DIY plants and hiding places for my 2.5gal

[nel3]

i have the aqueon minibow 2.5g tank waiting for my betta. right now its holding 13 floting stalks of anacharis which are doing very well in it. i have some left over silk plant leaves and ive purchased clear AQ silicon.the only medium i can think of atm is using the plastic holding trays (from plastic model kits) to use as a stem to put the silk leaves on. i also need ideas to maket a plant footing. i do have some small rock collection but only a handful are smooth and perfect for a foot. do you have any ideas to use as a plastic stem and footing? so far i can think of using the plastic from my model kits as a foot and silicon it to the rock. i might try drilling a hole into the rock and using some sort of plastic stem with AQ sealant.

im also looking for a recomended medium for a DIY cave ie a pvc pipe but i dont know whats the best size of pipe for it.

[pinksnowme]

Could you post some pictures?

[nel3]

here's the item from the model kit. i'll remove all unwanted protrusions and use a small straight section for a stem. the platic is hard but easy to smooth out any rough edges. im tempted to use plastic cement if needed then covering the area with clear AQ silicone but not sure if it'll affect water quality


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here is the silk plant and some cuttings in question from it. that stone is a possible foot for a plant. dont think i'd have to post a pic of PVC pipe but i dont know what would be too tight for my betta.

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[nel3]

i got my 2.5g tanks setup nearly finished (heater not installed yet). i put some AQ foam in my finter intake to prevent anymore anacharis leaves from going onto the filter pad. the filter is baffled as much as id dare atm until the fish gets in. got the background picture roll for the tank. i want to go with an atlantis/lost city underwater theme. i'll figure out some way to make a fake plant, playing around with ways to put it on a rock foot. im just waiting for the AQ sealant to dry to see how solid the thing is. i was looking for some sort of betta cave, found a jaguar face cave. it looks like a good candidate but the general surface is like sandpaper. is it betta safe or should i try something else


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this is the jaguar mask cave. it had the best hole size at that particular store for a betta.

[PewPewPew]

I would crack of a T shape of the remnant model things, flip it upside down, and glue the plant's stem over or onto the base, with the long part upwards. That way, when you bury it, the bottom of the T will help it hold.

Might I suggest burying some of the anacharis? Strip the bottoms of a few leaves, then bury :<

[nel3]

thank you, Pewpewpew. ive tried the test base and it seems to hold pretty solid if i lift it up gently without a t section on the bottom. i'll use a t section for extra support for the plant i'll make. it takes 1 or 2 days for AQ sealant to dry? the tube says nothing on drying time.

how easy is it to clean the gravel if the plants are rooted in? i dont have any sort of gravel vac. i would like burying some of the anacharis but the gravel cleaning has stopped me so far. its more like i dont know how much gravel movement to clean it is too much.

how smooth must an ornamental cave be to be betta safe? im going to the other LPS today to see they're stock. the jaquar face atm seems like it'll scratch the fish's scales in my newb opinion.