New Member Intro and first setup.

[nickdolin]

I've changed my setup....



2.5 Gal tank (still not 2 a piece but 1.25) and picked up a Half Moon that looks like acid washed jeans, a beauty. Also picked up a heater/thermometer and silk plants. I trashed the plastic ones. The tank came with a trial water conditioner packet and a trial packet of food. In the near future, I'll try and pick up a hide for each of them if I can find something that I think would work. The people at the store tried to sell me a moss ball, any input on those? Also, yeah, I had read about the no soap thing and that's fine as that is a similar policy I take with my other critters. I'm most likely going to stay non-filter as was said, getting a tank this size to cycle may be tricky. Having said that I plan on sticking with a 1-50% and 1 100% change a week.

[DragonFish]

Congrats on the upgrade! Those Minibows can be great little little setups(though I've heard mixed reviews on the filters, though since its a 2.5 and it looks as if you removed it thats not really relevant xD). And congrats on the new boy as well, hes lovely! xD Bettas certainly become addictive quickly don't they? I've often heard them compared to Potato chips....you can never have just one!

However, though your fish do technically get a little over a gallon of space, its generally not recommended to divide/keep any sort of tank-mate with your betta in anything under 5 gallons. Theres just....not enough space(if you ask me, I think anything under 2-2.5 gallons of space per fish is a little small long-term for most any betta with the acceptation of special cases like super heavy-fined males anyway). While temporarily this is an OK settup, you'll want to either pick up another 2.5 for your second guy or look into upgrading to a 5-5.5 to divide for both if you'd rather keep just one setup. Sorry. 8/

[nickdolin]

Thanks and that was about all I could afford for the time being, however, perhaps a month or so down the road, perhaps I'll splurge and get something bigger. Is it a problem if they remain "flared" often? It doesn't seem to be constant but should I try and block their vision of each other more? The plants help block it some but....? And yes, no filter here as it would have just limited space even more so.

[DragonFish]

They should be just fine so long as you keep up with your water changes(I'd toss in an extra 50% a week with them both in that tank just to be safe)for a little while until you can afford another/larger setup. ;)
Just an idea to look into if you want.....you can check local thrift stores/craigslist for cheap second-hand tanks. Sometimes you can find some real awesome deals. Also, if you don't mind the look of them, Medium-Large sized Kritter/Pet Keepers in the reptile/rodent section make great cheap-ish little tanks as well.

As for the flaring....I'd give them a few days, keep a close eye on them and see if the flaring decreases. If it doesn't, you could pick up some plastic craft mesh(its used for needle-point I believe, you can generally find it around the knitting/yarn section)at your local craft store and slip a little piece on either side of your divider to help obscure their view of each other.
I've personally found that plants don't do too much to block the view in divided tanks....my boys always just swam around them. Regardless, it wouldn't hurt to give each of them a little cave and/or another little plant when you can.

And to answer your earlier question about the moss ball that I forgot to answer....a lot of keepers/forum members have them. From what I've heard, they're great little low light 'plants' that don't require a whole lot of care, compete with unsightly algae for nutrients, and help to suck up some of the harmful ammonia. I've also heard that bettas will sometimes 'play' with them even.
I personally think that they're a little pricey at Petsmart, which is the only reason each of my boys don't have one(I've been meaning to hunt around online for better prices), but its up to you.

[nickdolin]

So as far as the water changes.... 1 50% a week and 1 100% or 2 50%'s?

Your idea about the craft mesh is a good one... but what is a safe way to connect it to existing divider?

Would a small coffee cup suffice for a cheap DIY hide in each side?

Thanks for the input on the moss. :D

[DragonFish]

I'd add in a second 50%(so like a 1 gallon...2 50s and 1 100)per week since you've got twice the ammonia output with both the boys boys in there, just to be on the safe side.

Oh yes....I love craft mesh, I use it for all of my homemade dividers in my larger tanks and I've even made a couple little 'tunnels' with it as a cheaper DIY alternative to those Betta Logs. Great, useful stuff.
Hmm....I was thinking perhaps if you cut it to the right size and slipped it in right next to your existing divider, the gravel might hold it up just fine....though it may not work like that now that I think more on it. You can secure it all together up at the top/on the sides with a bit of fishing line or cotton thread if the mesh bends a little too much.
OR, though I'm not sure how well this would fit in a Minibow, whats generally used when making homemade dividers are those little plastic report binders on each side. While that would hold everything together nice and tightly, I'm not sure if a gap would be left on the bow-side of the tank or not.

If you have small enough coffee cups, I don't see why they wouldn't work. xD The only problem I'd see is that the cups might be a little too large and just ended up taking up a lot of space.
If the cups don't work, those little terracotta pots from the craft store should come in a small enough size to fit.

Sure thing. ;)