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Dream tank (for a 5-year old girl)!

5K views 23 replies 7 participants last post by  Chesh 
#1 ·
Welcome to Mermaid's Cove!

This silly little tank was a gift for my daughter's 5th birthday.

She's been keeping a 1 gallon fry tank with some tiny guppy babies in her room for a few months now, and has been great at 'helping' with feeding and water changes. Her birthday came just at the time when her guppies would need to be moved into a real tank in a new home. . . which upset her, even though she had been expecting it. I decided that since she had been so helpful about taking care of her little pets, she deserved a new tank, with a beautiful Betta SO pretty, she'd forget all about her guppy babies!

I tried hard to find some sort of balance between a tank that would appeal to a 5-year old girl who loves mermaids and purple, and the needs of the fish who would live there. . . I hope I did okay! The tank is 3 gallons, and aside from all the purple plastic, has a decent amount of live Anacharis and Fanwort plants. I created a little cave for the betta back behind the mermaid, where he can retreat to rest, but she can still peek in at him if she wants to. The tank has been running in secret for a while now, but yesterday was her birthday - and the grand reveal, so I thought I'd share it with you, too!




She LOVES it - and it's Betta inhabitant, who has been named Princess ShimmerBlue! I pointed out the fact that the Betta was a BOY fish, and so ought to be called PRINCE, but she replied with "Mommy, I will PRETEND he is a girl, and SHE is a PRINCESS FISH with shimmering hair"

So far the royal Princess Shimmer seems happy with his new digs, despite the garish colors (which happen to match him almost exactly). He doesn't spend much time in hiding, and has been spied blowing bubble nests - to the delight of my bubble-loving baby girl!



Some weird Betta camouflage going on here. . .



And just for fun. . . a shot of her tiny 1g fry tank just before it got shut down. . .
She picked out every bit of this tiny tank, and loved it fiercely. I kind of miss it!


 
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#2 ·
Wow, I'm glad he's doing well! I can't even see that annoying heater! ;)

I swear, you are the only person alive that can make purple gravel and childish decor look stylish and sophisticated. O__O I don't even know how you did this. But I do see your style coming out in this tank! :lol:
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#6 ·
Heehee, thanks guys! I can't help but get a big grin every time I go in and see it in her room! It's just the SILLIEST little tank ever! And that fish in there flaring all big and proud of himself *giggle* He has no idea . . . :D

Jon - you should make her one! My little one takes such good care to feed her fish and get the lights on and off at the right time. She loves helping me read water tests, and assisting with water changes. I was actually surprised by how well she cared for her fish! Let's raise the next generation of good aquarists from an early age!
 
#7 ·
It's weird, betta seem completely impervious to bright unnatural decor, bright lights, whatever you throw at them. I guess you can consider it a sign of domestication. Wild type betta would not last in that, that's for sure. But him? He will thrive like no tomorrow.

And yes, they do have that "I'm the awesomest thing ever" personality in general. It's nice that he's like that. My newest guy is very shy and timid (he's scared of food) and he just hides in his plant all day.
 
#8 ·
Heehee, well. . . he does match his tank, maybe the bright colors make him feel safe, lol! I know he would stand out so much more, and probably be more comfortable in a setup that was more natural and darker, but I'm really happy that he seems to have no problems being a princess fish, lol! He's still new, so we're keeping an eye on him. If he seems unhappy, we'll have to de-princess the tank a little bit, but hopefully he continues to thrive. I am also very glad that he has a bold and showy personality - it's perfect to hold my little girl's heart. Your new little shy guy. . . makes me sad! I hope he gets a bit bolder as he settles in. Poor thing!
 
#9 ·
Oh, have you seen some of the tanks on the bettafish site? Yours is extremely natural compared to some of the neon stuff on there.
Yea, gotta get more cover in my newbie's tank, maybe he'll feel better then.
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#10 ·
lol, no. . . I haven't really spent too much time over there. But now I'm going to have to go and have a look. If this tank can be considered "extremely natural," I can't imagine what some of the others could look like!!! I want to see your shy guy - and all of your other fishy friends. You don't have any aquariums posted :(
 
#16 ·
No Chesh Don't! The Betta section of this site is doom!!! hahaha Stay away!!

That's my warning for you.

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Now to your fish tank.

:eek:mg:

HOLY CRAP! IT IS GORGEOUS. I love purple. Third favorite color hahah. Orange, Green, Purple. :D

What really brings this tank together is the half blue on the plastic plants on the bottom right AND the clear pebbles in the middle. I just hope you can keep the clear pebbles on top over time, it really does bring everything together.

This is really well done. Beautiful Tank!

The betta really does match the tank too. I'm a little jealous I must say, as I love purple.

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For the 1 gallon tank, why don't you convert it into like a snail/shrimp tank? Just a thought since you don't want to get rid of it.

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Also, I have been missing in action due to my gf's wisdom teeth surgery yesterday. I have been taking care of her. I think we will be heading back to Salisbury tomorrow if she feels up to it.

Great Job Chesh!
 
#14 ·
Holy Colorful tank!!! I have to say, that it is truly well done. Often times I look at peoples more colorful tanks and think "what in the world were they thinking?" In this case however, you really do make it look nice all the while keeping your baby happy with plenty of color. Great job.

I have to say, in the second picture Princess Shimmer seems a bit grumpy looking about being called Princess rather then Prince. ha ha
 
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#15 ·
Thank you Inga!!! That means a lot! I'm oddly proud of this ridiculous little tank, lol! It goes against everything I believe in as far as fish are concerned, but for HER, it's perfect! I'm just glad that I've somehow managed to keep it somewhat presentable - and still over-the-top enough for such a little girly-girl!

He DOES look grumpy, doesn't he!?? *giggle* I've taken to calling him Shims or Shimzy. I just *CAN'T* call him Princess and refer to him as a HER. I can't! I tried. . . She is insistent, though, and never misses a beat. SHE is a PRINCESS FISH! Kids are so goofy, I swear! I love her!


Olympia - WHEEEEE! Notifications are SO FUN TO GET!!! I like your pretty fishies, thanks for posting pictures of them for me!
 
#17 ·
-was raised on the betta part-
Generally, no you don't want to mix between betta and here, it's two different schools of thought on everything.
And of course..."check out my neon tank! It's neon themed!" :lol: To each is to own, right?
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#18 ·
ROFL!!! Yeah. . . I've crossed to the Betta side a time or two, got a little bit nervous, and ran away!!!

Termie, I've missed you. You didn't say exactly when the surgery was, but I was thinking it might have been that. Poor girl! I hope she's recovering well! Wisdom teeth SUCK when they come out. . . glad I'll NEVER have to do THAT again!!!

THANKS for the compliments, dear! And for all of your help - I shot so many questions at you and Olympia, lol, you must be sick of me! I'm really glad you like it, considering that you've had to hear about it for ages now without a peek, poor Termie! You're such a trooper! I really LOVE the blue glass stones, too. I doubt they'll stay put, but I plan to try to keep them on top. I agree with you - they really pull everything together. They've stood up to a few gravel vacs so far *crosses fingers* My little girl calls them her 'bubble stones,' she really likes them, too.

Hmmm, orange, green, and purple? Is Halloween your favorite holiday, too?

As for the 1g, I've been thinking about *maybe* starting up a brine shrimp (or some other wormy critter) hatchery. . . All these years later, I'm wondering if my Sea Monkies failed due to a cycling 'tank' *giggle* Any thoughts on this?

I don't think I want to keep anything else in there, though I would like to have 'real' shrimp in one of these tanks some day. I managed to keep that tank cycled and clean enough to nurture the fry for a few months, but it took a LOT of care and attention. I learned a lot from that tank, and I'm glad I had it, but. . . I don't think I want to maintain it forever. For now, it has been put to rest. . . we shall see what happens to it in the future :)
 
#20 ·
Yea the surgery went well. She just can't eat anything yet :-(. I got lucky because I still have my wisdom teeth in and their nice, healthy and in the right place. We are actually heading back today to Salisbury where I get to check on the fishies! :D They haven't eaten since Monday night....I hope Betta doesn't kill an oto for food.

I was also thinking about a brine shrimp tank, just to use a feed hahah. But i want to look more into maintenance of it. I have a 1.75 Gallon im thinking of doing something with....just dunno what. It's a square too so its weird shape micro tank.

Blue Grass lol

I like Halloween...lol but I prefer Christmas cause I get so much time off of work.

Yeah I def noticed the floating plants and the java fern, those were some nice little small touches. :D
 
#19 ·
Oh yeah! I forgot to mention that there is a bit of Anacharis and Salvinia left floating. Just a smidge for now, but the Salvinia is already starting to spread. Also, if you look at the mermaid, there is a small JavaFern attached to the base just behind her - and I'm really excited that it's growing baby daughter plantlets on it's leaves! Very cool...
 
#21 ·
Id just like to say that your little girls aquarium is truly stunning! You managed so well to bring natural and fantasy so well together! The Betta is also a magnificent specimen, must have taken you quite some time to find one to match the decor. Job well done!
 
#22 ·
Thank you so much! I appreciate the sentiment. I must say I'm kind of surprised by the kind comments I'm getting on this tank! You guys are so SWEET!

I actually didn't pick the betta to match, it was a happy accident! My daughter's favorite color is purple, which I've been told is hard to find in a chain-store betta. Unfortunately, PetSmart was my best option - and they keep their poor fish in cups treated with methylene blue. So no matter how I tried, there was no way that I could really tell what color the fish inside was until I got it home. I chose the healthiest fish I could find. . . and crossed my fingers that she would like it. What a happy surprise to find a fish that, though not purple, was a perfect match! His fins are really pretty, and they do shimmer blue with red highlights, which appears purple to the eye. . . so, Princess ShimmerBlue by a very, very happy accident is perfectly matched to his decor. I wouldn't have it any other way! LOL!
 
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