The Adventures Of The Upstairs Tanks!

[Batgirl]

Explanation:
I moved two empty 5 gallon tanks upstairs into the living room. Because their now centrally located my mom agreed to help fund them! And she agreed to buy me another so the cabinet their displayed on is even!

Ideas:
I'm hoping to make one a Betta tank,
One a red cherry shrimp tank, and the last one a high tech heavily planted Dwarf puffer tank.

What I have so far:
I have two tanks, and two aqua-clear 30 filters. One of the tanks has water, play sand, a cycled aqua clear 30, a fake plant, and a snail.

Why I posted this:
I need aquascaping ideas! This is going upstairs so it needs to look nice! I also need help on the lighting for the betta tank.

Note I'm focusing on the betta tank first cause it's closest to being fish ready!

 

[Ewokbuns]

I suggest live plants and rocks!

 

[Jev12]

Get a piece of drift wood that like attach an anubia or java fern to it maybe get a couple crypts or dwarf saggitaria and some sort of low light stem plant...as for lighting I think a cfl light would be the easiest cheapest route

 

[Scottyhorse]

An aquaclear 30 may be too much flow for a betta on such a small tank. I have an aquaclear 20 on a 7g and I needed to make a buffer for the outflow.

 

[Batgirl]

Hmm if I always filled the tank to the brim, put a sponge over the intake, put loads of filter media in, and blocked the outflow, would I be fine?

Also I am completely clueless about lights, what's cfl?

 

[Scottyhorse]

Hmm if I always filled the tank to the brim, put a sponge over the intake, put loads of filter media in, and blocked the outflow, would I be fine?

Also I am completely clueless about lights, what's cfl?

That is what I am doing with my filter. It has slowed the flow down just enough. It may be enough to not cause too much current, it might not. I would try to use a smaller filter if possible.

A CFL is a compact fluorescent bulb. You know, those spiral ones?

 

[Batgirl]

They are the ones that advertise as being super green right?

 

[Batgirl]

I'll get some from the HomeDepo, how should I put them up/ get them to light up? Should I find a lamp and tape it to the top of the shelf thing the tanks on？ would a small led light work? What's the difference between cfl and normal fluorescence?

Do you think either of these would grow java moss?

 

[Jev12]

This is what I use for my cfl you can buy it at Home Depot as well...and either of them will grow java moss...Java moss can grow without any light...but a cfl could give you more options for plants you can grow...unless you get a special type of led

 

[Batgirl]

Okay cool

 

[brennae]

I agree and would get a different filter. The cfl's should grow java moss. I'd get a small office lamp or order a clamp-on style from amazon for aquariums. Good Luck!

 

[Batgirl]

I already have 2 of those filters, would they work for shrimp and a dwarf puffer?

 

[brennae]

In a 5g tank I use sponge filters. They are very cheap, you just need an airpump and some airline tubing. They won't harm the fish by sucking them in and they won't harm shrimp in the same way either.

 

[Scottyhorse]

Dwarf puffers need strong filtration as they are extremely messy. I would just try to buffer the OUTFLOW (not the inflow) as much as you can.

 

[Batgirl]

I don't like the look of sponge filters, do I need a filter for RCS?
Okay so I'll use one for my dwarf puffer!

 

[Scottyhorse]

I would use a sponge filter for the shrimp. You can hide them with the plants. Sponge filters are the best for shrimp IMO.

 

[Batgirl]

Okay. Will the smallest available aqua-clear filter work for the betta?

 

[Scottyhorse]

If you buffer the outflow a lot. Same with the dwarf puffer.

 

[venymae]

You might consider the water bottle buffer to help with that outflow. And if you do it neatly using a clear bottle without ridges it does not ruin the aesthetic appeal.

Edit: Here is a video how to

 

[Batgirl]

Thanks! I'll try that when I get home!
I just watched the video, I have my water ALOT higher than that, like to the filter output so I'm not sure how effective that would be,
On a side note I LOVE THAT SONG!! That just made my day