Yenko
Fish Addict
I notice that some of you like to keep your hordes of bettas in lots of smaller tanks; usually not too small for the betta, but not large, either. I've kept one of those tanks before, and it's very hard to find appropriate heating and filtration for them, not to mention expensive. Lighting is next to impossible if you want to grow plants.
This idea requires a power drill with 1/8" or 3/32" and 5/8" or 3/4" bits.
I'd reccomend buying 10 gallon kits from Wal-Mart (They come with a filter, canopy and no heater or a really crappy one; I forget). Before you buy one make sure it has an aquatech 5-15 power filter; this is what I'm assuming you have.
You can then divide them into 2-4 sections; giving your bettas 2.5-5 gallons each. You can buy tank dividers that can be removed; this is cheaper and generally ugly but you can move/remove them easily.
The other option is siliconing a series of plexiglass plates into the tank. They should have lots of 1/8" or smaller holes drilled in them to allow for water movement; the entire tank will be filtered and heated by one unit.
The next problem is filtration. The aquatech 5-15 power filter has a spillover outlet very near its input, which is ok for a normal aquarium, but not for this one.
Go to your local hardware store and buy some flexible plastic tubing with an EXTERIOR diameter of 5/8". You only need about 18"; but I find this stuff useful so buy as much as you want.
Remove the intake guard from the "J" shaped intake tube on the filter. Insert the tubing into the end of the j-tube.
If you are using tank dividers, you will need to cut holes big enough to thread the tubing through all the way to the section opposite the filter.
If you are using plexiglass, you will need to drill the holes.
At the intake end of the tubing, you have two options. You could make a division at the end that is only 1" wide, have no intake guard (This is the best option; it makes the rest of the tank look better too because you can put the heater in an unobtrusive location). Needless to say, you won't be putting a betta in that segment.
. Because you do not have a guard on the intake, more flow is possible.
So, you now have a 3 or 4 betta tank, which was hopefully cheaper than the smaller alternatives. In addition, it will have better filtration and be more stable simply because it is a larger body of water; despite that the stocking is the same.
If you want, you can buy compact flourescent bulbs (The kind that fit into normal lightbulb sockets) and replace the incadescent bulbs with those. You can then grow plants; but because gravel or sand would be impractical in this tank, you are limited to floating plants (Which really are the best option; they keep the water cleaner than submerged plants and make your betta feel safer) or Java moss. I would go with the floating plants myself.
You have three options with floating plants: Riccia Flutans, which is a beautiful floating plant native to Japan, Giant Salvinia, which is like duckweed on steroids; a plant usually measures 3-6" across. The third option is duckweed.
Each plant has its pros and cons. The Riccia requires a lot of light. It may or may not grow well in the tank. It probably won't allow room for a bubblenest, and if an open space is not left, the betta might have trouble getting air. I've never actually grown Ricca; so I have no idea wether it will interfere with the betta reaching the surface.
The Salvina is very large. The largest individual specimin I've ever had measured 8" across. Needless to say, that will be bigger than the divisions in a 3 or 4 betta setup. It will only grow as big as its enclosure (Unlike fish) and leave some open gaps, which will allow some light to penetrate and make room for a bubblenest.
The duckweed is... duckweed. I'm sure you've all seen it. It won't allow room for a bubblenest, but breathing will be no problem for a betta.
I'd go with the Salvinia; it will be easy to control; allow plenty of space for a bubblenest; suck nutrients out of the water very fast, which keeps waterchanging to a minimum and the roots will look nice. The gaps its large leaves will leave will allow enough light to grow Java Moss at the bottom of the enclosure. Just don't grow Java Moss in the enclosure with the filter intake; that's a recipie for disaster.
This idea requires a power drill with 1/8" or 3/32" and 5/8" or 3/4" bits.
I'd reccomend buying 10 gallon kits from Wal-Mart (They come with a filter, canopy and no heater or a really crappy one; I forget). Before you buy one make sure it has an aquatech 5-15 power filter; this is what I'm assuming you have.
You can then divide them into 2-4 sections; giving your bettas 2.5-5 gallons each. You can buy tank dividers that can be removed; this is cheaper and generally ugly but you can move/remove them easily.
The other option is siliconing a series of plexiglass plates into the tank. They should have lots of 1/8" or smaller holes drilled in them to allow for water movement; the entire tank will be filtered and heated by one unit.
The next problem is filtration. The aquatech 5-15 power filter has a spillover outlet very near its input, which is ok for a normal aquarium, but not for this one.
Go to your local hardware store and buy some flexible plastic tubing with an EXTERIOR diameter of 5/8". You only need about 18"; but I find this stuff useful so buy as much as you want.
Remove the intake guard from the "J" shaped intake tube on the filter. Insert the tubing into the end of the j-tube.
If you are using tank dividers, you will need to cut holes big enough to thread the tubing through all the way to the section opposite the filter.
If you are using plexiglass, you will need to drill the holes.
At the intake end of the tubing, you have two options. You could make a division at the end that is only 1" wide, have no intake guard (This is the best option; it makes the rest of the tank look better too because you can put the heater in an unobtrusive location). Needless to say, you won't be putting a betta in that segment.
. Because you do not have a guard on the intake, more flow is possible.So, you now have a 3 or 4 betta tank, which was hopefully cheaper than the smaller alternatives. In addition, it will have better filtration and be more stable simply because it is a larger body of water; despite that the stocking is the same.
If you want, you can buy compact flourescent bulbs (The kind that fit into normal lightbulb sockets) and replace the incadescent bulbs with those. You can then grow plants; but because gravel or sand would be impractical in this tank, you are limited to floating plants (Which really are the best option; they keep the water cleaner than submerged plants and make your betta feel safer) or Java moss. I would go with the floating plants myself.
You have three options with floating plants: Riccia Flutans, which is a beautiful floating plant native to Japan, Giant Salvinia, which is like duckweed on steroids; a plant usually measures 3-6" across. The third option is duckweed.
Each plant has its pros and cons. The Riccia requires a lot of light. It may or may not grow well in the tank. It probably won't allow room for a bubblenest, and if an open space is not left, the betta might have trouble getting air. I've never actually grown Ricca; so I have no idea wether it will interfere with the betta reaching the surface.
The Salvina is very large. The largest individual specimin I've ever had measured 8" across. Needless to say, that will be bigger than the divisions in a 3 or 4 betta setup. It will only grow as big as its enclosure (Unlike fish) and leave some open gaps, which will allow some light to penetrate and make room for a bubblenest.
The duckweed is... duckweed. I'm sure you've all seen it. It won't allow room for a bubblenest, but breathing will be no problem for a betta.
I'd go with the Salvinia; it will be easy to control; allow plenty of space for a bubblenest; suck nutrients out of the water very fast, which keeps waterchanging to a minimum and the roots will look nice. The gaps its large leaves will leave will allow enough light to grow Java Moss at the bottom of the enclosure. Just don't grow Java Moss in the enclosure with the filter intake; that's a recipie for disaster.
I'm not that handy, myself haha.
