betta only system diary. (pics)

hey folks so i finally got the new system up and running and i must say it looks pretty good. im starting this diary so everyone can watch how it grows(including me) the goal is to enter that aquascaping competition. im getting some lady friends for Vulcan, 3 to be exact, and some more khuli loaches. theres still a few things that will be going in some m.tenerum and two different mosses which i cant remember the names of lol some java fern and moss on a piece off wood that i have soaking still. im thinking of taking the amazon swords out, im worried they might get a bit big but then what to replace them with and i dont know if they go with the mystical feel i want in this setup. theres some space behind the 'mountain' which i also want something in with a fine ferny appearance so feel free to make suggestions.

The current specs are as follows:

Tank
580x410x25
lid is perspex and im not sure if i should paint the inside where the light is so it doesnt shine through the top.
globe is a small 15w bioglo (i think) will be adding another of the same

Plantings
amazon swords x3
java moss (on the mountain)
hair grass (might remove and replace with some of the moss)
anubias nana x2

Fauna
crowntail betta x1
apple snail x1
khuli loach x1 ( i think his friend did a suicide jump)

the quality of the photos sucks i know but i still have to get another ballast and globe and will then take some more pics, this is just to give you guys an idea. so enjoy and theres a pic of my cat enjoying a drink before the lid came lol

 

Cute cat lol mine does the same if I do water changes ...the tank looks awesome so far

at what temperature are you running it and how many litres is it? also what filtration you got ?

Sorry for all the questions but, I wish I could do something like this, because I saw some awesome Bettas today, and have kept some before (they have such cute personalities)

I have an extra tank, but need it for emergencies or fry drops

But I am still deciding maybe I should buy another tank ... MTS got me..

Brandon

 

careful though.. this one guy on the other forum had the same thing.. but in his tank he has some duck weed.. the cat was drinkin the water choked a bit (from drinking some of the duck weed) and PUKED in the tank!! the fish weren happy hehe..

 

new pics

so having thought about it im not sure if im going to keep the java moss on the rocks, i might still use it on the wood but i think i ordered some willow moss from dolphin which i think will look so much better on the mountain. just waiting for my order to be ready.

the swords are still bothering me and im not sure what to do about them, should i replace them with something else, if so what? and what should go behind the mountain? i have now got two 10w bioglo globes in and am wondering if it might be time to find a more discreate filter, as you can see the spray bar is ruining the scape as it sticks out into the middle of the tank. can anyone recommend a small filter with a low output so as not to disturb Vulcan? the tank runs at about 25 - 26 degrees celsius and i think is about 50L give or take a few. hmmm just had a thought instead of the java fern on the wood maybe stick with anubias to provide continuity.

i really am enjoying this scape it will take me awhile to find a combination that im happy with, but i think thats half the fun, playing around with the hard and soft landscape and effects. i still have to do my stone path and i forgot i had a quarts globe so im putting that in sarrounded by the crystal clusters i have in there already and i think it'll look very cool, with the greyish black stone "paving" and up to the wood "portal" that is still soaking. all in all im happy with the progress so far.:bigsmile:

 

ok soo the java fern is growing like crazy at the moment but my lid is fallin apart so i've now got a wooden one on the way, building it myself using superwood and will paint it tomorrow so hopefully by sunday or even saturday i can varnish. the marine plywood was too expensive at over a grand a sheet which was way more than i needed and they wouldnt sell me off cuts but i did get marine varnish so that should work well. my order from dolphin will hopefully be arriving next week and i can then get everyone in and settled.

i'v decided to use rotala indica instead of the swords and those have been added to my order. i think i will be taking the java moss out of this tank completely and using the willow moss on the mountain and the flame on the wood. im going to move the hairgrass into the background and will add the wood when all the new stuff arrives, the longer the wood soaks the better.

im definately interested in getting another filter that will not be as noticable can anyone suggest something?

i'll doall the major changes when the new stock arrives so that the tank is different and Vulcan cant claim more of his fair share of territory. i'll post new pics when all th changes are done. i cant wait for everything to arrive!

 

Sounds interesting. Also ordered some moss from Dolphin, should check when it is comming.
Are you painting and then varnishing the lid?

 

Hi Fire

Looking good, cant wait for it to grow in a bit.

Just a quick photography tip, try putting iff the flash when taking the photo, trust me it helps

Regards
Peter

 

Windfire;

Thef filter question plagued me for months in my small Nano tank. I can now say, after my experience with the filter, say that the Boyu small canister is definately a route you could look at! Dolphin can source these for you at a great price too!

Regards
Ashley

 

Vis apparently the moss all arrived in unlabeled bags, i dont envy dolphin trying to sort al that out. Thanx zoom il look into the boyu though itl have to wait til next month. Peter west i am painting the lid first, shouldnt i? Its going to be white

 

update

ok so its been awhile since i updaed this. its actually quite funny, you see i needed to build a new wood so i did with a lil help from my dad. then my cousin arrived lol and took over. the paint job wasnt good enough, ie looked kak and the holes from the screws needed to be filled with poly filler and then we had to find a different paint to mask the dents so well we finally got it done and i must say it looks pretty damn good lol. the last pic shows the lid abit.

im still not happy with the swords, im looking for something to replace them with. i trimmed the hair grass today to encourage it to send out some more runners. i also added the crystals i wanted to add and they dont look to bad i think. i love the wood though!! i have two anubias on it which should look goood once the roots have attached themselves to the wood, its leaching a lil still but not too bad. I was thinking it might look nice with some vallis behind the wood, or something else with long strappy leaves. this tank has so much more potential and i'm really not doing it justice but hopefully i'll get there, i hope:wondering: