My Betta tank

[Phloxface]

I recently started switching over to live plants. Here is my 10 gallon tank and my Betta (Lava) so far. It's still a work in progress. I have all live plants except one spiky silk plant behind the pillars on the left. I still need a nice photo background and to find some large rocks or maybe a realistic looking piece of fake driftwood that is big but not too big. (It's hard to find driftwood ornaments for a 10 gallon tank. They all seem to be huge!) Once I get some big rocks and whatever else I'll rearrange my plants a little. Right now they are spread around like an underwater jungle! My Betta LOVES his live plants, especially the Water Wisteria and Cabomba. He loves to burrow inside it and take naps. At least I don't need to worry about him shredding his fins and tail on plastic plants.

 

[Tumbleweed]

Very nice I love the look of live plants over the fake ones

 

[Phloxface]

Yeah, me too! There's just no comparison. Even my Betta seems to notice a difference. He seems much happier and more lively with his live plants. I guess it feels more natural to them.

 

[Gwenz]

That is a realy nice tank.

Gwenz

 

[Stradius011]

I used plastic plants when I first started this hobby, I think it is time for me to change to live plants.

 

[Phloxface]

Here is an updated photo of my tank. It's nearly complete. I'd just like to add a piece of driftwood or a large piece of lava rock that I could drill a hole through the top and put an airstone into to create a bubble volcano. (Anyone know of a place online that sells rocks, driftwood etc. for fish tanks?)

 

[Butterfly]

Really nice tank!!!! Just a word about the Lava rock- I have a piece that I attached an Anubias to and I really like it BUT... it's very rough feeling. Do You think it might be too rough for a Betta?

 

[Tumbleweed]

Nice Tank

 

[Stradius011]

Your tank looks cooler than before!!!

 

[Jim W]

I am calling fake on the betta!! He must like to pose in that spot for pics. lol

I love that thin 'grassy' looking plant. My local fish store claimed it to be very needy of high lighting but is growing very well in my underlit 10 gal setup, I can't wait to get some in my 38.

How does a betta like a tank? Do they swim around much? They just seem so content in a bowl.


Jim

 

[Phloxface]

;D He's definately not fake! He seems to go to that corner when I approach the tank because that is the side I feed him on.
That grassy plant is called Green Mondo Grass and after I bought it I found out it is not even a real underwater plant. Everything I've read says it will die soon so I'll have to see. So far it seems to be doing alright.

As for Betta bowl vs. tank I think you will find pretty much everyone here agrees that Bettas are not happier in bowls. There is simply nothing for them to do but swim around in circles. Most just lay on the bottom most of the time. If you go to the Betta forum here on this site you will find a lot of folks who keep their Bettas in tanks of at least 5 gallons or more. All those Bettas are healthy, happy and very active. Bettas in bowls have shorter lifespans and develop finrot, ich and other health problems much easier due to living in an unfiltered, unheated and uncycled enviroment. No matter how clean you keep a bowl the fish is still better off in a real tank. They are MUCH more active in a tank where the water temp is a constant 79-80 degrees. It is difficult to keep the temp in a bowl in that range and the cooler the water, the less active they become.
Both my Bettas have their own 10 gallon tanks that are well planted with live plants and spend the day happily swimming and exploring, taking short naps in the bushy plants and begging for food. I created an enviroment that gives them lots of mental stimulation which reduces stress and boredom. I've only had them for about 6 weeks and both came to me from a petstore where they lived in small unfiltered/unheated containers and both had developed finrot. I have treated both with medication for finrot and am now treating for a suspected case of parasites just in case. These are problems caused by living in small containers, uncycled cool water and the stress of constant boredom IMO.
Bettas are so full of personality and are so much more entertaining to watch playing happily in a tank rather than sitting at the bottom of a bowl or swimming aimlessly in circles.

Here is two more of my favorite shots of my Betta Lava. Tried to photograph my other Betta but he simply won't hold still and he is a dark color so it's hard to get much detail. I have one shot of him trying to steal food from his Apple Snail.

 

[paul_219]

Your tank looks gr8. But why is the betta staring on the snail .

 

[Isabella]

Phloxface ... what a BEAUTIFUL Betta and a great tank! The fish must be very happy in your tank, compared to what conditions it lived in at the fish store. I love it when people give Bettas large tanks to live in

 

[chickadee]

sells some very beautiful driftwood in many sizes and shapes for tiny tanks and tiny budgets to great big tanks and folks with bucks.  The pieces I have had from them have been beautiful and I just do not happen to be using them right now and because my pictures are a gone with my old computer you will need to look in the Fish and Tank Photos for some pictures of my tanks for perhaps when I had some of their smaller pieces in.  They have nice small pieces where the pet stores have nice big pieces but the little ones all look terribly plain.

Your fish are absolutely beautiful and the tank is a lovely tank.  I love the pillars and the live plants.  Your little one does too!!



Rose

 

[lokky.funky]

Hi Phloxface

Bettas are always great... and yours is stunning..

 

[Phloxface]

Thanks everyone!

Butterfly: You're right, the lava rock is probably too rough. Too bad. It looks so cool.

Rose: Thanks for the link. I've bookmarked it for future use. It may be too expensive for me right now as I am in Canada and with the exchange rate and shipping it may be too much. They are beautiful pieces though...

I checked around at some other fish stores and finally found a really nice tree root piece and it was only $8. It forms a bit of a cave and has lots of arches for him to swim through. It's made of plastic but the texture and color looks absolutely real. It was hollow on the inside and I was worried Lava would go inside and get stuck so I stuffed it with filter floss for now. I'd like to find some Java Moss and put that inside on the top. Lava seems to think he has a new nest and he sleeps inside the hollow part on top (it goes down 1/2 inch) and lies on the filter floss. Sometime he peeks his face out and his tail billows up behind him. He looks like a little bird in there. ;D

Here's a pic of the tank with the new piece:

 

[chickadee]

It is so unique and so lovely and Lava seems to love it. It does indeed look very realistic. VERY Nice!!! You need to enter that photo into the November contest.

Rose

 

[Phloxface]

Thanks Rose!

Now to fix up my other tank...

Here is Phlox's tank as it was last week (before I started his Coppersafe treatment) I had tried 4 other background papers on the tank and Phlox STRONGLY objected to all of them! He flared and bit the glass until I removed the offending paper! Finally I tried the one you see in the pic. He backed up a little, turned his head from side to side examining it, and then calmly went about his business. This was his way of letting me know he approves of this scene. Oddly enough it matches his pillars theme perfectly...

;D Bettas! You gotta love em!

He has a bucketful of new live plants waiting to be put in when his treatment is done. I'll remove the few remaining silk plants he has now and try to landscape the tank in a way that meets with his approval. I'll post his "after" tank shot when I get everything set up.

 

[gammerus]

I love the white rubble

 

[Stradius011]

Thanks Rose!

Now to fix up my other tank...

Here is Phlox's tank as it was last week (before I started his Coppersafe treatment) I had tried 4 other background papers on the tank and Phlox STRONGLY objected to all of them! He flared and bit the glass until I removed the offending paper! Finally I tried the one you see in the pic. He backed up a little, turned his head from side to side examining it, and then calmly went about his business. This was his way of letting me know he approves of this scene. Oddly enough it matches his pillars theme perfectly...

;D Bettas! You gotta love em!

He has a bucketful of new live plants waiting to be put in when his treatment is done. I'll remove the few remaining silk plants he has now and try to landscape the tank in a way that meets with his approval.  I'll post his "after" tank shot when I get everything set up.

Phlox has such a unique personality!