Extreme Makeover: Tank Edition

[Synirr]

I finally decided to switch my divided tank to sand and fix the dividers the other day since Valoel passed (he struggled with TB for a long time) and I thought it best to strip the tank and clean it thoroughly before putting a different fish in his old compartment. It was a lot of work, but it looks TONS better! There's not a single bit of sealant keeping those dividers in place, btw; they're held firmly by the sand and are cut to fit very snug so they can't be pushed over by little betta noses! I also set up a new 2.5 gallon for one of my new males and changed Valefor's tank from black river rock to black gravel.

Divided before: function over form

And after: still a little cloudy from the sand

Valefor's tank

Doubleblack male's tank

Mini's tank, just for the heck of it

Albimarginata tank

 

[jollysue]

Very attractive and inventive. The boys can see each other? How do they do? I feel bad all those pretty boys in interminable celebacy w/o buds .

Do you have a sorority tank? Why does mini stay alone? She is a pretty girl.

What if I put Sweetie Pie in a divided tank between two VT's? If no one responds w/ a must have call, I have a place for her.

 

[Naughtygirlrlw]

Synirr, I love how the sand looks! Hmm...I've been thinking of swithing the girlies 10 gallon
from black river rock to black sand, now I might have to give it a go!

jollysue, I've had a 10 gallon divided into 3 and there were no problems as I had lots of hidey spots. However it was all boys. I say give it a try, if it doesn't work you can always move her back.

 

[Booboo puppy]

Lovely betta homes.

 

[Elise]

Wow, your tanks are just stunning!

 

[Synirr]

Very attractive and inventive. The boys can see each other? How do they do? I feel bad all those pretty boys in interminable celebacy w/o buds .

Do you have a sorority tank? Why does mini stay alone? She is a pretty girl.

What if I put Sweetie Pie in a divided tank between two VT's? If no one responds w/ a must have call, I have a place for her.

They can barely see each other in the divided, since the mesh is very fine... 10 size, meaning there are 10 squares per inch. All they get is a glimpse of the shadow of a neighbor on occasion, and probably only flare for about a minute 5 times a day. It keeps their lives interesting though, I suppose!
I don't have a sorority tank anymore, which is why Mini is alone (besides her deserving to be queen of her castle, of course). The sorority turned into a community tank a while ago after most of my females gradually died off, and now it's the albimarginata tank.

 

[Chrissy]

I really like the tank setups! They're great.

 

[Kara101584]

I love the tank set up! What size tank is the one with the dividers?
I might have to think about doing that!

 

[Silvani]

Did you make those dividers? Or were they bought? If so where did you get them? And if you made them, how did you make them?

Hehe lots of questions!

The tanks look awesome though!

 

[redbetta]

Indeed they look great, good job Synirr!

 

[Synirr]

I love the tank set up! What size tank is the one with the dividers?
I might have to think about doing that!

It's a 10 gallon. I love it, it makes water changes a lot easier on me, and being able to filter it helps keep the water quality in tip top shape.

Did you make those dividers? Or were they bought? If so where did you get them? And if you made them, how did you make them?

Hehe lots of questions!

The tanks look awesome though!

I made them out of size 10 plastic canvas you can buy at any hobby store (or Walmart, in the craft section,) and the slide-on plastic edges of portfolio covers. I just cut the canvas to fit the tank perfectly, slid the portfolio cover spines on, and used the sand to hold it all in place

 

[fishmom]

Those tanks are really pretty!!! Nice work!!!!

 

[lljdma06]

Very nice tanks Synirr, I'm impressed. Will definitely be experimenting with sand when I move back to FL, as I want to keep kulies as bottom feeders.

I have boys that can see each other, but they've tons of places to hide if they get tired. Again, very lovely tanks.

 

[wolfrad]

Hey SYNIRR, was wondering how did you hold the slide-on plastic edges in place while they were drying?---Tried a few weeks ago to do it, I held in place with my hand until it stayed in place-however the pressure wasn't enough for the hole thing so half attached and parts didn't. Also what kind of filter do you use in your 10 gallon----I have a filter that came from the 10 gallon set-up bought from walmart, would that work?

 

[Synirr]

Hey SYNIRR, was wondering how did you hold the slide-on plastic edges in place while they were drying?

The short answer is... I didn't!

There's not a single bit of sealant keeping those dividers in place, btw...

They're held in place by the sand alone, really. They're just cut to fit very snuggly so they don't slide around. The divisions are a little too narrow for most filters to fit, and I don't feel that a filter in just one section is enough to adequately filter the entire tank either, so I'm running three filters. Two are Nanos, and the other is a Whisper brand internal filter made for 2-5 gallon tanks... it came with a 2.5 gallon kit I bought. Maybe not the best idea if you've got limited electrical outlets, but it works.