My First Two Planted Tanks...

[constantine03]

So, these are my first two planted tanks. They each house wild bettas, so I wanted to make sure they were heavily planted and had hiding spots....

The first:

This is an oval wall tank. It holds a little over 7 US gal, and is about 1 1/2 times the length of a regular 10 gal. It has a 15w eclipse fluorescent bulb in it, a submersible heater, and a stingray submersible filter. The substrate is white sand mixed with laterite. The CO2 is a DIY coke bottle coming through a small bubble wand next to the filter. The bubbles from the wand go up pretty quickly, but hit a ledge in the back of the tank, so they don't just go to the surface and pop...does this help the CO2 to diffuse better? I really don't want to silicone a ladder to the tnak. I've also been using a fert. every week. There are two fish in the tank-- a pair of wild betta channoides. Sorry- no pics of them right now as they are hiding like crazy! Sorry about the thermometer still being front and center. Just wanting to make sure that my temp stays right, and it's hard to see when it's back behind the plants. There's a coconut hut and terra cotta pot for hiding, a few rocks, and a piece of wood.

Do you think it's okay, or too much? Do you forsee problems with the plant choices?


The second:

This is a 6 g eclipse tank. Has all the stock eclipse parts, and a submersed heater. The set up is the same, only with black sand and some different plants. The CO2 is also run the same, and it comes up and hits the bottom of the filter unit so the bubbles stick under it for a while as well... there's a trio of wilde Betta Rutilans in this tank. I managed to get two of them in a shot.

I need to prune the sword plant, but otherwise, what do you think?

Thanks for any advice!!

 

[5teady_2012]

I personally think they look good kayla, especially the first pic, got a nice look and cosey feel to it.

 

[constantine03]

No one else?? I suppose they'll be okay then.

 

[Rlon35]

No one else?? I suppose they'll be okay then.

I love that oval tank. Almost as nice as your picture...lol...seriously, I think you've done a good job with them...they look quite nice.

 

[lljdma06]

I would add some floating plants to the oval tank. I think the B. channoides would appreciate it, as the glare from the light could be what's scaring them. A salvinia species or Amazonian frogbit might do the trick.

Both of these tanks are good starts. 15w over 7g is going to be low-light and basically your plant choices are good, though I can't positively ID the reddish stemplant on the right. Also, be sure not to cover the rhizome of the java fern with the substrate, only plant the roots to anchor it. If the rhizome doesn't get circulation, the plant will die. What is the wattage over the 6g? You can opt either to use or not use CO2, it won't be essential. But it never hurts and it'll drive down the pH for the bettas. Nice find on those, lovely fish!

 

[Dave Spencer]

OK, so you have put your tanks up on the planted tank forum and asked for some critiques. Well, here is mine:

The pots, caves etc. have to go IMO. They give the tanks a toy like feel. Attach the Java ferns to something like driftwood, but make sure you leave the rhizome out of the substrate like Llj says.

In the oval tank, the stem plant on the right looks out of place with the broad leafs you have in there. I would take it out and put it in the second tank. Replace it in the oval tank with more Crypts, or a stem plant with leaf shapes such as Hygrophilla corymbosa `Angustifolia` or Juncus repens. The leaf shape of these stems would be more complimentary, IMO.

In the second tank, the sword looks a little too overbearing for the tank size. Maybe replace it with narrow leaf Java fern. Cut the stems on the right half way down their length and replant them among the originals. Get this area looking a little more bushy, rather than just having a few straggly stems.

Always try to have a foreground, midground and background, rather than a wall of tall plants at the back sat in front of a field of lower plants.

All your plants look very healthy, and you should see some reasonable growth levels that will help you to fill the tanks out more. keep up the good work.

Dave.

 

[constantine03]

Thanks for the replies! I was wondering about the reddish plant in the oval tank myself.

The pots/huts may have a play-like look to them, but wild bettas have to have a place to hide-- it's essential for them to not beat each other up, and be able to have some place to nest-- so unless I can find something else that's not as "toy" looking, they'll have to stay. I don't mind the way they look though.

I'll work with the suggestions you've all made, and see what I can come up with. Thanks!

 

[johno]

Thanks for the replies! I was wondering about the reddish plant in the oval tank myself.

The pots/huts may have a play-like look to them, but wild bettas have to have a place to hide-- it's essential for them to not beat each other up, and be able to have some place to nest-- so unless I can find something else that's not as "toy" looking, they'll have to stay. I don't mind the way they look though.

I'll work with the suggestions you've all made, and see what I can come up with. Thanks!

Try putting Java moss on the coconut shell

 

[constantine03]

Is there a different kind of moss I can put on it? I'm not a huge fan of java moss (though I had thought about that). What about some riccia? Would it be okay in my tank?