For quite some time, we have been trying to figure out what to do with my son’s betta fish for winter. The small tank he had been in cannot hold a heater, which isn’t a problem in the summer but in the winter would be a killer.
I had a 4 gallon glass tank in use until recently to hold John Locke, a small partially-eaten black molly, but John Locke died when we lost our air conditioner for two days and the water temperature got up to 96 degrees.
I have been trying to convert the 4-gallon tank into a planted tank on the cheap. The main hold-up had been lighting. There wasnone onthe tank, and the LED lighting at Aquatouch was a bit steep for somebody out of work. I finally found a reasonably priced LED desk lamp at Target that looks like it will do the job. It isn’t the brightest thing, but I’m going with plants that don’t need super bright light.
Today, I bought the substrate, a couple of plants, and some “betta bulbs.” It’s up and running now, and the betta seems to be enjoying his new home.
The tank looks a little bare right now because only the two plants I bought are visible. The bulbs should emerge in short order, giving the tank a fuller look. I’d like to find a ground cover plant also, but I’m not sure I can find one that doesn’t have higher light requirements.
