# Just a thought : Re : Divided 10g tank



## PhonicsBus (Feb 7, 2010)

It's starting to look like that 10g tank that I had to reseal might actually be water-tight. I'm going to give it a little longer, but I'm starting to be hopeful.

If it is watertight, and I can use it (or if I have to purchase a new tank, either way), the plan is to divide it so each of my boys can have their own male Betta in it, without having to find space for 2 tanks and all their cords and so on.

I'm planning on making a divider using plastic mesh and binder holders. I'm even going to silicone the holders into place.

My question is this :

Can I put some Java Moss on the plastic mesh (it's craft mesh, not a purchased divider, larger 'holes'), like I've seen some people do to make a moss wall background, with the java moss growing on the mesh in the middle of the tank ?

*Will there be enough water flow through the mesh/moss wall that I'll be able to use just one filter (it's a HOB filter - Penguin something-or-other), and a heater on the other ? *


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

Your sons' bettas will be happy with more room to swim like that, and the water quality will be easier to maintain.

Craft mesh works well as a divider, but if you attach moss to it it will seriously limit water flow. You can just toss a lump of moss in each side of the tank -- it doesn't need to be attached to anything.

I'd put both the heater and the filter on the same side so that the filter circulates warmed water. I've got a 15 gallon tank set up this way and the water is the same temp on both sides.

Bettas and other labyrinth fish like floating plants to lurk under, so if you can pick up some duckweed or frogbit or similar it will not only help with water quality but give the fish a chance to show more of their natural behaviour. I'd offer you some, but you'd have to either come downtown to get it or wait until the weather is warm enough for me to mail it to you.

A 10 gallon tank is large enough that you can consider adding a few other fish. Some bushynose plecos might be nice -- they and the bettas will ignore each other, and the plecos will eat algae and any food the betta misses (of course, they will need more food as well). They can be so prolific that people are giving them away so if you want a couple I'm sure you won't have to pay LFS prices for them.

Alternatively, apple snails would do the same work. Both will be interesting for your boys to watch. Ramshorn snails would be another choice. They'll multiply if they get a lot to eat, and you can crush the surplus against the glass to give the bettas a treat of live food.

It's good that you persevered with that 10 gallon, since you'll now have confidence to fix any other small tanks you get. Around here, people often put stuff they no longer want out at the sidewalk on nice days for other people to salvage. I've picked up a few small tanks this way, some cracked, some merely dirty. You can often get used tanks complete with other equipment at yard sales, too. If you really want to get into scavenging, you can pick up a few old windows and use the glass to replace broken panes. If you're nervous about cutting glass, you can often have glass shops do precision cuts for $2 or so per cut if you bring your own glass or have them use glass from their scrap pile.

Yes, it's true that if you value your time at so much per hour, it's more reasonable to just buy new tanks and equipment, but if you regard rehabilitating old things as a hobby, it's got to be a lot better than watching television: you can have pride in your new skills, and feel like you're doing a Good Thing by keeping things out of the landfill. I think having a parent who can make things and fix things is a Good Thing for a kid to have, too.


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

I've done it before. I set the intake on one side and the output on the other. The HOB also helped hold the divider in place.


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## Tbird (Oct 5, 2009)

Riceburner said:


> I've done it before. I set the intake on one side and the output on the other. The HOB also helped hold the divider in place.


I've done the same.


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