# Betta Barrack System



## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

After years of keeping my bettas in cups/jars due to the insane amount of fish I have at once... I am finally building a betta barrack system. Well more like two or three lol. Essentially, to those who don't know, its a big divided tank/jar system in which dirty water is recycled through a giant (going to be 30 gallons for me) filter. Twice a week I'll go in with 25% water changes on the sump filter and my fish will be in constantly clean water. 

I should be starting next week. I'll update then


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## Catfish Billy (Jun 27, 2012)

Sounds great! Will this/these new barrack(s) mean you could get another betta?
:welldone:


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Well I can have over one hundred bettas at any given time. This will allow me to more comfortable house anywhere from fifty to one hundred bettas at a time.  

This is the kind of barracks I'm looking at.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR9TvdndzBA


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## shadowpony (Apr 15, 2012)

Goodluck! Pics are nessasary once you gt it finished. Just post them. This is a command.


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## xjenuhfur (Jan 30, 2012)

Ooh I can't wait to see! I've seen a few and they look amazing, are you going to do like how the video is with the PVC pipe running the water in? Or more like the sprinkler type thing?


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

You go, Dom. Glad to see your attitude is recovering.


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## Catfish Billy (Jun 27, 2012)

Hallyx said:


> You go, Dom. Glad to see your attitude is recovering.


I'm sorry, what? I think I'm missing something......


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Can't wait to see the finished product. I love seeing pictures of other's fish rooms.


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## TuckerLove (Jun 10, 2012)

I need to know how to do this . Lol, Ill be stalking this post.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Can't wait to see the finished product.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Well I just bagged up all my fish and I'm meeting fellow member KadenJames. She'll be watching them for me while I re-do my fish room.

The current design for my new barracks is putting rows of jars in plastic tubs. Each jar will have holes drilled for overflow. The water dripping into the jars will cause them to overflow and the water will drip out of the jars into the tubs. The tubs will have a drain on one end and will be slightly elevated on the opposite side for easier draining. Then the overflow water will go down into a huge plastic tub with smaller tubs fill of filter material and heaters and a few sponge filters. The dirty overflow water will travel through this and then be shot back up into the tubing by a pond pump. 

Also managed to find an RO unit for $50 vs $150+ so I'll be getting one of those as well


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Okay fish are gone. I only have two left and two coming tomorrow. Gonna be a good project to start on and rearrange the fish room.

Special thanks to KadenJames on the forum for watching my fish while I re-do everything and get the barracks set up.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Sounds like a lot of work. Lol


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

You have no idea lol. Dragging big tanks out is a killer lol. Bleaching them is nerve wracking lol.


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## Sincerely (Apr 22, 2012)

I cant wait to see these barracks! I was thinking a barracks system (A small one) To hold breeders in.

Good Luck! :thumbsup:


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

It would be really neat to see picture updates as you go. Kinda like a guide for others who may want to attempt this (or a warning to them :lol


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

That sounds like a great idea.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Will do. I, still, keep changing my mind about the design. I want to be able to hold a good number of fish without pushing the bio load.


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## Spazzfish (Feb 12, 2012)

I've been contemplating future barrack design using plastic mesh cages so that the water can move through themand waist falls through them. Still in the planning stages though...


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

I'm starting mine tomorrow. Making room for a shelf and bleaching tanks. 

My barracks are going to hold 15 fish on each side, for a total of 60 vs the original 48. 

Though I might end up making two barracks since R/O is supposed to increase spawn size.


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## Spazzfish (Feb 12, 2012)

Take pictures!


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Will do


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## TuckerLove (Jun 10, 2012)

If this turns out as amazing as it sounds...I demand you come do it for me  lol.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

TuckerLove said:


> If this turns out as amazing as it sounds...I demand you come do it for me  lol.


LOL. I can't do that but I can tell you where to get the information to do it 


So the dimensions for Sherolyn's (BasmentBettas) double sided barracks are:

"The cells are 6" deep and there is a 3" channel down the middle. So the doubles are about 15" wide. You have to decide what size you want then design from there."

I'm starting with one system now. However I want a total of three or four eventually just because I'm going to be showing and I need to keep these show fish in top condition.

Here's some videos on the type of barracks I'm going with.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR9TvdndzBA&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXA7LJH8lIk&feature=channel&list=UL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1al95oWaH_8&feature=context-chv
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcWVvfSQn7c&feature=plcp


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

That would be a good way to make a little money. Set up betta barracks for people. Lol


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## starrlamia (May 3, 2012)

sounds awesome! If you dont mind me asking how much $ do you think it is going to cost you to set up?


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Most barracks run $400 to $500 because most people use beanie baby display cases which cost a lot of $$.

These ones will be around $300 for the tanks, PVC, sump, pump, heater, and R/O unit.


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## starrlamia (May 3, 2012)

thanks! That is not a terrible cost actually, Ive been thinking of doing this but Im not sure about building it on my own haha. 

Cant wait to see pictures


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

starrlamia said:


> thanks! That is not a terrible cost actually, Ive been thinking of doing this but Im not sure about building it on my own haha.
> 
> Cant wait to see pictures


Considering you can house hundreds of bettas no problem is worth the cost lol.

We're taking the next few weeks to gather supplies and figure out measurments.


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## starrlamia (May 3, 2012)

exciting!


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Alright so tomorrow we're going to get shelves and tubs to begin working on these things. 

Current measurements for each tank stand at:

4' long
15" wide
Each cell 5" by 6" 
Sump is a 30 gallon plastic tub that will fit under the shelf. 

Now while I'm plotting in my head I'm debating doing live plants in each cell and several sponge pieces in the 3" channel to improve my bio filtration. 


Another addition to the fish room is two large trash cans. These trash cans will hold water with IAL, salt, and a pond pump. The pond pump will connect to a hose and allow me to easily pump fresh water into my tanks and barracks.


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

Sounds like a wonderful project...please keep up posted every step of the way. I've looked at Basement Bettas design, but can't figure it out. Maybe with your help I will be able to.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

It seems confusing but in reality its quite a simple project. Just big.


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

I think it will be easier for me to understand if it is broken down to each step taken.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Going to Lowes to get a shelf, aquarium silicone, pump, and some stuff for the sump.

Then going to Ace to get some plexi cut for two tank bottoms. The rest we'll have to get from Lowes later.


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## VictorP (Jun 5, 2012)

For filtering are you considering using bio-balls/bottle caps? They help keep bacteria.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Yep those are on the list  

My sump is going to provide a ton of filtration. I'm planning at least five compartments for it.


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## VictorP (Jun 5, 2012)

I recommend bottle caps that way water won't just pass through. Also go take a look at a fabric store for some media they sell them pretty cheap and they work pretty well!


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## magnum (May 7, 2012)

Wow, good luck on your barracks! I'm sure the results will be very rewarding.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Bottle caps...hmmm...and Basement Bettas uses stainless steel scrubbies.


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## goldfishyman (Jun 8, 2012)

You could have the entire thing made of acrylic. Then you wont need to buy shelving. Everything could be self contained into one giant unit. For a community tank such as a barracks you will need to run UV so your fish don't get each other sick. Also I do not like wet dry sump tanks. They take up too much space and are not really efficient. You will have ammonia spikes during feeding and have to deal with channeling and flushing out the media every now and then to keep things working. 

As for the video that was posted. I think that having all your tanks connected and having water flow threw from one tank to the other across the bottom is the best solution. I have done this and the reason I did so was that it is easier to maintain the tanks this way. I just increase water flow and all the poop gets flushed to the other side where you have a collection area then you just reduce water flow again and suck out the poop from the collection chamber. I did not like her methods for creating water flow, its not necessary. The back channel may seem like a good idea but it takes up too much space. It's better to have the water flow across and flush out the waste from their tanks. In her video I saw poop just sitting on the bottom of the tanks. The gap between the dividing walls and floor only needs to be about 1mm so the betta will not get sucked into it. Water flow should be a slow trickle and create almost no current. You will not have a high turn over rate which is better for the bettas as they will not have to fight current. 

As for media I prefer bio wheels. You can create custom holders for the bio wheels so you do not have to buy the expensive housings. The replacement wheels are pretty cheap. If you go with a custom acrylic setup you can have them create a sump area that will hold multiple bio wheels. Water flowing down a ramp with successive bio wheels in line feeding the bio wheels so they turn and then the water can collect in a sump Or you can just have a wall with bio wheels in a ladder type setup with a spray bar feeding the top wheel and the water that flows down should hit the next. Might have to stagger them back and forth so that the wheels will turn in opposite directions feeding the next bio wheel. With this type of setup you will not need a giant sump tank. 

Just tossing out some ideas. Anyways good luck I hope to see what you come up with.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Thanks for the tips! Well the side to side wouldn't provide the water flow I need to keep it clean. I also already have the shelf set up :/ 

My sump is two plastic tubs. One contains filter media (currently sponges, carbon, cut up straws and tomorrow gravel.) The other will hold the heater and pond pump. They'll be connected by a bulkhead. 

I need to get my bio balls ordered and some more sponges. 

The filter tub has two smaller tubs that hang on the sides. The water goes into one (containing filter media) and fills and flows over. The second fills and pours into a container of plants/gravel. Then it travels through the bulkhead, into the second tub and up through the pump.


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## VictorP (Jun 5, 2012)

Don't use gravel! Lava rock is a lot better.
Nvm. If your using for plants I ahead!


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## tanseattle (Jun 28, 2012)

How do you keep 100 bettas warm during winter?


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

My fish room is heated to about 85F


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## tanseattle (Jun 28, 2012)

How much extra you have to pay for gas or electric cost to keep the room at 85F? I am preparing for winter (Seattle is not bad).


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

I use a space heater. Plug it in, set to 85F, water stays over 80F. 

No significant increase in price because its not the whole house but just the fish room.


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## Junglist (Feb 23, 2012)

tanseattle said:


> How much extra you have to pay for gas or electric cost to keep the room at 85F? I am preparing for winter (Seattle is not bad).


I tried having a fish room during the winter and it slapped my money out my hands, normally I pay around $200 ($1600) season with the fish room it jumped up to $310 ($2480) season. I had to sell most of my exotic fish and all my dream bettas and equipment to get back on track


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

Anything new with the barracks system, MrV?


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