Ways to improve my ecosystem experiment

[zacheyp]

had i not lost heat for a week in october i would still have a self sustaining ecosystem?

 

[joejeff]

This is interesting. But I would add water changes to mix. In nature there are systems to replenish elements in water and larger masses of water to have decay broken down. So I fear this tank will just be a slow death for the fish. Or at least a failure to reach potential. It is a cool idea. But idk...

 

[zacheyp]

well i am doing water changes in a sence, im replacing evaporated water, just not taking any out

 

[Mumma.of.two]

well i am doing water changes in a sence, im replacing evaporated water, just not taking any out

That's not a water change. You aren't removing any waste.

 

[joejeff]

Ya the reason for water change is getting nasty decaying matter out of.the water ur fish live and breath in. I know the idea of plants and animals balancing themselves out. But idk. It seems like when people put Bettas in a bowl with a house plants roots in it and the betta looks soo pitiful

 

[aquaponicpaw]

White cloud mountain Minnows are an excellent "coldwater" fish. I am currently involved in the same experiments. However, I am starting to study ways to create and harness the energy from the circulation of the water.Don't forget your snails also. I swear they secrete some type of magical potin that makes a tank like this thrive. Plus they serve as good indicators of overall health of your system.

 

[zacheyp]

in a 10 how many of those minnows could i keep

 

[aquaponicpaw]

Depends on what else you have in there. but I would say start with 3 and keep adding in increments. but you must remember that diversity is key to having any type of success. and you are limited by size. your job is to figure out how to maximize your bioload, yet have a diverse enough tank where it's a true "community" tank.

 

[Hobgob]

I useda neon in my bottle one

 

[00youknowit00]

Will be interesting to see since you say you've successfully done it before, but its only self sustaining if you can get it to go on for years, not really just one, but 2-3 at least. Good luck! Definitely following!

 

[jetajockey]

I think that most fish would be destined for a slow death in a setup like this. In the OP it was mentioned that guppies had 3 generations, in a thriving tank that can happen in as little as 5-6 months.

One major concern would be nutrition, fish like guppies are not thriving when they are stuck eating (attempting to eat) elodea or algae.

What is the intended goal? There is no self sustaining system like this in nature, at least not on this small of a scale. If you had a larger tank with some sort of method to maintain a colony of shrimp or snails and a fish that could sustain itself off of them then maybe, but even then if it were a breeding group of fish then the food source would run out in as little as one generation.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Hi,

There's no self-sustaining method. The tank's water quality eventually degrades and it becomes a toxin soup. I would really recommend water changes. There is no such thing as a self-sustaining environment.

If you did water changes to replace old tank water, I would put fish in.

 

[aquaponicpaw]

It can be pulled off as long as he doesn't load it with fish, This type of system happens constantly in nature. And the water will not degrade as long as he can find the proper plant/invert balance to cycle the waste. most fish are omnivores. Most fish can live on duckweed alone. couple that with copapods nematodes etc. It is very Possible for fish to live a very healthy life in such a setup.

 

[zacheyp]

in terms of stocking im gonna get 3 of those minnows and 2 other species of fish, anu suggestions? i want an least on species to be a bottom feeder!

 

[aquaponicpaw]

corys are excellent fish for that setup. But like mentioned above ^^^^^ a colony of shrimp, snails, floating plants would be the first thing I add. floating plants are vital because the roots really help in absorption of ammonia.you wanna keep fish at a minimum for a while though.

 

[zacheyp]

what type of substrate would you reccomend?

 

[zacheyp]

what type of substrate would you reccomend?

also what shrimp?

 

[aquaponicpaw]

sand topped off by gravel, a larger pea type.you dont want the gravel deep you just want a thin layer... that way waste doesn't build up down there. and whats usable will sit on top of the sand to be foraged. cheap ghost feeders.

 

[zacheyp]

how does this stock list look, 3 cories
3 of those minnows
3 of another fish
lots of duckweed, elodea, java moss and other aquatic plants, large quantities of shrimp and snails

 

[aquaponicpaw]

You can throw numbers around all day. But nothing can be written in stone. That's a good goal tho'.