Divided, We Stand...

[BettaBGood]

For those of you who house male bettas in the same tank, with dividers, what technique(s) do you use? Store-bought dividers? DIY dividers? Heater? Filter?

I am considering dividing a 10 gallon (maybe a 20L gallon if it's do-able) and will appreciate comments regarding what set-up works for you.

Thanks.

[ILovetheDark]

rhyn and i made dividers outta plexi - glass for our 2.5 gallon tanks.. and rhyn made one for her 5 gallon... it works really well

[Rhyn]

Making dividers yourself is extremely easy - take a piece of plexiglass, mark where you wanna cut, take a straight edge (metal ruler recommended), and use a utility knife to cut. Cut a decent sized groove, make one or two slices on the other side, then snap that sucker in half. (If it's a tiny section you can't grip, use pliers to take it off tiny bits at a time). You may wanna use sandpaper or (even better) a grinder to smooth the edges down. Personally, I only end up with one jaggy edge and that one goes into the gravel.

If you're talking one of those standard rectangular 10 gals, they made dividers for you. I've seen them at Petsmart, Petco, and our lfs. Dunno how expensive they are - I've never looked. It's pretty cheap to buy the plexiglass ($3 for 12"x24" sheet at Home Depot) and the leftovers can be used for some pretty awesome art projects.

[Betta MVP]

I've got my 29 gallon tank divided with the tank dividers that you can buy at most pet stores. They have lots of tiny holes all over them so water can flow through. Here is a pic:



I like them, but the clips that go over the edge keep the lid from sitting down flat. Also, when siphoning the gravel, they push around pretty easily and I have to readjust them after cleaning. I have a large hang on the back filter in the large compartment and sponge filters in the other two smaller compartments to keep the water clean and flowing around. Before I did this, the compartment that had the heater in it was always warmer.

www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=6&pCatId=9837

I like the idea of using plastic canvas to make dividers. If my tank was smaller, I would use that, but the 29 gallon is so big. If you want to get a piece of plexiglass and cut to fit, that would work great too. I would drill small holes all over it though so that water could flow through.

[Rhyn]

Yeah, I forgot to mention the drilled holes part. The divider for my 5 gal doesn't have that in it yet, nor do the teeny ones for the 2.5s, but a divider I made for an old tank did. (I haven't used the 5 gal divider yet - Perseus has it all to himself, and the current 2.5s are unfiltered. I just haven't gotten around to drilling holes in it yet)

Average drill will go through. You just gotta be careful not to push TOO hard or it'll snap. If it does, a dot of aquarium sealant'll fix it.