Planning to divide a ten gallon...

[Bloeduwedd]

This will be my first divided tank, and I have questions to make sure I do this right. I'll be using the DIY plastic mesh divider I say a tutorial for on here, and planting plenty of plants, both fake and live, along the divider to keep my boys from seeing each other. My questions are about how I will heat and filter it... Can I put the filter on one side, and the heater on the other? Or can both go on the same side? How can I ensure it's being heated evenly? Would it be overkill to get two (or three, haven't decided if I'm dividing it one way or two yet) small filters and put one on each side? Sorry for so many questions, I just want to make sure I get everything figured before I get the tank and supplies next week :)

[Micho]

You'll have to see which of your two boys is okay with the current, some Bettas fare better when it comes to water current, whichever Betta does better with the current put the filter and heater on his side. To ensure the water throughout the tank is evenly heated I would suggest putting the heater right next to the filter, so as water comes out the water will be heated.

If you decide to use small filters that would be fine, small sponge filters on each side would be an option as well.

[bettafish15]

The filtered/heated water passes through the plastic mesh easily :)

[Bloeduwedd]

Okay, that's good to know :) I'm pretty sure I'm doing my math right, but a 10 gallon can be divided in three and there still be planty of room for the bettas, right? I currently have two in QT waiting for me to get the tank and everything, but I'm still looking at males... I'm hoping to pick up a crowntail :)

[Princess Penny]

It depends on the filter. Mine didn't pass through very well but I cut some bigger openings in the mesh along the top (still not big enough for the fish to get through though!) and that helped. You could also probably do two small filters on each side. I have a 1-3 gal internal filter in my 3gal critter keeper, something of that size on each side would probably work. The heater should be fine, if it's the proper size... just put a thermometer on each side to be sure that both sides are being heated adequately :) Good luck!

[Littlebittyfish]

I like using the water bottle baffle method with my 10 gallon divided tank...The water pours out the side of the filter outtake and sort of gets the clean water circulated into the other divided section a little better ithink..I have my heater and fitler on one side of the divider. A 10 gallon can be divded for 3 bettas, but it can be stressful sometimes for the center betta. I had mine divded for 3 for awhile but my betta started to finnip...so now I only divide the 10s 2 ways.

[Bloeduwedd]

I'll definitely do what I can to keep the stress level down for the middle guy if I divide it in three. I'm planning on planting all sections pretty heavily (I love live plants!), and concentrating the bulk of the plant life along the dividers to prevent the males from seeing each other, so hopefully that'll help! Worst comes to worse, I have a 1 gallon vase that I can keep the third one in until I get a better home, but I'm hoping it won't come to that if I get three.