New betta/shrimp tank

CassCats said:

Sewing thread for riccia

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Will give that a go!

CassCats said:

or just leave it floating for floating mats

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That's kind of how mine ended up! After unsucessful gluing (well, it lasted a while, but eventually all came off) to a piece of bogwood, it kept floating again. As it was during mum and dad's health decline, and it was outcompeting my other floating plants, I tried to eliminate it, but it kept coming back from even the smallest part.

Killed off most of the delicate live plants in my 15.5g because it just kept forming thick, dense mats that would coat the entire surface and just get thicker and thicker if given the chance! Since I had less and less time for mucking about with tanks beyond basic maintenance, I left it get way to big and thick, and the bushy type algae that I don't mind in a sane amount took over the lower levels too, so combined, they choked out most anything else!

So I wanted to check before transferring any to another tank! I wouldn't let it get like that again, but still! Especially if it does inhibit floating plant growth.

Cleaning dragonstone while boiling the spiderwood... I hate cleaning dragonstone! Oh well. It's worth it in the end

Alternative- this piece of mopani that could be held down and emerge from a dragon stone pile. .

Plants would hide equipment.

Preferences?
Mopani piece, or spider wood?

Mopani vote here

MattW said:

Mopani vote here

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It needs some time to waterlog, but probably would do that quicker than the spider wood will!

While I'm boiling the spider wood, cleaning dragon stone, and letting the mopani waterlog in the tank (still adjusting the heater in there, it did get to 80 pretty fast, just turned it down a nudge and giving it some time to see where it settles).

There really is no rush, Levi seems quite content in his 12.5g for now! But I'm terrible for wanting to get plants in right away

Just for ease of comparison, bearing in mind these are all weighed down with stone just to give a rough idea, not a final arrangement! Would love opinions from @CassCats @Naughts @Fishmanic @sharkweek178 @Uberhoust @Alice B @ClownLurch

Spider wood


Or mopani:

I vote for the Mopani

The votes for mopani will save me a lot of cussing trying to tie/glue spider wood together, so that's something too!

Mopani, it's a much nicer piece but also safer for betta fins (spider wood can be spindly)

CassCats said:

Mopani, it's a much nicer piece but also safer for betta fins (spider wood can be spindly)

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I did snap off some smaller pieces from the longest branch ends, so sanding those down too before going ahead with building the scape proper would be a good idea. You're right about the spindly pieces of spider wood too.

Having said that, I've also boiled this spider wood for ages, and I'm going to give tying/gluing it together a go tonight while watching aquascaping vids, I can use it in a different tank even though mopani is the overwhelming winner for this betta tank!

Thank you for the votes, feedback, tips and advice, everyone! It's always gratefully received!

@AdoraBelle Dearheart your filter needs an air pump ? Mine has a little electric built in motor . It’s like the red headed step child of an AquaClear hanging upside down .

Back in the fold said:

@AdoraBelle Dearheart your filter needs an air pump ? Mine has a little electric builtView attachment 348156 in motor . It’s like the red headed step child of an AquaClear hanging upside down .

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Haha! Not an airpump, or something, I don't know! But there's nothing at the moment to pump water up into the filter boxes in the hood of the tank, you know? Judging by the amount of small internal filters she included with the tank too, I don't think they were using the space in the hood. I just know it's exactly like the in-hood filter boxes that ran in my dad's large tank!

Which had some kind of pump to force the water up and into the hood filtration boxes, that has long since stopped working and been chucked away.

Wondered about perhaps getting one for this tank, but given that the hood doesn't have boxes either, maybe I'd better just stick to what I know, and with the mini internal filters! But thank you! And perhaps a friend of mine who is better at this sort of thing can find this helpful when he next comes over and can see the tank set up

Think the heater that this little tank came with might be busted/untrustworthy. Just doing another test on it now.

Not a big deal if it is, I have a 50W I can transfer with the betta, but want to make sure it's no good before I bin it, and make sure to get another back up heater soon. Not such a big deal in summer, but always feel better to have a spare heater & spare filter in the fish cupboard, just in case!

Water from the tap was 70, it reached 76-77 pretty quickly, then once it hit 80, I turned it down just a nudge. It's a simple turn clockwise to raise temp, anticlockwise has a minus symbol. So I turned it down a nudge. Checked it an hour later before bed and it was at 90!

Since it was late, I just unplugged it. Was busy with other things (and all tanks got fresh and softened botanicals as well as frozen food today!) so have only just started testing the heater again today. Water was hovering at 73/74, I turned the dial on the heater right down and it still clicked the light on. So about to go check it, but at the moment think it's one that would boil my fish, so not worth risking it.

Was also playing with the remote for the light, didn't appear to be working, but then turned the tank a Wicked Witch neon green, and won't change back to any other setting.

Heater at 20:40 is turned right down but water at 77-78 degrees F and red light still on, so giving it another hour and see where it's at. Try turning it the opposite way if it's still climbing and turned on.

Sometimes thermostats are off... Way off. on a tank I'm running temp set a 68 on heater. but tank runs a steady 76... In winter. During summer it goes to 84 steady for 4 months, the heater never runs for 5 months at least. I just watch to make sure it comes back at fall and doesn't overheat.

And so far the heater is been really good but 68 = 76 in the whatchamacallit scale.