my 2 gallon hex has a UGF...i hate it, for a million reasons. I'd like to ditch it and somewhat DIY it to use a mini HOB filter on it. I can't use the hood that came with it if I do that...there's no place for the HOB to get thru. Is there any other reasons than astetics and temperature that he needs a light? The office he's in is lit from 6:30 am till 5:30 (and there's pretty bright natural light till 8), and the temp actually runs a bit warm with the light on...to make the filter fit, I'll need to ditch the light...or does he need it? (unplanted tank) Will the turbulence from the HOB be too much?
changing betta's filtration and lighting
- Thread starter twoluvcats
- Start date
Bruckm...they can jump, its how they get from place to place in thier natural habitat. I'll google it later an come up with a better explanation 
I changed everyhting around today. I'll post a pic when i get one. Elmo actually seemed to like the current from the filter. the water looked so much cleaner. I may end up hooking up a light, just cause the tank seemd a bit cooler. thanks for all the advice!
I changed everyhting around today. I'll post a pic when i get one. Elmo actually seemed to like the current from the filter. the water looked so much cleaner. I may end up hooking up a light, just cause the tank seemd a bit cooler.
thanks for all the advice!
i've seen many a betta jump to it's death.it's hard for a fish to realize that there isn't water outside of it's cup stupid cups
i would check into the azoo palm filter or the red sea microfilter,or you could even check out one by a company called capson enterprises i think,i don't know i seen an ad in tfh but now i can't find the issue.i have seen first hand the azoo and the red sea filters and i think both would be fine for a betta.as a matter of fact when i seen the red sea i think the first thing i said was "i want one".
if you have the same two gallon hex that i do,you'll find that the cover is easily modified with a hacksaw,a razor balde and a nice file.
on second thought at the cost of a microfilter you could get an explorer eclipse2 and never have to sweat it.i think they make great betta tanks.the filter is rated at 35 gph and comes with a biowheel too.and to boot i think they have been retooled to have a small light too.mine was $26 dollars at petsmart and they run about the same or a few dollars less online.
if you find the flow is too much for your betta just put a plant or tow right in front of the return,problem solved.live or plastic is fine.if you use live java ferns are best as the can be bought tall enought to block the return and will get by with room light.if you use plastic just make sure the plants don't have any sharp edges to rip your bettas tail.one more cool thing,they run about 74 to 82 degrees year round.no heater needed.
stupid cupsi would check into the azoo palm filter or the red sea microfilter,or you could even check out one by a company called capson enterprises i think,i don't know i seen an ad in tfh but now i can't find the issue.i have seen first hand the azoo and the red sea filters and i think both would be fine for a betta.as a matter of fact when i seen the red sea i think the first thing i said was "i want one".
if you have the same two gallon hex that i do,you'll find that the cover is easily modified with a hacksaw,a razor balde and a nice file.
on second thought at the cost of a microfilter you could get an explorer eclipse2 and never have to sweat it.i think they make great betta tanks.the filter is rated at 35 gph and comes with a biowheel too.and to boot i think they have been retooled to have a small light too.mine was $26 dollars at petsmart and they run about the same or a few dollars less online.
if you find the flow is too much for your betta just put a plant or tow right in front of the return,problem solved.live or plastic is fine.if you use live java ferns are best as the can be bought tall enought to block the return and will get by with room light.if you use plastic just make sure the plants don't have any sharp edges to rip your bettas tail.one more cool thing,they run about 74 to 82 degrees year round.no heater needed.
Loach...sorry man...R.I.P. alpha
mine has a light in it...so i'd have to remove that to cut the cover, by the time i got done dissasembling it, i don't think there'd be much left...i just cut off a bit of the plexi splashguard for the light and made that the cover. I've already got a spare regent mini (same desgins as bio-wheel mini without bio-wheel), it hangs fine off the side of my tank. The outflow doesn't seem to bother my betta much at all, infact he seems to like to surf it. I can retro-fit it with a bio-wheel, so I'm going to do that soon here. This will be my next betta tank My 5 gallon betta is a Eclipse 5...I LOVE it!! My 2 gallon tank is now the only one without a bio-wheel, but i will be remedying that soon Thanks for the info catfish!
mine has a light in it...so i'd have to remove that to cut the cover, by the time i got done dissasembling it, i don't think there'd be much left...i just cut off a bit of the plexi splashguard for the light and made that the cover. I've already got a spare regent mini (same desgins as bio-wheel mini without bio-wheel), it hangs fine off the side of my tank. The outflow doesn't seem to bother my betta much at all, infact he seems to like to surf it. I can retro-fit it with a bio-wheel, so I'm going to do that soon here. This will be my next betta tank
My 5 gallon betta is a Eclipse 5...I LOVE it!! My 2 gallon tank is now the only one without a bio-wheel, but i will be remedying that soon Thanks for the info catfish!bruckm here's an article that talks about bettas jumping in the wild. http://www.sunlil.com/bbasics.htm
Here's pics of the new setup:
whole tank
top
elmo's really happy...he likes having cleaner water. I know the gravel and the cave are really obnoxious...the gravel is just the bits of leftovers that i had around...and the cave was all i could find in that size...i hope to find something a little less blinding soon LOL
Here's pics of the new setup:
whole tank
top
elmo's really happy...he likes having cleaner water. I know the gravel and the cave are really obnoxious...the gravel is just the bits of leftovers that i had around...and the cave was all i could find in that size...i hope to find something a little less blinding soon LOL
Mine's different too-it's not hinged. Found it for $3 in a hole-in-the-wall LFS whilst on vacation. It's now home to three different plants and two juvenile black mollies (who seem to love it), but I'll probably replace them with Fred the blue Betta. I can't figure out how to post the single pic here without it being humongous, so...it's the fifth picture at http://www.rcorrigan.com/fishpix.htm .
I've got an Azoo filter on it with just floss for biological and particulates(had to nibble away at part of the hood andplexi cover, but it fits great), I dose it lightly with Flourish and Flourish Excel once or twice a week, and have to prune the plants weekly. Got hold of a 5000K CF bulb at Wally-world to replace the blacklight bulb an earlier owner had put in (I'm still trying to figure THAT one out). Might get some black or blue background for it too.
Looks so good that I'm thinking of taking it to work, as part of the 'feng shui' corner of my cubicle. All that's left is to make a wooden stand and hood for it. I've got the black walnut for it, but I need to find my dovetailing/fingerjoint jig for my router. Should be simple enough.
I've got an Azoo filter on it with just floss for biological and particulates(had to nibble away at part of the hood andplexi cover, but it fits great), I dose it lightly with Flourish and Flourish Excel once or twice a week, and have to prune the plants weekly. Got hold of a 5000K CF bulb at Wally-world to replace the blacklight bulb an earlier owner had put in (I'm still trying to figure THAT one out). Might get some black or blue background for it too.
Looks so good that I'm thinking of taking it to work, as part of the 'feng shui' corner of my cubicle. All that's left is to make a wooden stand and hood for it. I've got the black walnut for it, but I need to find my dovetailing/fingerjoint jig for my router. Should be simple enough.