# "Betta House" 16 Gallon Bow Front- My First Planted tank



## redfalconf35 (Feb 24, 2008)

looks good! I think that your cut from 10h to 8h photoperiod will put you on the winning side of the algae war! Also, as the plants grow in, the algae will have stiffer competition for the resources in the tank. If the algae isn't unbearable as is, then with your adjustments and the natural growth of the tank, you've got a recipe for a great low-maintenance tank!


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## demonbreedr16 (Jan 10, 2008)

Wow! That is gorgeous!

I really like that betta, he reminds me of Titanius [my mom's betta] that's going to inhabit my 5.5gal...


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## bherren1 (Feb 15, 2009)

Thank you for viewing and saying such pleasant things about this little tank. I just hope it's not like one of those instances where your buddy shows you a picture of his newborn child and it is the ugliest baby you have ever seen so you force a smile and say, "Awww, he's so cute". 

*demonbreedr16 *, I have recently come to the realization that bettas are a very under rated and under appreciated fish. It is a fish that many hobbyist snub there noses at (I was one of those people for a long time) because of how common they are in the hobby. When we move on to our high-tech, high $$$ tanks and start breeding discus we forget how much pleasure can be had in maintaining a simple layout with a simply beautiful fish. I'll be honest, I kind of cringed a bit at the prospect of having such an ordinary fish in our new set up when my wife and son began seriously looking at the bettas in their little 10 oz. plastic jars at PetSmart. Now I have no regrets. I love Betta. He's a little stud and I need to see about getting him a lady, for the long, cold nights of winter are almost upon us :hihi:. Now I cringe at the cruelty fish actually being housed in one of those 10 oz. plastic jars.

*redfalcon35*, I appreciate your insightful advice. My hypothesis is that I have too few plants in this tank for all of my plants to be such slow growers. I would say, although I have no means to quantify this statement, that it stands to reason that a slow growing plant has a slow rate of nutrient uptake resulting in an excess of nutrients in the tank. The when you couple that with descent lighting and a 10 h photoperiod you allow algae to out compete the plants and have a situation like what I have. The fuzz algae is worse today than it was yesterday. 


So this is my plan to get ahead of the algae once again. 
*1*. I'm going to remove the fish and shrimp and do a large water change, scrape the glass, and remove as much of the algae as I can. With the tank water low, and after a good dip for a couple minutes in some H202 to get rid of as much of the algae as I can, it will be a good time to rearrange my java ferns and crypts.
*2.* I'm going to put my filter media in bowl with some of the tank water to preserve as much of my beneficial bacteria as possible and the clean and disinfect the rest of the components. I will also clean and disinfect the heater.
*3.* Then I'm going to plant the two pots of _Cryptocoryne lutea_ I picked up from my LFS today. 
*4.* Then I'm going to refill the tank and put all of the equipment and fish back into the tank. I'm also going to put the 5 shrimp I purchased with the crypts into the tank.
*5.* Then the last thing I will do is change the photoperiod from 10 h to 
8 h and call it a night. Picks will come tomorrow after everything settles down.

If this doesn't work I'm going to try adding some of my fast growing Hygro from my other tank and see if that helps. BTW, everything I have read says that otos and shrimp love fuzz algae but mine won't touch it......

-BH


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## Aubzilla (Mar 2, 2008)

Please don't get Mr. Betta a girlfriend- splendeds do not get along with "live in" girlfriends. Chances are that you will end up with just the Misses.

I also agree that Bettas are under-appreciated. However, females are even more so under valued. I have a tank of 15 females and they are my favorites to watch.


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## bherren1 (Feb 15, 2009)

:thumbsup:She wouldn't stay in the tank long, but hopefully long enough....


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

If you want to try your hand at breeding bettas, I strongly suggest setting up a separate spawning tank for many reasons, including:

1) Male and female relations can be very violent, and a 16gal tank is not much room for them to get away from each other.
2) The male will probably have trouble maintaining a bubblenest in a tank with much filtration.
3) It's not likely you'll be able to raise a spawn in a community tank.

The tank setup looks really nice, though- great job!


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## DevinWolfe (Aug 1, 2009)

The 16G bowfront is one of my favorite types of tanks. I have actually considered swapping my 10G at the office to a 16G, but it would be a lot of work and nothing would fit....

It looks like a really nice tank so far!


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## bherren1 (Feb 15, 2009)

> If you want to try your hand at breeding bettas...


*lauralellbp*, My days of breeding fish are over, at at least for now. I am trying to focus more on freshwater plants for the time being. I was really speaking more in jest than anything. But you are absolutely right about this tank not being ideal for breeding bettas. 



> The 16G bowfront is one of my favorite types of tanks.


*Devin*, Since I am new to planted aquariums I am finding that this tank's footprint is giving me fits! Of course it doesn't help that my driftwood stump takes up so much room. I'm still looking for something for the 18" tall background, perhaps Crytocoryne crispatula var. balansae. 

Update: It's 4:20 AM and I have class at 8 AM. But hey, the rescape and fuzz algae have been taken care of.

Before:









After (yes this pic is crooked, it's 4 in the morning, what else do you expect?):









It looks much better, IMO. Let me know what you guys think. 

I lost one oto during today's activities. How it jumped out of a half full 5 gallon bucket is beyond me. All of the fuzz algae that I could see is now a pinkish read. H2O2 works!

*Updated tank info:*
*Flora*
Cryptocoryne lutea- These look pretty good. They have a nice bright green leaf with red edges. I hope it stays like that in my tank....
Cryptocoryne spiralis
Cryptocoryne wendtii 
Microsorum Pteropus 
Microsorum Pteropus "Narrow Leaf"
Microsorum Pteropus "Trident"
Taxiphyllum barbieri


*Fauna*
Betta Splendens
Otocinclus macrospilus x 1
Palaemonetes spp. x 9 
Rasbora heteromorpha x 7

R.I.P. Airborne Otocinclus :icon_cry:


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## bherren1 (Feb 15, 2009)

While in class today I was thinking that maybe I should go ahead and add some hygro to the background. I have these 3 species in another tank to choose from:

_Hygrophila corymbosa_ 'angustifolia'
_Hygrophila polysperma_ 'Rosanervig'
_Hygrophila sp._ 'Tiger'

On the other hand, I would really like to plant some _Crytocoryne crispatula_ var. balansae to keep the low maintenance, slower growth and infrequent trimming aspect of the tank. Then there is also the possibility of planting a bunch of _Vallisneria_ in the background. But the bottom line is this: *My background is severely lacking!* 

Any suggestions? 

Look for some more pics after I get home.


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

I like the tank, it has a nice simple, relaxing look. The Vallisneria backround would look really cool. Have you ever thought about adding Anubias plants? Good Job!


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## bherren1 (Feb 15, 2009)

Well, some of the crypts are taking to the readjustments and some are showing signs of melt. The _C.wendtii_ and _C.spiralis _that I already had but moved a bit are fine. The new_ C.lutea_ is showing signs of melt on some and others are OK. This was to be expected and eventually they will all settle in and everything will be fine.








_BOO...crypt melt_

All of the fuzz algae is all pink and fried and the oto (will be getting it 2 buddies today) and 9 shrimp are going to town on it. It should be gone in a week or so. Hopefully with the increased volume of plants they will out compete the algae.








_Pink-fried algae....it's whats for dinner!_ 

I need to find a way to cultivate algae that isn't unsightly and that the shrimp and otos will eat:hihi:. Actually, used to always just let it grow on the rocks in my cichlid tanks. It never looked bad, in fact it made the tanks look more natural. After all, algae was a part of their diet as algae was what many of the cichlids I kept ate in nature. But I do not want it growing all over my plants. 

Still wrestling with what I should do for the background. But it will be the weekend before I get a chance to do anything about it. As the tank is right now the eye is drawn left and up and it makes all of the plants look like that as well. Perhaps finally getting a decent amount of background plants will fix this.








_Full Frontal 10/29_









_Something with height needs to go back there...._ 









_Hey there little shrimpy guy._


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## Amazonfish (Oct 20, 2009)

I love this tank. That's all I wanted to say


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## bherren1 (Feb 15, 2009)

Well, thanks Amazonfish


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

Very nice tank! Love the moss!


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## bherren1 (Feb 15, 2009)

Thank you very much Coltonorr. That means a lot coming from some who has such inspiring tanks.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

bherren1 said:


> A real Kodak moment. This was taken two days after set up. Our 9 month old boxer Sassy loves it. She sat like that for 30 minutes just watching the fish swim!


This was such an adorable picture, I showed it to my husband. He stared at it a long time and said "Kafka is adorable but when did our house get so clean?" Hahahahahahahaha. He thought this was a picture of our boxer when he was a pup. Shows how messy our house is, too. :redface: Boxers are great and that picture is awesome.


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## bherren1 (Feb 15, 2009)

Yeah, we love boxers as well. Sassy is our second. Our other boxer, Gunner, is 6. He is probably laying on the couch when I took this pic. Poor Gun-gun is going gray in the face ....

So, I guess you know what a feat it is to get a boxer pup to sit anywhere for more than 5 seconds:hihi:. And she really sat in front of that tank for about 30 minutes, through a whole quarter of football on TV anyway. It was the darnedest thing. She was watching Betta. He would swim behind the log and she would be looking like, "where did that thing go?" Then he would come out on the other side and her little nub would start wagging.:icon_lol: I swear he was playing with her.

Boxers are such clowns and you've got to keep them busy or else they can get into trouble in a hurry if you aren't looking. But they are super smart as well and an learn anything if you put a little effort into training them. I started training Sassy at three months with the command-clicker-treat method. Clicker training is the best method I have ever used. Sassy mastered "come", "sit", "stay" and "down"(better command than lay since it rhymes with "stay") in two days. 

Anyway, I'm glad you and your husband enjoyed the pic. BTW, all of my wife's family is from WV. They all live near Summersville. We always go through Huntington on our way there. I've spent many summers out at Summersville Lake camping, swimming and fishing. We are going there for Christmas this year.

Ok...enough rambling. If I don't make my posts shorter people will stop reading them.....Thanks for viewing Sewingalot!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Sorry to talk about Boxers on your journal, but our boy is 8 1/2. He still acts like a pup! Yes, I am amazed at how long Sassy sat looking at the tank. Our boy is so disinterested in anything but the water in the bucket. I really have to watch him or he'll jump in them until they knock over.  

Summersville is beautiful. Much more lovely than Huntington. I can't wait to go back. 

Back to your journal. It really is quite lovely. Can you move the heater over any? It may help with the look. Just an opinion. By the way, I grow algae on rocks in the windowsill. I learned it from someone great on this forum. Just fill a small dish full of water, add a rock and wait a few days and you have lots of diatoms to feed your ottos! Probably the second best tip I learned. The first was to buy Prime instead of Stress Coat.


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## bherren1 (Feb 15, 2009)

Great tip for the algae, thanksroud:! I could move the heater, but I want a tall, densely planted background which will eventually cover it. The _Microsorum pteropus_ "Trident" on top of the driftwood used to hide it but I trimmed off several of the older, ragged leaves and now the heater sticks out like a sore thumb. I was thinking of planting either _Vallisneria americana gigantea_ or _Cryptocoryne crispatula_ 'Balansae' back there but I am definitely open to suggestions....

Actually, before I set up this tank I had been thinking of setting it up as a riparium. I had read through hoppy's and hydrophyte's journals a few months ago. I also went to hydrophyte's site, as well as a few others, and read up on them a little. And now you've got yours going. I also read some of the stuff on Chuck Gadd's site about building a background that could go in a riparium, some neat ideas there...Any way, this tank is tall enough at 18". I think it would make a cool riparium. I could leave the plants I have in the tank now and I would try to rearrange the driftwood a bit and still incorporate it in the design. if I'm not mistaken Java Moss grows emersed as well as the 'Trident'. What do you think?


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I was never crazy about vals. They seemed algae prone to me. However, you are looking for some algae, so..... Yeah, it could be a cool riparium. I think the betta would be a cool addition to the type of tank. They are super cool.


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## bherren1 (Feb 15, 2009)

Nothing new on the inside of the tank to report except that the fuzz algae is all but gone. If it comes back I will probably try adding a faster growing, nutrient sucking, easy to care for stem plant like some of the sunset hygro I have in my other tank. As for now I have finally decided to go with _Cryptocoryne crispatula_ 'balansae' for the background. I purchased 5 plants today. They should arrive mid-week. I'll post pics as soon as I get them planted in the tank. 

I have also been contemplating obtaining some RCS to add a bit more color to the tank. I just need to find someone selling them....


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## bherren1 (Feb 15, 2009)

I added 5 Amano shrimp and took out the ghost shrimp today. These shrimp are HUGE! Tried to get some pics for you guys to see but all the shrimp were asleep. But, I'm sure you now what these shrimp look like. My new background plants, Crypt 'balansae', will be here tomorrow. Look for new pics of the tank tomorrow evening.


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## bherren1 (Feb 15, 2009)

Got my C. 'balansae' in today. I'm pretty sure they were cultivated emersed. It will take at least a month for them to melt and start to regrow:icon_mad: and then another 6-8 weeks for them to near their potential. So that's 3 months until I will be able to tell if I like the look or not. Patience is a virtue that I impatiently wish to achieve:icon_roll. :angryfireDAMN YOU CRYPT MELT!!!! OK, composure regained.....Pics when I get back from class.


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## bherren1 (Feb 15, 2009)

Well, it's been a while since I promised pics of the new stuff added to this tank. It being Veteran's Day I had no classes today so I did a little maintenance. I moved the C. 'balansae' "stumps"...most of the old leaves melted:thumbsdow, but some new ones are growing:thumbsup:. Things happen very slowly in this tank so I added some _Hygrophila polysperma _and _Bacopa monnieri_ I got from another tank to A. Help get more plants in the background faster and B. To alleviate my impatience from watching sss...lll...ooo...www plants grow. I have also added 3 Amano Shrimp who are, as advertised. voratious algavores. Enough talk, here are some crummy updated photos:









FTS 11 NOV 09









OTO 11 NOV 09









SIDE 11 NOV 09









AMANO SHRIMP 11 NOV 09


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## redfalconf35 (Feb 24, 2008)

Very nice! If it keeps growing like this, it'll shape up to be an amazing tank! Once that java fern grows in, you won't even be able to tell that there's equipment in there.


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## smcbaranek (Sep 24, 2009)

Beautiful tank, I really like your piece of DW, excellent center piece.


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## bherren1 (Feb 15, 2009)

thanks for the nice compliments. i think i'm gonna leave it alone for a while and just let it grow. 

started dosing ferts on a very limited basis when i put that hygro in. i need to dose to get the hygro to color up. since i already have it on hand i'll dose excel, flourish, &NPK. excel daily, trace twice/week and NPK twice/week. when that runs out i'll use some of the dry ferts for my other tank. i'll play around with amounts and frequency until i get it right. my goal is minimal input and have the plants look their best. we will see.


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## demonbreedr16 (Jan 10, 2008)

Lookin' good! But an idea...Why don't you have the heater at gravel level with it being Horizontal? Mine always look good that way...it's just, I broke my stealth, so my el-cheap-o can't go that way.


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## bherren1 (Feb 15, 2009)

good point. gonna do that. my excuse was always that it would be harder to make adjustments. but that heater has been rock solid and holds steady temps year round. i have not had to adjust it in 3 years. even after a 3 month hiatus.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That looks great and it will be real good when the hygro fills in a little more.

Your dog is super cute. I like boxers a lot too they are so sweet-natured.


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## Heatherdersh (Nov 4, 2009)

Beautiful tank! 

And I'm so with you on the crypt melt. I got my lutea about a week ago and it's just falling apart. I'm going to hate waiting for it to regrow!


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## bherren1 (Feb 15, 2009)

Finally the background is starting to fill in. Here are some updated pics:









FTS 11/17









Right Side 11/7









Left Side 11/17

The _Hygrophila polysperma _'rosanervig' and _Bacopa monnieri_ are growing well. I have not been adding any ferts. I speculated that I might start, and did for twice:hihi:, but it really isn't necessary with this tank so far. Things are growing well and the Sunset Hygro is coloring up nicely w/o ferts. I'm liking this tank more and more every day.

I fear that the larger leaves of the Sunset Hygro may be a little over-sized for this size tank. But maybe I have just been reading too much about scaling of plants over on Aquascaping World. Perhaps in the future I will try a nice bush of Rotala macrandra "green narrow leaf". I have it in my high tech set up but I'm not sure how well it would grow in this low tech, non-CO2 set up. Any thoughts?

My biggest concern right now is the fact that every thing is growing well except my ferns. All three really aren't doing anything. The trident Java is faring the worst. It may be to close to the light on top of my stump. It is curling and browning and not putting out any leaves. None of my ferns are putting out new leaves for that matter. I may move the trident down or take it out completely. Any thought on spurring growth in my fern?


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## bherren1 (Feb 15, 2009)

So it's been a while. This tank is really nice because it just does it's own thing with minimal input on my behalf. It is by far my most successful (yes, success is in the eye of the beholder) attempt at a planted tank. 

My _Trigonostigma heteromorpha_ have been hanging out beneath the leaves of my Sunset Hygro and showing some breeding behaviors but have yet to do the deed. Or maybe they have and have just eaten the eggs. I do not suspect that this is the case as my water parameters are not ideal when compared to the literature for this species. I'm not looking to breed them, but it is still a nice display.

The Trident Java is no more. I gave it to my neighbor. It just never took off that close to the light and really didn't suit this tank anyway. I think I'm going to get rid of the other ferns as well. They are the only plants not thriving in this tank and really seem out of place.

Here are a few updated pics: 









FTS 29 NOV 09. The left background is still lacking. I have some _C._ 'balansae', _C. spiralis_ and _Bacopa monnieri_ that are growing, just not as fast as the Sunset Hygro.










Sunset Hygro is a weed for sure. It grows like mad in this tank and has colored up nicely. It is in need of a trim at the moment. I am waiting until this Friday to trim it because I am giving the trimmings away at a club meeting Friday night. 

I think that once I get enough _Rotala rotundifolia_(I have some in another tank. I am waiting for about 30 stems) it will replace the Sunset. IMO the leaves of the Sunset are just too large for this tank. Another option is some _Limnophila aromatica_ and _Rotala macrandra _'green narrow leaf'. But I'm not sure how well any of these would do without ferts and CO2. From what I have read _Rotala rotundifolia_ and _Rotala sp. _'green' are less demanding as far as lighting and CO2 are concerned, so I may try those. I just need to find enough _Rotala sp. _'green'.......


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