Scott Rogahn wrote:

I just ordered an eclipse 3 system from big al. My plan is to set
this up in my office with a betta, some java fern, and if needed one
or two ottos. The tank does no come with a heater; room temp is
75-77°F during the day in
summer and 70 -72°F winter. Air conditioners and heaters set back at
night. No sure of the temperature then.

The motor of the Eclipse 3 will heat the water about 4 deg F above
ambient. You might consider a 25 W Visi-therm heater. Keep the temp
stable.

I will then tie it to a rock and place it in a bucket outside.
This should give it time to attach to the rock as well as staving the
remaining snails.

Don't count on it. Might consider a potassium permanginate (sp?) dip.

I want to jump start the cycling process. But I don't want to
transfer
snails; so using gravel from my home tank is not an option.

They betta will cope with an uncycled tank much better than most fish.
While in most cases I'm a fan of fishless cycling, in this case I would
use the betta to cycle it, get it stable, then add the otos. (I
personally consider this too small of a tank for otos and it really
isn't good for the little guys to be in such small groups...)

-D
--
"When you've lost your ability to laugh, you've lost your ability to
think straight." -To Inherit the Wind