Hi!
I've been a long time lurker and infrequent poster here on ukaps for a while now, and I think it's about time I made a journal.
I work as a teacher in middle school, and for a few years now I've had a low tech betta tank in my classroom. The scape and equipment has changed a few times, but the tank has remained the same.
I'm still in the planning stages of this new build, but I figured I'd post what I have so far, as well as the current tank.
As you can probably tell from the picture, it's a little bit neglected. Some soil has found it's way out from below the sand, and a little bit of cyanobacteria forming. The glass is also dirty.. 😵
Considering how little maintenance I've done to the tank since setting up a few months ago, it's in pretty decent shape. The scape is okay, but I've never been a fan of the proportions of the tank, and I think the white-ish rocks were a poor choice. I think the betta would appreciate a tank with a wider footprint, so I invested in a new tank, which I think should suit my plans well.
It's a Wio 45F, which is 45x27x20cm. The volume of the tank is ~24 liters, which is about the same as the old tank, but I think the proportions suit the fish much betta. 😉
I didn't have a lot of time today, so I just moved the tank and of the materials into my classroom, and cut a leveling mat out of 6mm Depron. Depron is usually used for isolation under flooring, but I've discovered that it makes for an excellent material for leveling mats. It's about 5£ for a 1 square meter sheet, so it's dirt cheap. It's also very easy to cut.
Well, the 30cm light looks a little bit silly on top of the 45cm tank, but I think it will be fine. It's going to be low tech after all. I might make something to suspend the light above the tank if it bothers me. I put some off cuts of the depron inside the tank, might use it to support rocks later on.
If anyone has any ideas for hardscape or plants, or anything else, I'm all ears.
Equipment for the build:
Tank: Wio 45F (45x27x20 - 24 liters)
Filter: Dennerle Scaper's flow (old model ~360 LPH)
Light: Chihiros WRGB2 Slim 30cm
Heater: Eheim
Background: Frosted film
Plants:
TBD, but:
I've been a long time lurker and infrequent poster here on ukaps for a while now, and I think it's about time I made a journal.
I work as a teacher in middle school, and for a few years now I've had a low tech betta tank in my classroom. The scape and equipment has changed a few times, but the tank has remained the same.
I'm still in the planning stages of this new build, but I figured I'd post what I have so far, as well as the current tank.
As you can probably tell from the picture, it's a little bit neglected. Some soil has found it's way out from below the sand, and a little bit of cyanobacteria forming. The glass is also dirty.. 😵
Considering how little maintenance I've done to the tank since setting up a few months ago, it's in pretty decent shape. The scape is okay, but I've never been a fan of the proportions of the tank, and I think the white-ish rocks were a poor choice. I think the betta would appreciate a tank with a wider footprint, so I invested in a new tank, which I think should suit my plans well.
It's a Wio 45F, which is 45x27x20cm. The volume of the tank is ~24 liters, which is about the same as the old tank, but I think the proportions suit the fish much betta. 😉
I didn't have a lot of time today, so I just moved the tank and of the materials into my classroom, and cut a leveling mat out of 6mm Depron. Depron is usually used for isolation under flooring, but I've discovered that it makes for an excellent material for leveling mats. It's about 5£ for a 1 square meter sheet, so it's dirt cheap. It's also very easy to cut.
Well, the 30cm light looks a little bit silly on top of the 45cm tank, but I think it will be fine. It's going to be low tech after all. I might make something to suspend the light above the tank if it bothers me. I put some off cuts of the depron inside the tank, might use it to support rocks later on.
If anyone has any ideas for hardscape or plants, or anything else, I'm all ears.
Equipment for the build:
Tank: Wio 45F (45x27x20 - 24 liters)
Filter: Dennerle Scaper's flow (old model ~360 LPH)
Light: Chihiros WRGB2 Slim 30cm
Heater: Eheim
Background: Frosted film
Plants:
TBD, but:
- Anubias nana petite
- Bucephalandra kedagang
- Bucephalandra theia (?)
- Trident java fern (need to check if it will be too tall!)
- Emersed and submerged weeping moss
- 1x betta
- 3x "Pink lady" nerite snails (clithon sowerianum)
- Yellow King Kong caridina shrimp
- Maaaybe some chili rasboras?
