# i want a glass pot/vase tank.



## TactusMortus (Jun 28, 2011)

Definitely depends on the dimensions of the pot. However most find it beneficial if your going to forgo a filter that you plant heavily with stem plants. I choose to use a filter so I could have more low light plants and less stems.


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

thanks. will Rotala rotundifolia do? i have some, but am also worried that they'll grow too tall/long.


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## TactusMortus (Jun 28, 2011)

Rotala rotndifolia will work. You can always trim them. I find stems to be a pain in these vases because they grow so quickly you end up constantly trimming. However if you don't want to be trimming. Just let the stems run there course. Who knows what it will end up looking like however should be cool either way more of a jungle look.


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

alot of stem plants if let alone will grow out the top with emergent growth, which IMO is very cool.


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

done.


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## Penny (Sep 16, 2011)

If it turns out to be at least 2 gallons and you use the heater, I think your betta would be very happy in there!


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

:unamused:

the pot i had in mind has a chipped rim.


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## Ozydego (Aug 29, 2011)

Craft stores sell a ton of different shapes and sizes... I saw all sorts all for less than $20 at Michaels.... Some very interesting shapes as well... Guaranteed you will find something cool, I had trouble narrowing it down myself...


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

right. hopefully this weekend.


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

At Michael's now. A rather disappointing selection.

I don't want a classic bowl and the cylindrical vases they have are small capacity-wise. Saw a 6" x 10" one, but that's only 1 gallon. 

They have a 8" wide one, but it's 18" tall. Too tall for me.

If only they have a 12" wide one.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

The Walmart near me carried all sorts of glass vases at different sizes. I am not sure how thick that glass is but I assume for a plant you would be filling it up with water anyway? Some were definitely larger than 2 gallons as well. 

You could also check your pet store, betta vases come in all shapes and sizes and you might be able to find one you like! Good luck!


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

thanks, diwu13. i'll take a look at Target at some point (i refuse to shop at Wal-Mart).


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## DishyFishy (Jul 17, 2011)

I was just gonna suggest Target. My buddy has several Betta's and he got all of their vases/bowls there. They have a pretty cool selection.


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

thanks, dishy.

have to say i'm a little bummed out at not being able to get started today.

might have to wait until next weekend. i've got brakes pads, rotors, an axle, and possibly some control arm bushings to tackle next week. hmmm.... maybe it more sense to wait until the weekend for those.


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## DishyFishy (Jul 17, 2011)

lol i know the feeling!!! I have a 29gal that im sloooowly setting up.. b/c of my lack of funds. But hey, putting it all together is 75% of the fun!!


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## msharper (Aug 19, 2011)

I just set up this cylindrical vase I bought at WINNERS (TJ MAX in the U.S.) it cost me under $10 and I filled it with MGO potting soil and Home Depot play sand. Very easy and great fun. The plants for now are hygrophila difformis and nomaphila stricta both of which I believe are robust enough to handle the access nutrients from the fresh MGO soil to start things off. What is the basic look your going for? Jungle? Or something clean and simple looking, like a small piece of drift wood and some anubias?


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

thanks, msharper. i'll see if i can get over to the other side of town soon.

i'm not entirely sure yet. depends on what kind of a container i get.

i have random bits of slate sitting around and the Rotala rotndifolia, but i'd like to not have to buy anything extra. we'll see


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## msharper (Aug 19, 2011)

Yeah for sure. Keep it simple and don't spend any more money than absolutely necessary. Whatever hardy plants you have extra of would work great to start it off. If after that you fall in Iove with it you can scape it and acquire special plants as you go. Post some pics when it's all set up.


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

boom! approx 2 gallons. $15.79 at Target.


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## 10gallonplanted (Oct 31, 2010)

MAn thats a nice bowl, gonna make planting so easy compared to my bowl.


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## msharper (Aug 19, 2011)

Very nice choice!


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## TheJadeShrimp (Oct 13, 2011)

Very nice! Can't wait to see it up and running! Kinda high in price, but each to their own.


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

I like the shape (and the larger water volume)!

msharper: what is the size (volume) of your cylinder approximately?


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## msharper (Aug 19, 2011)

madness said:


> I like the shape (and the larger water volume)!
> 
> msharper: what is the size (volume) of your cylinder approximately?


Prob. more like 3gallons but with the amount of dirt and sand I have in it I'd say about 1.5gallons of water.


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## msharper (Aug 19, 2011)

Here's an update. I added some jungle vals but the emerged growth is really what I'm pleased with. I have one male guppy that's been in there pretty much since the start. I'm just doing top ups now when the water gets to low. The trick with the dirt was doing a 90% water change every day for the first week do remove all the access nutrients from the water column. Can't wait to see your bowl Gil!


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

so the idea is to clean the vase, gather to dirt and start soaking tonight.

should have plenty of time since the wife is glue to dancing with the idiots.


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## jasa73 (Jun 3, 2007)

I found a great pedestal bowl base at Pier 1. You might want to try there.


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

so i can't decide. should i just have the rotala rotundifolia? or throw a carpet of java moss in there as well? though it might be a pain to keep the java moss down and then under control.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

throw in a blyxa.

that's a good bowl to work with. be very careful with it because these particular ones can be fragile and cant take a lot of abuse from hitting the sides with substrate/rocks, and you cant put too much pressure on the sides. just be gentle with it in the setup phase.


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## sssnel (Nov 8, 2011)

+1 on Blyxa

I have it in my vase. It looks amazing.


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

I'll have to look up what that is when I get home.


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

looks really nice. so who wants to send me ONE as a RAOK or for a token sum?


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## Ozydego (Aug 29, 2011)

The glass on that bowl looks pretty thick, it might be why it was more expensive, but would hold up better to abuse... Unlike the one guys bowl that cracked only by him turning it...


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## cjtenny (Oct 9, 2011)

I have some great blxya from my high-tech 29G (has snails, although I can try to remove any; BBA on an amazon sword only, never on anything short / the blxya) if you want. PM me if you're interested!
I saw that very same vase at target tonight while looking for pots for non-aquatic plants


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## msharper (Aug 19, 2011)

Here's an update on my vase for you Gil. It really shows how fast the growth is. Plus I'm loving that emerged growth!!


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

so.... my wife just asked me, "do you have a cover? you remember that Jamie has jumped once before already. right?"

bummer. what to do now? buy a glass plate to use as a cover?


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

get a custom cut glass cover to fit perfectly on that vase ad look good. you simply take a cutout to a glass/mirror shop near you.


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

a cutout?


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

yes a cardboard cutout of what you want the glass cover to look like. they need it for the dimensions.


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## msharper (Aug 19, 2011)

You could just cover the surface with floating plants, no?


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Plexiglass, you can cut it yourself. Its kind of a pain tho.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

plexiglass fogs much worse than glass and takes out much of the light. it also warps.


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## msharper (Aug 19, 2011)

What about window screen? Light can get through, some plants can grow out, and no worries about jumpers...


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

that's a great idea. i'll look for some screen.

maybe even one of those metal ones you put over a pan when frying stuff so grease doesn't end up all over the stove.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

the screen will block a good amount of the light...i dont get why people dont just use glass covers 
is it too expensive, is that it?


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## msharper (Aug 19, 2011)

Your light can be adjusted accordingly. Instead of a 13watt cfl Gil could use a 26watt cfl and just place it a little higher above the bowl. . I don't think $$ is really the issue here. It's more the look condensation on a glass top will have. With a screen, emerged growth will pretty much make the screen invisible, that and the fact it's black.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

msharper, have you used screen to cover your tanks? it looks terrible and no plants can grow through it...


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## Ozydego (Aug 29, 2011)

agreed, screen is not ideal ESPECIALLY with emerged growth, if it grows through the screen, then access is limited, I would say see how it goes without any cover... if an issue arises then I would go w/ glass personally....


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## msharper (Aug 19, 2011)

Mine is not covered. It was just an idea as an alternative to glass which would require a professional to cut it etc. in this particular situation. Look is personal preference my preference is open top.


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

been a long and slow process, folks.

finally planted and added gravel on top of the dirt. i'll need to filter the surface of the substrate. no way i'm going to be able to move the plants around without stirring thinsg up like crazy.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

that's why you don't really want to use planted stem plants- they require too much trimming. also the heater could be buried in the substrate, however if you don't want to stir things up, then you could probably block it with something like blyxa that will grow over it. right now it sticks out too much haha.


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## 04100824 (Aug 26, 2010)

I know I'm a bit late on this, but I bought a huge vase from Ikea for about $25 that holds about 3.5/3.75 gallons. I just keep the water level down a couple/few inches from the top to keep my betta in there. 










http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30122199/

(and, by the way, I had the exact same bowl from Target until I broke it when moving, so this betta has lived in both.)


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## allaboutfish (Oct 14, 2011)

04100824 said:


> I know I'm a bit late on this, but I bought a huge vase from Ikea for about $25 that holds about 3.5/3.75 gallons. I just keep the water level down a couple/few inches from the top to keep my betta in there.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


i hope you have a heater


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

that vase looks great btw! just remove the apple snails as they are not helping the bioload situation at all - huge waste producers that grow large and require much larger tanks. if your water is hard and alkaline, you would enjoy Sulawesi snails much more. a heater set to around 79F or more is vital for both the betta and sulawesi snails.
My snail recommendations would be a couple of yellow poso tylos.


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## 04100824 (Aug 26, 2010)

I have a heater, same one the OP has, though temperature fluctuation has not really been an issue, so I'm not using it t this point. The snails have my 29 gallon they can go to.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

04100824 said:


> I know I'm a bit late on this, but I bought a huge vase from Ikea for about $25 that holds about 3.5/3.75 gallons. I just keep the water level down a couple/few inches from the top to keep my betta in there.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


May I ask why you have like 5" of substrate in there 

Is it ~3.5 with all the substrate? Or when the tank was empty?


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## 04100824 (Aug 26, 2010)

Point wasn't to hijack the thread. I like the substrate and it takes about 3 gallons to fill it still.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

it gives the OP some ideas, IMO.


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

i'll see about redoing it in a few weekends.

the point was to reuse as much existing stuff as possible and not spend money. i'm already slightly disappointed that i had to buy a vase.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

so you don't even want to buy plants for this D:
I truly think this would look very nice with blyxa.


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## msharper (Aug 19, 2011)

Just to keep this thread alive I thought I'd try to inspire the OP with my vase after two months.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

great ecosystem.


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## msharper (Aug 19, 2011)

Newman said:


> great ecosystem.


Thank you. Just to let people know, I used only clippings from my other tanks and household plants. The key is to just let it go crazy and then start trimming back. About two months in and now I'm trimming weekly!


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## moonshinetheslacker (Sep 13, 2010)

I also have an Ikea vase setup, which my 5 year old LOVES. I don't think I'd change much about your vase. You want to keep things cheap, easy, and simple? Throw a single crypt in the center of your vase, and pick up 15 or 20 feeder ghost shrimp. They really aren't given their due reward for being cool, CHEAP, little pets. One crypt will cost you another 3 or 4 dollars, spend 2 dollars on the shrimp, and you have a nano! 

A bonus to the ghost shrimp, which I think is a lot of fun, is feeding them colored flake food. You can see their heads change color when they eat it.

One or two otos also might do well in your vase.

I think you are limiting a lot of "cool factor" by wanting to keep a beta in the vase (try to hide the cover, adjust the light, hide the heater, etc.)

JMO

Take it easy, and feel free to check out my ikea vase thread.


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

very disappointed in myself. about 2 weeks ago, trimmed everything down to let it regrow more evenly. haven't even LOOKED at the vase since the weekend. checked in on it today and saw this.










needless to say, a massive water change is in order.


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## Kehy (Feb 5, 2012)

I just started up my 2.5 gallon vase three days ago. Looking pretty good so far, IMHO








I feel terrible because I wasted most of my $40 on this $25 vase, wish there had been a better deal, ugh!


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## Koi Kameon (Apr 25, 2010)

*Update on Target vase?*

gil--just bought exact same vase at Target--very thick glass.What is the update? Kehy--for what it's worth. It's a gorgeous vase. Can you list your plants for me? My Target vase is about 2.25 gallon to 2.5 if I go to the top and don't add rocks, etc.

Gil--About covering it--I have used glass and plexiglass cut to fit and haven't noticed a difference in condensation levels. Don't know about light levels. They seem fine with the plexiglass and the one I had for over a yeaer never warped. If worried about that, tell the hardware store you want the thicker plexiglass--I had two thicknesses to choose from. If you decide to cover it, I would just measure the diameter plus 1/4", go down to local hardware store like a True Value to their glass cutting, window screen fixing table and ask them to cut it out in glass or plexiglass. Super cheap. My 5' glass was even free bc it was a little scratched on top and I just got a 3 1/2 inch, 7 1/4 inch, and 6 1/4 inch rounds plexiglass for about 4 bucks. I just leave them slightly slid off of center of the vase for a little airflow and just take them right off to air out tank. Really cuts down on dust getting into it, evaporation, and probably keeps some heat in. And maybe a betta.


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

koi, did two almost-full water changes on wednesday night, filling it with water from my main tank.

i really should get on with a cover of some sort. jamie hasn't tried to kill himself, but i'd like to not have to fill the water as often.

i should really just suck it up and redo the whole thing. should just invest in some decent plants.


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

Gil,
when the water change was performed, did you upset the substrate when refilling? this will kick up a bunch of stuff and cloud the water. the other possibility is an algae bloom when having the lights on for too long.


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## Koi Kameon (Apr 25, 2010)

*What's the update?*

Did you re-do the whole thing? Was it just a swirling substrate issue? i'd like to see what you think when all the plants are in it and it's running. I've noticed a clear haze in mine that doesnt' show in photos. I THINK it is just from the size, shape, and thickness of the vase glass. Not observable near edges of glass, defiinitely obvious (but not annoying, actually softening) in middle where the low light ikea lamp is aimed. Wondered if you had the same effect going. My 30 oz. bowl and 45 oz. cylinder do not have this problem. But only the bowl is lit from overhead and that is a stronger light for that size. 5 gall tank crystal clear.


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

shouldn't have disturbed anything/much. i have a layer of gravel on the surface of the substrate.

maybe it's because it near a window. i've dialed back my light 2 hours. will see if it improves.


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## kuro (May 21, 2010)

Here mine i started a month ago and no jumper, lol well they can't the floating plant is to thick for them to jump through, 





Lower your lighting a bit, mine to the side of my light and completely covered with floating plant.


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

Completely tore down and redid Jamie's vase, and got him a girlfriend.

a little posturing between the two when i first introduced the female, but things have settled down nicely since. buried the heater like was suggested. now to just wait for the plants to grow.

threw out all the miracle-gro organic dirt and went with straight gravel. i think need something else in there. it's just so bare!


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## Ozydego (Aug 29, 2011)

Do you have another place for the female to seperate them if necessary, I thought there were some times when they get aggressive and shouldnt be together... somewhere in the mating cycle...

Personally, I like the look of it now, are you using root tabs to help fertilize the substrate??


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

Ozydego said:


> Do you have another place for the female to seperate them if necessary, I thought there were some times when they get aggressive and shouldnt be together... somewhere in the mating cycle...


nothing right now, but i have a 2-gallon i can set up in a hurry if need be. i'm hoping they'll get along. not sure where i'll put this 2-gallon tank.


Ozydego said:


> Personally, I like the look of it now, are you using root tabs to help fertilize the substrate??


nothing at the moment. really need to get a handle on ferts. the more i read, the more my head spins.


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

i think i might have to shake things up again and add some flourite under the gravel.


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## Ozydego (Aug 29, 2011)

the key to these setups are the quick growth of the plants so that they use the contaminants that are left by the fauna. Quick growth and/or a large plant mass is the key to these Walstad inspired bowls. Without fast growing plants and a large palnt mass, the water gets fouled quickly and the water may need to be changed daily, especially with two bettas in the 2 gallons... A fertilizer of some sort helps the plants grow and require more fauna contaminants, so if not a nutrient rich soil/substrate, root tabs are an option.


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

i see. any recommendation for root tabs? are these to just help with start up? or do they need to be used on a regular basis?


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## Ozydego (Aug 29, 2011)

I use seachem root tabs, maybe 1 or 2 in the bottom, once every 4 months... I use them in my 55gal heavily planted, the plants seem to love them.


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

yup. Jamie killed the other fish.


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

Ozydego said:


> I use seachem root tabs, maybe 1 or 2 in the bottom, once every 4 months... I use them in my 55gal heavily planted, the plants seem to love them.


awesome. thanks.


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## amcoffeegirl (May 26, 2009)

I hope you have learned not to put 2 bettas together in a small space. they should be placed together for breeding only and in a much larger area. also i think if you were buying a vase you couldve just got a small nano tank with a filter and a proper heater. i think you will kill your other betta also. I was shocked that the betta was already in there. not good


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

Yeah. Lesson learned about the beta. 

And yeah. I COULD have bought a real tank, but what's wrong with a vase? Kill Jamie? He's been in there since November.


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

here's an update. tore down my 36g 2 weekends ago and put everyone in the vase.

temp solution until i get my 10g up and running. gave away plants, but did have these guys from some exchange or other. no idea what they are, but they're doing well.


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