Building A Small Betta Barracks

[Danno]

Well my new project has fronted it's head! I will be making a custom tank to house between 7 to 12 bettas. They will be connected to each other via plastic mesh.

Here is an abbreviated version of my plans:

I was able to find a nano canister filter with a spray bar so the filtration is all set...

But seeing that I will be housing several bettas in one area I would perfer to stick a UV sterilizer in it. I have a 110 dollar budget for the barracks (glass excluded). Now here is the hard part...I cannot have a sump. Second is that most UV sterilizers product too much of a current for them to withstand.

I am flat out of ideas....

 

[Danno]

Next thing...

I was thinking about using this filter with the spray bar facing up to lessen the current. I called up DF&S and they said that the filter can go down to 20 gph. Hope that will be small enough. There will be an area of the barrack that will be isolated so the bettas don't touch or get hurt on any hardware.
Filter

I guess this thread isn't that interesting

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

Are you dead set on using a mini-canister? Last time I drew up plans in my head for betta barracks I decided it would be easiest to go with a large air pump on a splitter for multiple small sponge filters...

 

[Danno]

Nope, i'm not dead set, this is just the planning stage. Although i'm not to big of a fan of just using a sponge filter, but I am deffinatly using a UV sterilizer though. I think I might end up isolating part of the tank off and using this UV sterilizer: Link. What my plans are to use a large coarse sponge after the divider for the the water to slow down on. I would direct the water comming out of the UV sterilizer and moving the water to the other side of the tank. That is why I was thinking of using that filter because it has a spray bar on it.

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

Well I've also seen long strip barracks done with drip lines, although I'm not sure how easy/hard it would be to regulate the water flow in such a system.

 

[Danno]

Well it will be 33 1/2 inches long. The high can be as high as 9 inches and the depth can be as deep as 7 1/4th. The demention space makes it very hard to plan. The UV sterilizer is 9 inches tall which sucks, but the external UVs have too powerful of a flow requirement. I was thinking around 3/4th of a gallon per betta because the water would be very stable and the UV would keep them clean and clear.

 

[Danno]

Does anyone have an ideas?

Sorry, I don't normally bump threads.....

 

[Gill]

That Canister is fine and would be better than sponges in the long run. You can Modify the spray bar and make it longer, Fit Elbows, to reach all areas of the tank.

You could use a fish are fun UV sterilizer and Also attach the outlet to thr spray bar.
They dont take up alot of room.

 

[Danno]

Well the "Fish R Fun" brand is out of the spectrum because I live in the US and that is a European brand only. Good idea though!

I like the idea for extending the spray bar. The only UV sterilizers that I can purchase are the ones on Drs. Foster & Smith and That Fish Place.

I'll see what comes up.

 

[stang1]

My partner used a t-piece on the external filter and fitted pvc piping with holes drilled in to it. This runs along the length of the tank (4 divided compartments) and we can regulate the flow with the filter so there is hardly any current.

 

[Danno]

Excellent!

I will be picking up the glass on this upcomming Tuesday! I'll keep this thread updated and I will probably run into a 'brain fart' problem along the way. It will be my first custom tank. Everything has be ordered along with extra tubing, clear PVC piping, silicone, and fine netted hard plastic mesh for the dividers.

Pictures later next week.

 

[Danno]

Let it commence!

Supplies ordered:

Nano Canister Filter:

Yeah...it's that small...but I have big hands though

Tools used to make the tank:
Sorry for the messy area, I made it in the workshop

Area view:

THE TANK (32" long)

I made the tank a little taller then I was going to. This allows for a space over each Betta compartment so that the Betta doesn't jump into there neighbors area. Plus it allows me to not fill the tank to the brim.

Tomarrow will bring more updates.

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Looks cool!

What thickness of glass did you use and how much did it cost?

 

[Danno]

It's a 1/4th of an inch thick (6mm). I had to go to a glass a mirror shop to order it, it rang up to $55. But when you add the glass and all of the extras needed to make it, it turned up being around 65 dollars.

Glass & Silicone - $65
Food - $9
SPA - $4
Mini-canister Filter - $22
Heater - $14
Prime - $5
Extras - $5

 

[Dorkhedeos]

oooo, how is the pc on that pico?