[Opywang]

Hi. I'm new to this forum btw I got this crazy idea about what to do with my new aquarium that I just recieved a week ago.

For a week I've tried to do a project figering out how to make my aquarium all natrual. So far it seem like everything is a failture.

Then bam all of a sudden I just relize that all I had to do is remove the filter pump. That way it won't suck up all that organic water bug, and little creature that I wanted it to raise, and breed like it would do in the pond.

I don't know if anybody care about this idea cause I find that just having plain fish in the aqaurium is pretty boring. I wanna see real action, real food chain, real eating, and real breeding...

So give me a post how I can improve my aquarium by making it an all natrual, organic aqaurium.

P.S. sorry about my grammer, and spelling thanks!

 

[susankat]

Lots of plants will help.

 

[beaslbob]

Interesting thought.

Let me give you my setup methods and see what you think. I can't see this forum at work but you can contact me directly at [email protected] just in case some thoughts require a more immediate response. Or you could just post here and I'm sure other experts can help. *old dude

1) put in layers of peat moss, play sand, pc select (or aquarium gravel). In that order (bottom to top) each layer 1" thick with water added to the top of that layer then leveled and the tank sides cleaned.

2) then add plants. For my 10g I use 4-6 bunches of anacharis, 4-6 vals, 4 small potted plants (crypts, small swords) and a single amazon sword centerpiece. I am sure other plants would work but those are commonly available. The basic idea is some fast growers (anacharis, vals) plus some slower growers. The the tank is initially rapidily conditioned so the slower growers can expand for the longer term conditioning.

3) Then fill the tank with water poured over a dish to prevent stirring up the substrate.

4) wait one week.

5) add a single platty

6) wait one week with no food being added

7) add female platty or two and start feeding 1 flake per day.


in 6 months you have 20 or so plattys of various sizes and the tank runs for years with descendants from the original fish.


I use 1.5w/gallon of flourescent lights. Even just cheapie spiral incandescent replacement lights on smaller tanks and cheapie utility fixtures on 4' tanks.

Don't do water changes. Just replace the evaporative losses with cold water from a commonly used faucet that has been ran for a minute or so.

Just to be sure you understand. no filter, no circualtion of any time. Literally just the tank, substrate, plants, fish, and water.

This works with all types of fish even plant eaters if you seperate the fish from the plants with some type of partition. But with most fish you don't have to do that.

I started this after I got tired of fish deaths and ugly tanks.

So there is some kind of "sweet" spot where this works. I actually think with this type of system, the more you do the less successful the tank is.

but that's just my .02

 

[Opywang]

Haha yea... I started mine with alot of impatient...

Right now my tank is murky brown... but it's pretty visible... and it's a 29 gallon tank...

I just now bought 50 fishes... It was very cheap bought 20 gold fish for 3 dollor... 12 mesestioe fish, 2 snail, 10 minnow, and 12 ghost shrimp.... all together it was like 20 bucks for 60 fish...

So now my aqaruium has like 60 fish of all kind...

and last night I found some old water from outside that had a bunch of Meseqoues in it... so I just grab it and pour it in my tank...

So right now it looks awsome... and also I have alot of plants in it. Live plants in them too..... Not sure what kind of plant it is... but I'm fixing to get more plants so it will filter the water out... I don't know if they will survive or not... But right now I'm just exsprimenting for fun, and hobbies... and I thank you for the post.

I'll give more update since I just started it last night lol.....

 

[beaslbob]

IMHO that is way too many fish for a 29g. And the gold fish will attack the plants.

 

[jeffro0050]

I think you'd need a pretty big tank to get anything close to truly natural, not to mention only certain fish are going to be able to fully sustain themselves without outside food adding.

 

[beaslbob]

I think you'd need a pretty big tank to get anything close to truly natural, not to mention only certain fish are going to be able to fully sustain themselves without outside food adding.

Agreed

But with added food even the smallest tanks like 1 guart beta bowls are successful.

my .02

 

[jeffro0050]

Agreed

But with added food even the smallest tanks like 1 guart beta bowls are successful.

my .02

My point exactly I think if you had a huge aquarium you could sustain a snail population to keep loaches fed, but it'd have to be pretty dang big. Outside food is what makes smaller tanks possible for the most part

 

[Opywang]

Yea I agree with alot of you. The reason I got so many fish was because it was so cheap lol.

Anyway it's day 2, and my aquarium is still fun to watch, but there is no insect, or bugs left for me to see lol...

I might have put a bit too much fish in for the bugs not to reproduce. The fish seem to eat everything even debris, rotten leaves, anything that float. So now nothing is floating, and the water is crispy clear, but it has a huge discoloration from the wood, and leave that release there own color to the water. Anyway I like it when the water looks like that cause it make it look spooky lol.

Anyway my main goal is to make it reproduce water insect I thought having bugs swimming in the water would make it very cool. I google everywhere for some kind of water bug, but it seem like nobody is intresting in it cause I'm having a difficult time finding out what insects stays in the water. Most of the insects are just larva, paupa, and then they fly away when they reach adulthood lol.

I have probly 4 poud of live plant in my aquarium I bought it for 10 bucks so it probly what keeping my aquairum crispy clear, or it from a pile of leave that I found outside that filtering the water, and I am using a 55 gallon air pump on a 29 gallon aquarium so it give it alot of flowing, and circulation that probly help alot for filtering my aquarium.

Speaking of insect I may just have to get rid of my fish to about 1 or 2 that way it won't eat it all up before it can reproduce. or Maby I can throw in alot of debris till the aqaruium is half foot full of drift wood, leaves, and etc for the bugs to hide... I don't know maby the whole project is a bad idea, but it shouldn't hurt to try it out lol.