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	Dividers
djtj Fish Master Posts: 1764 Kudos: 885 Votes: 49 Registered: 20-Feb-2003	I recently bought a glass dividers for bettas. However, I was worried the bettas would make each other sick if they flared at each other. I heard that you can make the dividers opaque by rubbing them against sandpaper. I'm still not sure if I'm going to use the dividers, but I was just wondering if that would work, or would it be a waste of a $3 piece of glass? Last edited by djtj at 06-Mar-2005 18:43
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:17
fishyhelper288 Fish Guru Posts: 2161 Kudos: 1951 Votes: 137 Registered: 29-Feb-2004	sand paper would certinly scratch up the glass to the point of being opaque
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:17
djtj Fish Master Posts: 1764 Kudos: 885 Votes: 49 Registered: 20-Feb-2003	Actually, I've tried sandpaper. It messed up the glass, but you can still see through it. How long should I keep up the sandpaper? Are their any other ways of scuffing-up the glass?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:17
Jay Hopper Fingerling Posts: 40 Kudos: 48 Votes: 17 Registered: 24-Feb-2005	Actually, you don't need to make the glass opaque!!! It is fine for Bettas to flare alot, and it will not make them sick. Consider it excersize, as it spreads out their fins and stretches their membranes. (What they stick out behind their gills) Forget about tis opaquing of the glass thing and just let them flare! It is fine! JAY HOPPER EDIT: Forgive my spelling errors! Last edited by Jay Hopper at 06-Mar-2005 23:21
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:17
kitten Fish Guru Meow? Posts: 2266 Kudos: 2194 Votes: 19 Registered: 18-Nov-2003	Actually, continuous flaring will cause stress and we all know stressed bettas are more likely to get sick (well, the same holds true for all fish, really). There IS the chance that the bettas will get used to seeing each other after a while, but I see no reason to have them flaring 24/7. Perhaps see what you can do with opaquing the glass, and if it's not really opaque, why not just plant heavily along the glass? ~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:17
trystianity Mega Fish Posts: 1028 Kudos: 926 Votes: 49 Registered: 20-Mar-2004	You can etch the glass.... etching requires some use of strong chemicals to do it properly, there are sprays that will put a coating on the glass to make it look etched but I'm not sure if that would be fish safe so I would stay away from it. There are two products that would work, you can go with either a dip or etching cream that can be purchased from a craft store. Etch-all is one I've seen. :%)
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:17
Doedogg Banned Posts: 408 Kudos: 737 Votes: 445 Registered: 28-Jan-2004	I've had 2 share a tank with a divider for over a year now and they don't even pay attention to each other anymore. Whenever I put 2 in a divided thank, the flaring usually lasts a couple of weeks at the most. I used to be Snow White, but I drifted. ~ Mae West
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:17
Shannen Banned Posts: 1160 Kudos: 1686 Votes: 98 Registered: 17-Feb-2004	I would take the glass and cover it in a layer of silicone, then stick gravel all over it. This will block their view and shouldn't look all that bad. Not to mention you won't have to try and scratch glass with sandpapper. A project that sounds very dificult to me.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:17
kitten Fish Guru Meow? Posts: 2266 Kudos: 2194 Votes: 19 Registered: 18-Nov-2003	Actually, if you think about it, glass is nothing more than melted, compressed sand (well, that's it in a nutshell), so it can be scratched with sandpaper. What grit sandpaper are you using, djtj? And have you tried using a beltsander or other type of sander? You could try securing the glass to your work surfacfee and then attacking it with a power sander. shrugs I actually kind of like the idea of covering the glass with gravel... It's certainly and interesting idea! ~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:17
~jamie~ Big Fish Posts: 463 Kudos: 671 Votes: 65 Registered: 08-May-2004	I think Shannen's idea is actually pretty thoughtful. You could add your own touch in having it match your room depending on the color scheme you chose. You could even add little designs and leave a "window" to where there was a partial section of the glass where they could see eachother sometimes. Let us know what you decide to do!
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:17
djtj Fish Master Posts: 1764 Kudos: 885 Votes: 49 Registered: 20-Feb-2003	I like shannen's idea. I'll look into that. I don't have a sander, I was just sanding it by hand. The grit is aluminum oxide 36 grit. I'm probably going to give up on the idea. It might be worth it to buy another tank instead.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:17


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