# epic christmas glow-tank!



## homegrown terror (Aug 6, 2012)

this is my fiance's and my big gift to our son this christmas: his first all-his-own fish tank. it's a totally awesome custom designed glowfish dual tank, with a 3 gallon betta "throne room" in the middle of a 20 gallon tank. i'm impressed as hell with our work. here's the whole saga:

empty tank, filter cycling using dirty goldfish gravel to seed:









siliconed some new drinking glasses to the bottom of the 3-gallon to raise it up, apparently acrylic is lighter than water because the damn thing was floating:









got the throne room to stay in place after filling the bottom with gravel:









started building a black gravel mound around the base to make it look like part of the landscape:









filled in the 20 with black sand and turned on the glow light for the first time, and all were impressed:









it looks just as nice with the flourescent daylight on as well:









used a bit too much white gravel making a contrast ring around the mound:









fixed it with a little more black sand, installed the plants and decor (a real giant conch shell in the main tank, a "cambodian temple" in the throne room)









the details photograph better with the day light on:









aaaand it's up and running! first shot is of some of our four glo-fish tetras:









who are dazzling under the glow light:









tried to get some photos of the rest of the fish, but they're extremely fast. the whole stock is four glow tetras, five calico marbled platies and three albino cories in the main tank, and a white-and-blue crowntail betta taking up residence in the throne room. i can't wait to see his face when he wakes up tomorrow morning!


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## betta lover1507 (Aug 6, 2011)

this is amazing :-D great job!


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## aemaki09 (Oct 23, 2012)

Wow!!
How lucky!!!


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## isochronism (Nov 24, 2012)

Wow!! Is Right!! I bet he freaks when he see's it. Please share his reaction. Nice Job.


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## Fin Fancier (Aug 11, 2012)

That's a really cool idea. I'm sure he'll love it.


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## homegrown terror (Aug 6, 2012)

oh he does....he's got a bit of a fever today, so he couldn't really have the idyllic "chistmas morning" but when we showed it to him, all he could do was stare and stare, and then try to grab the net off of his dresser and play with it.


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## sandybottom (Nov 29, 2012)

super cool idea. looks awesome. lucky kid. i bet you guys were like 2 kids in a candy store,putting this together. looks like a lot of fun. merry x-mas.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Whats the other tank in there?


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## homegrown terror (Aug 6, 2012)

ChoclateBetta said:


> Whats the other tank in there?


it's the "throne room" and there's a blue and white crowntail betta in there who's the "king" of the tank.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

That is incredible. Is there cuculation between the two?


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

That's a really cool idea!


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## homegrown terror (Aug 6, 2012)

ChoclateBetta said:


> That is incredible. Is there cuculation between the two?


no, they both have separate water areas with separate filtration, and the heater in the main tank keeps the water in the 3 gallon warm by insulating it.


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## bryzy (Nov 3, 2012)

That's amazing! I'm sure he will love it.


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

This looks really neat.. nice work


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

THAT is impressive.


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## isochronism (Nov 24, 2012)

Very unique!! Betta is looking over his Kingdom and no one can try to de-throne him.. Nice!! 
I would like a similar set-up like that for myself. (ME)


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## aemaki09 (Oct 23, 2012)

I cant get over this! such a great idea!!!


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## homegrown terror (Aug 6, 2012)

crystal (my fiance) is going to add a little something more to it soon. we got a back of multicolored glow gravel, and she spent hours painstakingly separating the colors into individual bags, and she's gonna make little color mounds around the bases of the plants, we'll post updated pics when she's done, i think it'll add a lot of shine to it.


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## majesticstorm (Dec 8, 2012)

THAT is amazing! Your son is so lucky!


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## Braided Kitteness (Dec 24, 2012)

As with everyone else. DO WANT! Things to convince the fiance of.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Carter spent a few days in a .5 gallon floating box a few times he seemed a lot more active.


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## registereduser (Jul 30, 2010)

I am so going to do this someday, awesome idea, lucky kid, great 'rents!!!:notworthy:


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

I want to connect a few tanks with an Aquabridge.


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## Syriiven (Aug 15, 2012)

This is amazing and you have a seriously lucky kid =)

I was just wondering if you'd mind if people (namely me) built similar tanks to this. It's a fantastic idea and removes so many obstacles of co-habitation! 

But if you don't want people copying your idea, I totally understand.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Is there a thing preventing jumping into the other tank?


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## homegrown terror (Aug 6, 2012)

Syriiven said:


> This is amazing and you have a seriously lucky kid =)
> 
> I was just wondering if you'd mind if people (namely me) built similar tanks to this. It's a fantastic idea and removes so many obstacles of co-habitation!
> 
> But if you don't want people copying your idea, I totally understand.


go ahead! just don't try to sell them, i've got a patent application coming in the mail.



ChoclateBetta said:


> Is there a thing preventing jumping into the other tank?


yeah, his tank has a full hood on it. good thing too, he's VERY interested in the things floating around him, and i'm sure he'd want to try a taste.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Good if I remeber right those glo fish are a fin nipper.


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## Syriiven (Aug 15, 2012)

Nono, not selling, just for home entertainment and cause it's a good idea. =) I'll even quote you when I show it off on ehre.


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

Syriiven said:


> This is amazing and you have a seriously lucky kid =)
> 
> I was just wondering if you'd mind if people (namely me) built similar tanks to this. It's a fantastic idea and removes so many obstacles of co-habitation!
> 
> But if you don't want people copying your idea, I totally understand.


Syriiven is right - this would allow cohabitation more easily. (Although it could make water changes more challenging, since one tank is larger than the other.)



homegrown terror said:


> go ahead! just don't try to sell them, i've got a patent application coming in the mail.


I think this would be a really cool business idea. Produce these and sell them in fish stores. A lot of people (me included) would like to have one.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Plus the Betta will like reacting to the fish.


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## Syriiven (Aug 15, 2012)

I'm considering using the 'throne room' for a male and then filling the rest with a sorority and community. Only considering the sorority right now, but since the water in the tanks don't mix that means the throne room is safe from current and diseases but will be kept at an even temp with the rest of the tank. It'd be easy enough to give the male hiding places away from the 'community' and vice versa. Lol, told my boyfriend that in a few months he'll be eating breakfast with a big fishtank on the table xD 

But I think it's a fantastic idea and I'm excited to plan everything for it =) I already have a halfmoon 3 gallon with a clear lid that I like, so I think another would work just fine as the 'throne room' (that is such a perfect name btw). I think the halfmoon design really gives the betta maximum entertainment and 'socializing' as well as a view to the outside world if he so likes. Also takes up a little less room so your community can get around it easilly instead of it partially partitioning your tank like a rectangular tank might. 

I thought about a cylindrical 2 gallon I also have, but figured a cyllinder within a tank would make seeing the betta super hard and expose him to the community all day save for the cave's and plants he'll have in his own space.

Altogether I'm sooo excited to start planning this project =D


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## homegrown terror (Aug 6, 2012)

i'd like to see how it works out...i've been thinking about the idea of a male/sorority tank like this, but my fiance's worried about the stress on the fish, so if it works out well, i can show her that and maybe get it off the ground.


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## Syriiven (Aug 15, 2012)

I will definitely keep you posted =D


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