Planted, filterless Shrimp bowl

[UnknownFishies]

saw you entered for tank of the month? i like the idea and setup as well! it’s really cool! the shrimp prefer a temp of around 72-76. that’s where they are most comfortable at.

 

[Mick85]

Ok i think i may need to get a small heater for it then. When winter hits the water temp will definitely drop below 20*c. Was hoping to get away without one just so there's no cords hanging out of it but ah well, shrimpies come first!

 

[UnknownFishies]

Ok i think i may need to get a small heater for it then. When winter hits the water temp will definitely drop below 20*c. Was hoping to get away without one just so there's no cords hanging out of it but ah well, shrimpies come first!

indeed...

 

[Mick85]

So day 3 and now it's a bit cloudy and everything has algae all over it haha think i need to dim the light a bit.

 

[Mick85]

Added API quickstart 2 days ago and today these are the readings. Looks like the cycle has well and truly started!

 

[UnknownFishies]

Added API quickstart 2 days ago and today these are the readings. Looks like the cycle has well and truly started!
View attachment 130708

nice ?

 

[Neleono]

Wow, just stumbled upon this thread. I had seen your TOTM post and thought this was such a cool idea. Its so pretty and the aqua scaping is very impressive especially considering the fact that it is only a bowl. Great job and keep up the good work! Best wishes, Nele.

 

[Mick85]

Wow, just stumbled upon this thread. I had seen your TOTM post and thought this was such a cool idea. Its so pretty and the aqua scaping is very impressive especially considering the fact that it is only a bowl. Great job and keep up the good work! Best wishes, Nele.

Thank you Nele!

 

[Mick85]

So it's day 3 of cycling the bowl and my nitrates and nitrites are down but ammonia is still up! Going to do a water change and check again tomorrow.

 

[Neleono]

Looking great! Glad your cycle is starting, shouldn't take too long with all of those plants in there!

 

[Mick85]

Looking great! Glad your cycle is starting, shouldn't take too long with all of those plants in there!

It looks like it's already done (Nitrites 0ppm Nitrates 5ppm) but i think the amazonia soil is leaching ammonia. I've read it can leach ammonia for a few weeks so i guess i'll just have to keep testing it every few days and be patient.

 

[Neleono]

It looks like it's already done (Nitrites 0ppm Nitrates 5ppm) but i think the amazonia soil is leaching ammonia. I've read it can leach ammonia for a few weeks so i guess i'll just have to keep testing it every few days and be patient.

Oh wow sorry I didn't see the nitrite levels. That's so awesome! I have heard that amazonia soil can produce ammonia but as long as your tank is cycled it should be fine. The extra ammonia will help the bacteria multiply even more, gives it plenty of things to feed on. Exited to see the future of this neat project, it inspires me to try something like it. Might find a big bowl so I can have a few good looking shrimp and maybe a snail. Glad you made a journal for us to follow!

 

[Mick85]

Oh wow sorry I didn't see the nitrite levels. That's so awesome! I have heard that amazonia soil can produce ammonia but as long as your tank is cycled it should be fine. The extra ammonia will help the bacteria multiply even more, gives it plenty of things to feed on. Exited to see the future of this neat project, it inspires me to try something like it. Might find a big bowl so I can have a few good looking shrimp and maybe a snail. Glad you made a journal for us to follow!

Yeh the extra ammonia is also good food for the plants too so hopefully i'll see some good growth over the next couple of weeks. I'll still wait until the ammonia levels are down before adding any livestock though.

It's super easy to do and very cheap too as you only need small amount of substrate, no filter and you can use trimmings from other tanks to plant it. Give it a go!

 

[Neleono]

Yeh the extra ammonia is also good food for the plants too so hopefully i'll see some good growth over the next couple of weeks. I'll still wait until the ammonia levels are down before adding any livestock though.

It's super easy to do and very cheap too as you only need small amount of substrate, no filter and you can use trimmings from other tanks to plant it. Give it a go!

Thanks! I'm so inspired. Ill just have to find a nice bowl and a good spot for it!

 

[Mick85]

So just tested ammonia and nitrites tonight, ammonia has finally gone down to 0ppm but my nitrites have jumped up again to 5.0ppm. So frustrating! Anyone know why it could have gone up? I've been doing water changes every couple of days. How do i get it down?