- The "Lava Lamp" is a small aquarium. Bettas in the wild live in stagnant pools of still water. It is about four times the volume of a petsstore "betta bowl." It's quite Lux, as digs for Bettas go. It's way better, and more water, than they get in the wild or in a petstore.
- The "Lava" is the bubbles from the airstone, lit from the LEDs below. It's quite impressive in the dark, and keeps the birds in my office from being in total dark at night. You can change the combination of LEDs. Just like in space, there's very little light visible if you're in the aquarium...no feeling of spotlights on the fish, and the lights are cool, not hot.
- We replaced the airstone it is sold with with an Elite spherical stone. It's gorgeous and symmetrical...but the bubbles aren't as well lit because it's big. Might buy a small sphere next time.
- The "Crownfin" mutation in bettas is a swift water adaptation. I would not recommend this tank for regular bettas who might find the bubbles too rigorous. Mongkut loves the bubbles, and I change them from slow to rapid regularly. There is a large "ring" of still water around the base. Again, I don't recommend the bubbles on anything but low for a regular male betta. A "Double fin" would be out of the question.
- Mongkut shares the tank with a snail to gather uneaten food. An algae eater would probably work well, but Mongy's aggressive even for a betta (even at the petstore) and I don't want to watch him kill a fish.
- Bettas are also known as "Siamese Fighting Fish." Mongkut is the name of the famous King of whom "The King and I" is written.
- The Golden Apple snail he lives with is named Anna.
- It takes two 'outlets' one for the light, and one for the air filter.
- It uses a tiny air pump. Any bigger and the fish could not live.
- Mongkut gets Aqueon Betta food, which sinks slowly in the Bubbles. Any he does not eat is consumed by Anna.
- There is a small hole at the top to release air pressure. It's great for feeding, but sometimes food gets stuck there with water. It can mold over in those cases.
- As a Biologist, I'd recommend this tank to anyone wanting a small betta bowl. It evaporates slowly, Ammonia doesn't build up because of the aeration, and it allows the fish a lot of up and down movement, while being small enough to feel secure. I've had a betta in a 55 gallon, and he hid in the corner.
- You can purchase your own Lava Lamp Aquarium here.
- Contrary to the views of some so-called animal rights activists, small tanks are not a bad idea for bettas if they are kept clean. A quarter gallon tank with an airpump and gentle aeration, with a snail for cleaning left over food, cleaned whenever it gets a little grimy (and with the clear rocks you can tell, quickly, when that happens,) is better than a five gallon still tank. Bettas, like goldfish, *can* take air from the surface if their water becomes deprived of air, but if your betta has to go up to the surface to breathe, your betta is not in a healthy environment.
- Ours sits above a hard drive that generates heat. Otherwise, your tank should be kept tepid with a heater. If you can't keep it warm, a small normal-finned gold fish, a single mollie or a couple of guppies would work.
Betta Lava Lamp: The Movie
[Over 4 minutes of exciting Betta Swimming and color changing footage! It does not get more exciting...really... that's what it does... that's all he does...and every couple of days the snail moves to the top of the tank then back down... that's all they do.... really.... No. It does not get more exciting. ]
THE SLOW AND LOUD (One Minute) VERSION:
(Turn speakers down. camera's next to a speaker and sounds louder than it is.)
Edit: Comments have been deleted because there were 14 comments from TWO IPs, over a 1.25 hour period several months after this post and I don't allow sock puppets to play here.
