Hunter

[eudielynn]

Whew! What a morning. I brought Hunter in this morning and his new tank was all ready and waiting for him. (This is the 1 gal Aquaview with an UGF and lighted hood.) I put him in the tank and realized immediately that the current from the filter was too strong for him. I had come prepared however and I started stuffing some filter floss into the riser tube to slow the bubbles down for him. Well, that worked pretty well, but the current was still a little strong and I stuffed another piece into the tube. I plugged the pump in again and it was still just a little strong, so I thought I'd try one more little piece.......

) I plugged the pump in again and apparently I'd done such a good job I'd stopped up the entire tube and the air had no where to go but down. Suddenly the tank looked like a volcano erupting and I saw little Hunter come flying from the bottom of the tank to the top... upside down. I yanked the plug just as he got to the top of the tank or I'm pretty sure I would have launched him right out of the water.

Needless to say I pulled all the floss out of the riser tube and clamped the tube with a binder clip until I can get a gang valve. I've had to adjust the binder clip several times, and every time I fool with it Hunter swims down underneath his plant and peeks out at me like he's afraid of what I'll do next. I don't blame him.

I don't think he's any worse for wear, he is swimming around checking out his new crib, but I don't think he trusts me right now.

Serves me right I guess for laughing about other people tearing out pipes and having fish flopping around on the floor.

 

[BettaMomma]

LOL
I'm sorry to laugh, but I have been there, done that.
And it's funny in hindsight, believe me. heh

I have 2 of those aquaview tanks, and here's how I operate mine....
I completely ditched the undergravel filter thing - you just don't need it.
I put in gravel and I got a little 4" bubble bar. I hooked up the bubble bar to the air pump and used an office binder clip to keep the bubbles to a bare minimum drip, just enough to keep the water from becoming stagnant. They don't mind the bubbles at all - in fact, they sometimes swim over and hang out over the bubbles. I think they like the nice fresh bubbly feeling on their hineys!

 

[eudielynn]

Yeah, I'm probably going to ditch the UGF when I do a water change. It seems like overkill for a 1 gal tank.

I had the same current problem with Batista at first and went with a gang valve that works quite well. The problem with the binder clip is they eventually cut the bubbles off completely and I don't think Hunter wants me to fool with it anymore.

He looks at me whenever I touch it like "Look Mom, enough is enough."

 

[BettaMomma]

Yeah - that happens to me too.
Eventually when you have the air tubing clipped off for long enough, it will just make a permanent bend in the tubing so you have to adjust. I get dirty looks when the bubbles come flying out for a few seconds too.

I think there is also some eye rolling that goes on in there too.

 

[eudielynn]

Update: I'm glad to report Hunter seems to have come through his "launching" with no ill effects. Almost everyone in my department has come in to see him and he swims right up to the front of the tank. I think all the excitement has worn him out though. Whenever it gets quiet he goes to the top of his plant and curls up inside the top leaf. He looks just like a baby sleeping in its crib. I'm going to post a sign on my door that says

"Shhhhh!! Betta sleeping."

My boss took one look at him and said "I think I'm going to get one of those for home. I know just the place for it." (I told him I would be happy to teach him how to care for his betta properly when he gets it. )

 

[BettaMomma]

"Shhhhh!! Betta sleeping."

That's a fabulous idea.
hee hee hee!!