# #Betta#Low-tech#Paludarium



## Veritas (Aug 9, 2013)

I love it. I hope to do something similar with a 10g I have sitting around


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## schnebbles (Jan 10, 2015)

Looks nice! I'm working on my 5gl betta tank.


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## HDBenson (Jan 26, 2015)

This guys girlfriend is in a 10g at the moment. She gets let in when "the moment's right," lol. Otherwise it's just him and the Endler's and the Harlies. I'm going to be removing most of the remaining ludwigia and the sword eventually to add another piece of wood for more Anubias... I love that stuff.


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## HDBenson (Jan 26, 2015)

So, I found as the water level was so low the male betta was constantly blowing bubbles ie harassing the female some days he was a gentleman others a real womanizer, lol. I finally started to slowly raise the water level in the tank. This has put the male out of "heat". It's been a month since the last signs of aggression. He still displays and tries(on occasion) to tempt her, lol. No aggression though! I'm thinking this will be a good harem project since no one seems to be in the mood for anything else.

I removed the big sword from the middle and filled in with more C. wendtii both red and green. I also added some H. polysperma "sunset" and the Hygrophila lacustris(I can't remember the current accepted name) growing out in my twenty long. I also removed the Dracaena as I raised the water level. So now I have a nice gap in the back right corner behind the stump. I'm trying to decide what to put there. About a month after set-up I got some very BIG Anubias hastifolia and a huge Anubias frazeri that I was able to split the rhizome immediately. Also, B. huedlotii. I also removed the Myriophyllum and a lot of the duckweed. In place of the duck weed I got dwarf water lettuce and floating Riccia fluitans. Since the addition of the water lettuce I have noticed a drastic decrease in the reproduction rate of the duckweed in both tanks I have it in(allelopathy perhaps? Or, maybe the lettuce is better at uptaking nutrients than the other?). I also added Java "narrow" and "windelov" as well as Lysmachia numularia.


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## HDBenson (Jan 26, 2015)

Update on the "paludarium". Well, it's not so much a paludarium anymore. I've raised the water level about two inches from the very top of the tank. I've been battling green water the last three weeks(I wasn't very proactive about it when it first started... but it's under control and almost gone).

New specs: 
29g bow front
Small internal filter
3x 13w 6700k spirals
3 B. splendens 1m:2f(1-2 more females coming in the future)
4 T. heteromorpha(4-8 more to come)
3 P. wengeii
2 E. zonatum
2 Nerites
2 Assasins
A lot of pond and MTSs

Anubias hastifolia
Bolbitis huedloti
Ceratopteris thalictroides
Cryptocoryne wendtii "green" and "red"
Echinodorus peruiensis
Hydrocotyle sp.
Hygrophila difformis
Hygrophila lacustris
Hygrophila polysperma "sunset"
Juncus repens
Lemna minor
Lysimachia nummularia
Microsorum pteropus "standard", "narrow", and "windelov"
Pistia stratoites "dwarf"
Potamogenton diversifolius
Riccia fluitans
Spirodella polyrhiza

I think that's everything. Pictures to come.

Bump:


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## Mariostg (Sep 6, 2014)

That's nice. It has the "mysterious" appearance that makes you wonder what cane be hiding in there.


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## dpod (Sep 16, 2014)

This project is incredible. I'm amazed you're even considering a harem with a male. Hope it works out well, I'll be watching!


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## HDBenson (Jan 26, 2015)

I agree, that it appears very mysterious. My wife usually doesn't "appreciate" the over grown look of my tanks. But she has given this one her stamp of approval. So far this set-up has been my "best" and favorite tank since my early days of hi-tech. The growth has been phenomenal! And the harlies have been spawning since they have been in there. But, between the bettas and the the other harlies no eggs have hatched. There is only one female harlie and I've caught the other two males regularly following the spawning pair and eating the eggs &#55357;&#56840;.... I'm hoping the addittion of more will give me more females(fingers crossed). Regarding the betta. The thick mass of plants and the intricacies of the driftwood has been the biggest help with the harem. That and keeping the water level so high has helped a lot. The flow of the filter keeps the mass of floaters moving and every few days the entire mass will be in a different spot. I feel like this helps too. My nerites are laying eggs right now &#55357;&#56853;.. no hopes there... the assassin's are on the hunt regularly though I'm hoping I have a m/f... that's about it for now on livestock.. Regarding plants: the addition of a lot of wisteria greatly helped the three green water. That and cutting back my lighting by half. I was running 6 lights before the green water. Anyway, since the extra wisteria has gobbled up the excess phosphate there has been a noticeable increase in plant growth the last two weeks! I'm running out of room for planting.. I feel RAOK will be in order soon!!


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## HDBenson (Jan 26, 2015)

Edit: I keep referring to the Echinodorus sp. argentinensis as peruensis. The two specimens I have are shaded by the H. polysperma "sunset". Did a heavy trim of the "sunset" last week so hopefully this will shed some light on the situation, lol. We'll see how they react. I'm literally running out of planting room. I still haven't filled in the back right side behind the driftwood. The floaters block all light back there. Any suggestions for a VERY low light plant? I may pull the Anubias hastifolia and push it back some more and fill in with stems up to it.... I really want to lose SOME of the floaters.. mostly the Lemna... I think the Lemna is preventing my Spirodella polyrhyza from propogating.

Bump: Tank after green water...


The Sister Wives...


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## nawilson89 (Nov 17, 2014)

Geez HDBenson. Another tank i can look at and go "Why can't mine ever look so darn good!"


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## HDBenson (Jan 26, 2015)

Thank you. I actually like it the most of any of my tanks to date. Best low-tech growth I've had. With this tank I just started adding more and more and trimming more and more and eventually I got this. I removed what wasn't "working" and found something that does to replace it.


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## nawilson89 (Nov 17, 2014)

HDBenson said:


> Thank you. I actually like it the most of any of my tanks to date. Best low-tech growth I've had. With this tank I just started adding more and more and trimming more and more and eventually I got this. I removed what wasn't "working" and found something that does to replace it.


Ah. I just started adding some more to mine. I will fall you and remove some stems that arent doing well.


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## HDBenson (Jan 26, 2015)

If the stems are emersed grown then when you trim just keep the tops(if you want) and plant the submerged growth part. You can keep the original stem though, it will continue to grow if there are still leaves on it. That and, when you are initially planting give yourself some space between plantings( like an inch or, more) and then when you trim just fill in the holes. That and, if you can, trim a few stems at a time and trim different lengths. This way, when you replant them it gives sort of a tiered effect and looks more natural, IMO, like the plant it's creeping along.


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## HDBenson (Jan 26, 2015)




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## Islandgaliam (May 24, 2014)

HDBenson said:


>



This is gorgeous, nice job. The plants look great, and I'm sure the fish are quite happy in there


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## HDBenson (Jan 26, 2015)

Thanks! I'm experimenting with some needier plants in this tank. A Limnophila sp, Pogostegmon erectus, and Hygrophila pinnatafida. Also, some Rotalas, and Ludwigias.


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## Islandgaliam (May 24, 2014)

HDBenson said:


> Thanks! I'm experimenting with some needier plants in this tank. A Limnophila sp, Pogostegmon erectus, and Hygrophila pinnatafida. Also, some Rotalas, and Ludwigias.


What is the yellowish one, mid center, right..a ludiwigia maybe? I hope my experimenting goes as well as yours


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## HDBenson (Jan 26, 2015)

From left mixed in with the Wisteria is: Rotala sp. btw the two Cryptocoryne, then behind the Rotala is Ludwigia lacustris and, the one I think you are asking about is Lysimachia nummularia, Creeping Jenny.


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## Aplomado (Feb 20, 2013)

Really nice job! I love the emersed stuff.


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## HDBenson (Jan 26, 2015)

Aplomado said:


> Really nice job! I love the emersed stuff.


Thanks Aplomado! I'm hoping that before long some of the stems will be reaching the surface and keep growing, that way I can remove a lot of the floaters. And let more light in the lower areas.


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## AJ_117 (Apr 8, 2015)

Are you running a normal HOB or a sponge filter?


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## HDBenson (Jan 26, 2015)

Just a small internal power filter with a directional arm. It's just enough water flow to keep it from being stagnant and move water but, at the same time doesn't knock the Bettas around. I think it's rated for 5-10g tanks.


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## HDBenson (Jan 26, 2015)




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## xmpjx (May 31, 2015)

Beautiful aquarium!! I hope to have something similar in my 10g one day.


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## HDBenson (Jan 26, 2015)

Thanks! I need to add the picture but my Pogostemon erectus is doing great in here. It's not tall enough to be seen yet but there is a pretty open spot right behind the Ludwigias and Hygrophila angustifolia where the P. erectus is hiding and thriving. Also, the Blyxa alternifolia that all but died in my other bowfront while I was on vacation is making a comeback! Woot!! Now I just have to make room to add the Rotala "Goias" to this tank so it doesn't die either.


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## HDBenson (Jan 26, 2015)

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