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New Divided tank on the way..

1K views 17 replies 4 participants last post by  bastage 
#1 ·
So I have my 3 boys currently in there own 2.5 gallon tanks each. Well There running a bit cool & I would like to add filtration.. Added it up & for 3 of them that's just too much to spend.

So Instead since my wife is standing in Petsmart she came across this 20 Long and is bringing it home. She is also going to stop & get some craft mat & the presentation things to make dividers.. I Figure though this should give me room for 4 w/ each fish having about 7.5x12x12 per fish..

Should be plenty of space & then being able to heat & filter it should make for some happy boy's..
 
#2 ·
So I got the tank cleaned out & the dividers in.. Dividers are way easy & to make them look even better I am going to get more of the report binders & run one across the tops of each to keep them nice & straight. Had to sew a little extra using fishing line onto the bottoms as I needed 11.5" and the plastic mesh was only 10.5 the direction I needed. The seems wont even be visible once I add the gravel. Also of note out of the ordinary we used black plastic mesh instead of the clear/white stuff. Figured it would make a good barrier for trying to decorate each compartment differently. Also I used aquarium silicone to hold the dividers into place. I didn't want them moving at all.

Here are a couple pics I snapped.




Now its going to wait till tomorrow so the silicone can finish setting up before I fill it & start decorating. Going to be a few days before I get the filter & heater since I ordered them from amazon.

One question I have though is that I dont want to fill the tank all the way up. I dont think its necessary & I want to leave it harder for anyone to jump if they should so try. So with the filter it would be making a fairly large drop into the tank. How do I baffle that since the pop bottle method wont work given the distance between the distance between the filter & the water level (probably 3-4")
 
#3 ·
Wow, that looks very nice and professional so far!

Use an aquarium sponge like the one you would actually put into a filter. I use the Hagen Aquaclear sponges (and strongly recommend the filters!). You can either use a rubber band or maybe even silicone it on since you have the time. I actually have mine cut partially down the middle and resting on the divider and held in place with the glass. With this, and because the divider goes right up the the glass, I can fill my tank to the very top, just below where it touches the glass. There is no physical way for my boys to get to each other this way. I cut a tiny notch in the divider where the filter rests. However, since you only would need one filter, and you have 3 dividers, you are better off just having a lower water line.

 
#4 ·
I actually made my dividers all the way to the top where the glass goes as well. But ar 2/3rd of the way full the boys would have way more room then they do now & better conditions anyway. Plus my counter top this is on is not supported on the outside & I am not 100% confident of its load limit. I am going to get glass for the top of this tank this weekend & probably get another of the marineland LED light bars. I really really like the one I have & since both will be in the same room I wouldn't mind keeping the same look going. Though in my other tank The water is about 1" from the top with cover on the tank. But its an acrylic so there is several inches of top of tank on all sides if one of the girls were to jump out (which I doubt they would).
 
#5 ·
If you block up the view as much as possible, there will be less jumping incidents as well!

If you're doing live plants, glass isn't a smart solution. The necessary light won't penetrate through. Small holed egg crate? :thumbsup: If no live plants, then a glass top would suit delightfully!

That's a very crisp job. And I appreciate that you actually siliconed the dividers! Kudos!

Can't wait for more pics..
 
#6 ·
Really, laughing? I didn't know that. I have glass between my LEDs and the tank because they can't be exposed to the water light that. What are you supposed to have between the lights and the water? My plants are doing fine too...
 
#7 ·
Like I said, smaller hole egg crate works perfectly. Just depends on how big of an escape artist your bettas are. My one male would do fine and not try too hard, but my female would go to world's end trying to time her jump perfectly to the holes!

What kind of plants do you have? Low light plants will do fine. But ones that need higher lighting won't. Like I have a crypt wendtii, and it'll stay alive with minimal lighting, but won't grow well. My anacharis could have room light and still grow. But my melon sword needs a good amount of specific lighting to stay lush green and grow nicely.

Anubias, anacaris, sometimes java ferns, mosses, etc will do just fine with glass. Anything true medium light or higher you'll see a difference!
 
#8 ·
@laughing..

What are you referring to when you say small hole egg crate? That is not a term I ahve heard before. Can you gind a google image & link it. I am definitly open to other options other then glass, but I have cats so a top is a must even if I dont think the fish will jump.
 
#9 ·
http://seanmcg.com/blog/wp-content/images/IMG_6578.jpg

There ya go! They come in different hole sizes, so I say small because some can be an inch by an inch, so I would recommend about the size I posted. If you lower the water, they can't see each other, and you put the crate on top they shouldn't be inclined to jump especially if your water quality is high and there is stimulus for them. Most bettas jump to a) attack another fish b) water is poor c) they're just bored. Normally they don't do it "just because".
 
#10 ·
Oh! And it you can buy it in most hardware stores like Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, etc. Just ask and they'll know exactly where to point you. And it's pretty cheap, too, last time I checked. Cheaper than glass!
 
#12 · (Edited)
So the Divided tank has been redone due to getting the heater & filter.. Got the Marineland Duetto DJ-100 submersible filter & so far I love it. I have it at one end of the tank & some clear tubing taking the water return & returning it to the other end of the tank under the gravel. I have the plants back along with the snails & shrimp. 3 of the 4 fish will be returned to it as soon as the temp stabilizes. The 4th is still in quarantine with an unknown fungal growth.



The next big things to come for it will be lighting which I am going to keep simple. Looking at getting the Coralife Freshwater 30" Aqualight T5 Strip. I am also hoping to find some black eggcrate which I see on reef forums postings, but haven't been able to locate it here in town. I Dont want to paint white, & black would just plan look better since this tank is out int he open where all of it is highly visible.
 
#13 ·
This looks like a big version of my 5g haha I used the blue spines and black mesh as well, much nicer I think. You're tank looks amazing. My 10g's have the black mesh but white spines, since my store stopped selling them by the 6 pack, but 50 packs now :(

Oh I wish I had a tank like yours! And it's so nice to see someone siliconing the spines in, much safer!
 
#14 ·
actually when I pulled it apart to clean it the silicone came out on all 6 spines. So for now its not really siliconed into place. Just using the remaining silicone to kind of hold them in place. The binders are I think going to get completely redone at some point with a solid bead of silicone all the way down and at the top to hold them in place really well. The silicone as it is just didn't hold to these binders well. I also sourced some black ones & found the hardware mesh in larger sheets so I wouldn't need to have them sewn together. For the time being though I am going to grab a few more of these blue dividers & cut them to length & pop them onto the tank rim along the top so it wont let the others move at all so there will be zero worry about the boys visiting each other.
 
#15 ·
Mine are in solid but I also use real silicone, GE I Windows and Doors type. Manufactures of aquariums use it in their tanks. I noticed when I used the black silicone from my pet store, it stuck to nothing :( I had to redo all my tanks and decoration with the GE stuff.
 
#17 ·
I would only suggest GE I Windows and Doors (not II, it has anti-mold in it), Google it. It's the only type sold to aquarium manufactures in large quantities (under another name, same product). I wouldn't suggest using anything else industrial. Eep! Ya my pet store stuff stuck to glass but it was easy to peal off, wouldn't stick to anything else though.
 
#18 ·
Uh Oh, I think my new heater & filter may have been the death of one of my boys.. Last night we lost Teal'c. he was fine when everyone went to bed, but this morning he was sitting at the bottom & quite faded.. I Think it may have been the new equipment as the bottom end of the filter's suction cup was loose so it was only held by the other end. I Think he may have gotten himself wedged or something.. Either way its a sad day I had to wake my wife & daughter up for a Flushie Memorial service.

This is or boy that passed.
 
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