Is a Aquarium an Ecosystem?

[Viperboy]

I agrued that it was but my brother who loves to argue says that it is not ... id like to hear everyones opinion and then hopefully mount a better arguement and kick his butt ... thanks

Ray

 

[JDogg]

I agrued that it was but my brother who loves to argue says that it is not ... id like to hear everyones opinion and then hopefully mount a better arguement and kick his butt ... thanks

Ray

yes an aquarium is an ecosystem, It is a community of organisms that life together and are interdependent. tell you brother he should have payed better attention in biology class if he fells differently!

 

[Ryehard]

Yeah I suppose if you have plants and a good varied stock of fish and inverts with a solid life cycle going then it's definately an ecosystem. Although, my tank certainly is dependent on me keeping it in check with water changes and fertilization so I guess you'd just have to say I'm part of the ecosystem .

 

[LydiaGreen]

I really don't like the term "ecosystem" when it comes to fish keeping. It leads too many people to believe that they can just top off the tank because the plants clean up after the fish and the fish clean up after the plants or similar such nonsense. A true ecosystem, IMHO, has drainage of waste (through the soil - the bottoms of our tanks prevent this) and an influx of freshwater through rain or snow (not PWCs). A true ecosystem is one that maintains a healthy environment. If we didn't do gravel vacs and PWCs the aquarium would crash, so I do not feel that it is an ecosystem. My .02.

 

[JDogg]

I really don't like the term "ecosystem" when it comes to fish keeping. It leads too many people to believe that they can just top off the tank because the plants clean up after the fish and the fish clean up after the plants or similar such nonsense.

it is not a closed ecosystem, it requires importation and exportation of materials, even the planet earth is not a closed ecosystem. Importation of sun light and all that

 

[donttaptheglass]

Yes, it is definately an ecosystem, although LydiaGreen has a point, so we can say its an ecosystem that requires some maintenance. It is an ecosystem in that over time it finds its own ways to care for itself by growing bacteria needed to break down waste and equalize chemical levels, so in essence, it creates life that you don't have to buy in the store to help maintain life. Obviously, we can't precisely duplicate the natural environment because of the limited space involved in an aquarium. You don't have the sheer volume of the ocean or a stream to dilute these waste products and such . . .but, this does illustrate why the bigger the tank you have, the easier it tends to be to maintain after it has cycled.

So to help your argument a bit . . . it IS an ecosystem, but since it is a man-made ecosystem, you become part of that system, so it still does require some man-made assistance to maintain its balance.

 

[Jchillin]

Pretty good discussion, allow another thought. Think in terms of "micro" eco-system. A natural eco-system is for the most part far more balanced than what we create in our tanks. As donttaptheglass (did I get that right?) states, it is an eco-system that we are a part of. We have to artificially create a natural waste system since it cannot do it on it's own.

Having plants and a variety of other life in the tank other than fish makes it more "natural" however, once we take ourselves out of the picture (similar to no rainfall, no streams or waves), the system will break down in quick fashion.

 

[Viperboy]

well this is all very helpful ... thanks guys and ill set my bro straight

Ray

 

[LydiaGreen]

Scientifically, you are right. I just don't like using the term ecosystem with fish-keeping because I have seen time and time again where someone will think they don't need to do diddly squat to maintain that system. My brother bought a vase, a floating plant and a beta and hung it over his dining room table because some salesperson at an LFS told him that that would make an ecosystem. He replaced the beta and the plant about once a month for a year until he got sick and tired of my nagging over the cruelty of it.

 

[Jarred Darque]

you can have an independant aquarium. some plants, alot of algae, 10 gallons of water, and a pair of guppies. only thing you have to do is top off the water, no feeding involved

 

[donttaptheglass]

The above method of fishkeeping is not recommended nor endorsed.

 

[LydiaGreen]

you can have an independant aquarium. some plants, alot of algae, 10 gallons of water, and a pair of guppies. only thing you have to do is top off the water, no feeding involved

I seriously hope you are being sarcastic. If not, does everyone else see why calling an aquarium an ecosystem isn't a good idea? Whether it's scientifically correct or not doesn't seem to matter.

 

[lovemybarbs]

Yeah, I don't think that method will go over real well in here.

 

[Jarred Darque]

actaully that is a viable solution. it holds all elements of a proper ecosystem it is, essentially, a mini self sustaining pond, you know, the type where the only thing that gets added is rain water? So then, would a massive pond in someoneons back yard be a bad idea then? It is selfsustaining,

 

[LydiaGreen]

A large pond is not self-sustaining. Yes it may get a little rainwater, but without proper drainage nitrates will rise high and you will still end up with very sick or dead fish... the same result that you would get with doing this in a tank. A goldfish could theoretically live in those conditions for a couple of years but, it's lifespan should be 10-20. Also, with the debris rotting in there and such, you are going to end up with fish with ammonia burns.

Think of it this way -- would you want to live in your toilet?

 

[donttaptheglass]

actaully that is a viable solution

I don't recall there having been a problem that needed a solution, it was simply asked if an aquarium fit the description of an ecosystem.

I'll stop there . . . .I'm really biting my tongue here

 

[Jchillin]

The purpose of this discussion was to answer the OP's question: "Is an aquarium an Eco-System?" The question has been answered several times. Let's address answering the question rather than contribute options.

 

[Jarred Darque]

I am merely stating a situation where an aquarium is an eco-system

 

[Jchillin]

Then I must have missed something in here:

you can have an independant aquarium. some plants, alot of algae, 10 gallons of water, and a pair of guppies. only thing you have to do is top off the water, no feeding involved

This doesn't qualify since you didn't show where the waste is eliminated/removed.

The purpose of any useful discussion is to provide insight and thoughtfulness into what this hobby provides and all of it's sciences. If we fail to do that, we can blame ourselves for not advancing the hobby.

 

[Viperboy]

wow didnt know this was gonna spark some big arguement but i guess me and my brother got into it a bit so why couldnt it happen on here .... i agree that it is an eco system but i also agree that the tank itself is no self sustaining and without our influence would not be able to exist ....

Ray