eBetta.com

Have you ever wanted to lessen to your Ipod and watch your betta in another city then you should try the Ipond. good for Betta fish haters.

A TINY fish tank that doubles as a music speaker has sparked outrage among animal activists and aquarists. The iPond – up to 15 times smaller than the recommended tank size for the fish it contains – is proving a hit with Christmas shoppers. One Sydney store has sold out of the $70 device and other outlets are reporting brisk sales. But the RSPCA has called on the device to be banned because it is too small to provide fish with adequate oxygen supplies and a clean environment. The iPond is sold nationally by the Pets Paradise and Pet Goods Direct chains. Users can play their iPods through a speaker built into the bottom of the brick-shaped tank.

The tank’s water capacity is about 650millilitres once rocks are placed in it. Pets Paradise is selling Siamese fighting fish with the iPond. The fighting fish are native to South-East Asia and have a “labyrinth lung” that allows them to take in oxygen from air. Typically they live in puddles and rice paddies.

A Melbourne Aquarium spokesman said Siamese fighting fish required a minimum tank size of 10 litres – dramatically more than the iPond provides. Animal Liberation Victoria’s Noah Mark said he was disgusted by the invention. Studies proved fish had memories well beyond a few seconds and were social creatures that experienced pain and boredom, he said.

“The fish in this thing does not look like it has very long to live and it can barely move,” he said. “Even if it does live it’s not [a] life worth living … it’s really just a torture box.”

Acoustics expert Jason Gedamke said there was no doubt noise from the speaker would escape into the water. “The speaker is directly coupled to the outside of the tank … [so] you are going to have a small level of sound introduced,” Mr Gedamke said.

“It’s the same as putting a fish tank on a speaker.”

RSPCA spokesman Hugh Wirth said despite the fighting fish’s ability to breathe air from the surface, the tank was far too small for it to receive adequate oxygen. The small volume of water would lead to rapid temperature change and this meant the tropical fish would not live long, he said. The iPond should be banned, Dr Wirth said.

Marketing manager for the Pets Paradise and Pet Goods Direct chains, Alyse-Grace Robertson, said the tanks had gone on sale in September and were selling briskly. The group that manages the stores had received one formal complaint about the product. Customers sometimes asked questions about the welfare of fish in iPonds.

“A few people ask, ‘is the fish OK?”‘ Ms Robertson said. The chains were satisfied that fish in iPonds did not suffer.

She said before selling the tanks the chains had consulted the Pet Industry Association of Australia. Output from the speakers was small and fish in iPonds seemed to flourish, she said. A spokesperson for Apple said the company was willing to comment on its own products, but not on accessories made by third parties.

got this off http://www.myfishtank.net/ipond/

Most Snails are “Hermaphrodites”. Which means they are both male and female. And they can reproduce by themselves. They don’t need a mate. Although, they can reproduce with mates as well. Snails are used most often in tanks because of their ability to eat uneaten food and all other waste. But some of them can create extra waste as well. Be careful if you put snails in your betta fish tank, as the population can easily get out of control.

Pros
Eat Waste
Some eat Algae
Peaceful
Will eat Dead Fish (hopefully not your betta)
Low Maintenance

Cons 
Create Waste
Reproduce (very) Often
Will eat small Fry
Eat Plants
Bettas may eat the Snails
May be extremely hard to remove

‘Just one biiig bite and…’ photo by Mean and Pinchy on flickr

I know in most areas its starting to warm up so you may think this post is irrelevant. However I wanted to share my experiences with my Betta and the heater. With my first Betta being purchased in October and I live in a colder state I was worried. My friend who originally got me into Betta’s told me how they didn’t move much and looked unhappy when cold. So I started my search for a heater. There are many on the market depending on the size of your tank. I have a 1 gallon tank with only my Betta in it so I wanted a smaller warmer. At first prices were quite expensive, and bulky and I was worried. But I finally found a small under gravel heater at Petco for $15. It was the perfect size for the small tank.Both fishes have enjoyed the warmer water, but now I have to remember to unplug it when it gets warmer. But it was a good investment. And it kept my fish happier.

Make sure to get one that is for your size tank. My mother in law has a horror story of purchasing a bigger heater. She put it in the tank for a bit, but fell asleep. Unfortunately she awoke to cooked fish, so please be careful!

Well I’m happy to report that the bacteria bloom in my tank has settled down. I did another water change today and the water is all clear. So it seems the drops I bought have worked.

As I said in my previous entry I’d get into more detail about what happened to my first Betta. It was the evil cute banana plant. Yes, that sounds funny but its true. Originally when I purchased my first fish I didn’t notice his gill. When I got him home I noticed one of his gills was torn so that it opened more than it should. However he was such a happy healthy fish, so I kept him and he didn’t seem to have issues.However he was a very messy fish. The water would be crystal clear but the bottom of his tank was horrible. He had so much waste, and nothing helped. After speaking with my mother in law I decided to get a loch. For those who don’t know, they are a small worm like creature that reside in the gravel and eat waste and fish food. They help keep the gravel cleaner in between cleanings.

So I went into the pet store and asked for a loch. The salesperson told me they were out, after debating me about the fact the 2 can co-exist. Now my mother in law used to breed fish, including Betta’s, and had loch’s, so she’d know if they could co-exist first hand. He told me to get a plant and that would help. I was skeptical and looking back should have listened to myself and walked away. However I didn’t and so he sold me on the cute little banana plant. I brought it home all excited. The first seemed to like it and it was going well. Until….

2 weeks after putting it in the tank I noticed what looked to be fibers floating in the water. The fish seemed to be doing ok, so I didn’t think much about it. But as the week went on it got worse. I tried cleaning out the tank and that made it worse. I took out the plant and from there it only got worse. I noticed the fish wasn’t looking so good. That morning I looked in at him and he wouldn’t eat. On my way home I purchased some things from the pet store and was going to take him out the water until it cleared. However when I got home he was already dead.

After I mourned and had his fish funeral I cleaned the tank and started over. However now the plant resides in a separate container. I was mad at it but its so cute! So the moral of my tale is this, if you have a small tank a real plant may not be the best route. And yes Loach’s can co-exist with betta’s.

The company Moto Art has done the most logical thing you can do with an once fully functional MK-84 Bomb – Make it into a fish tank. This aquarium stands 80 inches tall, has a 10-Gallon capacity, and is available for a cool $3,950.  At that price you could buy 395 10-gallon aquariums at wal-mart.

Do you love birds almost as much as your fish, but are running out of space to keep all of your critters? Then just combine your birds’ habitat with your aquarium.

Aquascaping is a form of art in your fishtank. You carefully arrange gravel, soil, plants, and just about anything that can go into a fish tank in such a way that your aquarium becomes a magnificent piece of eyecandy. Betta fish absolutly love to live in aquariums with live plants, not to mention how good it is for your tank in general. Here are a few ideas for you. The following designs are by Takashi Amano and you can find more of his work here.

In my last post I talked about giving your fish a three room condo – allowing him to swim from one bowl to another. How about letting your betta swim from one room in your house to another room! Building a fish highway will allow you to do this. The one pictured below is made of acrylic plastic. It goes from one tank in the room all the way up to the ceiling and then into another tank on the other side of the room. Check out fishighway.com for more information and more pictures.

If you’ve been reading this blog then you know I’ve mentioned a couple of times that your Betta fish wants more space. A simple way to do this is to have three interconnected fish bowls. I like to refer to them as rooms: a bedroom, a living room, and a bathroom. Can’t blow glass? Buy it here for $85.

Don’t really put them in your sink! That would not be good. But here is an amazing sink design that has a fish tank built into the actual sink. I will cost you about $4,700 before shipping, but can you really put a price on being able to keep fish in your sink?