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Little 12 litre tank, no filter

Ajm200

Member
Joined
19 Feb 2010
Messages
531
Location
London
My husband has just told me that another fish tank is arriving tomorrow as he got a bargain.

Tank
It will be glass measuring 30cm x 20cm x 20cm (12l) so a bit small for fish and he hasn’t bought a filter yet. The tank was only £20 inc delivery so won’t be fancy

Substrate/planta
I’m thinking I’ll stick some John Innes and black gravel in it with a twiggy bit of spiderwood and moss and a few stem plants and some red root floater

I will probably mix some of the manado from the tank I’m getting rid of into the soil

Lighting
It will be on a north facing windowsill initially with a clip on led light I have in the drawer

If it works out I might add few cherry shrimp to it in a month or two but I’m expecting an algae farm

Have I missed anything vital for a no filter, low tech experiment.
 
So the little tank arrived and it‘s OK. Smaller than I might have chosen myself but should be OK with plants, shrimp and maybe snails.

The light is a clip on Ikea reading light. It’s clipped on backwards to get the angle to light the tank. It was gathering dust in the garage. If the plants don’t like it I’ll buy something else.

I found a little bit of spare spider wood that seems the right size.

I’ve sifted John Innes no.3 and mixed in some bird sand, oyster shell grit, and teaspoonful of soil from under leaf litter. I read that it helps with the soil based critters needed. If I do end up with shrimp and snails the extras might help with calcium.

I’ll mix in a bit of the manado from my 13 year old tank into too for a bit of mulm.

The post has called a halt to everything as the filter bags for thr soil and some plants due yesterday haven’t arrived. Might arrive later but looks doubtful

Off the try and save 5 little ramshorn snails in my planted 120l. They were happy in a windowsill jar until someone tipped them into the tank this morning. They thought they’d be happier with snail friends. Trouble is the snails already in the tank are assassins.

Another rubbish photo and rambling update. Suspect both with appear regularly here

So far the budget for this one has been £23. Not bad
 

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Question: How to top the soil in filter bags? Yellow sand (bird sand as I have a sackful) or black gravel (second hand. Possibly fish shop artificially coloured ‘Roman‘ gravel. Not very fine)
 
Filter bags arrived. Soil is in.
 

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So murky. Got to resist adding a filter as I would have to buy one

Plants stolen from other tanks

Hair grass
Brown and green crypts
Java fern
Various sizes of anubias
Alternanthera reineckii
S. repens
Cabomba
Red root floater
Have weeping moss arriving soon that can hide the big blob of superglue

Wouldn’t usually go for so many different plants in such a small space but this is an experiment and I’ll stick with whatever grows in the limited light from window and makeshift light
 

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There’s life in the tank. The dots move. Most move like daphnia but are tiny. There are a few that wiggle too. I took a little video but don’t know how to upload it

When I set up the tank I took a little bit of water from our rainwater butt. It was green. I diluted it a lot and added a teaspoon to the new tank water. This is the result.

They might die off but as there are no fish in the tank I’m not worried. There are plenty of micro particles clouding the water for them to snack on
 

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Hi all,
Was surprised to find anything
I wondered how Daphnia end up in water butts, because I've been a long time rain water user and I know that after pretty soon after a water butt fills up with rain water it will have Daphnia in it.

I found out that they can form <"ephippia">,<"resting eggs or cysts"> that blew about in the dust and in that way they find new "ponds" including water butts.

cheers Darrel
 
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Looking different already after a week. The daphnia cleared the water rapidly. Now feeding them a little liquify no1 and spirilina powder mixed with tank water. Just a couple of drops a day.
The wood is still trying to float if disturbed
 

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Just been inform that this little tank is being replaced on Tuesday as my husband has decided it is too small. The filter has been added in preparation for the new tank as he rhinks he wants a few tiny fish in the bigger one.

Shocked at how well the plants grew as it is less than a month old and the wood decided to float and uproot a few plants .

Some of the plants have red tops despite no ferts, no CO2 and no water circulation other than small water changes
 

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Hi all,

I wondered how Daphnia end up in water butts, because I've been a long time rain water user and I know that after pretty soon after a water butt fills up with rain water it will have Daphnia in it.

I found out that they can form <"ephippia">,<"resting eggs or cysts"> that blew about in the dust and in that way they find new "ponds" including water butts.

cheers Darrel
Hey Darrel,

Have you a previous thread or post about using rainwater for water? I’m interested but Iv no idea where to start

Paul
 
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