Fish in a filterless bowl?

[Michele]

I'm not defending Aquababies. Do you think if there were -more- plants, a fish could survive without struggling to breath?

 

[stoneydee]

Michele -

You want the members of this board to give you the answer you want - not the answer that is correct. Fish are not that much different from any other living creature - they need sanitary living conditions, an environment that is suitable for their mature size, food, oxygen, daylight and dark cycles, as constant a temperature as can be maintained, etc.

You cannot expect a good result by buying a peace lily vase, putting a fish and some plants in it, keeping it lit all the time, and then throwing in a snail to clean up the mess. It's as simple as that.

There are however, some killer screen savers of aquatic biospheres that are relatively inexpensive. You don't have to change water, feed, or worry about who's going to take care of it while you are on vacation. . .

 

[Michele]

I'm asking for an answer to the -question- that I'm asking. As a by the way, non-related information is welcomed of course! What keeps hapening though is, for example, I ask you "What is the sun made of?" and I am answered "The moon is made up of white rock!" Now then, it just so happens that I am a responsible person who does not have a problem changing water, feeding and taking good care of my animals. I am asking, not if dunking a fish into a thimble of tap water with a few weeds will suffice in the care taking of a creature, I am asking if a plant can sufficiently oxygenate water.

 

[Christmasfish]

Okay with all the what-ifs and maybes aside..I'll answer the questions emotions to the side

Hello! I just started an officey job and we're allowed to have fish at our desks. Beta fish are ideal because they can inhabit a simple bowl which fit nicely on my desk, but I would rather have a fish that's more interesting to look at such as a catfish. What I'm wondering is, can a catfish live in a bowl without a filter?

No, there are no catfish that can be unfiltrated.

I understand betas and goldfish are built to gulp air for oxygen.)

An aside from question: ...betta gouramy (belontadaii anabantoids) utilize air oxygen. No matter which subtype;
They still use their gills for air exchange of oxygen. The labyrinth organ is more like a scuba tank, not a true lung. All Labyrinth fish still have gills. There are fish with real lungs , but most are too large for casual keeping.
If a goldfish is gulping the surface it is in respiratory distress. They are a conventional fish. Gills only.

Is there a way I can oxygenate a fishbowl without a filter?

No. there is no reliable way to go 100 % "dutch" even in tanks larger than 10 gallons

I was looking into possibly using live plants to introduce the oxygen, but I'm not sure if it will be enough. Please help!

It is not a viable option. Plants take away at night what they give in the day. With a space smaller than 20 gallons you get no real large benefit without a backup form of filtration.

 

[Kwenbee]

I have to agree with Christmasfish here, Michele. The plants will make no difference in the health or well being of the fish, other than giving them someplace to hide or nibble on.

You do need additional light for the plants, and most fish have no problem hanging out in aquariums with fake plants (at least none of mine do...I have enough trouble keeping my guys alive, I ain't got time to deal with plants...my HOUSEPLANTS look pitiful most of the time!).

It sounds like a betta or a Paradise fish in a 2 gallon tank is your best bet. If you do decide you want filtration, and only have one plug, get a surge protector so you can plug in more than one thing (that's what we've done for all of our tanks).

I'd give up on the plant and catfish idea...although if you ARE able to filtrate, both of our bettas have two pet catfish each, but they are in 5 gallons of water.

 

[Michele]

Okay, thanks! Out of curiosity, why do catfish need filters? I'm also curious how plants "take away" during the night what they give in the day, because I always thought they gave out oxygen and breathed in co2. --Would it help any if I were to leave some light on @ night?

 

[Kwenbee]

In my experience, limited that it is, catfish are a bit picky about water nutrients. Water that is not filtered tends to be stagnant without lots of water changes. Without a filter, there is no way for the tank to cycle the way it should, so you must manually remove the ammonia and nitrites by doing water changes. Plus, there are catfish that are big "poopers" so they increase the ammonia levels in the tank (at least that's what I've been told).

As far as the plants go, I have NO experience with underwater plants. I know I've read that some plants can help cycle a tank, but that if you have a planted tank you need certain lighting. You don't want to leave the tank light on 24/7 because you will have an algae problem, and the fish won't get "rest" time they need.

Again, please know that I am far from an expert. All of this comes from the massive amounts of reading I've done online trying to keep my fishies alive and healthy. The advice on this board is awesome and if the experts on here say plants won't help you, then I'd say plants won't help you.

You could just invest in my "squid" friend...like I said, he's very easy to take care of

 

[Michele]

Oops. Kwenbee, I must have posted the same time you did when I replied to Christmasfish because I missed your last post before this one! Thank you all very much. One laaast quick question about the plants--Is there anything I should know about the care taking of the plants themselves? (I can post this as a new topic if any board members think it's more appropriate) I'm always used fake plants in my aquarium...I suppose I wouldn't have to worry about watering underwater plants but do they affect the fish and the tank themselves in a way which complicates the care taking of the fish's environment?

 

[jsoong]

I'm also curious how plants "take away" during the night what they give in the day, because I always thought they gave out oxygen and breathed in co2. --Would it help any if I were to leave some light on @ night?

All living things require O2 to live. Even plants. The internal cellular mechanisms are the same in plants & animals (or bacteria for that matter). To utilize glucose (food) for energy, you have to have O2. And plants do need energy to live & grow. <To be technical, plants cannot use the sun's energy directly. They have to get their energy from ADP/ATP, which is made with glucose + O2, same as every other living thing >

Plants however, have a parallel system - photosynthesis. This is where plants, in sun light, takes in CO2, and coverting that to glucose, giving off O2 as a by product. The glucose is stored (as starch) for use later as energy source.

So, plants utilize the sun's energy indirectly. First the energy is converted to glucose during the light phase. Then the glucose is metabolized (using the energy) during the dark phase. In light, plants take in CO2 & gives off O2, while in dark, they take in O2 and give off CO2.

You cannot have a plant in 24 hrs of light, because then the plant can only convert the sun's energy to glucose, but it cannot use that energy. And the plant will die. In greenhouse experiment, plants can have at most 18 hrs of light in a day. More than that, they die (from lack of energy.)

I hope that clears up some of your confusion. Maybe my earlier posts on plants will make more sense.

PS - for aquatic plant care, there is a sticky on the plant forum here giving you the basics. Also, if you are interested in how plants interact with fish, etc. I would suggest starting a ne thread. This one is a bit overloaded with excess baggage.