ADVICE PLEASE Week old 12L bowl no Filter no Fert

[WhistlingBadger]

That's really pretty! Are you using a soil-under-gravel substrate? Those can take several weeks for the biology to stabilize and the nitrites to go down. In a tank that small, I'd wait before adding critters.

A betta could probably do OK in a 12l tank if it's furnished nicely. (Yes, that is extremely open to debate!) And if it were me, I'd throw in a few pond snails and/or amano shrimp. I don't like pond snails in a big tank, but in a low-tech nano tank I find them fairly easy to manage.

Edit: I was going to recommend looking into the micro rasboras (chili, phoenix, dwarf, axelrod). They are insanely tiny, and a small school could be happy in a tank this size if the water is stable. But I wouldn't recommend that if your water temp fluxuates more than a few degrees. They like it warm.

Also, I would advise introducing animals gradually. Only bad things happen fast in low-tech aquariums.

 

[JuiceBox52]

I had a 10g tank on this principle, no filter, no light (it was in front of a west-facing window), sand, plants, and fish. I did have a heater as it gets cold in the winter. I did a 50-60% water change every week. Tank ran for a year. No problems, fish were healthy, plants too. But not having a light over it made it tricky to really see the aquascape and the fish.

A 12 liter (3 gallon) is very small space, and finding suitable fish is probably impossible. Maybe a Betta, some betta members might think this too small a bowl, I won't argue that. Shrimp are possible, but those members who know shrimp better than I do can advise.

Did you have an air stone or anything for surface movement?

 

[Byron]

Did you have an air stone or anything for surface movement?

No. Here's a photo of the tank during this experimental year. I put the tank light over the tank just to take the photo as otherwise just the windowlight made it impossible to see much of anything in the tank. The fish were 11 Boraras brigittae, 12 pygmy cories, and lots of snails.

 

[JuiceBox52]

No. Here's a photo of the tank during this experimental year. I put the tank light over the tank just to take the photo as otherwise just the windowlight made it impossible to see much of anything in the tank.

It looks good!

 

[Thomas 231]

That's really pretty! Are you using a soil-under-gravel substrate? Those can take several weeks for the biology to stabilize and the nitrites to go down. In a tank that small, I'd wait before adding critters.

A betta could probably do OK in a 12l tank if it's furnished nicely. (Yes, that is extremely open to debate!) And if it were me, I'd throw in a few pond snails and/or amano shrimp. I don't like pond snails in a big tank, but in a low-tech nano tank I find them fairly easy to manage.

Edit: I was going to recommend looking into the micro rasboras (chili, phoenix, dwarf, axelrod). They are insanely tiny, and a small school could be happy in a tank this size if the water is stable. But I wouldn't recommend that if your water temp fluxuates more than a few degrees. They like it warm.

Also, I would advise introducing animals gradually. Only bad things happen fast in low-tech aquariums.

Thank you no I didn’t use soil I’m the end I went for a volcano aqua soil with a gravel to cap it off so hopefully it won’t take as long to cycle

 

[Essjay]

A thought has just occurred to me - I know you said there is no filter but what about a heater?

If there is no heater, fish are definitely out as there are no cool water fish suitable for a rank this size. Cherry shrimps need a minimum temperature of 19 deg C.

 

[Thomas 231]

A thought has just occurred to me - I know you said there is no filter but what about a heater?

If there is no heater, fish are definitely out as there are no cool water fish suitable for a rank this size. Cherry shrimps need a minimum temperature of 19 deg C.

No heater either but my house temp Sits at 25c all year round I did read up and it said if you have a stable room temperature of 20 or more it’s fine.
The room it’s in is the dressing room too so if extra hot.

did read aswell it’s not safe to heat a tank under 5 gallons is that true?

 

[Essjay]

If the room temp is that warm in the middle of the coldest winter night, that's fine.

It is quite safe to heat even the smallest tank, the only problem might be finding a heater smaller enough to fit in the tank. But it must be a heater with a thermostat which will turn off when the water is warm enough. Some small heaters are just on all the time with no thermostat to turn them off.

 

[Thomas 231]

If the room temp is that warm in the middle of the coldest winter night, that's fine.

It is quite safe to heat even the smallest tank, the only problem might be finding a heater smaller enough to fit in the tank. But it must be a heater with a thermostat which will turn off when the water is warm enough. Some small heaters are just on all the time with no thermostat to turn them off.

Hi everyone do you my nitrate level is stable my ammonia and ph is 6.8 and idea why my nitrates won’t get any lower then 0.5

it’s in the bowl with no heater no filter just a light?

 

[Essjay]

Do you mean nitrite or nitrate?

Nitrite will eventually drop when nitrite eating bacteria grow in the tank. There may not be a filter but these bacteria will grow in the biofilm anywhere in the tank.

If you mean nitrate, that level is not a problem.

 

[Thomas 231]

Hi everyone do you my nitrate level is stable my ammonia and ph is 6.8 and idea why my nitrates won’t get any lower then 0.5

it’s in the bowl with no heater no filter just a light?

Yeah it’s it’s nitrite so that will naturally lower then thanks

 

[Mick85]

How is the bowl going Thomas? I'm about to set one up myself and would love to chuck some shrimp in it. Did you add shrimp to yours?