Badger's Sumatran Rice Paddy

[WhistlingBadger]

Time to start an official journal on this project. I'm going to custom-build a tank to fit on the back of the desk in my music studio, and I just ordered the glass. It should be ready to construct in about a week. I've been kicking around this idea for several months and it's exciting to finally commit.

So, here's the plan.
Tank: 36"x10" x10". The water will be about 6" deep, with 2" for substrate and 2" for emergent plants. The lid will have four 2x3" holes for rice plants to grow through. This will be a walstad-style setup, with no filtration except the plants and substrate microbes. A very small powerhead will push the water around. I'm going to put a fluval aquasky light on top with a 5 on, 2 off, 5 on light cycle.

Plants:
Dwarf rice (Oryza sativa)
Paddy herb (Limnophila aromatica)
Assorted crypts (planning to try balansae, wendtii, and parva and see what does well)
Christmas moss (Vesicularia montagnei) on back wall
Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia) or dwarf arum (Zantedeschia aethiopica) to simulate taro, which is commonly grown in Malaysia paddies

Critters:
2 Betta imbellus
15 or 20 blue rasboras (Sundadanio axelrodi or Sundadanio goblinus, depending on whom you ask)
15 or 20 dwarf rasboras (Boraras maculatus)
6 shadow catfish (Hyalobagrus flavus) or 5 kuhli loaches. Still up in the air which.
Malaysian trumpet snails
Ramshorn snails

Lots of inverts: Scuds, water fleas, assorted worms, seed shrimp. I am going to build an invert refugium for an ongoing supply, but I am hoping to achieve something like a predator/prey balance in this tank.

Timeline
Early January: Get the tank built.
February: Add substrate, water, plants, silent cycle, build invert community. I am hoping a lot of inverts will come in on the plants. I will intentionally add others.
April or May: Add fish.

Well, that's enough for now. Stay tuned.
Thomas

 

[663]

I'm impressed by your sense of planning and I look forward to seeing your project come to life.

 

[Retired Viking]

It sounds like an interesting project, good luck!

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Should be interesting. Many aspects of this are completely new for me. So I should learn something.

I'm going to stick this here so I don't forget it. Common weeds in a Sumatran rice paddy. I like to start out with a crazy number of plants, give them a few weeks to sort themselves out before I add animals.

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/300601988.pdf

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Awesome!

So you are going to make it look like a section of rice patty? I also like that you are adding two Bettas in the same tank.

 

[Utar]

Very nice, doing it yourself is very rewarding. I will be following.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Awesome!

So you are going to make it look like a section of rice patty? I also like that you are adding two Bettas in the same tank.

Hoping for a breeding pair of imbellus. Already have plans for the youngsters.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Oh, and yes, I'm hoping it will look like a small section of rice paddy.

I was telling my dad about this project. He spent some time in SE Asia and Taiwan back in his air force days. He said it wasn't really authentic unless I fertilize it the way the farmers in southeast Asia do it.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Thinking about the Fluval Aquasky light. I like that I can fully program the 24 hour cycle. Anybody used it? What's your experience?

 

[mcordelia]

No experience on the light, but super looking forward to how this project plays out!!!

 

[DAnCSF]

Time to start an official journal on this project. I'm going to custom-build a tank to fit on the back of the desk in my music studio, and I just ordered the glass. It should be ready to construct in about a week. I've been kicking around this idea for several months and it's exciting to finally commit.

So, here's the plan.
Tank: 36"x10" x10". The water will be about 6" deep, with 2" for substrate and 2" for emergent plants. The lid will have four 2x3" holes for rice plants to grow through. This will be a walstad-style setup, with no filtration except the plants and substrate microbes. A very small powerhead will push the water around. I'm going to put a fluval aquasky light on top with a 5 on, 2 off, 5 on light cycle.

Plants:
Dwarf rice (Oryza sativa)
Paddy herb (Limnophila aromatica)
Assorted crypts (planning to try balansae, wendtii, and parva and see what does well)
Christmas moss (Vesicularia montagnei) on back wall
Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia) or dwarf arum (Zantedeschia aethiopica) to simulate taro, which is commonly grown in Malaysia paddies

Critters:
2 Betta imbellus
15 or 20 blue rasboras (Sundadanio axelrodi or Sundadanio goblinus, depending on whom you ask)
15 or 20 dwarf rasboras (Boraras maculatus)
6 shadow catfish (Hyalobagrus flavus) or 5 kuhli loaches. Still up in the air which.
Malaysian trumpet snails
Ramshorn snails

Lots of inverts: Scuds, water fleas, assorted worms, seed shrimp. I am going to build an invert refugium for an ongoing supply, but I am hoping to achieve something like a predator/prey balance in this tank.

Timeline
Early January: Get the tank built.
February: Add substrate, water, plants, silent cycle, build invert community. I am hoping a lot of inverts will come in on the plants. I will intentionally add others.

Well, that's enough for now. Stay tuned.
Thomas
April or May: Add fish.

What a cool idea I wish you well, but whty so narrow is it s pace limitation? The good thing about it, is that you could grow rice for the coming Trump Zombie Apocalypse!

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Just ordered some black madras rice seed.

It's narrow because I just wanted it long and narrow. It will sit nicely on the back of my big desk. and the fish will have plenty of space but I'll still be able to see them.

 

[DAnCSF]

Black Madras Rice Seed...man one can get anything these days...good luck I will keep an eye out on your post. Will your tank be made of acrylic or glass if glass how will you frame it?

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Thinking about the Fluval Aquasky light. I like that I can fully program the 24 hour cycle. Anybody used it? What's your experience?

Never personally had it, but I see from the reviews that it’s a great light.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Black Madras Rice Seed...man one can get anything these days...good luck I will keep an eye out on your post. Will your tank be made of acrylic or glass if glass how will you frame it?

Yeah, the internet is a handy thing! I'll make it from glass, held together with fish-safe silicon. The lid will be acrylic.