MagicWings

Right now I'm considering taking an extra 10 gallon aquarium I have and dividing it down the middle for two male betta. I already have one who's a pretty peaceful fellow living in a community tank with no problems, really. But the idea of a split 10 is intriguing...

Right now I have this sitting in my basement.. everything is dirty/dusty and would need cleaned with hot water and a little bit of finger nail scrubbing, haha. I have the 10 gallon tank, a lid + light, a heater, and a filter, and I have an extra thermometer somewhere around... I think I have a pump and tubing for some bubbles, but I don't think I have the air stone.

What I'm missing is the knowledge of how to divide the tank in half. The filter I have has a pretty strong flow, if I remember right, so I was considering maybe getting two smaller filters that don't have quite as much flow and putting one on each side of the tank. I'd just stick the heater on the one side, or look into two smaller heaters. I think I already have one little heater that I used to use in a 2.5 gallon. Would two of those be enough to keep a 10 warm, or would a little filter be enough to move the heat from a full size heater?

Is dividing the tank easy? Will I have to make it myself, or do they sell a divider relatively inexpensive that will just slide into place? Will two male betta be okay side by side? I've read that planting along the divider to minimize viewing helps. I've also heard that they flare for a while and then get used to each other with the occasional flare. Would putting a female beside him be better? I tend to prefer the males, but I do see females for sale every so often. If I went with females, could two be kept in one side?

Any tips and cautions with this setup would be really appreciated. I've got to talk to my mom about it before it happens, but I'd like to have some info, too. I'll keep Googling it as well, but you guys are very knowledgeable here!

pinkfloydpuffer

I have divided tanks... but personally if I did it again I'd have seperate tanks for each fish... I've had too many jailbreaks... one fish even ended up dead because he went over to the other side where the mean betta lived...

Don't keep 2 females together on one side, that would be asking for trouble. In my experience they are just as feisty as the males.

But it can be done, because I have one right now, and it's kinda working, except for the occasional jailbreak...

MagicWings

They jump over the divider? I wonder if it would be possible to attach an extra piece to a divider that sort of goes over the top of the water an inch or two, like a little roof so they couldn't jump? That might be more difficult than it sounds though... or if it would stop them at all.

Do they sell plastic dividers or is it all this netting stuff? (Did a quick search on Amazon).

Huh, about the females... at PetSmart they actually keep the females in a full sized tank, but they never really seemed to have more than 1-3 at a time. I always figured it was because females aren't as commonly sold.

Martinismommy

Although I said I'd never have a divided tank I have to admit I ended up with one.....I have 2 of my pet boys in it and have had NO problems at all....I say go for it! Just keep the water level down about 2 inches from the top to prevent jumping.....

pinkfloydpuffer

There's plastic ones. And I keep my water a good 3" below the top, and still they get across, so I'm baffled.

bluealuefish

You can buy plastic dividers but the ones I've seen are clear.. so I don't prefer those. I made my own using craft acrylic cross stitch sheets and report cover binders. Here's a picture of mine: My 10gal with divider (neons and male betta)

I feel that this provides more cover while allowing good water circulation. Since you have a lid, I suggest making it tall enough to fit snug under the lid so there's no possibility of your fish jumping over. Also, you'll save a lot of money making it instead of buying it.

For the strong filter problem, I've read that people have tied sponges at the output to decrease the current. Not quite sure how effective that is though.

As for your heater, I don't know if the temperature would be strong enough. I believe there's a page on fishlore that will tell you the wattage you'll need for a 10gal. It's pretty inexpensive to get a heater for a 10gal.

Did you see the thread weighing the pros and cons of keeping a divided betta tank versus individual tanks? You might be interested in that one.

Good luck!

agabr123

i'm one of those people that tied a sponge around the filter input actually. it works VERY well, for a while almost too well and i had to cut it down a bit. just make sure you get natural sponge, not artificial (still very cheap). i used sponge and then some nylon hose to cover it, and a rubber band or sewing thread to hold it all in place. i did this for my betta's fin's though, as one of my boys got a bit of his tail caught in it.

Shawnie

I have a 20 gal long divided and as long as you keep up the tank maintenance, there shouldnt be issues...keep the water about 2-3 inches below the divider, and make sure plenty of subtrate is piled up on the bottom of the divider(these boys/girls will dig under) and you should be good....if it were me, id go for the two smaller filters on each side..that way the water flow is steady and there isnt any stagnent water on top of one side....some bettas like the bubbles and some dont so you will see that after getting your boys/girls in the tank....the dividers blue gave you in the link, are awesome! and you can buy a pack of 10 different colored ones so if you have continueous flaring, use the darker colored mesh so they cant see one another...it takes a good week or so for them to get use to eachother anyway so be ready for that...id clean out the tank with a 1 part bleach to 19 parts water solution ...rinse many times over with hot hot water and use some extra dechlorinator when filling....and do not forget, TO GET US PICS ...some of us are betta freaks and love to see pics

Phinny12

I had one with the dividers you can buy from Petsmart.. They kept getting over and beating each other up.. I could not figure how they were doing it as I had the water level down...Then one day I saw Steele push through the side ..he figured how to push it out of the way and get at "The King".. Once he figured it out he did it again and the third time I put him in a seperate tank.

Martinismommy

Hey Shawnie, when are you going to fly out here and divide my 55? lol

Shawnie

soooooooon! ...ill bring the "cawfee" for us to share