18, 2013)

Hi! Wondering how you're liking your tank? I'm thinking about getting one this week.


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## WZ9V (Oct 3, 2013)

I got the 20g but ditched the hood/filter/light. The filter looked to be a decent design and I don't think it would need an additional HOB. That said the do not sell media for that filter because its been discontinued so you would have to make your own which would be quite easy given the rectangular shape of the filter area. I ditched the hood/light/filter because I wanted to run a planted tank and the light was just too much of a pain to upgrade for what I wanted to do. I would have kept the filter portion otherwise because it looked like a cool design.



MidnightsSong said:


> I have a really dumb question...How does the filter work? And do I still need to get a hang on the back of the tank filter with the one that comes with the tank?


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## peachii (Jan 6, 2013)

fidget said:


> Hi! Wondering how you're liking your tank? I'm thinking about getting one this week.



Didn't see this until just now. We got 2 of the 6.6 gallons and am LOVING them so far. The 7k light grows my plants perfectly in both tanks, even with one tank being a tannin colored water tank, the plants still grow fine with the darker water. We used sponge filters in both instead of the undergravel filter. 

They both have turned out great.


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## Matilda (Apr 25, 2012)

I got 2 of these back at the end of October & I transferred one of my boys into it a few weeks ago. He loves it & the plants I have are growing like weeds! I've got baby tears, anacharis/elodea & some floating salvinia & pennywort. I had some of the elodea in another tank & I just cut off a few strands a few inches long & stuck them in a little terracotta pot & they have been growing like mad, I may need to cut them back soon. So glad I was able to get 2 of the tanks!


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## fidget (Aug 18, 2013)

Cool!
I got the 8 gallon tank and would definitely get the 6 if I ever needed another tank.
I'm using a sponge filter in mine too. I just got mine up and running last week- good to know about the lights. I was wondering if it would be good enough.
I really really like the tank.. Wish I had seen these before I bought a couple standard tanks.


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## Gallifrey (Sep 22, 2013)

Wow! I never thought about gluing tiles and moss to the back before. Too late for my current tanks, since they're set up and cycled/cycling, but what a wonderful idea for future tanks! Looks gorgeous. ^____^


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