Live Plants + Weekly Water Changes.. Do I need a filter?

[ClamChowder]

Hi all,

So I bought a 10 gallon tank and I'm planning on having driftwood, at least 2 java ferns, at least 2 marimo balls, and java moss.

I am planning on getting 3-4 guppies and/or 3-4 zebra daino
a snail
maybe 2-3 ghost shrimp

Do I need a filter if I do weekly 25%~40% water changes along with having that many plants?

Thanks.

 

[BBradbury]

Your Tank

Hi all,

So I bought a 10 gallon tank and I'm planning on having driftwood, at least 2 java ferns, at least 2 marimo balls, and java moss.

I am planning on getting 3-4 guppies and/or 3-4 zebra daino
a snail
maybe 2-3 ghost shrimp

Do I need a filter if I do weekly 25%~40% water changes along with having that many plants?

Thanks.

Hello Clam...

You'll have to cycle the tank. Set it up with gravel, heater, and air pump and attach a length of plastic tubing and attach the end to the bottom of the tank, for mixing oxygen into the tank water. Add some floating plants like Anacharis and Hornwort for your filters. Add some pieces of lava rock and driftwood too. Put in 3 to 4 hardy fish like Zebra Danios, Platys or female Guppies. Let everything run for 24 hours and then get out your water testing kit and test the water every day for ammonia or nitrite. When you have a positive test, remove and replace 25 percent of the water with pure, treated tap water. When several daily tests show no traces of the above toxins, the tank is cycled and you can add a couple more fish and resume testing and removing the tank water. Do this until the tank is fully stocked. From then on, you'll have to change half the water a couple of times a week to maintain safe water conditions. You really don't need the filter.

B

 

[ScotJudd]

Why would you not have a filter? It makes the tank water so much more stable and safe. Isn't it better to keep ammonia and nitrites as low as possible and not just keep diluting them. IMO your fish will be less stressed with a well cycled filter.

 

[Gish]

You might get by without a filter, but why?

The filter will help with oxygenation and keeping the water as clean as possible. Also sometimes things happen in life which may cause you to miss a water change or two. A filter would minimize any negative effects from that

 

[severum mama]

Use a filter IMO. The plants you have chosen grow too slowly to have much of an impact on water quality.

 

[ClamChowder]

Hi everyone,

I know having a filter simply makes sense, but I'm very interested in tanks that are "self sufficient" enough that do not need a filter, just water changes..

(I'd like to go for a non-mechanical/most natural looking tank)

 

[severum mama]

You'll need some fast growing stem plants for that. Hornwort is a good one. However, I think the stock is on the heavy side for a tank without a filter.

 

[ClamChowder]

Interesting.. I'll look up that plant..

So what stock would you recommend?

 

[Mebbid]

Filter or not you really need some water movement in the aquarium. Stagnant water gets nasty as well as attracts bugs.

Filters oxygenated the water, keep the temperature fluctuations in check, clean the water, and so on. You can make a self sufficient ish tank (not easy at all) but a filter or water movement is still crucial.

 

[BBradbury]

Mechanical Filtration Not Needed

Mechanical filtration isn't needed provided you maintain pure water conditions by removing and replacing the water often enough. The filter system does little to maintain pure water conditions. It simply takes in toxic water and returns the same old water a little bit less toxic. The water in the tank must be removed to remove the dissolved toxic nitrogen produced from the fish wastes. This works the same as a toilet. By constantly flushing the tank with pure, treated tap water there's no time for wastes to build up before they're removed.

The water movement is provided by the tubing attached to an air pump. You run the tubing to the bottom of the tank and attach the end with a small suction cup. The open tube at the bottom provides all the surface movement to mix oxygen into the tank water.

Pretty simple.

B

 

[Brookster123]

If I were to do this I'd have 5 Cory habrosus and 6 green neon tetras, or 6 celestial pearl danios and some Malaysian trumpet snails, maybe a few Amano shrimp.. an air driven sponge filter, a heater, glass top, dual t5 no light, for plants.. Anarchis, hornwort, java moss, and crypts.. For substrate definately something inert like sand or small river gravel..

 

[Caliban07]

Without surface agitation you can run the risk of a ph crash. It depends on the balance of the tank including stocking levels amount of plants etc.

Filters don't just oxygenate the water they allow excess co2 to be removed. With the biological nitrification process using the waters buffering capacity, creating acidity and excess co2 build up ph could fall overtime and cause the biological filter to stop working.

I've seen this happen many of times on here during a fishless cycle. There was also one guy who had his filters switched off by a house sitter whilst he was on holiday because they were 'too noisy' he came back to a very dirty tank that had built a oil slick on the surface. Ammonia had gone through the roof because the ph had fallen and he lost some fish.

This was an extreme example though as he had goldfish and the tank was overfed and had received no water changes.

If you choose to have no filter it is imperative that you do not miss water changes. The water changes will buffer the water and keep ph stable as well as remove nitrates.

You will need to keep the water stable for the plants also.

 

[Mebbid]

Mechanical filtration isn't needed provided you maintain pure water conditions by removing and replacing the water often enough. The filter system does little to maintain pure water conditions. It simply takes in toxic water and returns the same old water a little bit less toxic. The water in the tank must be removed to remove the dissolved toxic nitrogen produced from the fish wastes. This works the same as a toilet. By constantly flushing the tank with pure, treated tap water there's no time for wastes to build up before they're removed.

The water movement is provided by the tubing attached to an air pump. You run the tubing to the bottom of the tank and attach the end with a small suction cup. The open tube at the bottom provides all the surface movement to mix oxygen into the tank water.

Pretty simple.

B

You really need to add in a disclaimer saying that biological filtration is necessary because your post reads as if saying that all filtration is unnecessary.

Running a tank such as this is the same way it was done back in the beginning of aquarium keeping. Back then there were TONS of stock loss due to unstable tanks and lack of filters. It seems silly to me to go back to that when we have advanced fish keeping to keep fish healthier and happier.

 

[Caliban07]

Also I think referring to tap water a 'pure' can cause problems because it really isn't. Plus, not everyone uses tap water and everyone's source water is different. Even my next door neighbours tap water will differ even of it is ever do slight. Why would it have to be treated if it was pure?