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"Natural" tanks - no filter

Discussion in 'Freshwater Aquariums & Fish Photos' started by Stellaluna, Feb 13, 2009.

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  1. Stellaluna

    Stellaluna Thread Starter New Member

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    Here is a planted bowl without a filter, just a light and a guppy:

    ai96.photobucket.com_albums_l168_EWrightB_aquarium_12Nove05guppy500x375.jpg

    Here is a 5gal (pretty messy looking!) natural tank with Endler's, lighting and a heater in the wintertime, but no filtration at all. Healthy plants will support a light stocking of fish.

    ai96.photobucket.com_albums_l168_EWrightB_aquarium_5galEndlerMar2005500x312.jpg
     
    Stellaluna, Feb 13, 2009
    #1
  2. LemonDiscus

    LemonDiscus Active Member

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    The good ole plant filtration! :)

    That 5 gallon looks quite healthy

    Are they heated?
     
    LemonDiscus, Feb 13, 2009
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  3. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    Humm, how exactly does that work ? Do you do water changes at all ?
     
    Anthony, Feb 13, 2009
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  4. Stellaluna

    Stellaluna Thread Starter New Member

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    They are heated in the winter, but otherwise our house is a bit warm in the summer and I don't have to heat any of my tanks then. The bowl has a tiny little Hydor (I think that is it) flat heating pad, about the size of a deck of cards, that I stuff behind the plants in the back.

    I change the water once a week, about 50%. I avoid gravel vac'ing.

    The plants produce oxygen for the fish and the fish produce nutrients for the plants. During the night plants actually release CO2 instead of O2 (anyone with planted tanks may notice some fish that look pale in the mornings) and once the lights come on and photosynthesis begins the plants start cranking out O2.

    I think guppies and Endler's are best suited for this type of setup, since they are extremely hardy and do not require current. I have not tried this with more delicate species. I am sure a betta would do fine in a tank like this too.
     
    Stellaluna, Feb 13, 2009
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  5. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    That's pretty cool. I've never seen anyone do a tank like this before.
     
    Anthony, Feb 13, 2009
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  6. Stellaluna

    Stellaluna Thread Starter New Member

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    Try it! You could put something like that in a window that gets a bit of sun, or just sitting on your desk with the light of a fluorescent desk lamp over it. The bowl is a bathroom, lol. MTS, for sure....
     
    Stellaluna, Feb 13, 2009
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  7. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    I think I may try one sometime soon.
     
    Anthony, Feb 13, 2009
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  8. MIKEJ0226

    MIKEJ0226 New Member

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    I have never seen that before either. Very cool tanks.
     
    MIKEJ0226, Feb 13, 2009
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  9. Leslie

    Leslie New Member

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    we did a project in high school and all had fish bowls and guppys to see if they could live and have babys.
     
    Leslie, Feb 13, 2009
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  10. Stellaluna

    Stellaluna Thread Starter New Member

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    I'll bet they did... the question is not how to get them to breed, but how to get them to stop. ;-p
     
    Stellaluna, Feb 13, 2009
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  11. stevenrox

    stevenrox New Member

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    a school of pirahnas =]
     
    stevenrox, Feb 14, 2009
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  12. LemonDiscus

    LemonDiscus Active Member

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    :)
     
    LemonDiscus, Feb 14, 2009
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  13. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Top Poster Of Month

    I have seen large ponds work on this same idea, never a smaller tank though
     
    Anonymous, Feb 20, 2009
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  14. Stellaluna

    Stellaluna Thread Starter New Member

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    I need to edit my post to fix the broken link to the pics - but I don't see a way to do that - admin help?

    Edit: I can edit this post, but there is no "edit" button for the original post.
     
    Stellaluna, Feb 20, 2009
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  15. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    There is a 5 minute edit limit. PM me the new link and I'll fix it.
     
    Anthony, Feb 20, 2009
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  16. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Top Poster Of Month

    just repost the pics, I dont think that you can edit the original post, but anthony prolly could
     
    Anonymous, Feb 20, 2009
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  17. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    Also, to avoid that from happening you can always attach the pictures to a post and it will save them to the forum.
     
    Anthony, Feb 20, 2009
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  18. Stellaluna

    Stellaluna Thread Starter New Member

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    C'mon - you gotta try it. You surely have a small desktop size tank sitting around collecting dust - throw some plant clippings in there, a few fish, moderately sunny window or a desk lamp with a CF bulb - voila. What is really neat is not to have fish but to have shrimp and snails. Very attractive.

    It harkens back to Victorian times when they did not have filters but kept aquariums all the same. This hobby predates electricity. :D
     
    Stellaluna, Feb 20, 2009
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  19. LemonDiscus

    LemonDiscus Active Member

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    Too much time around Keith.... :)

    It does predate electricity though! It is how the whole aquarium thing got started.
     
    LemonDiscus, Feb 20, 2009
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  20. Stellaluna

    Stellaluna Thread Starter New Member

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    Now that's just mean..... ;)
     
    Stellaluna, Feb 21, 2009
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