tank dividers PLEASE HELP!!

[stacie]

I have a 10 gallon freshwater tank that I have set up for some bettas that I am going to be getting ( my Wal Mart bettas all died off). I bought some Top Fin dividers but am curious as to how well the water will be filtered through those tiny holes. The employee told me that they would be fine. Just curious as I was going to make my own with the plastic canvas if anyone thinks the water would filter better. I know that the holes are a lot bigger on the canvas. Thanks for any help.

Stacie

[justDIY]

if it's not too late, take the top fin dividers back and go with your canvas idea

I was using black craft canvas to keep goldfish from the 'planted' side of their pen and it worked for a while, but the fish managed to bulldose their way through ... these fish are a LOT bigger then a betta, so it would probably stand up better

if you can do it with a dry tank, gluing the canvas with silicon caulk to the sides of the tank would be ideal

also, if you plan on live plants, stick with swords or something else that doesn't "shed", otherwise it's guaranteed that your divider screens will get clogged with plant matter, and be a devil to clean

btw, what type of filter are you planning on? with bettas you could probably get away with no filtration at all, and just 50% water changes every week to 10 days, or with some sort of powered filter, maybe 50% water changes every month

[bettacove]

Heres a good link on how to make your own:
http://www.gntbs.org/dividedtank.htm

ashley

[loganj]

Remember that bettas don't like current. I think you'd be OK without a filter as long as you're doing weekly water changes and watching water parameters. If you want a small amount of flow through the dividers, a small airlift from one end to the other should suffice.

[stacie]

I just have the small filter that came with the tank. I had two 1 gallons that I had some bettas in, but they died. I got them at wal mart (I know, I know. Not the greatest quality) and the ones I'm expecting I am getting from BC Bettas online. Just want to make sure everything is perfect. Thanks and if you know of anything I can do for hard water, let me know. It rates at the highest end of the hardness spectrum on the test strip. I am also using the filtration as these fish are used to the best of everything including the live food, which I will be attempting. Good thing I'm not the squeamish type.

[justDIY]

you can put a piece of driftwood in the tank to soften the water ... bettas live in puddles, drainage ditches and small ponds, so they get a lot of soft rain water

but I think they're very flexible about their conditions.

[reberly]

We have wicked high hardness in our water too. I've heard the Water Softener Pillow from Aquarium Pharmacueticals works well, you just have to "recharge" it every day for a while. Look it up on http://www.aquariumpharmaceuticals.com or someplace like http://www.petsmart.com

I've heard that Driftwood will stain your water a slight brown color.

Ryan

[loganj]

You can buy some distilled or RO/DI water and mix it with your tap water to achieve the desired hardness. It'll take some trial and error to get it right at first. Once you have the ratio figured out, it shouldn't be hard to mix it up. Bettas are pretty adaptable as long as they are properly acclimated. If you're using a power filter, I would try to diffuse the flow as much as possible. Strong currents will stress the bettas some.

[stacie]

Just wanted to say thanks to everybody who responded. I'll go with the canvas idea and will also try mixing the water. I guess I should just get rid of the filter then, huh? What ratio of water change would I have to do on a 10 gallon? Once a week?


Stacie

[bettacove]

Which bettas are u gettin from BCbetta?

ashley