10 Gallon Betta Low Tech Bar Top Tank

Our Betta currently resides in a 3.5 gallon Top Fin tank and I hate it.
I feel like he is cramped and it's hard to see him because of the curvature of the front glass, the poor lighting and because of the filter "floating" over the water.

So I got my hands on a hand me down 10 gallon tank and am building a new home for him.

Current plan is:
LED hood that is suitable for low tech plant growth.
AC20
Small air pump
Small sponge filter
El Nino Ferns
Amazon swords
Anubis Nana
"Texas" holey rocks
Driftwood
White gravel (kids choice).

Once I have the tank setup, I will move the Betta.
Eventually I will add neon tetras and 2 nerite snails.
After a few months we will add some otos.


The first challenge I have is that the "bar top" is really just an old entertainment center we have in our kitchen... and the top is bowed. A CRT lived on it for years and there is no center support. I've posted before about using it https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfi...for-10-gallon-tank-on-saggy-furniture.405811/.
Although I suspect I could just drop a 10 gallon on there without much issue, I will to build a sub frame for the tank. The frame I plan on building will be overkill BUT it has to look good as well. So this will be a 2x4 base with a sealed top and wrapped in some stained 1x6s to match the entertainment center. I also will be adding a support to the bottom of the entertainment center to prevent further bowing of the top.

The second challenge I have is that I want a full LED hood that is sufficient for low tech plant growth (low to medium light plants). It HAS to be a full frame style so it won't move around when I open and close it for feeding. I want a hood because we have cats and a full blacked out hood won't entice them to get on top. A versa top might also break if the fat cat jumped on it. Then I have glass in the tank and maybe a cut up fish (or cat). A versa top also isn't "framed". So it could move around when I open and close it and that annoys me. Lastly I prefer a full hood because I find it easier to fully seal and trap the snails forever .... muhuhahahahah. Kidding. Sort of.


I will update this thread as I make progress!

"Hey You! Build my tank already"



"These look delicious..."

 

Our Betta currently resides in a 3.5 gallon Top Fin tank and I hate it.
I feel like he is cramped and it's hard to see him because of the curvature of the front glass, the poor lighting and because of the filter "floating" over the water.

So I got my hands on a hand me down 10 gallon tank and am building a new home for him.

Current plan is:
LED hood that is suitable for low tech plant growth.
AC20
Small air pump
Small sponge filter
El Nino Ferns
Amazon swords
"Texas" holey rocks
Driftwood
White gravel (kids choice).

Once I have the tank setup, I will move the Betta.
Eventually I will add neon tetras and 2 nerite snails.
After a few months we will add some otos.


The first challenge I have is that the "bar top" is really just an old entertainment center we have in our kitchen... and the top is bowed. A CRT lived on it for years and there is no center support. I've posted in a couple of other forums about using it. Although I suspect I could just drop a 10 gallon on there without much issue, I will to build a sub frame for it. The frame I plan on building will be overkill BUT it has to look good as well. So this will be a 2x4 base with a sealed top and wrapped in some stained 1x6s to match the entertainment center. I also will be adding a support to the bottom of the entertainment center to prevent firtherbowing of the top.

The second challenge I have is that I want a full LED hood that is sufficient for low tech plant growth (low to medium light plants). It HAS to be a full frame style so it won't move around when I open and close it for feeding. I want a hood because we have cats and a full blacked out hood won't entice them to get on top. A versa top might also break if the fat cat jumped on it. Then I have glass in the tank and maybe a cut up fish (or cat). A versa top also isn't "framed". So it could move around when I open and close it and that annoys me. Lastly I prefer a full hood because I find it easier to fully seal and trap the snails forever .... muhuhahahahah. Kidding. Sort of.


I will update this thread as I make progress!

"Hey You! Build my tank already"
View attachment 562387

"These look delicious..."
View attachment 562388

In my opinion I wouldn't add any neons because they need to be in large groups and a 10 gallon really isn't that big. Others might say it's fine but you really want at least 10 for them to Thrive and there just isn't enough space in a 10 gallon tank. Also if the tank in the picture with the cat is the 10 gallon tank you are referring to I think you may have the size a bit wrong. It looks more like a 20 gallon tall to me. If that's the case you could probably get away with 10 neons just don't add them in all at once as it will cause an ammonia spike and kill all your fish. You want to add around 3 at a time, waiting a week to add more to allow the beneficial bacteria to catch up. Hope this helps in some way. You should be able to find a hood on Amazon that will fit I would recommend finding out what size tank you have first though but the tank in the pic definitely looks a bit larger than a 10 gallon.

 

In my opinion I wouldn't add any neons because they need to be in large groups and a 10 gallon really isn't that big. Others might say it's fine but you really want at least 10 for them to Thrive and there just isn't enough space in a 10 gallon tank. Also if the tank in the picture with the cat is the 10 gallon tank you are referring to I think you may have the size a bit wrong. It looks more like a 20 gallon tall to me. If that's the case you could probably get away with 10 neons just don't add them in all at once as it will cause an ammonia spike and kill all your fish. You want to add around 3 at a time, waiting a week to add more to allow the beneficial bacteria to catch up. Hope this helps in some way. You should be able to find a hood on Amazon that will fit I would recommend finding out what size tank you have first though but the tank in the pic definitely looks a bit larger than a 10 gallon.

I'll look into neon/ember tetras a bit more.
A lot of what I read was people recommending them as betta tank mates?

Betta

The 3.5 is running biomedia that will go into the ac20.
The sponge filter will be coming from the 29 because I am putting a bigger sponge in there.
So ammonia spike shouldn't happen but I will monitor it of course.
Plan is Betta.
Then neons (or others) then let the tank build up for awhile before I add otos.

That is our 29 with the cat next to it.
Was just for refrence as to why I want a blackout hood over glass

I actually tried an aqueonhood that I found locally but was not happy with the fit at all!:
https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/aqueon-deluxe-led-hood-low-tech-plants.407284/

I have an older hood that fits perfectly but it uses incandescant bulbs.
So I will be refitting it for LED and documenting it here.

 

I would not do the El Nino fern. They are not true aquatic plants and will die if left submerged. Java fern will be a better plant. Also, look into cryptocorynes, they are easy to find and thrive in lower light conditions so long as they are fed at their roots.

 

I'm starting with the stand because I want to allow the polyurethane I will be using on the wood as much time as possible to off-gas.
I prefer to keep the wood out of the house until it no longer smells.
It's not THAT much wood but still... off-gassing can't be good for people or fish!

The first thing I did was to grab a piece of MDF I had lying around and mark it for cutting.


I'm using MDF as a top to the stand for 3 reasons:
-I had it already.
-It will help me ensure the 2x4 base is lined up perfectly
-I won't have to rip the 1x6s down to make things line up right (more on that later)

I marked & cut it a little big so that the tank could be dropped in without a big hassle.



Next I cut our some 2x4s to make a frame that sits under the MDF.



Did a test assembly and then started to polyurethane everything.
MDF screws in from the top and 2x4s are also screwed together.




I decided I want some vent holes under the tank.
the stand will sit up a hair on some rubber feet and I figure a little airflow in there can't hurt.



Final coats of polyurethane drying now.

 

I would not do the El Nino fern. They are not true aquatic plants and will die if left submerged. Java fern will be a better plant. Also, look into cryptocorynes, they are easy to find and thrive in lower light conditions so long as they are fed at their roots.

I've read mixed things on that.
Some say that isn't the case.
Others say a baby that is raised in a tank from the get go will do fine:


The El Nino Ferns are coming out of my 29 gallon that has been doing well for a few months and producing babies.

It's actually the babies from that tank (Ferns & Swords) that will be going into this tank.
They are free ... so going to try them.

 

I've read mixed things on that.
Some say that isn't the case.
others say a baby that is raised in a tank form the get gowill do fine.
The El Nino Ferns are coming out of my 29 gallon that has been doing well and producing babies.
It's actually the babies from that tank (Ferns & Swords) that will be going into this tank.
They are free ... so going to try them.

Carry on then!

I still recommend the crypts, though~

 

For the hood, it's a bit of a longer process.

As I mentioned before I tried an Aqueon hood and didn't like the fit at all.
I did like the lighting though.

I have an old "All-Glass Aquarium Co" (AKA Aqueon) hood that fits my tank perfectly.

I was going to take the hood and build some LED lights for it ...
but found a stupid awesome deal on Ebay to get the Aqueon modular LED with 3 light bars for cheaper than one light bar normally costs!

So ... square peg... meet round hole:



First I needed to disassemble the the modular setup.




This cap portion snaps out if you ever need to change the switch on your aqueon modular LED and can't figure it out.
It is a PITA but I promise it comes out.



That exposes the wiring.
I don't think the polarity in the switch is critical as long as you keep same colors on the same sides... but I marked the "white side" with a silver paint pen just in case I ever need to replace wiring or something.



Next I started to desolder everything.
There is some glue you will want to try to remove before doing this. Otherwise it all gets sticky as heck.




Switch numbers in case anyone needs to order a replacement before removing theirs.

 

With the switch out I moved on to the brackets for the light bars.
To get these out I slid my x-acto knife under each one and "cracked" the glue that was holding them in place.
It is not much glue but the sound is a little unsettling.
Then slide them out of the end.





Thinking out loud...



I also have to remove some parts from the original hood to prep it.






Now I am really visualizing where things will go.




More removing.
MUCH better....

 

I used some 1/8" PVC sheet I have to make a plate to hold the clip brackets.




The clips mount to the plate with glue and screws.

 

Cut a square hole where the old switch was and popped in the "new" switch.




The power cable goes back to the same place and I notched to fit the "moon light".
The moon light I held in place with CA glue then used aquarium sealant to get the angle right.




Because the switch is now in the middle instead of the end, I did need to tweak some of the wiring a bit.
Mostly I just cut a section off of the moon light and transferred it to the normal lights section.
Here is everything soldered in, shrink wrapped and sealed up.



I also added some of the PVC sheet in 3 little rectangles to use as spacers to fill the gaps where the screws are. Without them the screws pull the PVC down a lot. This also means I had to get longer screws (3/4" #6). I could have cut away part of the hood to make it more flat but I want to keep as much structure in there as I can, just in case a cat decides to sleep on it.

 

To prevent more evaporation that is necessary, I also decided to seal up some of the unnecessary holes in the top.
They existed to dissipate heat form the incandescent bulbs.
So... more PVC sheet to the rescue!

The sheet bends fairly easily and I used the outside to help me setup the bends.




Held in place with a drop of CA.




Sealed up!




I'll have a few more spots to take care up but will do that once I get the filter setup and everything. Just needed to do the places behind the lights now.

 

I'll look into neon/ember tetras a bit more.
A lot of what I read was people recommending them as betta tank mates?

The 3.5 is running biomedia that will go into the ac30.
The sponge filter will be coming from the 29 because I am putting a bigger sponge in there.
So ammonia spike shouldn't happen but I will monitor it of course.
Plan is Betta.
Then neons (or others) then let the tank build up for awhile before I add otos.

That is our 29 with the cat next to it.
Was just for refrence as to why I want a blackout hood over glass

I actually tried an aqueonhood that I found locally but was not happy with the fit at all!:
https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/aqueon-deluxe-led-hood-low-tech-plants.407284/

I have an older hood that fits perfectly but it uses incandescant bulbs.
So I will be refitting it for LED and documenting it here.

I completely agree that they are good mates but in a bigger tank especially if you plan to add otto's. Tetra are very active and move fast they need lots of space.

 

I completely agree that they are good mates but in a bigger tank especially if you plan to add otto's. Tetra are very active and move fast they need lots of space.

I will evaluate this further.

The Tetras are not a priority for me in terms of wanting them.
I just want something that will work with the Betta and otos.
May even do just a few feeder guppies.

What would you recommend to go with the Betta & Otos?
I do not have a set number of Otos in mind yet either.

Lots of time to look into it.
Nothing but the Betta will be added anytime soon.. and that will probably be a week or two anyway.

 

I completely agree that they are good mates but in a bigger tank especially if you plan to add otto's. Tetra are very active and move fast they need lots of space.

Dan,
Do you have any suggestions on what I could possibly put in with the Betta & Otos?
I will also have a snail or two in there if it matters...

 

Dan,
Do you have any suggestions on what I could possibly put in with the Betta & Otos?
I will also have a snail or two in there if it matters...

The snails don't really matter since they have a very small bio load. The only thing I can think of for a tank that small are guppies. I would try to stay away from the fancy guppies though because they can have longer fins and the betta might tear them up.

 

The snails don't really matter since they have a very small bio load. The only thing I can think of for a tank that small are guppies. I would try to stay away from the fancy guppies though because they can have longer fins and the betta might tear them up.

What about Endler Livebearers?
Not as flashy as a fancy guppy but a little more color than a feeder guppy.
Probably just a few males since I don't want babies.

Or would the fry make delicious snacks for the Betta?
lol

Found this...

 

Finishing touches going on the hood.

Test fitting the filter and there is a pretty good gap.



Since I am sealing up for evaporation anyway I cut up more PVC for filler.



Added a notch and we are in business!




And just for extreme overkill I added down tabs for support, etc.




It is all in the garage curing now.
So up next will be more work on the stand!

 

What about Endler Livebearers?
Not as flashy as a fancy guppy but a little more color than a feeder guppy.
Probably just a few males since I don't want babies.

Or would the fry make delicious snacks for the Betta?
lol

Found this...

Endlers would be good as well. The betta would probably eat the baby's, if you are ok with that it wouldn't be a bad thing.

 

Endlers would be good as well. The betta would probably eat the baby's, if you are ok with that it wouldn't be a bad thing.

I think my Daughter might find that interesting.

How many Oto's would you suggest to go in the tank?
And with that ... how many Endlers?

 

I think my Daughter might find that interesting....

How many Oto's would you suggest to go in the tank?
And with that ... how many Endlers?

I would do 5 endlers and 1 oto. You don't want to over crowd. Especially if your filter is only rated for up to 10 gallons. Usually when its worded that way its really only good for 5 gallons.

 

I would do 5 endlers and 1 oto. You don't want to over crowd. Especially if your filter is only rated for up to 10 gallons. Usually when its worded that way its really only good for 5 gallons.

It will have an AC20 and a minI sponge filter that says up to 10 gallons but yes, probably good for a 5:


I'm hoping to keep water changes to once per week.

I'd prefer to have more Otos as the Endlers are just "filler" and I think Otos are somewhat social?

How many Otos do you think I could do for a maximum with no Endlers?

 

It will have an AC20 and a minI sponge filter that says up to 10 gallons but yes, probably good for a 5:


I'm hoping to keep water changes to once per week.

You should be good with both. Once a week is fine for water changes. That's what I do on my 55 and 10. My 10 doesn't currently have any fish since filters keep dieing for some reason but eventually it will be home to some blue velvet shrimp.

 

I'm finding more info on the Otos and looks like a group is recommended for them.
6 seems the be the general consensus for a minimum.


I may be doing just the Betta and the Otos.
Which will mean I need to keep the sponge filter that is in the 29 in place until I add the Otos so I don't get a spike.

 

Silicone on the hood is dry so I got everything in place.



Testing the moon light and regular lights.
I'll be interested to see these with water...




Here is a rough draft of the stand.
I say rough draft because I cut the two long boards a hair short. So I need to recut them.



Having it setup like this is making me consider notching the rear 2x4 (and corresponding 1x6) so that I can put the air pump underneath the "stand".

So it would still look the same but save a little space.

 

Silicone on the hood is dry so I got everything in place.
View attachment 562916

Testing the moon light and regular lights.
I'll be interested to see these with water...
View attachment 562917 View attachment 562918

Here is a rough draft of the stand.
I say rough draft because I cut the two long boards a hair short. So I need to recut them.
View attachment 562919

Having it setup like this is making me consider notching the rear 2x4 (and corresponding 1x6) so that I can put the air pump underneath the "stand".

So it would still look the same but save a little space.

That sounds like a good idea. Having thigs hidden from view keeps the attention where it should be.

 

More work done on the stand...




This is basically what it will look like when fully assembled.



https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/images-not-loading.410512/page-3
Images not working right but I will update more when the forum is working properly!

 

In order to put the air pump under the tank, I cut out 2 sections of the back 2x4.
I did 2 so that I could get both hands in there in case the airline pops off something.



AFTER I cut it I realized that any downward pressure could bend the 2x4 away from itself, so I flipped it over.
Having the cut outs this way adds structural integrity because of the top plate helping to keep the 2x4 together.
(All of this is probably overkill but if you are gonna be a bear, be a grizzly).



Painting the outer frame.



Added cut outs to the outer frame. I could have made them bigger but this is all that is necessary.
If I need access I just lift up on the outer frame and get in there.




The last thing I added was 4 little rubber feet under the 2x4s.This way water will not sit against the 2x4s if it spills. I skipped this on the outer frame because I can lift it up to dry underneath it. This also makes the outer frame match the tank trim perfectly!

 

Starting to lay out the decor.
Opted to put the sponge filter and the HOB in the back left corner because when you walk into our kitchen you see the right side of the tank from that side.



Initial setup with Anuibas Nana, baby Amazon Swords and baby El Nino ferns from the 29g.




I already added the Betta because I reused the filter material from his prior tank.
So in theory it should be cycled ... but I'll be testing levels daily.


For stocking ... we've decided to skip the Otos or Endlers and will be getting some Pygmy Corydoras (corydoras pygmaeus). I was thinking that I might need to remove the gravel or make a sand area for them to root in ... BUT then I came across this:
"The only Corydoras for which a a fine substrate is not essential are the open water swimmers and the smallest Corydoras known — the pygmy species C. hastatus and C. pygmaeus."


I probably will make them a sand box to see if their behavior differs greatly in it. I will find some white stones or something to make a border for the sand if I do that. My daughter is dead set on white substrate and I don't want the sand & gravel mixing a lot.

 

Just wanted to add in that even the tiny Corys would appreciate a sand bottom... even though they swim mid water (althought not sure that Habrosus do), they spend a lot of time resting on the sand, and they forage thru it to find food all the time. Thought I'd mention since you are still making decisions. Maybe someone else here that has pygmy cories on gravel could provide their thoughts.

I have Pygmaeus, and they are on sand - just thought I'd mention

 

Since the substrate is new I figured now would the be time to swap it for sand if I'm gonna do it.
So I pulled out the gravel on the left side of the tank under the rock and swapped in some Top Fin sand. It's way expensive but on the bright side no cloudiness in the rinse water even on the first rinse!

To get the sand in I first buried some larger white rocks in the gravel. This made a berm to hold back some of the gravel right in the center of the tank.

Then I just scooped out the gravel by hand.

After rinsing the sand the one time, I used my net to scoop up the sand and get it into the tank.
My net for this tank is really small, so I was able to cover the net opening with my hand.
I think this helped to stop any of the sand from getting caught up with air bubbles and floating.
Any sand that did escape and floated I snagged with the net and drug it down shaking it to knock off air.
I'd say it is definitely bigger than sand I am used to at the beach, but it still is waaaaay smaller than the gravel.




I left the plants in the gravel on the right because I had already put in a bunch of root tabs in the gravel. I might swap to all sand though... just have to see what the plant experts think of plants in sand vs plants in gravel.

I did add some new plants too. Micro Swords and some Crypts.
My daughter wants to add some shrimp to the tank (and she wants yellow). So I also threw in some Java moss

I put a test shrimp in to see how the Betta reacts. I know RCS aren't super cheap like a ghost shrimp but I have a bunch in the 29 so even if this guy doesn't make it, it's still better than testing with yellow shrimp that are twice the cost around here.



ANNNDDDD ... we noticed the rock looks like a skull!

 

Added a black background and the water is clear now.



We added 2 Pygmy Corydoras because that is all the store had left.
When they get more in I will add 2 more in but I don't want to overwhelm the bacteria by dumping 8 in at once.

I think the Java moss the store had is questionable.
The better, bigger (further away store) said they have some Christmas moss.
So I might try that instead.

 

Sadly, our Betta passed away a few weeks ago.
Nothing seemed specifically wrong with him externally.
Water parameters were all OK.


On the happy side...
Our Molly from another tank had a batch of fry not long after our Betta passed.
After giving away a bunch we have 6 we are keeping until we can sex them.
So until then, this 10G has become a grow out tank.

We now have 6 Pygmy Cories and a bunch of orange shrimp in there.
I also added a nerite snail, some drift wood and some frog bit.

I think the plants are doing well overall.
We have developed a little bit of (I think) black beard in there.
Going to adjust the light time to see if that helps with it.