Desktop Tank

[rocksmom]

Tank has been upgraded to this one: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...=281466&page=1

I've wanted a tank on my desk for awhile now, and I was originally going to do a 7.5 gallon cube. I decided the weight made me nervous since my desktop is glass and the only thing supporting the corner piece is screws. I did wedge a 2x4 under the frame so it probably would have been fine. Anyway I decided to go with a smaller one instead. Nothing fancy, just one I got from a LFS. The glass is a lot thicker than the Aqueon ones and it came with a glass lid that has notches for equipment.

Equipment
Visio "Betta3" tank (about 2.25 gallons)
ZooMed 501 Canister
DIY lilypipes
Archaea 25w heater
Finnex 10" FugeRay (tank is actually 12", but it sits directly on the lid because of the black frame, plus I wanted a little less light)

Hardscape
Up Aqua Shrimp Sand (leftovers)
Pa Hai stone from AFA

Dosing
Pfertz and excel until my supply runs out

Flora
Some type of ludwigia I think.. could use some help with ID
Anubias nana
Mini pellia
Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides
Frogbit (hopefully temporary)

Fauna
Betta
Nerite snail

Current FTS as of 2/13:

[rocksmom]

I don't really have any "in process" shots of this tank. I actually set it up a couple of weeks and had it in my bedroom, but changed some things around to make it a little more betta friendly. I took out some manzanita twigs I'd had in there and added all the stems since my betta, Mr. Fish, likes to hang out in plants. I moved the hydrocotyle from behind the rocks to the open area to try and make a carpet out of it. Not 100% sold on the plants at this point, but I like the rocks and the slope. My other option so I wouldn't have to dose would be some type of java fern behind the rocks and a moss carpet. Hmm. Something to think about I suppose. On to the pictures.

You can't really see the intake, but here's my DIY lilypipe:


A shot of the rocks and stems. They look very green in picture but they actually have pink under the leaves and some orange on top:


The two residents:




Initial FTS:

[GMYukonon24s]

Nice! I want a desktop tank now.

[Rush3737]

If it wasn't for the lucky weekends when nobody has to be in at work I'd love to do something like this for my desk there.

[rocksmom]

Thanks! My desk is actually at home, so no worries about weekends. My husband wants to set up a little reef on his desk at work, but he's worried about that too.

I woke up this morning to plant carnage. I don't know what Mr. Fish did during the night, but half the stems are floating. And it looks like the snail knocked a bunch of the hydrocotyle loose trying to eat the diatoms off of the substrate. Hmm, is that a sign I should switch to the java fern and moss?

[VJM]

What do you think about the heater? I tried to find reviews for it, but there isn't much available.

Lovely tank and beautiful Betta!

[ValMM]

Just replant them. Sometimes it takes a bit for them to root.

[rocksmom]

Originally Posted by VJM

What do you think about the heater? I tried to find reviews for it, but there isn't much available.

Lovely tank and beautiful Betta!

Thanks! I like the heater. It's been keeping the temperature steady in this tank and I've used it in various other tanks for the last 6-8 months or so. I had it in a 12g for awhile and it wasn't quite enough for that. It's ridiculously tiny too. You could easily hide it in a HOB if you use one.

Originally Posted by ValMM

Just replant them. Sometimes it takes a bit for them to root.

I'm going to, but I think I'll also going to pull my betta out of there as well. He's used to a bigger tank and has been glass surfing and hiding from the flow a lot.

[ValMM]

It does take time for fish to adjust to a different tank size. Have you thought of putting a small mirror next to the tank for the betta to look at? You can put it near a section of the tank where the flow is weaker as time goes by, you can position it closer to the stronger areas of flow. That way he can get used to it. A lot of people think using a mirror stressful, but I see it more like exercise time.

Edit- Don't leave the mirror up for hours at a time.

[rocksmom]

Originally Posted by ValMM

It does take time for fish to adjust to a different tank size. Have you thought of putting a small mirror next to the tank for the betta to look at? You can put it near a section of the tank where the flow is weaker as time goes by, you can position it closer to the stronger areas of flow. That way he can get used to it. A lot of people think using a mirror stressful, but I see it more like exercise time.

Edit- Don't leave the mirror up for hours at a time.

I already took him out. I felt bad for him and the stems couldn't get a chance to root because he kept knocking them loose. He's in a 6 gallon tank right now that's just a plant holding tank while i figure out what I want to do with him. I have three microdevario kubotai that I'll probably end up putting in here instead.

And yeah, I've read about using a mirror for exercise before, especially with showy finnage types like halfmoons. I've never bothered with him since he's a plakat and has room to swim.

Here's what the tank looks like now. I trimmed the stems some before I replanted them and the hydrocotyle is already growing quite a bit.

[ValMM]

It looks very nice.