# Custom made gumball machine betta bowl



## crusinent (Sep 21, 2012)

Hi all,

Just wanted to show off my Gumball machine (inspired) betta bowl. I always wanted to make my own but the DIY projects found on the net used bowls that were way too small and had no filtration. 

The bowl itself holds around 12 litres. It has 3 holes drilled into the bottom so that the tubes can be hidden (to an extent). I did this so that they don't have to come through the top. Makes for a better look.

Lives plants help maintain water quality - I have duckweed, java fern, java moss and anubias nana which is attached to the terracotta urn. Cool little cave but betta doesn't use it much.

This unit sits on top of 2 wooden boxes used as a stand and stacked lengthways. These boxes hides the wires, tubes and sump. The side of the box has a switch for the light. 



















Below, you can see the filtration pipes, the top one sends water to the sump below and has a pre filter to stop the duckweek and betta's fins from getting sucked in.

The lower one is the return pipe that sends back clean and heated water. 
In case of power failure, the water will be drained back down into the sump but the water level won't go any lower than the top of the return tube. Hopefully lil' betta isn't anywhere near this pipe if the power goes out. 

You can also see how I integrated the light into the actual gumball machine itself. 










Pic of the air stone popping out of the black sand.. lil' betta doesn't mind it and helps with bad surface film from building up. 










Top view showing betta, duckweed and reflection of light. The light was just an LED strip glued in a circular arrangement. 










Pic of the sump (actually just a bin) that sits inside the bottom box - Water enters the cylinder container that has filtration media (bio sponge, carbon and filter wool). The water then flows through the bottom of the container where it is heated and returned via the pump. Sump holds an additional 15 litres which increases overall water volume. 

More java moss and duckweed to help absorb nitrates. They seem to be doing OK in a low light environment.










In future, I'm thinking of using Indian Almond leaves inside the sump to darken the water a little and help with disease. 


I love this tank and I'm really proud of it.. Lil' betta loves it too  
let me know what you think. Hope this will inspire you to make your own!


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## mplsmommy (Aug 4, 2012)

That's soooo cool!! You did it all yourself?


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

Pretty impressive set up ya got there


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## CandiceMM (Jul 15, 2012)

So impressed!!!! I love this! You get an awesome eye candy tank but it is also good for the Betta!!


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## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Awesome set up!!  Wow... I wish I had that kind of talent lol


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## Gryphon (Aug 24, 2012)

This is an awesome tank! I love the idea!


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## katydidmischief (Aug 19, 2012)

That's amazing. I love that you hid everything away for a nice clean look, and I love that bowl with all the plants. Just awesome.


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## homegrown terror (Aug 6, 2012)

now THAT is a betta bowl worthy of a betta (never thought it could be done) my only question is how do you prevent him from jumping?


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Wow, how cool!


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## hodgepodgen (Feb 25, 2011)

This is so neat! Good to see a Betta in a bowl happy.


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## babystarz (Aug 3, 2012)

Very, very cool! I love all the design choices you've made, the tubing looks especially nice set in the bottom like that. Do you do tanks like this often? If so I can't wait to see what you come up with next  Do you mind if I share your pictures on Pinterest? I like to collect pictures of really well-done DIY fish tanks.

The duckweed and java moss will keep growing in that tub even with ambient light, the little suckers could probably survive living in a closet XD


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## laynisample (Sep 10, 2012)

Wow, first betta bowl I actually like! That is really a beautiful set up.


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## Kenny G (Jun 9, 2012)

Job well done. I guess your betta is not a jumper


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## Kitty Whiskers (Sep 28, 2009)

Wow that is very creative. I love it, and I'm sure your Betta does as well.


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## crusinent (Sep 21, 2012)

homegrown terror said:


> now THAT is a betta bowl worthy of a betta (never thought it could be done) my only question is how do you prevent him from jumping?


I'm hoping the water level is low enough to prevent him from make a successful jump. Also the light takes up the middle of the opening so it there's only a small gap all the way around.


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## crusinent (Sep 21, 2012)

babystarz said:


> Very, very cool! I love all the design choices you've made, the tubing looks especially nice set in the bottom like that. Do you do tanks like this often? If so I can't wait to see what you come up with next  Do you mind if I share your pictures on Pinterest? I like to collect pictures of really well-done DIY fish tanks.
> 
> The duckweed and java moss will keep growing in that tub even with ambient light, the little suckers could probably survive living in a closet XD


This was my first diy project for a betta bowl/tank. 
Next one will be a water feature integrated tank. I took inspiration from here:
www.ninjakidsrock.co.za/2008/03/02/diy-betta-betta-tank-10/

A preview of the next one 








Just ordered a spotlight off ebay.. so it will take a couple of weeks coming from hong kong.


Sure thing.. I don't mind if you share. The more people that see it the better  Just provide links back to this topic.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Beatiful tank be careful of jumpers.


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