Hi all! Second year of school (first away from home), trying to figure out fish set ups as I go.
Currently:
2 boys in divided 10 gal
2 boys divided 5 gal
1 baby 2 gal
We are allowed a 20 gal limit. I have a 20 gallon long that is currently set up at home for when I come home for Thanksgiving, and Christmas and bring my fish home. But now I'm thinking that it may be better to keep the 20 gal at school then just tear down the tank when I come home for Christmas? So all fish would be in 1 tank, which would be fantastic less constant water changes... but just want some opinions! Thanks so much!
Woo-hoo, a fellow college student! I currently have three tanks going and I don't mind, but that's just me (granted the 15g isn't a betta tank). Overall, I think it could work, but there're just a few things that come to mind.
-How do you plan on filtering the tank? Each divider will cut down the filtration to the next section. The same goes for heating.
-If the footprint of each division is something that you're interested in, the LxW dimentions are the same as a standard 2.5 gallon glass tank. Each section would be taller, and thus giving each part four gallons each. Personally, I'm more of the school of thought that, within reason, the footprint of the tank is more important than the height, especially with the heavier-finned bettas. Again, that's just me though.
As I said before, these are considerations, not deal-breakers. While some dividers may do a fair job allowing water to circulate, many do not and either way it's not the same as having a single, open space to filter. Even if a divider is decent in that regard, I imagine the filtration will be greatly decreased after the first couple dividers.
The footprint I'm talking about is the length by width dimentions of each section. A standard 20 gallon long tank has an overall footprint of 30" long by 12" deep; divide that into five sections and the footprint for each is 6"x12". Four gallons each is good, yes. However, some bettas may benefit from a tank with more of that space being spread out vertically as opposed to horizontally, particularly the heavier finned bettas (and by heavier, I do not nessicarily mean longer). For example, I have a 10 gallon split for two male bettas, each section is around 10"Lx10"Dx12"H, while my third male betta is in a standard 5.5 gallon tank with dimensions of 16"Lx8"Dx10"H. The plakat obviously has lighter fins as they are shorter and has no problem getting around in a slightly taller tank that has a smaller footprint. The same tank also has a HM, but his fins, although large, aren't overly heavy and he also has little problem in the 10 gallons. However, the betta in the 5.5 gallon is a HM Dumbo and has significantly heavier fins overall in addition to having oversized pectoral fins. It's easier for him to get around in a tank that's slightly lower. While all three enclosures have approx. five gallons, I feel that the extra two inches in hight would hinder he HM Dumbo, while the other two are able to easily use and enjoy it.
if you've got a hand for DIY, you might want to set up a drip-drain filtration system for them. a PVC pipe drips water into each compartment from a separate filtration reservoir, and then drains water from an outspout at the bottom of the tank into the reservoir to be filtered. that way would ensure each fish has roughly equal water quality, and you wouldn't have to worry about the outer fish having more ammonia and nastiness buildup than the central ones.
*high-fives* Some else from NC! It seems easier to me if you were to just leave the 20 gal. at home and set up the other tanks at school. This way you only have to worry about transporting the fish back and forth and not all the tanks. Trust me it's a lot of work to do all of it *points at siggy*
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