gumball machine betta fish tank build

that really turned out well. how are you feeding your betta? do you have to take the top off for feedings?

 

Yeah, it's about time

 

Right now I've got some betta fish flakes, I think the brand is Tetra, but I'm not at home to see for sure. I'm going to get some other type of food for him as well, give him a little change of diet once in a while

It's pretty easy to get in the tank to feed or clean, etc. The top is not secured in any way. You can just lift it right off. Lately I've not even been keeping the top on there very much lol

As of this morning, he's been a lot more active and eating better. When I first got him in there, he was looking a little depressed but now I think he's getting used to his new home

 

..very cool.
looks like you had a good time.
K+

LG

 

Thanks! It was a fun build, and now I can enjoy it for a while ;D

 

Just as a small update, the fish is doing good and the tank works well.

There are a few things I would do different:

1. Different lighting...This could use an overhaul.

It's battery powered, which is ok, but when the lid is on the tank the evaporation (I guess) is causing a lot of moisture to cover the components that are in the lid. It would be better to find a way to seal the parts and still be able to access easily to change the battery.

2. Different heater...The heater pad I used was the lowest power heater I could find at the time. It's a Hydor heater pad, rated at 7.5W if I remember right.

I had an idea about using external heating that could radiate up through the bottom. some discussion on my other thread http://www.3reef.com/forums/filters-pumps-etc/alternate-heating-will-work-85924.html

Since the tank is so small, I think it may actually work to do something like this w/out having to worry too much about concentrated heat affecting the silicone. Don't have to worry about effects to the substrate since it is marbles.

3. Cleaning/water changes....I found it difficult to do partial water changes and be able to effectively clean everything out from between the pile of marbles on the bottom of the tank.

I've been doing most water changes by using a small tube and siphoning water out and other water back in.

I took all the marbles out for convenience. It doesn't look as good, but it's much easier to clean. Also, the fish likes to hide under the heater pad ;D

 

costly little tank

Well, when I first found the gumball machine for $25, I though that I could make this pretty cheap. I guessed around $75 or so (although I hadn't thought too hard about it!)

What is the actual cost? ---> $135

I spent way too much on marbles. I was picky, I wanted solid colors to resemble gumballs, so I wouldn't buy just any marble. Then I underestimated the number of marbles I would need, so I ended up paying for two shipments :-/
Also, the LEDs, battery holder and push button switch cost around $6 and it cost $8 for shipping!

I've been thinking of ways to decrease cost and make the build easier...but not sure what I'll do with these thoughts ;D

 

How about an update?

 

;D Glad you asked! Sorry I don't have any updated pics, I'm at work right now so can't get a pic until later. Everything's going really well with the aquarium and the fish. The fish definitely seems happier than when I bought him in the little container from the pet store.

The aquarium itself is holding up well. Some people worried that it would leak - silicone doesn't have a good reputation of adhering well to acrylic, which is what I used for the bottom of the tank. So far not even a drop has leaked out.

I do a lot of water changes (of course!) since there's no filtration. I wonder if anyone has any ideas on how to add some type of mechanical filter on a 1 gallon tank. I've thought about using some type of canister filter that could be hidden out of view.

I've got some more ideas on building another one of these tanks more efficiently. I've thought about trying to sell them at some LFS if I get a process down, but I'm not sure if I'll get to that point or not

 

In the base (money) area of the machine you should be able to plumb a small fountain pump, couple of 1/4 inch valves and a Y-filter full of floss to be your canister filter.

Two small switches could tie your lights and pump to a single power cord.