[Briz]

Got three Evolve 4s on the Petsmart clearance for $30. With a lot of help from my fiancée, I modified two of them for better filtration and less flow. However, I have found that I generally am not impressed with the tanks, so I'm re-selling the third.

Mods

• Drilled holes along the filter compartment bottom.
• Siliconed the overflow gap, scuffing the plastic first to help it hold
• Siliconed along the inside compartment, scuffing the bottom. Just a deterrent to leaking since these are older tanks.
• Drilled three holes along the filter tube.

We are running out of room in the house for tanks :red_mouth so this was a creative way to solve that and make our hallway a little more interesting.

Putting in an outlet, by the ever helpful fiancée. Such a good sport, even though I get in trouble every time a new project starts up.

Hallway Evolves
And... the hallway.

I plan on having something between the two tanks to block the cords and so that the bettas in each tank cannot see one another.

Left tank
Love this one.

Flora:
* Anubias
* Various crypts
* Fissidens on lava rock

Fauna:
* Betta named "Rarity"

Named Rarity because I got found him at a cup in Petco, and then saw a sibling on Aquabid a few days afterward. Also in part because he's white and purple, much like a certain pony.

Aquabid one

Rarity

Right tank
Flora:
* Various crypts
* Unknown plant front-right

Fauna:
* Betta named "Grinchy"

Grinchy

Not sure if his fins are torn or if it is natural. Should heal up soon now that he's in good care.


Additional Notes
Have a Hydor Theo 25w heater in each tank in the filter compartment. Just using the stock light for now, but can easily suspend a light above both tanks when I need it. The LEDs from these tanks are known to die.

 

[Briz]

I tried to add three amano shrimp to my Edge but something affects inverts strongly in that tank, so I rushed them over to the Evolves. Grinchy was too aggressive, so Rarity got all three.

Some pictures I took while checking how aggressive Rarity would be towards the shrimp.
He wasn't sure what to think.

Wtf is this

How close can I get

He took one very timid peck eventually, to which the shrimp barely flinched. I think they will be OK. Better than a death tank or with Grinchy for sure!

 

[Briz]

Amanos are a little more safe than the normal dwarf shrimp because they are slightly larger and not as colorful. But yes, they aren't completely betta-proof.

 

[Briz]

Here's what I did to modify my filtration.
I knocked off the plastic tabs for the filter pad in the sump because I wanted to stuff my own media.

The top layer of the filter is the sponge.

Then ceramic. I will add more when I get more.

The holes at the bottom.

I also plan on adding zeolite underneath the sump area once I get filter media bags. Petsmart used to carry them for cheap but discontinued them. Now I can only find them in stores for $6 or online okay-priced, but with shipping cost.

The silicone in the sump gap.

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I had the idea to just stuff the outflow nozzle with black coarse sponge to cut back on the flow, and also looks much better than rubber-banding sponge to the outlet where its ugly and visible. I taped up some of the holes on the plastic filter tubes so that it wasn't leeching as much water back to itself. Otherwise there wasn't much flow to the actual tank since the pump was returning its own water supply.

 

[Briz]

Decided to just replace the stock filter pumps with Aquatop NP-80. The lowest flow setting is gentle enough without holes in the tubing or sponge in the outtake, plus they are so much quieter and smaller. Replaced the tubing with new tubing from Lowes, although I have to use metal hose clamps to keep it on the pump. I will replace them with plastic hose clamps once I find some.

Added a Greek basil plant between the two tanks. The plant is a little sad right now from being moved to 100% perlite substrate (with Osmocote+), but will hopefully adjust. Otherwise will be replaced with a different plant.

Suspended my Beamworks over the tanks and removed the stock LEDs. There just wasn't much room to get around with them there, and I know the Beamworks' Kelvin.

Added a black posterboard sheet to block light from blinding us as we walk by.

Not much crypt melt, (growing quite tall towards the light!) and the anubias are good.

I went ahead and moved the amanos to my 10g assassin tank for now. I didn't want to stress from the changing of the the filters about them jumping around. Also, not much algae.

I had ordered a fancy betta from Thailand, but when I put him in my assassin breeding tank he was eating baby snails. Not wanting him to eat my assassins, I decided to move him to Grinchy's tank. Grinchy was given to my fiancee's cousin because she had just lost her betta.

Some mild crypt melt here.