Consdiering El Nautral Setup, Questions.

[Ziggs180]

I've been planning to start an Aquarium for about a month now, and on my final leg of Research at the Aquarium Wiki stumbled on the El Natural set up. I took a liking to it, but i have Numerous questions that need answering before. But Firstly, the Tank I'm planning to get is a 30 Gallon tank. I plan to have it stocked with 5 Neon Tetras, 5 Red Tetras, 2 - 3 Guppies, and 2 - 3 Otos. I cant put the Tank in Direct Sunlight, but I can put it near a Window.

1) Does This method really make Filters not needed? This would save me money on a Good Filter. I can buy an Air pump to oxygenate the water for a little amount of money.

2) I've read that because of the Soil, the Tank is Instantly Cycled and fish can be added within days. Also will CO2 Canisters not be needed because of the fish?

3) Can i get some Suggestions on Plants for a Beginner such as myself? I would preferably like plants with lower light requirements. Also a suggestion for a good soil brand to use would be like.

 

[adadkins1]

1) I believe that a filter would be useful. Just to get any unwanted particles out of the water column.

2) I don't know if it would be instantly cycled or not. If you planted it heavily and only started with a few fish, then you may not see much of cycle. You may still need to do a fishless cycle. Maybe someone with experience with soil substrate can help. No CO2 is needed since the fish give it off.

3) Some good ones for an El Natural beginner tank would be anacharis, java moss, java fern, wisteria, water sprite, and banana plants; just to name a few.

I think many people use Miracle-Gro Organic Soil for their tanks. No need to worry about introducing unwanted chemicals since it is organic.

 

[Ches]

Hi, I'm on the same boat as you so I can try to answer some of your questions. You don't need a filter at all if you don't mind seeing some unsightly particles floating in the water. You could buy a small internal filter to circulate the water...Don't buy a hang on back filter because you MUST NOT disturb the water surface. If there's too much surface agitation, all the good CO2 will get pushed out of the tank.

CO2 supplementation would be ideal but you don't need it IF you keep the tank lid closed at all times. At night, the plants and fish will respire and produce CO2 which gets trapped in the water. The plants can then use this CO2 during the day. That's what I read anyways.

You'll definitely need a good fertilizer substrate for the plant's roots. I'm using RedSea FloraBase right now, but Eco-complete is good too. I'm not sure about soil options because I heard it gets really messy and can cloud your water a lot...

Here are the plants I'm using for my natural aquarium (I'm new at this too!):

Water sprite, Water wisteria, vals, ludwigia, java fern, java moss, bacopa, amazon swordplants.

Lastly, the tank is "instantly cycled" to a certain extent, but you still have to add fish very slowly and introduce only one or two fish every week or two.

Good luck with your tank!

 

[Ches]

Oh btw, you'll also need to add A LOT of plants at the very start and wait a week or two for them to settle down before you add fish.

 

[jetajockey]

Use a sponge filter, most of my tanks are run on sponge filters alone. Cheap and efficient.

I suggest going the mineralized topsoil route, adding clay and a proper cap like the recipe calls for, you won't have the dreaded 'soil cloud' if you decide to move stuff around. Plus, since the organics are already mineralized, you run less risk of stank tank syndrome.


As far as plants, its totally up to you and your lighting. Start with the basics like anacharis, java fern, java moss, swords, crypts, etc.

 

[Ziggs180]

I've always planned to put a layer of gravel above the Soil, plan for 1 inch of Soil and 1 inch of gravel above it. As for the filter, so would it be a good idea to get a smaller filter than what is needed for the tank? since its not going to be put to use all that much anyways.

And thanks for the names of the plants, i'll make sure to get a ton and go crazy when it comes to planting.