How Would I Go About Splitting A Tank?

[catherine896]

I have my one male betta in a 50 litre tank and was wondering how I would go about splitting it in 2 so I could house another male?
Ive only had him around 5 days but they are so addictive!
If I was to split it using a piece of glass, the water would only be getting heated and filtered one side wouldnt it? Is there anyone who has split a tank in 2 but still using 1 filter and 1 heater?
Im finding them so addictive! I wish I could afford tanks everywhere and I'd get bettas in all different colours and everything! Would be even better if they could live together! Imagine the colours you could get in one tank! Ahhh! I cant believe how addicted I have become over this little guy! He doesnt have any fish with him by the way, the pic shows one of the female guppies that was in the main tank he used to be in!

 

[zoekin8yg]

I used plastic canvas from hobby craft and some suckers.

 

[fishboy619]

go and buy a clouded devider from your fish shop and slot it in. it the best way i think.
look on the DIY section for home made devidered, personally, why bother, it will cost more and harder to do. they are planty of premade devidered to buy that fit perfectly

 

[wuvmybetta]

I agree with both ^
The canvas works really well, but it's sort of tricky getting it exactly right. I've destroyed quite a bit of craft canvas.

 

[fishnterrapins]

You can get around the problem of only heating one side if you divide with glass but be careful. The boss at the lfs where I used to work thought he'd had a bright idea to divide a tank leaving a small gap of maybe only 1/2 cm or less at the bottom for water flow. HOwever, the next morning the betta had squeezed under from one side to the other, luckily the other side wasn't inhabited at the time. After that he took to using the net used on breeding traps and suction cups to divide the tank.

 

[catherine896]

Ok, thanks. With the plastic divider from the pet store, would that allow it to be heated both sides with the heater just being one side?
Also the netting on breeder tanks is that like material netting?
What about a sheet of plastic that has tiny gaps in, like those used to let baby fish slip through away from the mother fish? Then this would still allow the water flow from the filter? I could possibly make something like that myself using a piece of plastic and drilling holes through?
Thanks!

 

[Darkerwhite2]

most plastic dividers from lfs have hole in them allowing water to pass through, now this is not as good as a open tank to circulate temperature it should still be fine. If your still worried after you put it in put a thermometer on both sides and see if the temperatures are the same. then let us know cause now im curious just how much water still trazels through mine

Good luck

 

[catherine896]

Ok, Ive been reading around the site looking at everyones divider ideas. I like the plexiglass option with the report binding thingys holding it in place and the plastic canvas looks good to me aswell.
Would this not cause a problem if it was a male betta each side as they could see eachother??? Or if I was to use the plexiglass, can you get coloured so it isnt see through?
Thanks alot!

UPDATE - just looked on ebay, they have black plexiglass and pink! So I could use that so as they cannot see eachother! They also have the plastic canvas in good size sheets for really cheap! Would get that as would allow better water flow but what about the bettas seeing eachother? I dont want them to stress eachother out?
Thanks!

 

[dmarie04]

but what about the bettas seeing eachother? I dont want them to stress eachother out?
Thanks!

Maybe you could put some silk or live plants on either side of the divider to sort of block the view? I'm actually wondering some of the same things you are, as I have two males coming that I plan to put in a divided ten gallon. I was thinking about them seeing each other all the time and thought about just putting the plants there.

 

[zoekin8yg]

The plants is a good idea. Anything you can do to distract them. A cave to hide in as well I use broken up ceramic flower pots. Make sure that they have no space to jump over either. They can squeeze through small spaces! They are really sneeky!

 

[catherine896]

I would rather use the plastic canvas but I dont want them to damage theirselves if they are trying to attack eachother through it. Maybe I could use those binder thingys for plexiglass and the plastic canvas and if they get really aggressive I could slide the plexiglass in and take the plastic canvas out. I dont know! Ill have a look at the fake plants in my local pet stores and see if I could use them next to the plastic canvas.
Thanks!

 

[liz2]

all my lfs round here dont stock those dividers any more I have one divider that I have had for ever....

 

[Amunet]

Maybe you could use some sort of hard plastic mesh to divide it. The holes in it would be too small for the fish to get through, but large enough for the water to move freely. Not sure where you could get some though.
Maybe something like this...
http/pslc.ws/macrogcss/images/mesh.jpg
What I'm thinking of the holes are larger though.

Here's another pic of something more along the lines of what I was thinking. The green one, but of course, a larger sheet of it heh
Probably would be very easy to cut and shape to divide your tank nicely.
http/www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2005/030...20for%20pot.jpg

Not sure how you would keep it in place.. maybe buy some suction cups and attach them or something.

OOO if you did use that stuff, you might be able to get some java moss and create a wall of java moss as a divider (if that's possible )... that would be pretty cool and would keep the bettas from seeing eachother

Here's another pic of some examples of plastic meshes.... no idea where you could get some... maybe a hobby shop or something... *shrugs*
http/www.gkdusa.com/images/pb/nonwovenan...e/conducto4.jpg

 

[catherine896]

I had an idea, my brother used to have a chameleon, he kept it in a black mesh type thing for reptiles. The mesh is thick, but would allow water flow easily and its black so would be difficult to see through. We kept it and its in the garden shed, I thought this would be OK to use aswell? Would save buying some and as its material type mesh although strong would not hurt the betta if they could see eachother and went to attack the other. Thats only if my brother doesnt plan to use it again obviously! Dont think he would be to happy to come and find my chopping out rectangles to form dividers lol!
If anyone knows the stuff I mean would this be OK? I dont see why not but just wanted to check?
Thanks!