The Natural Aquarium

[10 Tanks]

The natural tanks do require maintenance and depending on the setup, will need as much upkeep, especially in the beginning as the standard tank, but just a different kind of maintenance. I've kept several of these tanks from a small 30 gallon, to a 60 gallon and the labor needed to put together the aeration system for the plant roots, the support system to hold the large plants in place in the tank to keep the plant leaves above the water, setting up the lighting to support good plant growth takes some real effort. Then, there's the time tending to the plants themselves. They must stay healthy and doing the job of keeping the tank water nitrogen free. If this is your first attempt at setting up such a system, there's a lot of trial and error to deal with as well. But, this system is so interesting and I'm amazed at how well it works.

10

 

[Back in the fold]

Reminds me of biosphere 1 and 2 experiments outside of Tucson. Total failure.

There’s a blast from the past ! Biosphere .

 

[Oldspartan]

I know little about fish unless we talk about angling. I do know abit about natural and artificial nature though.

We can try to imitate the natural world and do a serviceable job. I doubt we will ever be able to duplicate her though whether with fish, chickens or a garden for that matter.

Linda and I have tried bending nature to our will for various purposes and long ago realized it was futile and she always forced compromise usually on her terms.

If we ever learn this simple truth we will coexist with her to our benefit.

 

[10 Tanks]

A very good point. What we do with this type of tank is not to try to outdo nature. We know that is nothing but an exercise in frustration. What I have fun doing, is combining some different things in nature to see if I can get the plants to support the fishes' water and by feeding the fish a specific diet, they in turn, support the plants. There are many places where water is sterile, but the plants thrive. Come to find out, the soil leaches nutrients into the water and the plants have evolved to take in those nutrients as soon as they're available. The water is always sterile, with little or no bacteria. The tiny bit of bacteria that exists, uses the nutrients at night, when the plants rest. You can duplicate this system in a fish tank.

10

 

[WhistlingBadger]

There’s a blast from the past ! Biosphere .

 

[wayfareranima]

This person is answering fish queries as though they are Diana, but worth noting that even someone who’s name is attached to the idea recommends doing regular WCs

 

[WhistlingBadger]

This person is answering fish queries as though they are Diana, but worth noting that even someone who’s name is attached to the idea recommends doing regular WCs

I believe Walstad backed away from her original no-water-change stance somewhat. If this isn't really her, whoever it is has her voice figured out.

 

[10 Tanks]

Hello. After working with these tanks for a few years, I've learned that the Walstad method has the right idea, but the method doesn't use the right type of plants. Aquatic plants and most terrestrial plants don't have a large enough root system to remove enough nitrogen from the tank water to keep the fish alive without large, regular water changes. The Aglaonema or Chinese Evergreen that grows in large areas around rivers in the northwest part of the US where the salmon spawn and then die, can do the job once they're prepared properly for a water environment. Many thousands of salmon that lay eggs, then die will return nutrients to the rivers and eventually to the ocean. These rivers where the "Ag" plants live are some of the cleanest in the world.

10

 

[GaryE]

The right type of plants...

I have waded in pristine, unbelievably clean Gabonese streams fringed with all sorts of plants whose roots trail in and feed. There is no right plant. There are many. It's just which ones we may be able to buy in the supermarket or in a good plant store, and which doesn't get too big.
There are also fish with varying needs, something we rarely discuss when we get deep into it.
If the roots trail into the water, the plants grows like that and it looks good, you're in business. Basil is fun, and you can eat the results.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

In Walstad's original book, she mostly talks about live plants that are fast-growing, water column feeders. Those keep the water pretty clean!

 

[Ram419]

I know the direction this thread was taking, & 20 years ago, I had tanks with terrestrial plants rooted in the tanks, & tried for a while just replacing evaporation, with good success on some fish, species depending, and as listed above, probably with shorter lifespans, but my best results were doing at least enough water changes to draw several gallon jugs of vacuum from the gravel, that went to our regular house plants... it seems like having houseplants, & aquariums are perfect sister hobby's, as vacuum water does incredible things for regular houseplants... changing water is work, but when you can use it as a benefit, for another hobby, it makes it less painful...

Not just house plants but garden plants and your lawn grass too.

 

[Seisage]

Aglaonema or Chinese Evergreen that grows in large areas around rivers in the northwest part of the US where the salmon spawn and then die, can do the job once they're prepared properly for a water environment. Many thousands of salmon that lay eggs, then die will return nutrients to the rivers and eventually to the ocean. These rivers where the "Ag" plants live are some of the cleanest in the world.

Hm... I live in the northwest US, in salmon spawning country, and I've never seen an Aglaonema growing here. They're not native (it is called the Chinese evergreen, after all). It's a subtropical species that's notorious for its intolerance of cold temperatures. Apparently they get damaged by the cold starting at 15C (59F), which is a comfortable spring/summer temperature in many parts of the northwest. Don't know how they'd survive a winter around the mountainous salmon spawning rivers up here. The forests here are dominated by large evergreen trees and shrubs, and very many ferns, and they handle the salmon just fine. I'm not sure where you learned that Aglaonema is a major contributor to nutrient uptake from dying salmon runs, but whoever told you that misled you, or didn't have their plants straight. I suppose there could be small rogue populations of Aglaonema here or there, but the understory plants here are not easily out-competed, so I would be astonished if a cold-intolerant, small, subtropical species was able to invade our dense forests.

That said, I'm sure it makes a fine aquarium plant, but as others have pointed out, there are plenty of other options that are just as good.

 

[plebian]

Aquarists like to have lots of fish.

This is the number one problem. The number two problem is inadequate filtration. Removing ammonia and nitrite is the easy part. Keeping heterotrophic bacteria in check is more challenging. Sufficient biofiltration will do the trick, but I'm fairly certain the majority of fish keepers do not have filtration that's up to the task. Water changes are a necessity in any case, but they don't have to be large and frequent.

On a side note with respect to problem number one, you'll never see normal behavior in an overcrowded aquarium. African cichlid keepers intentionally overcrowd for this very reason. They are trying to eliminate territoriality and aggression. But that's not the only type of behavior that's inhibited. I've never seen a species that wasn't inquisitive, but you'll never notice that when there's no place for them to explore. You'll also never notice how often individual members of a shoaling species will forage on their own, away from the group.

 

[GaryE]

I think it takes time for us to get to what @plebian is saying about stocking. I take pleasure in seeing what my fish do, and many of my tanks would be at 20% stocking on the online calculators. I really don't mind tanks where I can't see any fish until I sit and watch. It beats seeing fish all the time, shuffling around like colourful sleepwalkers.

But as we discuss here, I think we have to bear in mind the hobby is a process that leads in different directions - not necessarily the one it's taken me to. Fish behaviour fascinates me, but a line breeder will be into genetics, and a community tank keeper into display.

 

[AJ356]

I've seen too many bacteria pockets in deep stagnant substrates

And what happens when you see too many bacteria pockets in deep stagnant substrates?