prairielilly

I have 5 tanks - a partially stocked 20g and 5g, a betta in a 3g and a cycling 10g and 5g. I gave some thought recently to retiring the teensy 3g altogether and moving its betta to a 5g. I decided to still move the betta, but get another betta for the 3g (a female this time - one less fish dies in a cup!)

So the 3g functions pretty well. It currently has a box filter, which does a much much better job than the built-in the tank came with (it's an Eclipse 3). The only issue I've got is hiding the thing - it takes up a bunch of room to start with, and it's clear and green and not too pretty. However since it works so well I'm not interested in replacing it.

I'd like this tank to have at least one silk plant and I like the ornament currently in there, but I'm trying to come up with things I could do to the filter to hide it - craft mesh, moss wall, -- ? So far I've just stuck a silk plant in front of it (picture) but thought I'd ask if anyone could suggest any improvements?

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djbrist

Looks familiar, me too.

I was at LFS today and saw many different types of "tank dividers",(plexi, mesh, etc.) my thought was to try to create the wall like you said, and let it grow over, or use a "curtain/ back drop" to veil it. But then also concerned with hiding the occupant. Still thinking though. As you can see, my syrup bottle doesn't quite cut it, but its a start.

Dave

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aquarist48

I have that same syrup bottle on a shelf . I think both of your tanks look just great. You don't want to hide the filter too much and prevent it from doing what it needs to do.

Red1313

I've got the box filter in my 3 gal tucked in the back corner with fake plants all around it. It's still doing a good job and since the 3 gal is a jungle tank anyway things work out.

pepetj

You could likely cover it with a java moss wall all around it. The filter will work as long as air (and water) can pass in and out.

Another option is to plant elongated but not too long leaf hardy and low light plants like Sagitaria species around it.

Thinking out loud: what about building a "fence-like decor" around it with those flat wooden sticks used as "tongue depressors" -if aquarium use safe?

Pepe
Santo Domingo

prairielilly

Still thinking about this one...now that I've started with live plants, there's more possibilities. The box filter only takes in water from the top - so would it be ok to attach java moss to the sides of the filter? or would it eventually grow too bushy and interfere w. the filter's functioning? I'm also thinking of pygmy chain swords or similar in front of it still...

djbrist: love the syrup bottle Canadian Maple!

Beth1965

How about a tallish rock or driftwood and plant a plant on top, one that will grow down like a vine type plant? Will end up looking like a tree (maybe)
Beht

prairielilly

like the idea...but it's a 3g, there's about 2.5" of room to work with in the area in question, and that would cover the top of the filter where it takes in water Thx though!

Beth1965

okay, i was just staring at your pic of the 3 gal.
i will try to explain what im thinking.... how about a plant that is tolerant of playing with, one you can kind of wind through a plastic sheet (a bendable sheet) that has holes in it, like craft plastic used for, what the heck is it used for? wrap the plastic around (1/2 around the filter and weave the plant through the plastic sheet?

prairielilly

What plant can you do that with? (curious, I'm still pretty new to aquarium plants). I know you can do that with ivies (hedera helix) and other houseplant vines but I didn't know there were aquatic varieties.

I think it's a nice idea, but I don't want to put anything over top of the filter (leaning or draped) bc then it won't work right. It draws in water only through the top, down through the media and then expels it up the tube in the middle.

What I wanted to find out was whether or not attaching java moss to the sides of the filter was a good/bad idea or not. That would at least camouflage the sides, and I know Ivan (my betta) would love to play with it. Maybe some moss on the little hut thingy too. Then I though of adding a small sword or crypt in place of the silk plant that's there now, and then stop! bc I'm out of room

Beth1965

I will look around on line tomorrow at plants that I have in mind (could be plants in my imagination and they dont really exist!!!!). get back to you (gotta get some shut eye). I like your idea of putting plants beside the filter too. My betta like to play with the java moss too.
Why will you be out of room? The more plants the merrier, no? Romeo (my betta) is lovin the 10 gal and all the plants I have in there.
Beth

djbrist

I loved the syrup prairielilly.

I like your java moss idea, maybe on a decoration, like Butterfly's "chia pet head guy", and others have done this too,with the hair net thing until it anchors? just my thoughts tho.

prairielilly

Bc it's a 3g, less than a third the size of a 10g, and my tank's 'footprint' is probably half the size of the screen you're viewing this on (it's about 10" x 5") and about half of that is already taken up by the little hut ornament and the filter itself. If I put too much in there, my fishie won't have any room left to swim, but I want him to have at least one plant and he likes his little hut so much I don't want to take that out.