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20 Gallon Betta Bowl


ARMYVET
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I have been in the process of building a 150 gallon outdoor pond.  My Upper Management (aka wife) has not been overly thrilled about the idea and even less about the associated cost.  My efforts to get her interested in it have all but failed ….that was until….

I got an idea to build her a tank of her own.  She had once talked about long ago she had a beta in a bowl on her desk with plants in it and she loved it. 
So this is the start of me building her a upscale version that she will call hers. 
 

This is the tank….it’s a Landen 45cm Cube 21 gallon AIO tank

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I had to mail order because nothing locally was avail.  To top it off I had to have it sent twice because Amazon lost the first one 🙄

I mean how do you lose a 2 ft x 2 ft 100lb crate🤷‍♂️

I went to the LFS and picked up a few pieces of spider wood and some rocks and black gravel substrate.  And waited for her to come home and surprise her.  And boy was she surprised….with how much it cost🤦‍♂️

Once we got past that ass whipping…uh I mean discussion🤕….she started to warm up to the idea that she could choose her scaping and design it the way she wanted. 
 

She got to pick the wood she wanted and the rocks.   And goto my stash of 60 plus plants I have for my pond and pick out what she liked…

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Edited by ARMYVET
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The dry fitting of the hard scale came next…

Of course the spot I had picked out for this to go was not exactly to her liking….so 2plus hours of moving living room furniture around so it would be juuuuust right😡

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Edited by ARMYVET
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She picked out her plants and it was time for the assembly….damn superglue it sticks to everything but what you want !!! 

Just use a dab they say. … Hold it for a few seconds they say….it works great they say….watch it hit the floor I saw!!!🤨

 

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It’s time to add the water….it’s a 20gallon tank and I do not own a python….YET! 
So it’s one gallon at a time from the kitchen sink to the tank ….1….2….3.  Sit down take a break….4….5….6 thinking a 5 gallon would have been just fine….7…8…9….geeze it doesn’t look like I am getting any water in this thing!!! Stop and check for leaks….nope no leaks….13….14…..15 OMG THIIS IS NEVER ENDING!!!!

Sip back and relax my ass!!!

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The tank is finally full ….it’s time to turn it on and watch the pump come to life and start the journey to having a planted tank.  Flip the switch…..
NOTHING!!!  WTH!!!

Check the plug…it’s plugged into a UPS system so if the power goes out the pump will continue for at least 2 hours and then the USB air pump will continue for 2 more days. 
Wait…the UPS SYSTEM ISNT ON?!?  Try to turn it on….nothing…WTH!!!

Check the plug to the UPS…it’s unplugged….WTF!! I gather my family and start the Spanish Inquisition…after 3 rounds of water boarding my daughter finally admits she unplugged it so she could charge her phone while watching the voice in my chair….I HATE THE VOICE!!!🤬

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I plug the UPS SYSYEM back into the wall and it come on and finally the pump comes to life! The water is flowing the filter is going …THE WATER IS SPRAYING OUT OF THE TOP OF THE TANK!!! 
SOB!!!

Forgot the clamp on the hose to the outlet. Water is on the floor…the wall…the ceiling.  I am pissed like no tomorrow ….my wife on the other hand is laughing so hard she almost falls out of her chair!!  I glare at her and she tries to stop but there is no stopping it!  
She’s just laughing away. 

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Finally get everything cleaned up.  The water filled up….AGAIN! 
Its running … she is happy! She asks about a light…”don’t the plants need a light?”

I say yes they do and go bring out her new light….a 15 “ FluvalPlant  3.0 

I put it on the tank no issues…connect with my phone no issues…turn it on …NO ISSUES. I’m liking this light already! 
 

I put it in auto mode for the first night just to get it going.  

We turn out all the lights and just stare at the glow and the shimmering.  The plants look amazing…the air stone is bubbling away. Everything is perfect !  
 

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My wife is super thrilled with how it came out.  Now all she does is talk about her fish tank.  We are doing a fishless cycle and she is with me every day doing the tests and checking the water level. 

She is keeping a log every day of how’s its doing. 
She is excited now about the pond and is now helping me every step of the way working on it.  She shows me driftwood pieces and has ideas …it great to see her so happy.
She is now even talking about another tank, a much bigger one in the living room. 
 

This has now become something we do together and she is asking tons of questions and wants to learn.  
She want to goto the LFS just to “look” lol

There were a lot of people here that helped me answering tons of questions and letting me bounce ides off of… @Streetwise for the lights… @Mmiller2001 for fert questions… @Isaac M for literally talking to me everyday making sure I hadn’t been murdered when my wife got the cc bills…lol

I especially want to thank @Cory  You videos came to me at a time when things were going badly in my work life , my personal life and just life in general. They rekindled a love of aquariums I had forgotten and now have brought my wife and I even closer together.  
So thank you Cory…for everything you do for this hobby.  You change people’s lives for the better every day!

Thank you for sticking with me on this journey! 

Stay tuned ….soon will be continuation with the adding of the livestock. 

cheers

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😂 this was an amazing read, felt like I was living it myself, great to hear what the hobby has done for you, your life and your relationship. The tank is looking great! I cannot wait to see the updates and the future pond!  

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