Ami's B'day Present

[Aminax]

Brhino got me a 10g for my birthday! ^.^ The StarWars remodel will have to be put aside as I focus my attention on this. The sooner I get it set up, the sooner I can get a betta! Whoo!

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0671.jpg

[Yourkisa]

Happy Birthday Aminax!

Congrats there on the new tank.

:11:

[little hawaii]

Brhino got me a 10g for my birthday! ^.^ The StarWars remodel will have to be put aside as I focus my attention on this. The sooner I get it set up, the sooner I can get a betta! Whoo!

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0671.jpg

You LUCKY kid. Great fun eh! happy Birthday:11:

[Northernguy]

Happy Birthday!:19:


Where is the cycled media?:hmm3grin2orange:

[chronic]

^Lol

That is a wicked present! Happy birthday!

[rich311k]

Great Birthday present. Enjoy.

[Brhino]

Where is the cycled media?:hmm3grin2orange:

I just added the biomedia from that AC20 to the AC50 filter on the goldfish tank. If she finds a betta she likes before that's had a chance to set up, I'll pull some of the media out of the AC50. Should be a pretty instant cycle either way.

[Bristley]

Congrats on the great present and a Happy B-day to you!

[Lady Hobbs]

Wow. Brhino really got you a nice gift, for sure. You could even buy a divider, spray it with black Krylon spray paint (for plastic) and have two betta's in there.

Happy Birthday Aminax!

[Aminax]

Thanks everyone! I'm not sure how long it's going to take for me to finish what I want to do with this tank; managed to get some brainstorming & prep work done in the basement last night. Before I really get running, I probably should finish the painting for my mother-in-law.

Anyway, idea for this tank:

Japanese garden design!

The lantern will be modeled after this one found in a public garden in Seattle.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/lantern.jpg

A tea house will be on the opposite end of the tank. Here is the inspiration, found in a private garden in Ohio, for the one I have envisioned:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/teahouse.jpg

And last but certainly not least, the tank will also feature a mihashira torii; similar to the one here, found in Yamato, Gifu in Japan.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/toriigate.jpg

Some modifications will be made to eliminate sharp edges and make openings big enough for a betta to swim through comfortably. As said, I went through my basement, and found various items that are similar in shape or size for one component or another in this design. There will be some live plants added throughout the tank. Also, the Mihashira torii will be guarding a paper mache sphere. I'll paint and seal different ones and swap them out for a different season/holiday.

I haven't figured out the background. It might be basic black, or it might be something I paint myself- a scene from a garden or something. Unsure at this time!

Any ideas or suggestions?

[Bristley]

That Japanese garden idea sounds like a winner to me. Can't wait to see some pics once you get it set up.

[Ashley]

The japanese garden will be awesome! How will you make all the structures?!

[Trillianne]

Nice gift!

You could probably do a google image search for "bamboo wallpaper" and get some nice images for your background.

I liked this one:
http://interfacelift.com/wallpaper_beta/D312a383/01905_bamboo_2560x1600.jpg

But there are several that would make sharp backgrounds for a tank I'd think.

[wolf_eyes]

Do a cherry blossom background or print a picture from the tokyo imperial palace. I went there on a school trip and even in winter that place was breath taking. I spend a good hour sitting on top of a little hill overlooking their koi pond area and just water coloring it. It was really peaceful.

http://www.epiklayouts.com/upload/fm4zvew1-133478394_9608b3f0a5_b.jpg
http://www.gnccs.org/images/CP4-AncientYunNanCherryblossomTree.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/78/227562687_d754de1aba.jpg
http://imagecache6.allposters.com/LRG/22/2241/SN9ZD00Z.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Imperial_Palace_East_Garden.jpg

I also have a few thousand pictures of my trip to japan, at least hundred of the various gardens they had there. If you're interested I can send you some :) Lol sorry if i seem enthusiastic, I've also wanted to do this idea as well.

[Aminax]

How will you make all the structures?!

Well, luckily, I've been experimenting with another tank idea. If you're interested, you can look over here (http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=63127). As long as I seal it with aquatic silicone, anything goes.

I think paper mache is going to be the best way to go about this. There really isn't anything you can't make out of that stuff. I'd go the same route as kel when he did up his 10g betta (http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=62402), but Styrofoam becomes unstable at the thinness/small scale/intricate detail I'm looking at. The only hurdle that I can see (so far) is weighing it down some how so the structures themselves don't float.

I can coat the lantern with a thin layer of cement like kel did with his custom rock wall. That will give it an authentic, stone-look. However, I can't do that necessarily with the tea house or torii gate, since I'd like both to look like it's made of wood.

For the tea house, my idea was to make a small, thin concrete slab and attach the tea house to it. As far as the torii gate goes, I'll leave the vertical pillars hollow and funnel some left over gravel down in there, then seal it. Hopefully that'll be heavy enough to do the trick. If not, I can attach the legs to small stones, and just cover the stones with gravel/sand when I install it.

[Aminax]

You could probably do a google image search for "bamboo wallpaper" and get some nice images for your background.

I liked this one:
http://interfacelift.com/wallpaper_beta/D312a383/01905_bamboo_2560x1600.jpg

But there are several that would make sharp backgrounds for a tank I'd think.

Oooh, this is a good idea! I'll definitely keep this in mind. The background won't be decided until probably the final stages, but it's never too late to begin shopping around.

[Aminax]

Do a cherry blossom background or print a picture from the tokyo imperial palace. I went there on a school trip and even in winter that place was breath taking. I spend a good hour sitting on top of a little hill overlooking their koi pond area and just water coloring it. It was really peaceful.

I also have a few thousand pictures of my trip to japan, at least hundred of the various gardens they had there. If you're interested I can send you some :) Lol sorry if i seem enthusiastic, I've also wanted to do this idea as well.

Mmm!! Now you've really got me thinking! I'm extremely jealous that you go to go to Japan, and especially jealous you got to see the imperial palace in Tokyo.

All of the images you linked are spectacular.

I would be honored and thrilled to see any pictures you're willing to share.:l24:

[tanks4thememories]

Very nice, well I wish you a late Happy Birthday Aminax!!

Looks like you got the full set up there. I like your decor ideas Can't wait to see them in the tank...will be awesome!!thumbs2:

[wolf_eyes]

Mmm!! Now you've really got me thinking! I'm extremely jealous that you go to go to Japan, and especially jealous you got to see the imperial palace in Tokyo.

All of the images you linked are spectacular.

I would be honored and thrilled to see any pictures you're willing to share.:l24:

Haha believe you me, if my parents hadn't paid for most of it I wouldn't have gone. Yea, give me a couple of day to go through them all (it'll give me an excuse to finally put them in a slideshow for my mom) and I'll give you some :)

[Aminax]

Rinsed the gravel, and went to the store to get a power strip. And I had all good intentions, but... I picked up something I didn't intend to.

Admittedly... I'm kinda putting the cart before the horse, or rather the fish before the water, but I fell in love with a betta.

I said I wouldn't; I said I was just looking... but I dunno, there was just some sort of connection.

I'll post a pic up soon.

[little hawaii]

You are so full of creativity. Why dont you go take a pottery class and make them ceramic. I like to see pics. no matter what.

[Aminax]

As stated before, I came home with a betta sooner than expected. It's not that his coloring is anything special, but when I was holding the different betta up to the light, he was the only one who swam as close as he could and seemed to be studying me as much as I was him.

Presenting Kyuzo:

I tried to get him to flare out his fins, but he wasn't buying it. Not easily intimidated, this fish!
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0733.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0729.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0748.jpg

Here is a shot of what Brhino and I were able to put together at the last minute. The tank is spartan compared to the plans I have. In the interim, we'll call this the before shot.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0737.jpg

[Aminax]

Now that this project is full throttle, I've stepped up the testing and what not.

Today, I assembled the mock tea house and slathered half of it in pure silicone. The other half is going to be coated in silicone that's been thinned. After it's had time to cure, I'm going to dunk the whole thing in water and see what happens. I'm testing resilience, texture and overall look with a side-by-side comparison.

Meanwhile, I picked up one part of my design: the first sphere. Over time, I'll be getting and painting new spheres so that I have a different one for each holiday or season. Then, whenever a new holiday/season rolls around, I'll swap them out in the tank.

Pics to come soon..... maybe.

[Aminax]

Kyuzo is adjusting wonderfully in his life outside the cup. When we first got him, he wouldn't eat. He'd swallow things, then spit everything right back out. We switched food, and now he eats aggressively. We went out of town this weekend, and he went without food that entire time. He gobbled up the pellets I dropped in and two mosquito larvae Brhino added.

Since we've been out of town, and other, various excuses, I've been unable to spend time in the basement with his tank decor. However, I did find some black poster board, which I cut to size and taped to the back of his tank.

While we were out, I found two stones I'd like to add to his tank. Both passed the vinegar test, and will begin soaking tomorrow. I also plan on getting some small pieces of driftwood from the LFS, and sinking those in the interim between now and when his real tank decor will be ready.

In the mean time, here are some pics!

Kyuzo really doesn't like his picture taken, so there will not be many pictures of him. However, he is happy in his new tank, and, instead of eating, filled up his schedule with nest building!
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0841-1.jpg

It is a shame he's so camera shy. This fish will change colors depending on how the light is angled. This is how he looks normally:

(Avoiding camera)
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0846.jpg
(note the significant amount of blue)

Giving me dirty looks
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0853.jpg
aaaannnnnd....

POOF! ...red fish!
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0850.jpg

[Aminax]

Couple more comparison shots....

Blue fish! With stylish black background!
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0856.jpg

Rrred fish!
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0849.jpg

He's one fish.
Not two fish!

And that's all the Dr Seuss from me, 'kay?

:22:

[HeatherB]

He looks great! Maybe try some air dry clay for some of your decor? You could put some 'veining' in it to make it look like wood and then coat in silicone if you needed too.

[Aminax]

Maybe try some air dry clay for some of your decor

You and little hawaii have both suggested this. The more I think about it, the more this seems waaaay easier than the method I'm currently planning. It would sink, too, which is a problem with the paper mache (though easily overcome by gluing stuff to rocks). Hmmm!!! I shall investiagte.

[Aminax]

Thanks to a ridiculous amount of red & black tape between me and signing up for classes in the fall semester, I am way behind on my for-fun-projects.

However! The rocks are soaking. No images of that, I assume you can imagine what rocks soaking in buckets of water look like accurately. Thanks to little hawaii and HeatherB, I'll save a ton of time, energy and frustration by sculpting the structural elements from clay.

First up: the tea house! From the angles in the first, two shots it appears I'm doing really good!

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0868.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0865.jpg

Upon closer inspection, it can clearly be seen I have work yet to do. Such as...

Uneven wall heights...
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0867.jpg

....And lopsided circles
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0864.jpg

Hopefully, I'll get down in the basement today during my daughter's nap time, or tonight when she goes down for the night.

[Yourkisa]

Lovelly fish you have there !
My son was given a betta a few years back as a gift, little tank and everything, all it was was a very sulky brown fish !

I do love the way that Kyuzo changes colour depending on where you take the picture from, very cool ! (Kyuzo was one of the seven samurai wasnt he ? )

I do wish that I had the time / skill / inclination to make some personal-touch decorations for a tank as well, so keep up the good work and make me jealous !

[Aminax]

I do love the way that Kyuzo changes colour depending on where you take the picture from, very cool ! (Kyuzo was one of the seven samurai wasnt he ? )


:hmm3grin2orange: Indeed, Kyuzo was the 6th of the seven samurai! He was also the one who showed the most skill in aikido and aikiken. ..also my favorite character in the entire movie!

I guess I see the tanks in my house as much as decoration as habitat for my fishy friends. Having the inclination is 80% of it, anyway. But I have to be very careful-- I'm very good at putting too many projects on my plate and not getting any of them done. :14:

This one is well within manageable terms. The deadline is September 8th (when the semester starts). In addition to this little endeavor, I've got my hands full with a few others.

It helps to have a journal that I am "accountable" for. :11:

[Aminax]

I'm sitting here mystified because I have a distinct memory of posting this update last night. Either I posted it to the wrong thread or the update post itself got up and wandered away... or I was dreaming. At any rate, here's what I got done last night in the basement.

By the way, the structure isn't crooked, the photographer is.

Front, yes the scrolling roof tiles are uneven in comparison, but I'll get around to that.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0877.jpg

Side;
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0872.jpg

Closer shot of the roof; I'm leaving it mostly open for Kyuzo to be able to swim in and out.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0875.jpg

The markings on the walls were made with a fork and Popsicle stick. I'm going to redo the scrolling roof tiles so that they are larger on the bottom, smaller on top and even on all corners. I will also make holes with a straw in various places so that I can lash plants down with fishing line at a later date. Also going to make some sort of impression on the front and back of the roof support.

[Aminax]

The tea house is still under construction. Until it is finished, I'm sorta under the gun because it's an air drying clay. The plan is to work on it s'more tonight after the offspring goes to bed.

In the meantime, I put one of the rocks I found in today. Its blocking the water heater ^.^

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0914.jpg

[Aminax]

Tea house is done!

The scroll roof tiles got scrapped. No use is doing anything fancy in that part, it's getting covered with java moss anyway. Added holes to the structure in order to thread fishing line through.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0919.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0920.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0922.jpg

Now all I have to do is allow it to dry, paint, seal, & silicone! ...and then test... and then install... and then order plants... and then tie them on... <.<

Time to start on the lantern!!

[Trillianne]

Looks like progress!

I think you have a beautiful betta to go in your tank too!

[HeatherB]

Those look great. Are you thinking of painting them or leaving then au natural?

[Aminax]

:hmm3grin2orange: Yeah, I'll get it painted once it's dry. I need to set this tank project aside for a while. Several deadlines are approaching concerning other people. Now that I know what I'm doing, however, making the lantern and torri gate will be cake.

In the meantime, I found a piece of driftwood that is perfect for the 10g. It's soaking now, and will help hide the water heater's cord when installed.

[Rue]

I dunno about the paint...I think they're very cute au naturel...

[Aminax]

Still waiting for tea house to dry before continuing.

In the meantime, driftwood was added to the betta tank. Of course, installing it meant rearranging a bit.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0974.jpg

[HeatherB]

I like that peice of wood! It looks great standing up like that!

[Aminax]

I like that peice of wood! It looks great standing up like that!

Thanks! The end that's shoved into the gravel has some sharp edges, so I stood it up like that to make sure the fish wasn't in danger.

[Aminax]

Tank Update!
Kyuzo is doing well! He loves the blood worms and mosquito larva when they come his way. I have fallen asleep while watching him swim around (tank is in our room) many nights! Even with the filter on low, the flow is still probably too strong for him. He seems happy though, and the tea house will be station under that to defuse it.

Only new thing to report is that I added a cutting of water sprite from Brhino's tank. Looks nice and inspired me to push the project forward so I can get more live plants!

Project Update!

Tea House:
Got the first coats of final color on. After that, it's a matter of brushing on the silicone. Eventually, I'll get plants to fill in the different holes in the design.

Lantern:
Made all the pieces! They're now drying in the basement, might take more than 24 hours as a few of the pieces are thick. The paint job should be easier on this element than the tea house. After painting comes the silicone.

Torii gate:
Yet to be made, but I'm certain I have enough clay to get the job done. Follow that up with dry time, paint & silicone- and FIN!

Background:
Going to be the last thing I do for this tank (besides adding plants). I need to see how much of the actual background is seen after everything is installed. No point in going into the trouble of painting a beautiful scene otherwise.

Sorry no pics this time, camera's battery is dead!

[Aminax]

Here's a pic of the water sprite cutting; mainly just as a reference for me on its progress.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0267.jpg

[Aminax]

Wow! A month has passed since I updated this journal! I've been working on the Japanese garden structures when I can (classes started earlier this month). In the meantime, I continue to get "temporary" decorations when they catch my fancy. Most recently, is a bit of "rainbow stone".

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0083.jpg

Perhaps it is hard to spot, but in the right corner, behind the water sprite is the new stone. It has replaced the plastic coconut.

I also tethered some java moss to the drift wood which is coming in quite fine.

The water sprite has grown and spawned a bit since it was introduced. Kyuzo enjoys having his tank rearranged, he gets out of the way, but doesn't flee or hide. He watches and when my hand withdraws, he inspects whatever has changed immediately. Love this fish!

[HeatherB]

Looking great! I can't wait to see those clay decorations when you get them done. The house is going to look really nice with a java moss roof!

I made some of the filter diffusers that Sarkazmo wrote a thing up on. My new favorite thing to push for people to do! I made uh...5 of them. They really helped in my divided tank. I now have 30+ gallons of filtration in a 10 gallon tank.

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=44359

[Aminax]

Another month has passed since my last confession... I mean tank journal update.

A couple of weeks back, I got a new piece of driftwood that had very interesting striations and knobs. Since then, it has been soaking. Tonight, in an attempt to procrastinate studying for an up-coming exam, I installed the new driftwood into the betta tank. My original intention was to stick it in the goldfish tank, but decided against it. Functionally, it is blocking the filter flow; visually, it is countering the other driftwood and the shorter stones. I'm still not entirely satisfied with the current set-up, but after rearranging and re-rearranging a few times, I decided to let things settle before doing any more adjusting.

Before
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0569.jpg

After
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0577.jpg

And Kyuzo has a new friend! At first ill-received, but now mostly left alone, presenting The Unnamed Apple Snail!

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0539.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/Aminax/DSC_0410.jpg

Kyuzo the Fish is also doing well. He challenges one of our cats who has taken a keen, albeit belated, interest in his tank. And his appetite is good, fins look nice, and his activity level appears normal. As usual, he was camera shy, so there will be no current photos of him posted.

[Aminax]

Quick update!

1) The sides of the tank now have black paper taped to them. The cat was continuously stalking the betta, and stressing him out. He was hiding most of the time, but once the sides got covered, he's been back to his exploring self.

2) The Apple Snail Naming Contest is done! Trillianne and Littler Embers tied. I sent PMs to both, but only Trillianne has gotten back to me :( (so far). Once I get Trillianne's avatar made and sent, I will post a pic here, too.

3) Slimey Ringo no katatsumuri the Apple Snail is dining regularly on spinach leaves. First cucumber and lettuce were offered, but he didn't care for them. The spinach he loves!

[Rue]

Looks great! Glad the fish and snail are doing so well...thumbs2:

Too bad the cat had to get thwarted though...(sorry...just needed an excuse to use the word 'thwart' in a relevant sentence...:14: )

[bmwguy525]

Major bump for this tank, as I'm setting up a split 10 gallon for my 2 bettas soon and found this thread. Any one-year updates on the DIY tea house? It looked promising.

[Aminax]

Hey there! Thanks for the bump.

This obstinate thing called "life" keeps interrupting, so the tea house is on hold. Plus, my work table and such kinda got pushed off into a corner because Brhino has been working hard to improve our basement.

The short answer is sadly no. But some day!

Edit: However, Kyuzo the Betta is alive and well. When I get a moment tonight, I will post a pic or two.

[gm72]

Very, very nice.

[Fishkeeper]

Love that fish! I used to have a betta like that. He looked gray in the cup, but in my tank he turned all different shades of blue and purple depending on the light angle.