# 5.5 gallon divided?



## katrina89 (Jul 16, 2012)

Hey guys,
currently I have one male betta in a 5.5gallon long tank... I want to divide it and get another male betta... I was gonna make a divider out of the craft mesh... but do you think its enough room? I cant get a new tank yet, bec this tank is an upgrade tank... so i cant get a ten gallon yet... does anyone have divided betta tanks? they would roughly have 2.5 each to themselves


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## cjconcepcion (Jun 7, 2012)

i think its fine, i have a divided tank that size


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

Yes that is enough room for 2. Just be sure to keep an eye on your ammonia level, is the tank cycled? 

If it isn't cycled, one 50% and one 100% change every week should do the trick. But like I said still use a liquid test kit to keep an eye on it


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## Alcemistnv (Jan 29, 2012)

Omg when you get it done PLEASE let me know! I'm doing the exact same thing!!!


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## katrina89 (Jul 16, 2012)

Thanks guys... this other fish forum i know always tells me that 5 gallon is the min for a betta... and i would love another one... my husband is gonna help me with the divider and then fri after the new shipment of betta


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

katrina89 said:


> Thanks guys... this other fish forum i know always tells me that 5 gallon is the min for a betta... and i would love another one... my husband is gonna help me with the divider and then fri after the new shipment of betta


I personally like bettas to have 2.5 gal each or more, but it really comes down to water changes & temperature to me. If it is heated and you are dedicated to doing the appropriate water changes, that is good.
It truly comes down to opinion.


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## katrina89 (Jul 16, 2012)

Yea, I am vigilant about water changes... atm he doesnt have a heater bec its so hot in our apt that his water is at 84 degrees... we plan on buying a heater for winter tho


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

Great  
Oh also be sure to quarantine the new guy for 2 weeks before putting him in the big tank or the newbie could transfer disease/illness to your exuding guy.


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

I'm splitting the same tank for two girls. I'm just now waiting for it to finish up (should be tomorrow) and they go in. as long as you keep up on water changes your good!


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## katrina89 (Jul 16, 2012)

Update: So I went to petco and saw some bettas I liked.... but then my husband picked up a tank ornament and said in a sad face that if we got the divider we wouldnt be able to decorate the tank as cool as we might have.... and its hard bec hes right...then all of a sudden i got very confused about what I wanted... whether i even thought the betta was cute or whether I wanted to divide the tank... im at a loss for what to do with the tank so at the moment I chose to do nothing... maybe ill go by petsmart and petco this fri after their new shipment and change my mind... who knows... maybe ill get him a tankmate... who knows... im open to suggestions


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

I could show you a picture of my 5.5 divided. It's pretty neat. It actually finished tonight so I put the girls in early. I think its pretty nifty


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

lvandert said:


> I could show you a picture of my 5.5 divided. It's pretty neat. It actually finished tonight so I put the girls in early. I think its pretty nifty


Ooh I wanna see! :-D
I'm going to divide my 10 gal once I have it cycled, Teeney in one side and gonna get another female for the other side.


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

lol alrighty. here ya go. The gravel is a mix from old tanks


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## katrina89 (Jul 16, 2012)

OOoo that looks nice!! I have a feeling im still gonna wanna divide it bec i want another betta... update me and let me know how its going... I have all week to decide how i feel... I wanna know the pros and cons of having the divided tank


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

pros:you get multiple bettas in one tank, you get to see them interact as it were and water changes are one tank instead of two. Cons:More frequent water changes, they could jump/go through the divider and fight, and if one gets sick the other most likely will get sick.

over all I do like them. I also have a 10 gal divided 3 way for boys


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## katrina89 (Jul 16, 2012)

Thanks for taking the time out to explain to me what you like about them... I woke up today very clear headed and wanting to divide the tank... I know I have to put the new guy in a QT for two weeks... during that time should I divide the tank or let seabiscuit have his full reign of the tank?


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

not a problem. I sure there are others pros/cons to divided tanks but I don't remember them. I would a 50% water change the day your QT ends. Then while your tank is half empty, rearrange your decorations, install your divider etc etc. Then introduce them both back into the tank at the same time. That way no one has "established" territory of any means and it should be alright. It'll also take a couple months for them to get used to their neighbor so expect lots of flaring and frantic swimming along the divider


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## katrina89 (Jul 16, 2012)

Ok thanks... im taking some decor out of the tank today to put in with the new betta .... sea biscuit has already claimed certain decor as his fav so of course he gets to keep those to himself.


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## Shadyr (Mar 27, 2012)

I'm glad you decided  I just got my divided tank up and running this past weekend. It is only half occupied - occupant #2 was just purchased Sunday and is in a kritter keeper till he recovers from Life:Cupped. But I'm excited about it, so I'll show it to you anyway, even though you made up your mind!

This is the Petco Bookshelf - which I think is a 6.6, so a tad larger, but comparable to yours.


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## katrina89 (Jul 16, 2012)

I love your divided tank i saw it when you made the divider... i love that its black im planning on making mine just like yours..... here is my new betta i got for the other side of the divider and his QT for now  for two weeks... i fell in love w him sunday... most expensive betta i ever got... nearly 15$ ...but soooo cute... i got him today after debating about it long and hard... i was gonna wait for their new shipment but i started dreaming about the sucker and knew it was fate... perfect contrast color with the betta i have now... { idk how to post pics this way... so im gonna make a new thread... look for it }


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## Shadyr (Mar 27, 2012)

Random howto about the pictures....it took me a while too! You'll have to allow the site to open a window in your browser settings. In any thread, or when you start a new one, at the bottom of the page is a section called "Additional Options". In that section is a spot for "Attach Files" with a button in it labled "Manage Attachments". Click it and it lets you browse your hard drive or put in a link to a URL if the picture is hosted on a website somewhere. You can upload multiple pictures from your HD. When you are done uploading, you should see files listed. You can close the upload window. Now back to the main post! Put your cursor where you want the picture and find the paper clip icon at the top of the post formatting toolbar. Click the arrow next to it and you should see all your pictures listed. Choose the one you want by clicking it. Repeat for any other images.


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## katrina89 (Jul 16, 2012)

yay thanks sooo much for explaining how!!


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