Planted, filterless Shrimp bowl

[Colin_T]

If ammonia went down and nitrite shot up, it's stage 2 of the filter cycling process.

Stage one is where you add ammonia and the first group of bacteria develop and eat the ammonia and convert it into nitrite.

Stage two is where the next group of bacteria develop and start eating the nitrite and convert it into nitrate. It will be a couple of weeks before this happens.

The best way to reduce the levels is with 75% daily water changes and gravel cleaning the substrate. Do this any day you have an ammonia or nitrite reading above 0ppm (if there's fish in the tank).
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Give it time. The plants will get going and take care of it. Very, very cool project!

A lot of shrimp do fine at 20c, though they won't breed as fast or be quite as active. I would consider a heater optional. If you don't want to take up tank space, you might consider a small seeding tray heater.

 

[Mick85]

If ammonia went down and nitrite shot up, it's stage 2 of the filter cycling process.

Stage one is where you add ammonia and the first group of bacteria develop and eat the ammonia and convert it into nitrite.

Stage two is where the next group of bacteria develop and start eating the nitrite and convert it into nitrate. It will be a couple of weeks before this happens.

The best way to reduce the levels is with 75% daily water changes and gravel cleaning the substrate. Do this any day you have an ammonia or nitrite reading above 0ppm (if there's fish in the tank).
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Yeh i just thought my cycle was done and the soil was leaching ammonia so was a bit surprised the nitrite shot up again after disappearing a few weeks ago. Now it makes sense.

 

[Mick85]

Give it time. The plants will get going and take care of it. Very, very cool project!

A lot of shrimp do fine at 20c, though they won't breed as fast or be quite as active. I would consider a heater optional. If you don't want to take up tank space, you might consider a small seeding tray heater.

Thanks mate.

I've got a heater mat under the bowl, it doesn't heat it up all that much but should make a couple of degrees difference from room temp.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Your soil will quit leaching ammonia, too, and will become a home for bacteria which will actually help keep the water clean. Have you read "Ecology and the Planted Aquarium" by Walstad? Good reading for anyone keeping a filterless tank. Pretty interesting too, if you're at all into biochemistry.

 

[Mick85]

Your soil will quit leaching ammonia, too, and will become a home for bacteria which will actually help keep the water clean. Have you read "Ecology and the Planted Aquarium" by Walstad? Good reading for anyone keeping a filterless tank. Pretty interesting too, if you're at all into biochemistry.

I haven't read the book yet but it would be an interesting read for sure!

 

[Mick85]

Looks like the cycle is finally finished!

I ended up removing a couple of pieces of the driftwood. I want to add some more plants to fill it out towards the back but not sure what plants would go well there.

The dwarf hairgrass is growing nicely and you can see the roots going nice and deep into the soil now


I'll be adding some shrimp in the next day or so! There's heaps of diatoms, biofilm and algae for them to munch on!

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Really beautiful. Great work! Can't wait to see some shrimpies in there.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Neat little project, congrats on the cycle...

 

[KatieMR]

I just found this thread! I love the bowl idea! What a great project to add to your work space! I think I'm going to add this to my bucket list to do someday!

 

[Sgooosh]

used to have a beautiful 2.5 gallon, it is a moss terrarium with some pumpkins in it because it cracked ?

 

[Mick85]

Thanks for the positive responses!

Anyone have any suggestions as to which plants i could add to fill out the gaps? I want something that grows more bushy than tall but will grow without cO2.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

more bushy than tall

Are you talking about the back left?

It’s looking really good.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Thanks for the positive responses!

Anyone have any suggestions as to which plants i could add to fill out the gaps? I want something that grows more bushy than tall but will grow without cO2.

How about crystalwort or christmas moss?

 

[Mick85]

Are you talking about the back left?

It’s looking really good.

Yeh it's pretty bare back there aside from the Java fern. I want something to fill out the back area.