Planning new setup

[Final Mile]

Ok, I was planning the tank setup but realized that even with all the info I need in my hands, without any experience whatsoever there's still a considerable chance that this will end up in r/shittyaquariums. Below, I'll describe how the setup will look like along with all the relevant info along, then you guys tell me what you think.

Tank placement: on a nightstand under a window (2 - 3 hours of direct sunlight every day) - the nightstand has 40cm x 40cm of available space and I won't risk placing more than 20kg on top of it.
Tank: 35cm x 22cm x 16cm generic glass tank w/ lid, 11 liters w/ black wallpaper at the back.
Lighting: 12w white LED generic desklamp x1.
Gravel: Fine/medium generic black gravel on top of regular potting soil.
Filter: generic hang on filter with little space to allocate bio media.
Lid: N/A (blocked by the filter, otherwise always on).
Fish: generic beta fish x1 or shrimp?
Plants: fully planted tank.
Heater: N/A (temperatures here hang around 25°C - 35°C, usually tend to stabilize around 30°C during the day and 27°C at night).
Co2: N/A.


My concerns about all this: the tank seems too small to allocate any fish, yet this is the biggest tank I could find that fits the weight and dimension parameters I need. There is no other place to allocate a tank in this house. There is no shrimp readily available for purchase in this place. Without fish, the plants won't get any waste to use up as nutrients. The plants are the priority, screw the fish. The selection of plants sold here is very limited. I'm worried that stuff may die due to extremely high water temperatures (39°C+ on hot days, 44°C+ on the hottest days - yes, really). I have no means of refrigerating the water. The temperature will never drop below 25°C, take my word on it. As explained by Jay on YT, I would like to keep a no-water-change-tank, though I don't think a single hang on filter would manage to allocate enough media to perform anaerobic filtration, setting up deep substrate to create anaerobic zones would also severely decrease the size of the already too small of a tank, without mentioning the small amount of contained water will make for a relative unbalance in water quality. Adding a 2nd hang on filter may not be possible due to the small size of the tank. I'm unsure if the planted Walstad-like setup would manage to produce enough water "purification" for the fish, even if a single beta. Beta fish sold around here all come half-dead, half-alive, resurrection skills needed. No lid means giving the fish the possibility of suicide by jumping if depression levels build up too fast. Lack of personal interest in fish diet will likely lead to using the exact same pellet for a long time, possibly bringing the sanity levels of the fish down to dangerous levels, also leading to suicide.


*I'm aware that this setup may not be possible at all!* That's why I want to hear the honest opinion of you experienced guys. Guide me through this one.

 

[eatyourpeas]

The Diana Walstad method uses the balance inside the aquarium and plants provide the filtration. If you could get a Nerite snail, that could be the inhabitant to provide ammonia and keep the tank clean. Being near a window you risk having algae, unless you block the direct sunlight. No fish. Floating plants?

 

[mcordelia]

I like that you are being brutally honest with yourself, I think that at least sets you up better to understand the full picture of what you are dealing with, instead of optimistically assuming that this will work.

If you don't want fish, forget the betta. You can always dose ammonia out of a bottle instead of putting a fish you don't want through misery.

@eatyourpeas makes a couple of really great suggestions, and that would probably be the way to go. I would not worry too much about the filtration, especially for a snail whatever hang on the back filter you end up with will be fine. You might honestly not even need a filter, if you do a water change once a month (and you manage to keep your plant(s) alive).

At this point, I think you have enough information and have done enough research to go for it. It seems like you have enough lighting, and if you are able to get your hands on a snail that doesn't eat plants then you wouldn't have to dose ammonia out of a bottle. The question for you maintenance-wise is whether you prefer to just have plants and dose nutrients for your plants out of bottles, or if you want to have an animal that is giving your plants nutrients and you have to care for the animal in addition to caring for the plants.

If you really don't want animals, then it is easier to just have a bottle of ammonia and dose ammonia out of the bottle into the tank once a week or so. You will still probably have to do a water change once a month or so just to replace micronutrients in the water that the plant might need, but it seems like less hassle than trying to keep any animal alive.

I am concerned about the algae problem, which is where a snail might come in handy. I think the alternative to a nerite snail is you manually scrubbing algae off the tank glass every week, so in that sense the snail may be your better bet to keep your tank homeostasis somehow in balance.

You say that the fish stores near you don't have good stock, but I wonder if they would be able to order a nerite snail for delivery to the local store? an alternative would be to call a fish store in the capital, and see if they would be able to mail you a nerite snail.

 

[Final Mile]

If you could get a Nerite snail, that could be the inhabitant to provide ammonia and keep the tank clean.

It's highly unlikely I'll find this here - nor any other kind of snail, apparently. I just finished checking, and there seems to be nothing available for purchase in the national online marketplace at this time. I'm assuming the local stores also don't deal with that. I don't recall seeing any kind of snail when I visited all the local stores, only a dozen different fish, at most ー the outbreak must've crippled the national industry just like it did in every other area. I'll keep an eye out for this particular snail from now on.

Being near a window you risk having algae, unless you block the direct sunlight.

It's really the only place I have for the tank. I could close the window when the sun directly hits the tank, while I'm still working from home. When I get back to the company, however, the window will be closed 24/7 and the plants will have to make do with the artificial lighting and no co2, if that is even possible.

No fish. Floating plants?

No fish saves me the headache of feeding them, but what exactly will be fertilizing the plants without fish to produce waste? I certainly did not want to rely on chemicals and water fertilizers as I never have for my land gardens. It may be old-fashioned, but I believe in "natural is better" in some aspects, this included. Maybe there is a more "natural" solution for this...

As for the floating plants, there may be a possibility that I can get my hands on duckweed, though slim. Live plants need to be delivered by mail within 24 hours according to the national regulations, unfortunately, the mail service can't currently meet this meta for my location (the service output is reduced during the ongoing outbreak), so unless I manage to find someone who is selling and delivering the plants themselves, ordering online will be a no-go.


I did some intensive testing on the nightstand and I think It may be able to support up to 35kg of weight as opposed to the previously calculated 20kg load. This means I could get a bigger fish tank with 40cm of length, increasing the tank capacity to 19 liters. Not sure if this will make a much difference though. Even a tank this size still seems small to allocate any sort of fish inside.

 

[Brendanpat]

Ok, I was planning the tank setup but realized that even with all the info I need in my hands, without any experience whatsoever there's still a considerable chance that this will end up in r/shittyaquariums. Below, I'll describe how the setup will look like along with all the relevant info along, then you guys tell me what you think.

Tank placement: on a nightstand under a window (2 - 3 hours of direct sunlight every day) - the nightstand has 40cm x 40cm of available space and I won't risk placing more than 20kg on top of it.
Tank: 35cm x 22cm x 16cm generic glass tank w/ lid, 11 liters w/ black wallpaper at the back.
Lighting: 12w white LED generic desklamp x1.
Gravel: Fine/medium generic black gravel on top of regular potting soil.
Filter: generic hang on filter with little space to allocate bio media.
Lid: N/A (blocked by the filter, otherwise always on).
Fish: generic beta fish x1 or shrimp?
Plants: fully planted tank.
Heater: N/A (temperatures here hang around 25°C - 35°C, usually tend to stabilize around 30°C during the day and 27°C at night).
Co2: N/A.


My concerns about all this: the tank seems too small to allocate any fish, yet this is the biggest tank I could find that fits the weight and dimension parameters I need. There is no other place to allocate a tank in this house. There is no shrimp readily available for purchase in this place. Without fish, the plants won't get any waste to use up as nutrients. The plants are the priority, screw the fish. The selection of plants sold here is very limited. I'm worried that stuff may die due to extremely high water temperatures (39°C+ on hot days, 44°C+ on the hottest days - yes, really). I have no means of refrigerating the water. The temperature will never drop below 25°C, take my word on it. As explained by Jay on YT, I would like to keep a no-water-change-tank, though I don't think a single hang on filter would manage to allocate enough media to perform anaerobic filtration, setting up deep substrate to create anaerobic zones would also severely decrease the size of the already too small of a tank, without mentioning the small amount of contained water will make for a relative unbalance in water quality. Adding a 2nd hang on filter may not be possible due to the small size of the tank. I'm unsure if the planted Walstad-like setup would manage to produce enough water "purification" for the fish, even if a single beta. Beta fish sold around here all come half-dead, half-alive, resurrection skills needed. No lid means giving the fish the possibility of suicide by jumping if depression levels build up too fast. Lack of personal interest in fish diet will likely lead to using the exact same pellet for a long time, possibly bringing the sanity levels of the fish down to dangerous levels, also leading to suicide.


*I'm aware that this setup may not be possible at all!* That's why I want to hear the honest opinion of you experienced guys. Guide me through this one.

Why dont you buy a generic flower pot and forget about the aquarium idea if your not willing to take care of any animals

 

[Final Mile]

Why dont you buy a generic flower pot and forget about the aquarium idea if your not willing to take care of any animals

I can't do that. Read this if you wanna find out why.