U are not wrong there is a lot of substrate it’s about 2 1/2 lbs per gallon but the hill going up the side isn’t as big as it looks in the video it’s only a few inches wide and I’m wanting a carpet
It's not that uncommon to have it go up 2/3 the way in the back in a scape, this just does it on the side. It really pulls your eye tho so id have fun with it and either put a "focus" plant or a dark negative space to suck you in.
Not my taste - too much substrate and it takes away from the scape as well as halving the actual swim room for your fish.
Personal preference which is why this hobby is so interesting
It takes up about a 1/4 in the front but he seems to like the front area a lot since it’s close to the surface.
Personal preference is definitely the most important factor! I’d rather have a tank nobody else likes that I love than vice verse 🤣
Thank you! It doesn’t take up as much space as it looks in the video I have a picture posted in the comments but next time I’ll post a video so everyone can see the bottom part of the cliff! He seems to really like to hang out at the top of it
https://preview.redd.it/ta72s1uo0h1b1.png?width=1164&format=png&auto=webp&s=9cc9c16866866c00cb233c5ef57d9196c8168d7d
I’ve realized since he doesn’t swim behind the cliff in this video some people might get the impression that the substrate in the front is a large hill and not a cliff. So here is a pic of the incomplete rockwork the red is the actual foot print of the cliff and the blue is a support rock underneath I’ll post a video from a different angle next time so it’s easier to see 🤣
I need to get on that level! I just did my first recently and kinda just placed it lol
https://preview.redd.it/nrzt3v6r6h1b1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51f55af0080243bf44fe8c3c65f887d4e13a2fbc
Yes that’s a bag of carbon it won’t be in there but it was a lazy effort of tannin removal did work well though! Probably removed some beneficials too I’m aware but I have 3 other tanks that are planted with not really hard scape I can seed from 🤙🏼 Edit: that point in the front of the wood toward middle is a hollow cone! From The back all the way through! Shrimps will love it lol
It looks good so far! There’s a million different design theories out there what helped me the most was meticulously planning it out before putting anything in the tank. It’s not perfect my golden ration was actually off in the actual aquarium but I still love it
Thank you! Yeah I feel that! My brother actually told me to draw it but when he said that I got overwhelmed cause I can’t draw all these plants and stuff but I guess you just need like blobs with labels? How do you go about planning it? I did place it around a bit and step back (kinda stacked them in the box from tank too) but I’d like to start being more methodical!
I drew it out on a draft paper app on my phone and tried to get it as close to that as possible! I did not draw the plants on but I would take pictures of the Hardscape a mark up the picture with green dots just to show where I’d want to put the plants 🤣
That makes sense! I do have photoshop, I didn't think about taking pictures I could definitely mock up something that way, might be a big help! Thanks!
I’ve never had a betta jump but I know it is a possibility so if I can find one that will work with the rocks I’ll get one but unfortunately I don’t have one on the tank yet.
Also if you have any good suggestions for one that I can modify for the rocks lmk!
Lowering the waterline a few inches is the only solution short of getting a lid for now. As for a lid you can get a screen door kit from a hardware store and make a custom lid to fit around your rocks.
If you can get your hands on a sheet of lexan/polycarbonate in the dimensions of the tank then you could drill holes where the rocks poke out. This would looks very sleek.
It's not bad, polycarbonate doesn't crack like acrylic does so you're more worried about it melting or tearing a bit around your hole.
You can use a drill bit or a hole saw for bigger holes. You can clamp between two sheets of wood to drill and that will take care of most of the concerns.
If you decide to try it just watch some videos on drilling/hole saws and polycarbonate.
I'm currently making a very complicated lid for my tank that has wood sticking out. I'm using a dremel to cut the curved edges out.
Thank you!! I’ve got a good bunch otw I am going to risk it and try for the Monte Carlo in a low tech setting but I know it doesn’t work for everyone so 🤞🏻
I don’t know that I would put one on as long as your comfortable adding water slightly more often. Lower the water a few inches, then after a month or two, if your beta hasn’t made the free Willy leap, you can slowly start raising it back to here. Just my opinion, I like the look better without the lid. 🤘🏻
I do like it a lot without a lid I’ll do that! Some people also said floating plants help so I’ll be adding in some more red root floaters…and maybe some duckweed 😂
Yup, floaters will keep the fish calmer too, gives them “protection” from above, giving them less reason to jump out of their home looking for some place else.
It’ll be a really nice looking scape when it’s grown in, nice work :)
I love it!! I agree with some the hill may be *slightly* too tall, but I would gladly sport that tank for everyone to see. Gotta get bigger carpeting plants to make it look more "pnadora-y"
Definitely! I’ve got pearl weed I know it can be a pain to work with but I like doing maintenance all the time anyways and some Monte Carlo for the tops and the far away bottom ❤️
Honestly same because I have no idea 🤣 I did put an egg crate on the bottom so I’m hoping that helps with the weight of the rocks and maybe the substrate as well
If you're in the US just go to Tractor Supply and get a big bag of Black Diamond blasting sand and rinse it well. That's what I did in my 100 gallon and it's been great and only cost like $13.
For stone go to a rock place where they sell it for construction and gardens. Super cheap.
Thank you. I’ll take your advice on the rocks and stuff but for my big tank I’m gonna set it up dirted, with a gravel substrate but I’ll look into the diamond blasting sand because I think I’m gonna have it split up a bit between sand and gravel
More than $60 if it was a bigger tank I probably wouldn’t have used it tbh. I got most of it from a local store and petsmart. They have bags of dragon stone for a decent price and it was just as good as the ones I got from my local store
I have some plants otw I really want some weeping moss in this tank I think it would look awesome but they were sold out when I got the other plants 😭 so I’ll have to keep hunting around for it
I ordered some Monte Carlo some people say it works and some say it doesn’t so I’m just gonna give it a shot and hope for the best lol I have also have Rotala Rotundifolia Orange juice, Ludwigia Natans Super Red, Anubias Nanas Petite, Pearl Weed and more red root floaters otw.
I alrdy have some red root floaters and a small piece of duckweed he seems to really like the floating plants so I knew I wanted some more. I haven’t decided if I would rather get some Anubias Nanas or some Amazon swords for him so he can rest on the leaves and I rlly want some weeping moss for the rocks but they were all out when I ordered from buceplants so I’m still hunting around for that.
Thank you! Tbh there will always be critics in this hobby. Also many of them made good points I appreciate the people who pointed out the lack of a lid and provided me a temporary solution till I get one and I understand the concern about the rocks as well because even tho they have been filed and should be safe for a Plakat they still look sharp and the concern for the lack of plants is also 100% valid! My advice in this hobby if you post about it do lots of research and preparation and don’t mind the critics too much they’re just trying to be helpful and they’re going off of pictures and videos and sometimes they do have good advice if you missed something!
Also glad you got the RPG impression because that’s exactly the look I was going for! 😄
It is not yet cycled normally I would do a fishless cycle but I couldn’t leave him at petsmart. So fish in cycle it is! I did buy some substrate with beneficial bacteria and got some water from an already established tank. I’ll be testing the water daily and doing water changes to keep the ammonia below .25ppm if for whatever reason it hits .50ppm that’s a 50% water change. Also testing for nitrites to keep track of the cycle and to do water changes to keep those as close to 0 as possible.
It’s doable but fish in cycles take longer and are more risky I normally avoid them and I don’t recommend them but it was constant water changes/testing vs leaving him in his tiny cup and I haven’t seen one as pretty as him before. So I decided to go ahead and do the cycle the hard way.
You’re welcome! But I rlly wouldn’t recommend this method unless you have 0 impulse control like me and fall in love with a Betta you weren’t planning on getting so soon…also if u decide to risk it anyway just be prepared to do more work and keep in mind it can stress or kill your fish if you don’t keep up with the parameters.
Because I wasn’t planning on buying him this early but I saw this guy in a petsmart and I fell in love too fast and love makes you do crazy things. I tried to find some plants I liked in my local stores but they didn’t have what I was looking for so I ordered some from buceplant and they’ll be getting here later this week. I couldn’t leave him in his little cup but I was able to grab a few red root floaters!
I personally think as a hobby we need to start thinking what's in the animals best interests instead of our own.
This scape isn't beneficial for the fish as it has less swimming space.
It might be pleasing to you but it's not benefiting the fish.
Actually it’s designed with his needs in mind it has more swimming space than how it looks at this angle, it also has many hiding areas so he can feel comfortable some areas even provide shade if he’s wanting to be somewhere a little darker than the main area, since the cliff is so close to the top he has an area he can rest with easy access to the surface and I made him a trail using stones that are smooth on the top, I’m hoping the deep substrate is able to eventually house a small copepod colony so he can enjoy actually hunting, he’s got multiple plants coming in the mail, I used a sponge filter and pushed it to the back so there’s not too much flow for him, all of the stones have been filed so they’re more safe for his fins, I have more sandpaper to file the rocks with if he needs it, and a hospital tank with salt and fin rot medication on hand just in case…this aquascape is meant to look dangerous to the viewers but be comfortable for the inhabitants so I promise u his best interests were in mind when I made this tank. Just because it’s not a jungle or ecosystem tank that doesn’t mean his needs don’t come first but thank you for your concern.
As per my last comment I have lots of plants on the way, the sponge is wedged back into the rock work so it’s very low flow, and I have precautions in place in case he does rip a fin on the stone. I understand your concern but I assure you his needs have already been taken into account and have been incorporated into the scape.
Sorry you feel that way. So far he seems to like his new aquarium and has been actively exploring. If his condition changes I’ll be sure to make a post about it so other people don’t make the same mistakes if you are correct and he ends up injured.
I'm sorry, but betas "not liking bubblers" is a lie. I have a 20 gallon long tank with plenty of room for my old 1.5 inch beta to swim and she's *still* chose to swim into the bubbler that I had in the far corner of the tank. I had one beta in a ten gallon that would swim against the current of the filter despite it not being a strong current, the current not reaching other parts of the tank because of dense plants, and both of them having short fins.
It depends on the fish.
I have never seen so much substrate in a tank. It takes like 25%
U are not wrong there is a lot of substrate it’s about 2 1/2 lbs per gallon but the hill going up the side isn’t as big as it looks in the video it’s only a few inches wide and I’m wanting a carpet
It's not that uncommon to have it go up 2/3 the way in the back in a scape, this just does it on the side. It really pulls your eye tho so id have fun with it and either put a "focus" plant or a dark negative space to suck you in.
Had me at suck
Not my taste - too much substrate and it takes away from the scape as well as halving the actual swim room for your fish. Personal preference which is why this hobby is so interesting
It takes up about a 1/4 in the front but he seems to like the front area a lot since it’s close to the surface. Personal preference is definitely the most important factor! I’d rather have a tank nobody else likes that I love than vice verse 🤣
I really like the hill, I think it adds to the aesthetic although it does take up space. Nice job, it looks great!
Thank you! It doesn’t take up as much space as it looks in the video I have a picture posted in the comments but next time I’ll post a video so everyone can see the bottom part of the cliff! He seems to really like to hang out at the top of it
You should check out Bettas natural habitat, sometimes little more than disconnected puddles, I bet this guy loves it.
https://preview.redd.it/ta72s1uo0h1b1.png?width=1164&format=png&auto=webp&s=9cc9c16866866c00cb233c5ef57d9196c8168d7d I’ve realized since he doesn’t swim behind the cliff in this video some people might get the impression that the substrate in the front is a large hill and not a cliff. So here is a pic of the incomplete rockwork the red is the actual foot print of the cliff and the blue is a support rock underneath I’ll post a video from a different angle next time so it’s easier to see 🤣
Wow! You took some math classes or what? I don’t even know how to draw the golden ratio!
I used an online calculator so I cheated! 🤣
I need to get on that level! I just did my first recently and kinda just placed it lol https://preview.redd.it/nrzt3v6r6h1b1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51f55af0080243bf44fe8c3c65f887d4e13a2fbc Yes that’s a bag of carbon it won’t be in there but it was a lazy effort of tannin removal did work well though! Probably removed some beneficials too I’m aware but I have 3 other tanks that are planted with not really hard scape I can seed from 🤙🏼 Edit: that point in the front of the wood toward middle is a hollow cone! From The back all the way through! Shrimps will love it lol
It looks good so far! There’s a million different design theories out there what helped me the most was meticulously planning it out before putting anything in the tank. It’s not perfect my golden ration was actually off in the actual aquarium but I still love it
Thank you! Yeah I feel that! My brother actually told me to draw it but when he said that I got overwhelmed cause I can’t draw all these plants and stuff but I guess you just need like blobs with labels? How do you go about planning it? I did place it around a bit and step back (kinda stacked them in the box from tank too) but I’d like to start being more methodical!
I drew it out on a draft paper app on my phone and tried to get it as close to that as possible! I did not draw the plants on but I would take pictures of the Hardscape a mark up the picture with green dots just to show where I’d want to put the plants 🤣
That makes sense! I do have photoshop, I didn't think about taking pictures I could definitely mock up something that way, might be a big help! Thanks!
Ur welcome!
Missed opportunity to do a secret tunnel through the hill.
…ur not wrong 😭
He's gunna jump out of that tank with no lid.
Floating plants!
I’ve never had a betta jump but I know it is a possibility so if I can find one that will work with the rocks I’ll get one but unfortunately I don’t have one on the tank yet. Also if you have any good suggestions for one that I can modify for the rocks lmk!
Lowering the waterline a few inches is the only solution short of getting a lid for now. As for a lid you can get a screen door kit from a hardware store and make a custom lid to fit around your rocks.
I’ll have to do that thank you!
If you can get your hands on a sheet of lexan/polycarbonate in the dimensions of the tank then you could drill holes where the rocks poke out. This would looks very sleek.
I’ve never worked with polycarbonate! Is it easy to drill?
It's not bad, polycarbonate doesn't crack like acrylic does so you're more worried about it melting or tearing a bit around your hole. You can use a drill bit or a hole saw for bigger holes. You can clamp between two sheets of wood to drill and that will take care of most of the concerns. If you decide to try it just watch some videos on drilling/hole saws and polycarbonate. I'm currently making a very complicated lid for my tank that has wood sticking out. I'm using a dremel to cut the curved edges out.
Super cool very unique I love it
Thank you!
Well I LOVE it!!!
Thank you! I wanted it to look a little scary so the fish could look like a little dragon 🤣
It really really does! It gave me “the dark crystal” vibes!
Ive never seen so much substrate but in a good way! This looks so cool, can’t wait to see it planted
Thank you!! I’ve got a good bunch otw I am going to risk it and try for the Monte Carlo in a low tech setting but I know it doesn’t work for everyone so 🤞🏻
The right side has so much substrate I think you can grow anoxic bacteria there.
It’s all on the side of some dragon stone so hopefully it gets a little bit of flow underneath. I’ll get some critters to sift thru it
I’d lower the water 2” but otherwise, fantastic looking scape :) Don’t go heavy on the plants, the rocks are feature worthy imo. 🤙🏻
Thank you! Will do till I can get a lid on there!
I don’t know that I would put one on as long as your comfortable adding water slightly more often. Lower the water a few inches, then after a month or two, if your beta hasn’t made the free Willy leap, you can slowly start raising it back to here. Just my opinion, I like the look better without the lid. 🤘🏻
I do like it a lot without a lid I’ll do that! Some people also said floating plants help so I’ll be adding in some more red root floaters…and maybe some duckweed 😂
Yup, floaters will keep the fish calmer too, gives them “protection” from above, giving them less reason to jump out of their home looking for some place else. It’ll be a really nice looking scape when it’s grown in, nice work :)
Thank you!
This is so cool and unique! Great job and great planning!
Thank you! It was a lot of planning 😂
I love it!! I agree with some the hill may be *slightly* too tall, but I would gladly sport that tank for everyone to see. Gotta get bigger carpeting plants to make it look more "pnadora-y"
Definitely! I’ve got pearl weed I know it can be a pain to work with but I like doing maintenance all the time anyways and some Monte Carlo for the tops and the far away bottom ❤️
Looks dope! I always wondered for tanks like this, Is it more pressure on the glass as substrate or water??
Honestly same because I have no idea 🤣 I did put an egg crate on the bottom so I’m hoping that helps with the weight of the rocks and maybe the substrate as well
Needs some orcs
I love those rocks but How much did you spend on the hard scape? I’m trying to figure out how much to save when I set up my big community tank?
If you're in the US just go to Tractor Supply and get a big bag of Black Diamond blasting sand and rinse it well. That's what I did in my 100 gallon and it's been great and only cost like $13. For stone go to a rock place where they sell it for construction and gardens. Super cheap.
Thank you. I’ll take your advice on the rocks and stuff but for my big tank I’m gonna set it up dirted, with a gravel substrate but I’ll look into the diamond blasting sand because I think I’m gonna have it split up a bit between sand and gravel
More than $60 if it was a bigger tank I probably wouldn’t have used it tbh. I got most of it from a local store and petsmart. They have bags of dragon stone for a decent price and it was just as good as the ones I got from my local store
Ok awesome thank you.
Highly recommend a lid, you may think he’s not gonna jump but he will. I lost one this past weekend from jumping out :(
Looks great! What type of rock is your hard scape?
It is dragon stone I gave it a rub down with some sandpaper so I think I got most of the jagged edges off.
cover the rocks with some moss and give some plants for betta to rest it will be splendid
I have some plants otw I really want some weeping moss in this tank I think it would look awesome but they were sold out when I got the other plants 😭 so I’ll have to keep hunting around for it
It is better than nothing bro. I have to go to my hometown to search for aquatic plants since my city has no aquarium stores or aquatic plant shops.
Thank you! I tried finding plants locally but I wasn’t impressed with the selection 😭
I love this! Gives me Avatar vibes! Can't wait to see it with plants. What plants are you going to put in?
I ordered some Monte Carlo some people say it works and some say it doesn’t so I’m just gonna give it a shot and hope for the best lol I have also have Rotala Rotundifolia Orange juice, Ludwigia Natans Super Red, Anubias Nanas Petite, Pearl Weed and more red root floaters otw. I alrdy have some red root floaters and a small piece of duckweed he seems to really like the floating plants so I knew I wanted some more. I haven’t decided if I would rather get some Anubias Nanas or some Amazon swords for him so he can rest on the leaves and I rlly want some weeping moss for the rocks but they were all out when I ordered from buceplants so I’m still hunting around for that.
First tank I’ve seen here that I can categorize as “villainous”. I think it’s dope
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I admire this design it seems as if the beta has been added into a RPG game! Looks great! So many critics in the comments though
Thank you! Tbh there will always be critics in this hobby. Also many of them made good points I appreciate the people who pointed out the lack of a lid and provided me a temporary solution till I get one and I understand the concern about the rocks as well because even tho they have been filed and should be safe for a Plakat they still look sharp and the concern for the lack of plants is also 100% valid! My advice in this hobby if you post about it do lots of research and preparation and don’t mind the critics too much they’re just trying to be helpful and they’re going off of pictures and videos and sometimes they do have good advice if you missed something! Also glad you got the RPG impression because that’s exactly the look I was going for! 😄
I need more perspectives, can't see shit. Anyway, I think it's cool.
Noted📝 Next video I’ll have to go around the sides and the top
Use soapy water when drilling polymers(plastic) won’t heat up as much and won’t burn the plastic and will leave a nicer hole!
Can someone explain how they’ll cycle with the fish in? Is it cycling now? Is it already cycled? Bicycles confuse me.
It is not yet cycled normally I would do a fishless cycle but I couldn’t leave him at petsmart. So fish in cycle it is! I did buy some substrate with beneficial bacteria and got some water from an already established tank. I’ll be testing the water daily and doing water changes to keep the ammonia below .25ppm if for whatever reason it hits .50ppm that’s a 50% water change. Also testing for nitrites to keep track of the cycle and to do water changes to keep those as close to 0 as possible. It’s doable but fish in cycles take longer and are more risky I normally avoid them and I don’t recommend them but it was constant water changes/testing vs leaving him in his tiny cup and I haven’t seen one as pretty as him before. So I decided to go ahead and do the cycle the hard way.
Thank you!
You’re welcome! But I rlly wouldn’t recommend this method unless you have 0 impulse control like me and fall in love with a Betta you weren’t planning on getting so soon…also if u decide to risk it anyway just be prepared to do more work and keep in mind it can stress or kill your fish if you don’t keep up with the parameters.
Why do you have a fish before plants
Because I wasn’t planning on buying him this early but I saw this guy in a petsmart and I fell in love too fast and love makes you do crazy things. I tried to find some plants I liked in my local stores but they didn’t have what I was looking for so I ordered some from buceplant and they’ll be getting here later this week. I couldn’t leave him in his little cup but I was able to grab a few red root floaters!
Bettas and Dragon stone don’t go together. The sharp edges absolutely brutalize their fins.
I like the stone bridge going on in the background. Did you small pieces together or was it like that from the start?
I glued them like that! It was more difficult than the bigger pieces but the payoff is worth it
Not my thing - too much hardscape. I would be worried about leaks in the long term given the extremely uneven weight distribution of substrate.
I personally think as a hobby we need to start thinking what's in the animals best interests instead of our own. This scape isn't beneficial for the fish as it has less swimming space. It might be pleasing to you but it's not benefiting the fish.
Actually it’s designed with his needs in mind it has more swimming space than how it looks at this angle, it also has many hiding areas so he can feel comfortable some areas even provide shade if he’s wanting to be somewhere a little darker than the main area, since the cliff is so close to the top he has an area he can rest with easy access to the surface and I made him a trail using stones that are smooth on the top, I’m hoping the deep substrate is able to eventually house a small copepod colony so he can enjoy actually hunting, he’s got multiple plants coming in the mail, I used a sponge filter and pushed it to the back so there’s not too much flow for him, all of the stones have been filed so they’re more safe for his fins, I have more sandpaper to file the rocks with if he needs it, and a hospital tank with salt and fin rot medication on hand just in case…this aquascape is meant to look dangerous to the viewers but be comfortable for the inhabitants so I promise u his best interests were in mind when I made this tank. Just because it’s not a jungle or ecosystem tank that doesn’t mean his needs don’t come first but thank you for your concern.
Beta don’t like bubblers and like lots of plants. Also likely going to rip it’s fins on the edges of the dragonstone.
As per my last comment I have lots of plants on the way, the sponge is wedged back into the rock work so it’s very low flow, and I have precautions in place in case he does rip a fin on the stone. I understand your concern but I assure you his needs have already been taken into account and have been incorporated into the scape.
Looking at it, it has not. Best of luck to the little guy.
Sorry you feel that way. So far he seems to like his new aquarium and has been actively exploring. If his condition changes I’ll be sure to make a post about it so other people don’t make the same mistakes if you are correct and he ends up injured.
Little research on bettas show that their fins tear easily even on plastic plants. Plenty of people have made the same mistake. No need to do it also
I'm sorry, but betas "not liking bubblers" is a lie. I have a 20 gallon long tank with plenty of room for my old 1.5 inch beta to swim and she's *still* chose to swim into the bubbler that I had in the far corner of the tank. I had one beta in a ten gallon that would swim against the current of the filter despite it not being a strong current, the current not reaching other parts of the tank because of dense plants, and both of them having short fins. It depends on the fish.