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yikes! help me with my DIY dividers! Please!!

1K views 11 replies 3 participants last post by  ThePearlFish 
#1 ·
I have a 55g tank I bought for cheap. I made 4 DIY dividers since I can't afford to pay a totally gross amount for already made ones. But they are slightly skinnier and so it is hard for them to stand up. arghh I have been agonizing over how to get them to not fall over before I add water. My poor fish are in little jars right now :( they have to sleep there overnight till tomorrow when I can figure out how to fix them before i can add water. I am on a totally tight budget till April (and till I get a job! if anyone ever calls me back :( ) What can I do to get them to stand up without falling over? do I need more substrate for each section? I might at least have to get one premade divider cus I don't want my little tetras getting into other sections. ugh.. I never expected this to be so complicated.

~TPF
 
#2 ·
What are ALL the materials you're using?

I'm using plastic mesh. If it's too thin, use two of them together.
Then take a report binder, the plastic-edging of it, slide the mesh through, and keep it together. To this for all of them.

I also bought SUCTION CUPS to help it stay up. Some more details would be nice, good luck!
 
#3 ·
Get some aquarium grade silicon.. its like $3 and glue those suckers in... I can't stress that enough! Where there is a will there is a way and if bettas have enough will to find a way through they will and gluing them is the only way to know for 100% they won't get through. The silicone can easily be removed if you even break down the tank.
 
#4 ·
I mean width wise they are are slightly skinnier than the 12" width of the 55g. I am using the needlepoint plastic mesh from Micheals, report binders (they are curved instead of flat on the edges)and fishing wire to attach pieces to the sides to make the fit better. I am definitely going to expirement with either suction cups or silicone.

How do you remove silicone after? just use a razor to peel it off?

I am going to the petstore soon anyways cus I need a few other things.

hopefully this works.

~TPF
 
#5 ·
Use the silicon... its foolproof and secure. To get it off you can take a razor to peel it off.. if you put a little nail polish remover on it that will dissolve it and make it easier to scrape off.

I have to warn you... it does take 48 hours to dry before you can fill the tank... thats the ONLY downside IMO.
 
#6 ·
ahh.. well, poor fishies, I guess they will have to stay in their little jars till Sunday if I find the sealant :(. they are all so good, even though they are kinda crammed in the tetras are kinda stressed but the corys and my Betta seem ok so far. I might see if I can find larger containers to put the betta and tetras in and put them all out in the sunlight to stay warmer during the day since the temp. in our house is only 67 degrees.

thanks so much! I'll definitely keep posting about how everything turns out! :)

~TPF
 
#7 ·
Good luck! I promise you'll love the glued dividers. I took months before I finally did mine and I'm so happy I did. Now I never have to worry about fixing them because they got knocked over during water changes and I know my fish aren't getting through any cracks.
 
#8 ·
I think I am going to have to splurge and buy premade dividers arggh its so frustrating. I am doing this all by myself have no one to help me cus my BF doesn't want to and there is no one else here and no matter what I do I cant get my dividers to stand up straight and the sealant is getting everywhere and the suction cups were too small to fit around the report binders. It might be WORTH the money to just get the premade ones with all the trouble this is causing :(

~TPF
 
#10 ·
60 bucks, can you believe that? 60 bucks for 4! and now my house smells like nail polish remover and I wasted a ton of $$ today. I want to cry.

(sorry for being whiny, sigh)

~TPF
 
#11 ·
I'm sorry. I feel for you. I drove over 60 miles today looking for report binders. I went to a target, walmart, dollar store, grocery store, and CVS and NONE of them had report binders.. I don't know how I'm gonna divide my tank now.
 
#12 ·
Well yesterday turned out to be crappy till the evening when I got my BF to help me with my tank. I dunno if he saw how hysterical i was about to become out of frustration or what, but I bought the premade dividers as I mentioned and he helped me get them into place and fill up water in the tank (cus I don't have a siphon yet I had to use jugs ughhh.) and my fishes went in last night, and it isn't COMPLETELY done yet, but I am going to post a pic in another thread :) it looks beautiful by m standards, but then everyones tanks look nice in their own ways.

~TPF
 
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