# New 5.5 Gallon Chi - update



## monkE (Aug 4, 2010)

Well I decided that my betta was due for a new condo so when I saw a good deal come up on a chi, it was time. - Thanks Ethan for the great tank!

The first thing I had to do was figure out what i was going to do with the new tank, so i got on google image and I found a sweet looking bhudda tank that used bamboo to create a really cool effect so that it what i wanted to model my new tank after.










I got some silica sand from IPU and of course while i was there i found a couple tank mates for my betta - a male and female featherfin (tetra?)

I had some bamboo lying around the house (god knows why) and I liked the aztek looking temple thing in my bettas old tank and Manny used to hide out in it all the time so I figured i'd try to make it work. It didn't take long to realize that the bamboo is extremely buoyant. It was pretty difficult to actually get them to stay down in the sand. I'm going to nail some weights to the bottoms to allow them to stay down.
I also added some java fern and a small stem of wisteria in the back - well see if that wisteria manages to grow without any substrate.


















































Thanks for looking! 
Any ideas about possible tank mates would be great! I'm looking to keep it colourful.

The next thing i need is to find a good floating plant - besides duckweed lol that will grow in this tank - the problem with that is the LED light is under the surface so I think i'm going to still have to mount another light above the tank to pull it off. Any Ideas about a surface plant to use??


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## Ebonbolt (Aug 12, 2011)

They're rainbows, not tetras  Nice looking tank, it's got some nice chi flowing through it :lol:


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## Tarobot (Jun 27, 2010)

that is the EXACT SAME buddha betta pic i found that got me to buy that chi hahahahaha. there's some lucky bamboo at ikea for $2 if you want stuff that will grow


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## Pamela (Apr 21, 2010)

monkE said:


> The next thing i need is to find a good floating plant - besides duckweed lol that will grow in this tank - the problem with that is the LED light is under the surface so I think i'm going to still have to mount another light above the tank to pull it off. Any Ideas about a surface plant to use??


I have some kind of floating plant, I think it's Salvinia minima, that grows well in low light. I have it in a tank that doesn't have a light & only gets indirect sunlight through a frosted bathroom window. If you're ever in north Burnaby I'd be happy to give you some to try in your Chi.


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## Arcteryx (Nov 23, 2011)

Love the look  I've wondered about lucky bamboo as a decorative element as well, has anyone ever tried that?


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## jirunta (Jun 28, 2010)

Arcteryx said:


> Love the look  I've wondered about lucky bamboo as a decorative element as well, has anyone ever tried that?


I think I've heard somewhere before that it was poisonous to keep lucky bamboo with bettas? Or fish? Can someone correct me if I'm wrong?


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## monkE (Aug 4, 2010)

BelieveInBlue said:


> They're rainbows, not tetras  Nice looking tank, it's got some nice chi flowing through it :lol:


thanks man, ya rainbows makes more sence for their body style


Tarobot said:


> that is the EXACT SAME buddha betta pic i found that got me to buy that chi hahahahaha. there's some lucky bamboo at ikea for $2 if you want stuff that will grow


haha great minds think alike eh? thanks again ethan! Ikea? well i'm going to have to check that out... if i can get some to actually be living that would be great!


Pamela said:


> I have some kind of floating plant, I think it's Salvinia minima, that grows well in low light. I have it in a tank that doesn't have a light & only gets indirect sunlight through a frosted bathroom window. If you're ever in north Burnaby I'd be happy to give you some to try in your Chi.


Very kind of you Pamela, i will definitely PM you if i'm coming out that way


Arcteryx said:


> Love the look  I've wondered about lucky bamboo as a decorative element as well, has anyone ever tried that?


Thanks! 


jirunta said:


> I think I've heard somewhere before that it was poisonous to keep lucky bamboo with bettas? Or fish? Can someone correct me if I'm wrong?


Oh yes someone has to verify this... don't want to poison anyone

Thanks for the tip jirunta


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## Momobobo (Sep 28, 2010)

Ive used it before in my tank, definately adds a unique element to it. Didnt have alot of fauna or upkeep the tank for an incredibly long time to judge long term effects but all other the fauna were just fine.

http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i442/Momobobo_Chan/CIMG0091.jpg

As well, nice tank  Themes like this are the only times I find artificial ornaments of this sort to be attractive


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

MonkE, that is a cool-looking tank, definitely a conversation piece!

Momobobo, I really like the look of living bamboo in a tank. How do you plant it? Does it need a pot of soil? Does it rot over time?



Momobobo said:


> Ive used it before in my tank, definately adds a unique element to it. Didnt have alot of fauna or upkeep the tank for an incredibly long time to judge long term effects but all other the fauna were just fine.
> 
> http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i442/Momobobo_Chan/CIMG0091.jpg
> 
> As well, nice tank  Themes like this are the only times I find artificial ornaments of this sort to be attractive


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

Lucky bambo just needs to be growing out of the water, for deep tanks there might be a rot issue but for tanks less than a foot there will be no issue. The same is true for many plants, ie peace lilies

Sent via Tapatalk; SGH-T589R


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## monkE (Aug 4, 2010)

Momobobo said:


> Ive used it before in my tank, definately adds a unique element to it. Didnt have alot of fauna or upkeep the tank for an incredibly long time to judge long term effects but all other the fauna were just fine.
> 
> http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i442/Momobobo_Chan/CIMG0091.jpg
> 
> As well, nice tank  Themes like this are the only times I find artificial ornaments of this sort to be attractive


That is a beautiful tank momobobo, I'll have to get my hands on some of that bamboo, i love the look... i'm also not a big fan of artificial decorative pieces usually, but It does add to the theme, thanks


Morainy said:


> MonkE, that is a cool-looking tank, definitely a conversation piece!
> 
> Momobobo, I really like the look of living bamboo in a tank. How do you plant it? Does it need a pot of soil? Does it rot over time?


Thanks Morainy! Here's hoping the girlfriend likes it 


neven said:


> Lucky bambo just needs to be growing out of the water, for deep tanks there might be a rot issue but for tanks less than a foot there will be no issue. The same is true for many plants, ie peace lilies
> 
> Sent via Tapatalk; SGH-T589R


Thanks for the heads up


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

Great looking Chi Mike! I like the Aztec/Mayan theme better than the Buddha myself. I noticed you mentioned nailing weights to the bottom of the bamboo. Unless your using Aluminum or SS nails/screws, you might want to consider attaching weights with silicone or some aquarium safe glue to avoid any concerns of nails/screws rusting. I'm sure I didn't have to tell you this lol but figured just in case......
As for tank mates, I would go with some dario dario's( Scarlet Badis). Been wanting to start another small Betta tank with some of them myself. Look forward to seeing how things turn out with the chi.


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## monkE (Aug 4, 2010)

Diztrbd1 said:


> Great looking Chi Mike! I like the Aztec/Mayan theme better than the Buddha myself. I noticed you mentioned nailing weights to the bottom of the bamboo. Unless your using Aluminum or SS nails/screws, you might want to consider attaching weights with silicone or some aquarium safe glue to avoid any concerns of nails/screws rusting. I'm sure I didn't have to tell you this lol but figured just in case......
> As for tank mates, I would go with some dario dario's( Scarlet Badis). Been wanting to start another small Betta tank with some of them myself. Look forward to seeing how things turn out with the chi.


thanks john, I'm actualy a boat mechanic so if there's one thing i know about its corrosion! lol Ya i was going to get some stainless steel hardware from work, but those weights are pretty cheap so i might just pick up a pack of them instead

Thanks for the stocking tips


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

lol totally forgot you were a marine mech.







I just seen nail and first thing I thought was rust lol I was going to suggest those lead weights too, they are pretty handy. if you want, I have a small slab of lead here you can have when you get the shelf. Just needs flattened and cut.


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## monkE (Aug 4, 2010)

where did you find a facepalm emoticon??? how do i get it???


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

lol I find them all on photobucket & use the


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## monkE (Aug 4, 2010)

*Near disaster*

Well those cheap bamboo pieces I had originally placed in the tank turned out to be clear coated with something that was seeping into the water! I should have taken a picture but I just reacted quickly to remove the pieces of wood out of the tank - the wood had like a slime layer on it. I lost one of the rainbows and my betta didn't look like he was having a good time so after I pulled the wood out I did a big water change and another one the next day. A couple days later I've added some more plants and a couple white cloud minnows as well as 4 japonica shrimp and everyone seems happy and healthy now. Scary day though.. I should have tested that would a bit before putting it in there with them. 
Here's some new pics


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## Arcteryx (Nov 23, 2011)

Good catch. Glad you got it in time!


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## Tarobot (Jun 27, 2010)

Aquarium West downtown has lids for these chis if you still want one. i think if i knew that fact earlier perhaps the chi would not be in your hands hahaha =P


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

That's really too bad! But it's fortunate for the fish that you figured out what was going on in time. If your shrimp are doing well in there, the water's probably safe now. 

Will you put some live, lucky bamboo in there now to replace the varnished stuff? Or just leave it as it is? (It looks nice the way it is, too.)


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## Arcteryx (Nov 23, 2011)

T&T's got lucky bamboo at a dollar a stick. Just saw it today and actually thought of your tank... then got back and read this.


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## monkE (Aug 4, 2010)

Morainy said:


> That's really too bad! But it's fortunate for the fish that you figured out what was going on in time. If your shrimp are doing well in there, the water's probably safe now.
> 
> Will you put some live, lucky bamboo in there now to replace the varnished stuff? Or just leave it as it is? (It looks nice the way it is, too.)


thanks very much! I think i might leave it, but if i happen to be at a store that has that lucky bamboo i'll probably grab some


Arcteryx said:


> T&T's got lucky bamboo at a dollar a stick. Just saw it today and actually thought of your tank... then got back and read this.


thanks for the heads up! where's T&T?


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## Arcteryx (Nov 23, 2011)

Ah, just saw you're in Marpole - the T&T near me is at Coquitlam Centre, but it's a Chinese grocery chain that's all over the lower mainland; I think the one closest to you is on 1st Ave or thereabouts. Each store may have different prices though, i.e. I notice a difference between the same items in the Coquitlam & Surrey locations.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

There's a T & T next to Stadium Skytrain station and Tinseltown, very easy to get to from Marpole via the Canada line.


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## stonedaquarium (Jun 11, 2011)

hey mike, if you are looking for that chinese bamboo... yaohan in richmond has em... same goes for T&T or ikea, as what Tarobot mentioned in some earlier posts... 

hope to see some of those lucky bamboos in your Chi... im sure it would look great


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## crazy72 (Apr 22, 2010)

Hold on here. Have you seen this? http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/fres...ot-put-lucky-bamboo-t-t-into-your-tank-23777/

Your tank looks really good, by the way.


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## Arcteryx (Nov 23, 2011)

I'd be wary of trying out any lucky bamboo from anywhere now... no way to tell what's leeching into your water from them unless you "quarantine" them for a few weeks to flush'm clean.


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## neoh (Apr 22, 2010)

Mike, you can get silica sand at Lordco.. right next door. I also have a lot of 3m colorquartz black sand at work if you wanted some.


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## rich16 (Mar 25, 2011)

Nice looking tank Mike...glad you caught the issue with the bamboo early! I was in Aquarium's West yesterday, looking at the Fluval Chi's...now I want one even more...


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## monkE (Aug 4, 2010)

So it's been sooooooo long since i've done any new pictures of this... as you'll see when the wisteria got to the top of the tank it just decided to keep going! lol i've got the tank next to a tall window and the plants are just thriving with no fertilization, co2, or even substate... just plain old silica sand

Oh and the fish are doing good too! lol


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Looks like one happy Betta in there, bubble nest and all! That growth by your plants is amazing,you misting the leaves at all? nothing is welting away something i had issues with back in the day with growth above water on a planted setup.Liking this, nice job!


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## monkE (Aug 4, 2010)

hey luke, thanks man, no misting whatsoever...just sit back and watching! lol i don't know how or why but it works!


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