OK, nano tank... totally not me, but maybe my journey into betas, maybe Killi's, white cloud minnows???

[Magnum Man]

Well my “jar” is here, and set in place… it’s a really big jar, looks similar in size to a 10 gallon aquarium, standing on end… ( corners rounded of course ) I had a half bag of natural color rounded river gravel, on the shelf, and I put about 2 cups of that on the bottom ( the bottom is not completely flat, it’s raised up about a half inch in the center ), so the gravel is about an inch deep l, around the edges, but only about a half inch deep, in the center, it fits nicely right in the corner window, on a lazy Susan, that has a Formica surface, that could allow the jar to be rotated, within limits, because of the heater cord, air line, and vines, as they grow out into the windows… the lazy Susan sits on a pair of wood drawer units that sit side by side, and were probably night stands, in a previous life… there is an antique drsk lamp behind it, directly in the corner behind the drawer units, that I’ll put on a timer, it has a low wattage LED bulb in it, and Mrs leaves it on all the time right now, so I’ll make up for the heaters electric use, by not running the light during the day, and shutting it off, after our latest bed time… it doesn’t have any water in it yet, as my tiny heater was delayed with the holidays, but yesterday I trimmed a pair of 4 foot long runners, from grandma’s 100 year old Hoya vine, and started rooting them in an energy drink plastic bottle set on the bottom… I’ve decided to put 5-6 Cherry shrimp, and a blueberry snail or two, and when I find just the right male betta… probably a splendens, as long as I find the right colors ( red, white, and blue ), and will probably be a “rescue” from a little cup, at the local pet store…so totally, and eventually, just 1 male betta, 1 or 2 snails, and I’ll try to maintain a small group of Cherry shrimp… if the betta is capable of catching them, I’ll resupply from my shrimp tank as needed…

I’ve not had blueberry snails before, and I have group coming, when they begin shipping, after the holidays… those will be going in another tank, and if I don’t think they would work out in my nano, then probably mystery snails???

Kind of disturbing… I’ve never really looked at the fish in a cup before, but they have started putting other critters in the cups as well, I saw cups that had 5-6 mystery snails in them as well, and maybe other critters… I’m guessing they want a cup in each space to make the display look full, I wouldn’t think 6 - 1 inch snails in one cup of water, would be any happier than a betta…

So as a community, are we saving those “cup fish” or justifying them continuing to do it, if we buy one??? I may actually be inclined to buy one from a breeder instead… it would likely be a better looking ( quality ) fish, and not endorse the “cup fish” displays

 

[Magnum Man]

As it sits today… still waiting for the heater, and most of the scape, before I fill it…

the vines will go to the windows, as they get a little more leg, and after they take root...

 

[Magnum Man]

so, it will hopefully be a while before I find that just right Betta, but the tank is slowly starting to come together...

as I've never had one, is there a significant difference in husbandry between keeping a male, and a female, if they are still single in a tank, with shrimp and snails??? since I've started looking, at the fancy Bettas, there are some very pretty females, even though the "sport" is about keeping males... just to be different, I'm not opposed to keeping a female, if it has the colors, and the look I'm after... thoughts???

 

[Magnum Man]

Pieces are starting to come together on this tank... I'm thinking of using 1 long stalk of lucky bamboo ( I have an extra stalk in a 10 gallon right now ) to route the air line, & heater cord down it to camouflage those in this nano tank... I'm disappointed in the small plants I tried to order all came to me frozen... the heater arrives tomorrow, along with a few small pieces of Spider wood... the sponge filter goes into the tank tonight... will see about a few Cherry shrimp, maybe later this week, & if the blueberry snails I ordered arrive alive, 1-2 of those may go in, by the end of the week... and maybe a male fancy betta, if, and when, I find one like I'm looking for, realistically not until everything is running, and any bugs worked out...

I'm thinking about, a hole about 2 inches in the cover, with a rubber gromet in it, to protect the wire, air line, and plants passing through it... but it has no cover on it right now... but evaporation was always something I hated about any small tanks I had in the past, & with the vines growing out of the tank, I think I'm going to want a cover, to reduce the evaporation...

 

[TwoTankAmin]

The only fish I would even consider in the jar is a Betta splendens. It is a labyrinth fish and can breath air at the surface,Sso the reduced surface area and any limit to gas exchange is not as big an isuue.

I have kept Betta imbellis. I had a trio in a well planted 10 gal on their own. I kept Betta splendens in panted 2.5 gal. But I would not do that again if I wanted splendens, which I do not.

I have kept a few few Celestichthys margaritatus in a 5.5 but that is pushing it re the size by a bit. Seriously fish suggest they need a tank at least 18 x 12 inches, and a 5.5 is 16"L x 8"W x 10"H. I would not put them in that jar.

 

[Magnum Man]

one step closer... water

 

[GaryE]

I see a yellow duck in the background. Is it a fish eater?

I've always figured only male Betta splendens could live in tanks that shape. And only domestic ones with oversized fins. The fins reduce their ability to swim radically, and they become very oriented to hanging under the surface. They don't want to move around, with all the drag we've bred into them. They breathe air, so the depth and oxygen flow don't matter.

Females and short fins (wild or plakats) have been very different fish in my experience. They move around a lot more, so they need more space to live in.

It's a bit of a loop. The fish were kept in small containers, for gambling fighting, going way back, long before the aquarium hobby. Breeders modified them, generation after generation. The natural habitat of a long finned splendens is a jar. They're hundreds of generations out of nature, with a different body shape, huge fins, unnatural colours and a passive way of moving around. We see flashes of what they were, but they do best in slow moving tanks. I would never keep them in a traditional jar, and like a tank for them because those long fins are parasite traps.

Cups? I don't buy long finned Bettas any more. They bother me, now that I've kept and bred wilds, and seen what we've done to the poor things. It took away my enjoyment of them, even I have probably kept 50 of them over the years, some for around 5 years. I used to always have several, as I've had more than one tank since I was 10 years old.

I think we make a mistake when we look at what we learn with longfins and try to apply it to other Betta species, or other labyrinth fish. Fancy Bettas are an extreme branch of the group, out there on their own.

 

[Magnum Man]

well... there is no guarantee of when, but if it gets a Betta, it will definitely be male splendens, but that will likely be at least several months out ... I did notice a couple Cherry Shrimp, that need some culling, last time I looked at that tank in detail, so those will be feeders, but I'll catch a couple net's worth, out of my shrimp tank, as often as needed, to keep 4-5 nice deep red ones in this tank... if an occasional gets eaten, I'd guess that the live food would be good for a Betta, if and when I find the right one... interested in seeing these blueberry snails in person...

https://www.dansfish.com/product.detail/7273/Blueberry-Snail-(3-pack)-(Viviparus-sp.)

 

[Magnum Man]

with Spider wood, and the heater... may get a couple cherry shrimp in by tonight

 

[Magnum Man]

spider wood is cool... and sinks right away, without being weighted down... this is only a 50 watt heater, and it's currently 65 degrees in this corner... it needs to get closer to the 72 degrees of my shrimp tank, before I transfer any

 

[MaloK]

Looks good, It feels small... But I only have a 6 inch pic on a laptop screen... Maybe less wood to leave more place for plants and roots and swimming place.

Put the plants before the shrimps. They are going to like it better.

Lower the water level under the "elbow" of the jar. While it may sound a little dumb. Look at the surface area as you lower it.

 

[Magnum Man]

right now the wood is fully to the front of the tank... nothing is arranged yet... more space behind the wood... I'll be running the heater cord, and air line, down the lucky bamboo stalk, and bonding the vines to the top of the stalk, above the water line, to keep just the right amount of vine stem, below the water, while it's rooting... this is 2 small pieces of spider wood, so if it gets cramped, I can pull one of them out, without having to cut anything

 

[Magnum Man]

this plastic seal will be removed... the stainless lid is hard to remove with it in place, but will sit nicely in place without it... I think I'd like it open topped, but I may cap it, if The water level fluctuates too much, between plant use, and evaporation

 

[Magnum Man]

the sponge filter is rated for more than 20 gallons, so that will always be fine, with next to no bio load

 

[Innesfan]

Looking good. My only concern is if there are sharp enough points on the spiderwood on which a male B. splendens could snag his fins. Easy of to fix but might be worth checking before you add the betta.