Idea for a Ten Gallon

[BettaKing]

I have to disagree here. They should not be in constant view of eachother. This causes extreme stress. A male betta should flare at another male betta...that is their natural behavoir. If they've stopped this behavior all together it's because they've been worn out and exhausted.

Not to be rude(I honestly apologize if I sound it) but they can and will get used to eachother, they eventually learn "he can't get on my side and I can't get on his" Betta Fish and Betta Fish Care If you search the forums on this site, you'll find many people who do a divided tank for the first time get freaked out when they see this, and other veeeerrrryyyyy experienced(PLEASE don't take me wrong, I'm not saying you aren't) Betta keepers say this is normal behavior and will adjust. It's not because their exhausted, they just adjust. If you were to undivide them, they would still fight. So your not wearing them out. Again I apologize if I sound rude. Just add things to break eye-contact and they will be fine

 

[severum mama]

I think siva's point is, why put them through that stress in the first place? By nature, they are extremely territorial toward other males, so there is no doubt IMO that being in close proximity to other males is stressful to them. An opaque divider solves that problem so why not just do that to begin with?

 

[BettaKing]

I can understand his point. And I once again apologize if I sounded rude or arrogant in ANY way.

 

[siva]

Her point I respect your opinion, but I disagree with it. Maybe this is an every fish is different sort of thing, but I've seen males in a state of unhealthy distress due to their male tankmate being constantly in sight, and I agree that since it's easy to prevent this from possibly happening, it's probably best to go ahead and do it. Not every betta keeper agrees in this area, very experienced or otherwise.

 

[BettaKing]

True true. And I apologize for refering to as a "him"

 

[Revenantwing]

or you could get a Dwarf Puffer Fish !

 

[Patterson333]

Yea I think I'm going to put a Java Moss wall right down the middle, just because I think it would look really cool if I'm able to pull it off right =)

Oh and those dwarf puffers might have to wait for another project someday lol

 

[barterking85]

As far as painting the back goes, why don't you just use a piece of paper in the appropriate color and attach it to the back of the tank using a piece of tape or similar adhesive? It sounds easier to implement and would be easier to change if you decide to use this tank for something else in the future.

I agree with siva in that I don't think male bettas should be able to see each other constantly. I've read from multiple credible sources that they will kill themselves TRYING to fight with one another. I think you should use a moss wall between the two of them, placing it such that it hides the seam between your two pieces of paper. This way, it would look neat (in my opinion, anyway) and would keep them from being able to see each other. Or as sarasein said, you could just use a couple moss walls to HIDE the divider.

I did something like this with blue gravel on one side and red on the other with a red and blue Betta on opposite colors I really liked it they are 5 years old and have had a clear divider since day one but I grew a moss wall on the divider so they can only see each other in certain spots but they went 3 years before I got the moss seeing each other all the time I think It depends on the temperament of the Betta IMO

 

[xxwolfpackof1xx]

if your going the betta route check out aquabid really beautifly colored bettas you may be able to find a white and black one and have a whole yin/yang thing going on

 

[Patterson333]

I did something like this with blue gravel on one side and red on the other with a red and blue Betta on opposite colors I really liked it they are 5 years old and have had a clear divider since day one but I grew a moss wall on the divider so they can only see each other in certain spots but they went 3 years before I got the moss seeing each other all the time I think It depends on the temperament of the Betta IMO

Is there any way you could post a picture? I'd love to see what it actually looks like, and your red and blue combo is pretty similar to what I'm trying to do with black and white!

 

[Patterson333]

if your going the betta route check out aquabid really beautifly colored bettas you may be able to find a white and black one and have a whole yin/yang thing going on

I actually lucked out, my lfs has some really nice black and white Bettas in, but thanks for the tip!

 

[xxwolfpackof1xx]

I actually lucked out, my lfs has some really nice black and white Bettas in, but thanks for the tip!

lucky you mine only has the standard blue red purple. so your planning on doing a moss wall that's cool any other plants?

 

[severum mama]

if your going the betta route check out aquabid really beautifly colored bettas you may be able to find a white and black one and have a whole yin/yang thing going on

There's no doubt that some of the nicest looking bettas money can buy, are on Aquabid. That said, remember that many of those breeders are located in Thailand and you'll need to pay a transshipper just to get them to you. Those costs can get a little high. If you want awesome quality bettas, IMO it is the way to go... but I thought it was worth mentioning as it probably tacks on $40-50 over the auction price.

 

[xxwolfpackof1xx]

.. but I thought it was worth mentioning as it probably tacks on $40-50 over the auction price.

holy cow! luckily there are some nice breeders within the states. anywho are these gonna be just bettas only or mabye a few shrimps? also are you going to have a filter on each side because your using a divider?

 

[barterking85]

Is there any way you could post a picture? I'd love to see what it actually looks like, and your red and blue combo is pretty similar to what I'm trying to do with black and white!

Yeah I can try my wife has our camera on vacation but I can probably grab my mothers tomorrow and take a picture I am very happy with mine and for filters I put an ac20 on both sides on minimum flow but my Bettas play in the current it does not bother them at all

 

[Patterson333]

One filter, the divider I got is completely permeable, and I plan on building the java moss wall on the divider itself (I don't think the moss wall would obstruct flow too much). But if it seems like flow is a problem, I'll just go out and get another.

I do want other plants, but they'd have to be low lighting, and preferably rather hardy (I'm not the very best aquatic gardner lol). I was figuring some Java Fern, and maybe some Anubias Nana (if my lighting is sufficient, gotta look into that). I'm open to suggestions though!

And yea as far as the Bettas go, I'm going to stick to buying locally if at all possible, because of the cost. I'm fortunate enough to live in an area with a lot of fish stores, and there's actually quite a few fish farms down here too, so I'll be calling around to see what I can find (though I already know of one fish farm here that's got some really nice black and white ones).

 

[Patterson333]

Yeah I can try my wife has our camera on vacation but I can probably grab my mothers tomorrow and take a picture I am very happy with mine and for filters I put an ac20 on both sides on minimum flow but my Bettas play in the current it does not bother them at all

Thanks! And if it's going to be a hassle in any way at all, don't worry about the photo.

 

[Patterson333]

Just a little update on this soon-to-be tank, I found out that there's a pet store opening up next weekend, and they're giving away a FREE 10 gallon aquarium and some other goodies to the first 250 customers and I think I've got a good shot at getting one! That way I could keep my old 10 gallon handy just in case I need to use it as a QT/Hospital tank.

The timing really couldn't have been any better! =)