Malloy Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Hi guys, I've got a 4" tank for my Bettas as pictured. The forums won't let me post the pics Betta Display Tank 1 Betta Display Tank 2 It's divided into 14 compartments, 7 front and 7 in the rear. They are all separate at the moment and I'm planning on drilling holes between each one. I'm going to put a filter/heater in one of the rear compartments and pump water from one to the next in a big loop. I want to drain water from the top of each compartment (like a weir) to keep the surface clean and oil free but I don't want the holes in the top of each divider because the water wont mix very well and it may be tricky to drill. Best solution I can see at the moment is to drill down low and connect a pipe to the surface at each dividing piece of glass like this: Betta Display Tank 3 I can get hold of some irrigation uprights and elbows that are about 6-8mm, should be enough for this system as there won’t be much water flow. I know some people don't like the idea of sharing water between tanks because of the risk of disease. In this case I think the benefits of heated and filtered water outweigh that risk. Comments, suggestions and constructive criticism welcome. I'm mainly interested in any variants people may think of for placement of the holes and how the water should move from one compartment to the next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 (edited) That's a very interesting way of doing it. So presumably you'll have to take it apart in order to drill? Another way would be to drill one divider with a hole at the top and the next with the hole at the bottom. That will help with the water flow and mixing you're trying to achieve and should provide sufficient surface movement. However I do like your mini weirs though. It will mean that fins can't really block the outflow. The reason you can't embed the photos is because your hosting site doesn't seem to provide a link to the jpg file so the IMG tags on the board don't work. Edited January 13, 2012 by Bettarazzi I meant fins not find. Damn auto correct! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malloy Posted January 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 Thanks for the input Bettarazzi, I did consider the "one top, one bottom" approach but the drawback would be that half the tanks would not be drawing water from the surface and would build up oil and dust over time. The wiers allow me to keep all the surfaces clear. I've also changed the design slightly, the pipes feel a bit messy so I'm going to build small channels out of perspex strips instead. I'm not taking it apart to drill, here's how I'm doing it: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbites Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 Hey thats a sneaky little gizmo you have attached to the drill!!! something like that might let Sarah drill her barracks (another thread hijacked!!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 OMG you can drill round corners with that thing!!! I want one. Where can I get one? Is that actually you drilling these barracks? Or someone else on YouTube you found doing the same thing? I like the weirs. And the Perspex will look good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malloy Posted January 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 Heh heh yeah thats a sneaky little right angle drill attachment, about $15 from Bunnings. That video is me all right, those are the barracks I'm working on now. I'm going to make some more videos as I go along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumofthehoarde Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 oooo another tool...me need..yes indeed I do!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malloy Posted January 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Lol I guess Bunnings are about to see an increase in right angle drill purchases! Before you go drilling you precious tanks, remember to cool the bit with water held in with some silicone and go slowly and lightly especially towards the end. I went to the local glass shop and asked for some offcuts to practice on first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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