Internal Filters???

MBilyeu

I just finished siliconing the dividers in a 10 gallon tank that I am planning on housing three bettas, a female guppy, and a school of neon tetras. I know that bettas do not like a huge amount of water movement, and it has been hard to find filtration with extremely low gph. I was wondering if something like this: Foam Aquarium Biological Filters: Oxygen Plus Bio-Filter 3 & 5 will be sufficient filtration and water movement for the whole tank? I made my dividers with holes and slits in them for water flow between compartments, and I was thinking about putting an airstone in with each of the bettas. Does that sound do-able? Sufficient?

Tyyrlym

Well, a couple of questions. How big are the sections? How did you pierce the dividers for water flow? You could probably put a standard filter into the section with the tetras and let the dividers slow the flow into the betta areas. Still, I'd like some info on how the tank is divided up.

jeaninel

Yea, if the tank is divided into 3 sections that doesn't leave a whole lot of room and an internal filter will take up a lot of room. I think a small HOB may be the way to go. Can you post a pic of the set up?

MBilyeu

I will try and get a pic up soon. I cut acrylic up and siliconed the dividers purposefully un-symmetrical. Yes I drilled holes, and cut slots into each divider for waterflow. Without doing too much math I think that there are two sections that 2 gallons and two sections that are 3 gallons. This is an estimate because I don't want to do geometry right now. I was trying not to do an HOB, because I couldn't find one that has a low enough flow for the bettas(most are 100gph). If the those internal filters wont work, then I will probably just end up going with the smallest HOB I can find.

Tyyrlym

I suspect that if you put a HoB in one of the center sections, without a betta in it, you'll be fine. The dividers will break down the flow enough that bettas in other compartments will be fine. I have an Eclipse 6 gallon system that has a 160 gph filter. My diverter makes it so that my betta can swim right in front of the filter output without getting blown around at all.

MBilyeu

Here is a picture of the tank. I still need to clean up some of the excess silicone, but I was going to wait a bit on that. I tried to stock it the other day, but all of the neon tetras died! I have a separate post in the freshwater aquarium forum with questions for help with that.

Tyyrlym

I'm having some trouble figuring out where the dividers are. Could you point them out?

MBilyeu

Stupid me. I will take a picture from the top and highlight the dividers when my wife gets home with the camera...

MBilyeu

Here we go, I drew yellow lines alongside where the dividers are. Based upon this photo and the last, you should be able to get the idea...

Tyyrlym

Well that's certainly different. A HoB filter in the compartment with the rock should have it's flow well dampened by the dividers.

I don't know that I'd add neons to this set up though. There's only good cover in the portion with the rocks, and between the HoB and the rocks that doesn't leave them much room to swim in.