# 9 Cup Betta Vase @ Home - Jimbo205



## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

As you can tell, I have finally been able to play with my Kodak EasyShare C330. Some photos work out. Some are a work in progress.

The dates on the photos are completely wrong. Son changed the batteries (again!!) but did not set the date. Should say 10-17-2006.

Here is my fert schedule: I feed the Betta @ Home. No light. It gets the light from the Dining Room Windows and the Workout Room Window. (It is on a counter between the 2 rooms.) I have not put dirt into it yet. A sprinkling of SoilMaster Select Red and gravel from previous 2-3 Cup Betta Bowl. I will eventually find some Schultz's Aquatic Potting Soil (in the fall & winter??) at a store and put one or two spoonfuls in and see what happens.


































































































































































































































I love photobucket. So easy.

Someday I will learn how to take real photographs. Of course that means either spending money on a fancy camera or how to use a magnifiying glass very well.

This is probably my first El Naturale Bowl. This is the one bowl that I put ferts in it once and regretted it. The Java Fern was not happy with that.

It goes slow but that is okay. I am just glad that it is doing okay. The temperature is roughly 68 degrees Farenheit. I am not sure what the future plans are for it. But the Betta does get some good attention and now has a bigger bowl. Previous one was 2-3 Cups of water. I normally feed the Betta Hikari Betta Bio-Gold tiny pellets. I tried some TetraColor Tropical Flakes with ProCare with a Biotin supplement. I wonder if the fish flakes will really 'feed' the plants. No snails. Just Betta. Hmmm...

Probably won't post to this again. But I finally had to post some photos of the Vase. I hope those that love Nanos can put up with these amateur photos. :smile:


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## onemyndseye (May 12, 2006)

Looks great jimbo  9 Cups is certainly very nano 


Really anything that the betta will eat will also feed the plants as alot of its the fish poop that does the job. But also the decaying leftover flakes and such will create yummy ammonia and NO3 as well as some traces for the plants as well...

Probably in a vase that small there is enough nutrients in the soil to feed the plants for quite awhile without the help of fish poop or food 

Take Care,
-Justin
One Mynds Eye


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## Mud Pie Mama (Jul 30, 2006)

Jimbo, 

My local (N of Pittsburgh, PA) Lowe's keeps their supply of most Pond items out on their shelves and replenished even through the winter. In other words, they do not close-out, clearance-away or store-away most of the garden merchandise. Just last week I saw they had Shultz Aquatic Soil on the shelf in the Outside Garden Area next to the pond pumps. You could give them a phone call first if it's not near your regularly visited shopping area.


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## treesmcdonald (Mar 14, 2006)

Hey Jimbo looking good! I think I have a similar camera. I have Kodak easyShare z740. I have been fiddling with it for a while and still have room for improvement but I have figured out some things. If you turn off your flash and light the vase from over head you won’t get the glare on the vase. You need a tripod or if you don't have one you can just use a stack of books. I use the timer so that the movement of pushing the button doesn’t blur the image. And don't forget that the color of the light will change the color of your plants. My camera has a macro setting for pictures of flowers which I use for fish pics but it’s still not all that great. I have tried the magnifying glass and you have to make sure its VERY clean and not getting any glare or the camera tries to focus on it instead of the fish/plants. Hope this helps at least a little. The good thing about digital is that you can take a million pics and trash all the bad ones and if your like me end up with about 5 good pics.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

Jimbo, nice-looking vase and I bet your betta is happy. He has beautiful colors and certainly seems to like showing off. I like the shape of your vase and all your plants look so healthy.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Thank you. I am so happy to know that this Nano is doing so well just the way it is. I like the fact that the Betta can sleep on or beneath the plants. And this is my first 'tank' where the Java Fern seems to be completely algae free all by itself. I never used to think of Rotala as a floating plant, but that is how it has turned out in this vase. I was encouraged to see that one of my close-ups of the Betta came out so clearly (REALLY CLOSE for this camera). I never knew before that the Betta's eyes themselves were Blue. Cool. 
I have used the Flower / Plant / Close Up mode on this camera before but have become frustrated when trying to take photos this close on other tanks - trying to get a close up of Hemianthus Micranthemoides or pearling. Have not had success with that. 
I have learned that it is very hard to take a photo of one tank with light coming through it from the window. Boy, speak about solar eclipse!

I will try to swipe my son's desk lamp someday and try that suggestion with the flash off. I don't have any light on the first floor similar to that. Everything on the first floor is either Sconce, Swag Lamp or Ceiling lamp. It will be interesting to see if it looks much different. Thank you for the camera suggestions. 

Thank you for the suggestion about looking at Lowe's / Home Depot / Local Nursery in the OUTDOOR section. You are right, I have to think about - PONDS. That should it make it easier on the phone when calling. 

I will need to try to look at stores close to my work during lunchtime. 

For after work, Wal*Mart is the only store on the way home that has hours that works with my schedule. But Lowes, Home Depot or the local nursery is what I really need. 

When I get brave (after I find the Schultz's Aquatic Soil) I will add one or two spoonfuls of soil and wait and see what happens. 

I don't even want to think about my backyard and its soil. I tried Square Foot Gardening...... Well, my wife and 4 children and I all have very different ideas about gardening, the lawn, vegetables, flowers, etc. Lets just put it this way, having the backyard that you want is not easy when your children are 6,7,9 and 10. Not without taking weeks off from work to repair what children can do to a lawn. 

My tanks - are mine. 

But if this works out well, I may be able go the next step. 

My summer experiments did not work out as well as this Betta Vase. 
I am a little gun shy. :smile:

I am just so glad that this worked out so far; and that my Betta and plants are happy. :happy:

Thank you so much for your positive feedback.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

> I will eventually find some Schultz's Aquatic Potting Soil (in the fall & winter??) at a store and put one or two spoonfuls in and see what happens.


Oh my gosh.

Schultz' Aquatic Soil is EXACTLY the same as SoilMaster Select!!!! (But not red.)

Now I know why they say to add dirt!

I assumed this stuff would be rich, nutritious, soil for an Aquatic Pond! WRONG!!!

Okay, time to look at what I have at home again.

So throw dirt in jar and do a 'bottle' test, huh?

Okay, I am slowly getting with it.

Jimbo is eventually going to throw dirt into one of his tanks.


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

After using dirt for 10 plus years I can't understand putting a tank togeather without it. bottle test your home soil and see what happens, heck you could even stick a stem or two of something in them and call it a nano.


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## SunnyBetta (Oct 18, 2006)

Such a beautiful setup! And your crowntail is absolutely gorgeous! He's quite happy judging from that huge bubblenest  But 9 cups...does that equate to 1.5 gallons? Sorry I'm just trying to wrap my brain around this 

I have 4 bettas and I'm trying to provide good, planted homes for them. It's nice to see that it is possible even with tiny tanks! Thanks for the lovely pictures!

And the macro mode on cameras can be a real pain at times (not wanting to focus ont he right thing) I usually put a desklamp over the tank, and add a white piece of paper to the back. That should cut distractions from outside of the tank, that the camera seems to love focusing on. If you still have trouble, try focusing the camera on your hand at a certain distance (like say 5 inches). Does your camera focus when you half press the shutter button? If so then hold on to that button but do not take the picture yet, then aim the camera so it is at the same distance from your subject (and thus should be focused on it) and snap!  I hope I was moderately articulate there...

Thanks for sharing once again, your betta vase is such an inspiration!


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Thank you for the comments about the bubble nest. 
I know Bettas make them, but did not know that is one way to know whether they are happy or not. I need Morbida and others to teach me more about the Bettas I have. 

9 cups is well, 9/16 of a Gallon which is almost 8/16 of a gallon which is 1/2 a Gallon or 0.5 Gallons. This is what math becomes when you are 39 years old. Nothing fancy here. (Hey, I didn't rip out a calculator, you know?)

SunnyBetta, thank you for the suggestions on the camera. I really do hope I can learn to take better close ups with this camera. It is easier on the small Bowls. I find it harder on my Tanks. (Maybe I need to check and see how clean the glass is on my other tanks.)

I find it so cool how this tank grows NO AGLAE at all! all by itself! :smile: 

The Betta does not seem to like flake food. He completely ignores it. 

Crowntail, huh? Good to know. 

I just knew I had to replace the last one I killed with an overdose of Seachem Excel. That one was pure red. I feel so guilty about that. :sad:

In comparison, it took me awhile to get used how this one looks. I just knew he was MUCH more expensive. I just considered it an extra donation to my local fish store and my penance for killing my son's Betta.

I am getting used to him. 

Other than the tail, are there any other differences between a Crowntail and a regular Betta?


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## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

Jimbo205 said:


> Other than the tail, are there any other differences between a Crowntail and a regular Betta?


Bettas are classified accd. to several diff. characteristics, one of which is finnage. Yours is a single ray crowntain which are the most common crowntails and, at least around here, worth twice as much as regular bettas, that is, around $5 - $6. The "regular" bettas you mention are known as "veil tail". If I'm not mistaken, this is the original mutation of the wild betta which does not have long fins. You can also get some really cool and much more expensive delta, super delta and halfmoon bettas (see betta finnage for more info on betta finnage.

Bettas are also classified accd. to color (eg, steel blue (irridescent blue), royal blue (more purplish blue than the steel), black, white opaques, cambodians (light/cream colored body w/ colored fins (can be red or blue)), or "regular" multicolors which is what we generally find in our LFS....

The world of bettas out there is just phenomenal! I can't wait to start breeding mine...

-ricardo


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## SunnyBetta (Oct 18, 2006)

Jimbo205 said:


> Thank you for the comments about the bubble nest.
> I know Bettas make them, but did not know that is one way to know whether they are happy or not. I need Morbida and others to teach me more about the Bettas I have.
> 
> 9 cups is well, 9/16 of a Gallon which is almost 8/16 of a gallon which is 1/2 a Gallon or 0.5 Gallons. This is what math becomes when you are 39 years old. Nothing fancy here. (Hey, I didn't rip out a calculator, you know?)
> ...


I came from UltimateBettas (Powered by Invision Power Board)....so I'm more familiar with their little quirks ...than knowing how to plant a tank. But I'm here to learn about that from you (and everyone else)! Some of the members there have 30+ bettas, and a planted tank/vase would be a very good option to numerous w/cs all the time. I didn't know the planted tank will work in such a small vase! 

LOL! Thanks for whittling the maths down to an undestandable chunk  0.5 gallons is absolutely tiny! :O The vase looks so much bigger in the photos! But do you have a cover for it? Some bettas pretend to be dolphins and try to fly. In other words, they are known to be good jumpers.

And bettas tend to turn their nose up at flake food - Hikari Betta Bio-Gold pellets is a fave, it's not too expensive for a tiny pack that will last your fish for almost a year (I think, if you feed 6-8 pellets per day)

Wardley also has betta pellets too. They also like freeze-dried bloodworms :3


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Ricardo - I can't wait until my son asks me the next question about 'his' Betta! Dear old Dad now has a whole bunch new stuff to share about Bettas!
Please share more about breeding the Bettas. I really look forward to it. I think my son has almost finished the gerbil phase. Now he just needs to break Mama of the gerbils so we can go on to the next phase - BABY BETTAS! (This will take some time.)

SunnyBetta, how do some people keep 30+ Bettas? Can you really have that many in one tank (large tank, yes?)?

I tried another brand of Betta pellets one time, I forgot the name of it; but the pellets were brown or black and much bigger. My Bettas would have nothing to do with it. Go figure. They also don't seem to like the pellets if it has been in the water more than 1 or 2 minutes. We have tried the freeze dried bloodworms. Our Bettas loved them!! I found them a little messy in the tank, but my son loved feeding those. The greatest was fresh 'daphnia?' or brine shrimp. Brine Shrimp = Sea Monkeys, yes? They were all gone by morning. One of the few times that we were able to get to the local fish store. 

The only Betta that ever jumped out of the tank, was the ONLY one that had a glass top over ALMOST the entire tank. That Betta had to be very determined to commit hari-kari. In the bowls (uncovered), my Bettas are very calm. 

I wonder if this jumping is related to having other fish in the tanks with the Bettas? 

SunnyBetta and Richardo, I look forward to seeing photos of your planted aquariums and Bettas!

By the way, I added a couple of spoonfuls of soil to this 9 cup Betta Vase @ Home and so far so good. 

Question: What is a bottle test and how do you do one? 

I spent hours enjoying Diana's book last week - Ecology of the Planted Aquarium looking for this. On page 138 she refers to a bottle test. It says, "Any water turbidity generated by problem soils should be apparent within a day or two."

Sometimes I just don't get things. What does this mean and what do I do? 

I put soil in a glass jar with water for a couple of days and wait. 
Do I test the water when it is done? What am I testing it for? 

Thank you for the help and all the information about Bettas. I can't wait to share that with the family.


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## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

Jimbo: I'll break betta breeding down to the basics... The "standard" way is to get a bare 10 gal tank (though smaller can be used...) and fill it half way with water. Add a mature sponge filter and the female. Condition her by feeding live and frozen foods for two weeks. Also condition the male in a separate tank. After two weeks, you isolate the female by essentially trapping the F in a hurricane glass that's open on both ends. Then you put the male in and place half a styrofoam cup in the tank, taped to the side of the tank. The male will build a bubble nest under the cup. As he's building the nest he'll flare for the female who will get black horizontal stripes (less noticeable in cambodians and other light bodied bettas). Once she has her stripes and he's built the nest release the female and watch. Once, and if, they breed you take the female out before she gets too beat up by the male. The male will then tend the eggs until they hatch. When the fry become free swimming, it's time to take the male out. Make sure the tank is covered, humid air is better for the development of the labyrinth organ. Feed the fry vinegar eels and/or microworms first, then BBS, then frozen BBS. Raise the level of the water as they grow. Place them in a 20 gal grow out tank after about a month. Jar males as they become nippy. That's about it, minus a few details... It's great fun to watch!

-ricardo


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Cool! 

Any links to a photo journal or videos? 

(I was trying to visualize that cup taped to the side of the glass.)

I am trying to get my wife and son to make the switch from gerbils to raising Bettas for $$. 
May never happen, but it sounds fun!


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Peter Hiscock has this GREAT book - AQUAMASTER - Today's Essential Guide to Growing - AQUARIUM PLANTS. 
The book is a feast for the eyes!!

Well, on page 58 he has information on A Cold Water Aquarium where he says that indoors they usually stabilize at 64-72 degrees Farenheit or 18-22 Celsius.

The plant list for this includes: 1. Elodea 2. Dwarf Hairgrass 3. Spadeleaf plant 4. Whorled umbrella plant 5. Broadleaf ludwigia 6. Creeping Jenny 7. Green milfoil 8. Spatterdock 9. Potamotgeton crispus (what is that?) 10. Giant Sagittaria 11. Straight Vallisneria.

Nowhere do I see Java Fern nor Rotala.

Now that my house is starting to cool down with the change in weather - will these two plants in my 9 Cup Betta Vase @ Home slow down (hibernate) or slowly die?

If so, I just need to know. I have a potential home for the plants and the Betta but really liked having them near my home computer on the shelf. He really is a cool Betta. I have my new (slowly getting ready) 10 Gallon tank that I have in the Basement for now and I have a new 2.5 Gallon Tank that I was going to set up in my son's room. The 2.5 would fit on the counter.


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## Grayum (Jun 14, 2006)

Hey Flag, I love the quote in your signature. I used to talk to Noam Chomsky through e-mail  hes awesome.


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## onemyndseye (May 12, 2006)

Jimbo:

Here is an image of P. Crispus from google:









As long as your indoor temps stay near 70 youll be fine 

BTW... Hows the NPT project comming? *grin*

Take care,
-Justin
One Mynds Eye


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

> As long as your indoor temps stay near 70 youll be fine


Well, during the winter the WARMEST we keep the house (or the 1st floor) is 70 degrees Farenheit. Usually in the winter between 65-68 while we are home. Programmable thermostat is set for 60 at night. 65 during the day. Unless one of turns it higher. Somehow I don't think a scarf or sweater is going to help - the Betta Vase.

The Betta, two snails and plants look okay.

Do you think they will be okay? Or time to move them into a warmer tank?


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