Dividing with Plastic.

[Welsh]

Is there a way to divide a tank with a plastic sheet - plexi glass, but also use one heater/filter?

Thanks

 

[glassbird]

There are commercial dividers out there but I have never used one, so I can't express any valid opinions on them. Is this a temporary thing, or longer term? And is the look of the results important? Plexi glass could be an option, but you need to get some holes drilled in it to allow circulation. Some plexis drill better than others. Why are you trying to divide the tank, and what kind of fish do you have? Sizes?

My first thought runs to what some people call "egg crate" which is a completely confusing term because it has nothing to do with eggs, or crates. It is the white plastic grid panels sold in lighting stores as a diffuser for ceiling lighting. It generally has openings of about 1/2 inch square, and lots of them, so circulation would be great. It can be painted with Krylon Fusion to tone down the whiteness. Just let the paint dry for at least a week before putting it in the water. The egg crate can be cut with heavy scissors, but be prepared to sand off any sharp edges to protect your fish.

 

[Welsh]

Basically I have a 6.5 UK gallon tank I would like to divide for bettas, but if not then I plan to just keep it for minnows or something. I love my betta's and can't seem to find a mesh divider without having to make one - I don't want to use ebay , so I thought there would be alternative ways to make a plastic divider.

 

[glassbird]

Hmm..a betta would slip right thru egg crate! Do you need to keep bettas visually separated, too? (I have no personal experience with bettas.) Maybe a smoked piece of plexi would do that. Or something completely solid in color. That is a fairly small tank...about 8 US gallons. Experimenting with plexi would not be too expensive for something that small. But you also need to figure out a way to secure it in the tank. Siliconing it in place would be safest.

 

[jetajockey]

You could use plastic mesh canvas used in arts and crafts. There's a writeup done at this link Dividing a tank for bettas..fun and low cost

 

[glassbird]

Craft mesh! Of course! I read thru that link, and it's not entirely clear how the report binders are used but I think they are implying that you use the binders to enclose the edges of the mesh and keep the mesh stiff and upright? I bet you could silicone the binders to the glass, and then slip the mesh into them...removable mesh. They do make some good points about diggers and jumpers. Very interesting.

 

[Sssea]

I used plexiglass cut to the size of the tank and drilled many small holes in it to keep water flow. It was pretty simple, took me about 20 mins.

 

[Retired_AF]

You can use plastic or plexi with numerous small holes drilled in it, 1 clear piece held in place with aquarium-safe silicone or whatever it takes to keep them stationary.

If you have bettas you can use 2 different panels 1 clear and the other a colored or black plastic to hide them from each other. Using the clear one, they can see each other and will flare frequently. Adding the colored one, they will have time to rest.

Any holes when using both will need to line up so water will pass through. Also, to help water flow, see if you can figure a way to draw water from one side and have it deposited in the other.