Idea for a Ten Gallon

[Patterson333]

I've got a ten gallon tank that was once used as a quarantine but has been empty for some time now, and I've been toying with ideas as to what to do with it.

I've come up with an idea that seems a little out there, but hear me out. I figured I might be able to put a divider right in the middle of the tank, and house two male bettas in it (one on each side of the divider). I would try to make sure that they can't really see each other, so as to prevent them from flaring at each other all day. I also figured, toying with the idea of a divided tank, to put black sand on one side of that divider, and white sand on the other, and have the Bettas be of contrasting colors as well (maybe red and blue, or if I could find it, black and white). I would also put some low lighting plants in there (probably Java ferns, and Java moss).

I'm picturing this tank in my head, and I could see it turning out really nice, but since I've never seen something like this done before, I'm a little weary. Has anyone done something like this? Do you guys see any reason why it wouldn't work? Any thoughts would be much appreciated, as of yet the tank exists only in my head lol.

 

[BettaKing]

Welcome to the world of Bettas!! I've seen many tanks like this. Both sides being the opposite colors. They turn out pretty cool! Yours sounds neat! And you don't have to worry about them seeing eachother, they will flare at eachother for a about a week and a 1/2 to 2 weeks. But they will be perfectly fine. So don't worry about that. Why not do gravel? It will be easier to install. Good luck!

 

[Patterson333]

I think I might do sand instead, just because I love the way it looks. I'm pretty good about water changes and maintenance, so I don't think it would be too much of an issue for me. Thanks for the encouragement though!

 

[Somethingclever]

I think your tank idea sounds awesome. If you end up doing it take pics!

 

[kaiofcanada]

Did you ever use copper or other long lived toxic compounds in it?

If not, a shrimp tank is a great setup for a 10 gallon.

If you used copper in it, the shrimp won't live. :/

 

[Patterson333]

Nope, copper was never used. The only medication that I put in there wad Rid Ich plus, which is a formaldehyde and methylene green mix if I remember correctly, and that was over a year ago. The tank has been broken down at least once since then, and luckily the silicone never got stained.

Either way though, I'm really starting to get into the idea of putting bettas in there, though you've just planted the seed of possibly adding some shrimp as tank mates lol. Gonna start doing some research on that as well.

 

[BettaKing]

You could put several RCS or Ghost Shrimp in each side. Maybe Ghosts in 1 side and RCS in the other? Just a suggestion.

 

[Patterson333]

You could put several RCS or Ghost Shrimp in each side. Maybe Ghosts in 1 side and RCS in the other? Just a suggestion.

Hmm, I'm liking it. Might get started on that idea this weekend. I just called my lfs, and they told me that they sell RCS at ten dollars. Is that an alright price for them? It seemed a little expensive to me, but then again I've never bought them before...

 

[Patterson333]

So I went and picked up the black and white sands, and I got more than enough. I also picked up the divider. I still wanna play with the idea of contrast some more, and I was thinking of painting the back of my aquarium black and white (maybe white on the black sand side, and black on the white sand side).

Anyone got any recommendations on how I should go about doing that? What paint should I use? How many coats? How long should I let it dry before setting up the tank?

Sorry for all the questions!

 

[Puffymcstuff]

So I went and picked up the black and white sands, and I got more than enough. I also picked up the divider. I still wanna play with the idea of contrast some more, and I was thinking of painting the back of my aquarium black and white (maybe white on the black sand side, and black on the white sand side).

Anyone got any recommendations on how I should go about doing that? What paint should I use? How many coats? How long should I let it dry before setting up the tank?

Sorry for all the questions!

Make sure you paint on the outside of the aquarium and do like 2-3 coats to make sure it's thick enough.

 

[Patterson333]

Yea, definitely on the outside lol. But what kind of paint should I use?

 

[Sarasein]

The bettas idea sound cool. I made a java moss wall. You could put that against the divider on both sides and it would help hide the other side.

 

[Puffymcstuff]

Yea, definitely on the outside lol. But what kind of paint should I use?

I would probably go for an acryllic paint.

 

[Patterson333]

Thanks for the advice! Oh and the moss wall sounds like a good idea too!

 

[siva]

Welcome to the world of Bettas!! I've seen many tanks like this. Both sides being the opposite colors. They turn out pretty cool! Yours sounds neat! And you don't have to worry about them seeing eachother, they will flare at eachother for a about a week and a 1/2 to 2 weeks. But they will be perfectly fine. So don't worry about that. Why not do gravel? It will be easier to install. Good luck!

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.

 

[Patterson333]

I'm planning on having the divider obfuscated by plants and a java moss wall if I can pull that off.

 

[christian_cowgirlGSR]

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.

 

[Sarasein]

I'm planning on having the divider obfuscated by plants and a java moss wall if I can pull that off.

I found mine easy to make. I went to a craft store and got nylon thread and then some Plastic Canvas. The plastic canvas was about $0.50 each. Then I just stitched up 3 sides, put the moss in and then did the last side. It was really easy to do.

 

[christian_cowgirlGSR]

I found mine easy to make. I went to a craft store and got nylon thread and then some Plastic Canvas. The plastic canvas was about $0.50 each. Then I just stitched up 3 sides, put the moss in and then did the last side. It was really easy to do.

That's the way I did mine too. Easy AND inexpensive!

 

[severum mama]

I recommend Krylon Fusion for painting the back of your tank.

Hmm, I'm liking it. Might get started on that idea this weekend. I just called my lfs, and they told me that they sell RCS at ten dollars. Is that an alright price for them? It seemed a little expensive to me, but then again I've never bought them before...

$10 is very, very high for cherry shrimp IMO. If you check out Aquabid, you could probably get about 25 shipped to you for the price of 2 at your lfs. LOL.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend cherry shrimp for a betta tank though. The bettas will eventually get large enough to eat adults, and in the meantime, they will eat all the babies they can find.