5.5 gallon betta tank

[An t-iasg]

I have three 5.5 gallon tanks. All three are in need of some aquascaping help! Here's one of them. At first glance it looks pretty nice, but some changes must be made. The beautiful sag is touching every side and bending over at the top. The stem plants are crowded together on the right, and the crypt is growing through the sag. The lace java fern is gorgeous but hardly visible, and the anubias afzelli is almost outgrowing the tank too.

I'm starting a 10 or hopefully 15 gallon tank, if I can find a 15 standard tank, not high. The sag will be moved into that tank. What are your suggestions for this tank, after the sag is removed? I do like the jungle look, but really, there is no room for a betta with long fins to swim in here!

Some specs: Lighting is approx. 2.5 WPG, CO2 is used - Hagen system with Kordon Mist-Air airstone diffuser.

 

[Jchillin]

That sag looks incredible. The problems with a short ended tank is that most stem plants will outgrow it in short measure. You could trim and replant the tops to shorten and even them out, though you will probably have to do it frequently. Move them as a group to the rear and get some rocks to go in front of them.

The lace fern needs a rock either under or in front of it to give it some height and give the illusion of depth.

 

[An t-iasg]

Thanks, JC...actually there is a small rock under the lace java fern. I started with two plantlets barely 1/4 inch high. They were so small that it was difficult to tie them to the rock! Now, I guess I could tie them to a bigger rock. I have seen the lace java ferns get rather tall and big too.

I completely tear out the bacopa and rotala every week to trim (cut a bit off the bottom) . This picture was taken right before a trim.

It looks like there is room to the left of the anubias, but there isn't room. It's the "mirrored" effect plus the anubias's roots are big too - they are stretched out over to the left.

P.S. I do like the idea of a "focal plant", but the sag is way too big now. I just hope it does as well in my new tank.

 

[czcz]

It looks very very nice! When you move out the sag, how about growing bushes of rotala and bacopa in opposite corners, so your betta can duck in there for cover but still have swimming room in the center? If you'd like to try it, next time you trim the rotala and bacopa, try laying the bottom of the stems horizontally across the substrate. You can hold the stems down with rocks until it roots. They will come in very bushy this way. Either plant should be okay partially shaded by the betta bed, but if it were my tank I'd put the bacopa under there because I prefer the color of "colorata," fwiw.

 

[Zezmo]

I was going to say about the same thing as Cz. First off, healthy plants always look good, even if they are just "stuck in the tank"
You could try the stem plants in one corner, and leave the Sag in the other. The Crypts and the Ferns can take left and right midground, leaving the center open. This is a betta tank, so the betta should be the center and focus of the display. Try some black poster board for the background. That will bring out the color of the plants and the betta.

 

[An t-iasg]

Thanks, everyone! Zezmo, there really isn't room to move the sag 8O It's touching front and back, and top. It's within an inch of touching the left side, and I haven't looked on the right side lately because I don't want to know! I have been prolonging its move because it does look nice in here, but (not really visible in the pic) the sag leaves on the very left are becoming transparent-looking, either because that corner is a bit dark or because the leaves themselves are too squished and water/nutrient flow to those leaves is not good. It's better for the small tank and the big sag if I move it. I will leave it in here for now, since it's somewhat ok here, while I get the other tank set up, CO2 running, etc, so the sag is put into a new tank that's as close to the old tank as I can make it, but with a little more light. I also can envision tetras darting around the sag in the new tank! I do like your idea of the open center, but with the sag in here, nothing's open!