A self-sustaning fish tank

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dahumbug

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I was going to make a low maintenance fish tank which was planted and had a pump,filter and heater. I wanted it to be self sustaining and so I was looking for some good looking fish or invertebrate that will survive off of algae. Any suggestions? [emoji2]

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I'll be honest, a self sustaining fish tank is a nice idea, but not doable in practice.

Low maintenance is certainly possible, but unless you have a very large tank with very few inhabitants, it's not possible to grow enough algae. And you'd still need to do water changes, as the minerals in the water will get depleted and nitrate will build up.
 
Agree. I recall reading once a biologist mentioning that to be relatively self-sustaining, you could have six small tetras (like neons) in a 55 gallon (208 liter) aquarium well planted, and you would never have to do water changes because a thick growth of plants could handle things with only six 1-inch fish. Maybe.

The "relatively self-sustaining" means still feeding the fish, and topping up evaporated water.

We in the hobby tend to forget that even the largest aquarium is not even close to being nature. Any aquarium is an extremely artificial closed system. We do our maintenance and monitor this and that, but the natural processes that occur in the aquarium as they do in nature are magnified in such a closed space and this can alter things considerably.

Byron.
 
I'll be honest, a self sustaining fish tank is a nice idea, but not doable in practice.

Low maintenance is certainly possible, but unless you have a very large tank with very few inhabitants, it's not possible to grow enough algae. And you'd still need to do water changes, as the minerals in the water will get depleted and nitrate will build up.
Hi flutter mouth,
I have seen your thoughts and I will take them into account. Would a couple of snails or shrimps work?
 
hi there. a few years ago i looked into a similar prodject and the complexities thereof outweigh the benefits.

it is cheaper and easier to just do a standard tank. however cool the idea may seem the trouble with a fish-tank is that it lacks so many natural factors. possibly the closes anyone could viably get is a massive fishpond stocked with a few minnows and pond-snails. also it will need a shed load of plants and space.
 
If I were to make a tank with just shrimp or snails could I make it so it doesn't need to be fed? A filter,pump,light and heater will be ok.

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If I were to make a tank with just shrimp or snails could I make it so it doesn't need to be fed?

I honestly can't see a way of making that work, not without compromising the welfare of the livestock

A filter,pump,light and heater will be ok.

Most tanks don't need an air pump.

I think we need to take a step back and look at the question in a broader fashion, so we can help you set up something that will work for both you and your future inhabitants.

First of all, why is it you want to do this? Is it just as an intellectual exercise, or do you have some other reason; perhaps you're away a lot, or don't have much time?

How big a tank can you accommodate? What do you class as 'good looking'? Are there any fish or shrimps that you've seen that you particularly like?

Is your water hard or soft, and do you understand the nitrogen cycle and the concept of bioload?

Have you any experience at all in keeping aquatic animals, fish or otherwise?
 
I honestly can't see a way of making that work, not without compromising the welfare of the livestock



Most tanks don't need an air pump.

I think we need to take a step back and look at the question in a broader fashion, so we can help you set up something that will work for both you and your future inhabitants.

First of all, why is it you want to do this? Is it just as an intellectual exercise, or do you have some other reason; perhaps you're away a lot, or don't have much time?

How big a tank can you accommodate? What do you class as 'good looking'? Are there any fish or shrimps that you've seen that you particularly like?

Is your water hard or soft, and do you understand the nitrogen cycle and the concept of bioload?

Have you any experience at all in keeping aquatic animals, fish or otherwise?
I'm sorry to waste your time,
I am doing this because I don't have much time and I will only be there every 2-3 weeks.
I am looking at some small nano modern fish tanks.I have around £150 and that is all that I am willing to spend if I have to. Preferably £100 for everything.I don't really have a preference for the shrimp I get. I have no previous experience with fish tanks.


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You're not wasting anyone's time. We like to see questions before action, it can save a lot of fish lives not to mention aquarist's stress.

But if you are only around once every 2-3 weeks, I would respectfully suggest an aquarium is not the hobby to consider. Some of us have difficulty getting away for a week or two, and return to dead fish because this or that malfunctioned when we were not there to deal with it in time. I cannot say this applies as strictly to a tank of plants and shrimp/snails...certainly the snails might manage depending upon the species and food sources. I'll leave it for the more shrimp-experienced members to comment.

Byron.
 
I'm sorry to waste your time,
I am doing this because I don't have much time and I will only be there every 2-3 weeks.
I am looking at some small nano modern fish tanks.I have around £150 and that is all that I am willing to spend if I have to. Preferably £100 for everything.I don't really have a preference for the shrimp I get. I have no previous experience with fish tanks.

You're absolutely not wasting our time! You came here with some queries, and we're very happy to discuss it with you :)

It's a tricky one, for sure... shrimps need very stable water conditions, so a water change every few weeks wouldn't do them any good at all, and they're very sensitive to toxins like ammonia and nitrite, so the tank would need to be cycled and matured first. I honestly don't think I can recommend shrimps.

I really don't want to sound snobby, but if you had some experience with aquaria it might be possible, but for complete beginner? Wow, that's another matter all together! Keeping aquatic animals is a LOT harder than most people think, it really is.

However, a little planted tank, as Sean suggested, could look really nice; you'd probably get some pest snails come in on the plants anyway. Most snails you can buy are either too large for nano tanks (apple/mystery snails, for instance) or they're quite hard to keep (nerites), but the little pest pond snails would probably be all right. Then again, they won't do well in soft water...

Maybe it would be a good idea if you hung around here for a couple of weeks; have a read of the threads in the 'Shrimps and Invertebrates' and the 'Cycling Your Tank' sub-forums and get a feel for what's involved?
 
With Red Cherry shrimp the right size tank and the right setup it could work. I know people who own 15 gallon low tech shrimp tanks that never do water changes and do not feed the shrimp anything but leaf litter they only top up their tank to replace evaporated water.
 
You're absolutely not wasting our time! You came here with some queries, and we're very happy to discuss it with you :)

It's a tricky one, for sure... shrimps need very stable water conditions, so a water change every few weeks wouldn't do them any good at all, and they're very sensitive to toxins like ammonia and nitrite, so the tank would need to be cycled and matured first. I honestly don't think I can recommend shrimps.

I really don't want to sound snobby, but if you had some experience with aquaria it might be possible, but for complete beginner? Wow, that's another matter all together! Keeping aquatic animals is a LOT harder than most people think, it really is.

However, a little planted tank, as Sean suggested, could look really nice; you'd probably get some pest snails come in on the plants anyway. Most snails you can buy are either too large for nano tanks (apple/mystery snails, for instance) or they're quite hard to keep (nerites), but the little pest pond snails would probably be all right. Then again, they won't do well in soft water...

Maybe it would be a good idea if you hung around here for a couple of weeks; have a read of the threads in the 'Shrimps and Invertebrates' and the 'Cycling Your Tank' sub-forums and get a feel for what's involved?
I do have £150 to spend and I just remembered, I kept goldfish when I was 11 but they aren't the hardest fish to keep.
I really do like the idea of a small planted tank with some snails. Would it be able to keep some tetras or guppies in there with an automatic feeder? My parents will be home so If it does run out I could tell them to fill it up for me. I really do like the idea of a snail tank.
 
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