[SIZE=14.6667px]A while back I had asked advice of the forum concerning a couple of ideas I had. I received excellent though varied feedback so after a while I decided to run experiments myself.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Question #1: Would I have to increase maintenance if I removed filtration from my Bettas’ Tanks? [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Answer #1: Turns out no increase in maintenance required.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Experiment #1: I have currently 6 ten gallon tanks each with a single male Betta as its sole occupant (with pond snails and MTS). All tanks are heavily planted with Java Ferns, Java Moss, Duckweed, Floating Water Sprite, Anubias Nana and a Marimo Moss Ball. The tanks are heated to 78-80F and had an air driven sponge filter. All are lighted by Marineland LEDs sitting on the glass canopies. During a power failure I noticed how quiet my den was without the background hum of the air pump. I wondered what would I need to do to ensure my fishes’ health if I removed humming air pump and bubbling filters. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]My previous maintenance was a weekly water change of 3+ gallons including vacuuming the substrate (2 sand, 2 gravel, 2 pebbles) and a twice monthly squeezing out of the sponge filters in the discarded water bucket. I tested the water weekly and always had Ammonia= 0, Nitrite=0, Nitrate=0 to trace, pH 7.0-7.2, GH 75-150, KH 80.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]I shut off the air supply to the filters in 2 tanks the first week leaving the filters and their media in the tank. I tested midweek in these tanks and before the weekly water change in all tanks and the two tanks with the stopped filters showed no rise in test results. Week two had me stop the remaining four filters and also remove the original two stopped filters. By three weeks I had all six tanks running with no filtration present at all. I have continued to run the tanks without filtration all summer. My fish remain healthy, good appetites, and very active. My plants are actually growing more vigorously, especially the duckweed. I continue to do weekly water changes of 35% or so but have stopped vacuuming the substrates regularly. I test the water weekly before the water change and feed once a day. The test results are always the same so I may lessen their frequency. I did invest in an additional thermometer for each tank, one hung on opposite sides, to check the effectiveness of the heaters once we enter the winter where my house’s ambient temperature goes to 60F.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Conclusion: Given the load bioload from my Betta and small snails, the densely planted tanks are able to naturally keep the water healthy and crystal clear. Alas: I am still stuck with the pump's humming for the moment as I have a community tank with two sponge filters I would not want to go filterless until I rehome its occupants and get a 7th Betta.[/SIZE]
David
[SIZE=14.6667px]Question #1: Would I have to increase maintenance if I removed filtration from my Bettas’ Tanks? [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Answer #1: Turns out no increase in maintenance required.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Experiment #1: I have currently 6 ten gallon tanks each with a single male Betta as its sole occupant (with pond snails and MTS). All tanks are heavily planted with Java Ferns, Java Moss, Duckweed, Floating Water Sprite, Anubias Nana and a Marimo Moss Ball. The tanks are heated to 78-80F and had an air driven sponge filter. All are lighted by Marineland LEDs sitting on the glass canopies. During a power failure I noticed how quiet my den was without the background hum of the air pump. I wondered what would I need to do to ensure my fishes’ health if I removed humming air pump and bubbling filters. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]My previous maintenance was a weekly water change of 3+ gallons including vacuuming the substrate (2 sand, 2 gravel, 2 pebbles) and a twice monthly squeezing out of the sponge filters in the discarded water bucket. I tested the water weekly and always had Ammonia= 0, Nitrite=0, Nitrate=0 to trace, pH 7.0-7.2, GH 75-150, KH 80.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]I shut off the air supply to the filters in 2 tanks the first week leaving the filters and their media in the tank. I tested midweek in these tanks and before the weekly water change in all tanks and the two tanks with the stopped filters showed no rise in test results. Week two had me stop the remaining four filters and also remove the original two stopped filters. By three weeks I had all six tanks running with no filtration present at all. I have continued to run the tanks without filtration all summer. My fish remain healthy, good appetites, and very active. My plants are actually growing more vigorously, especially the duckweed. I continue to do weekly water changes of 35% or so but have stopped vacuuming the substrates regularly. I test the water weekly before the water change and feed once a day. The test results are always the same so I may lessen their frequency. I did invest in an additional thermometer for each tank, one hung on opposite sides, to check the effectiveness of the heaters once we enter the winter where my house’s ambient temperature goes to 60F.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Conclusion: Given the load bioload from my Betta and small snails, the densely planted tanks are able to naturally keep the water healthy and crystal clear. Alas: I am still stuck with the pump's humming for the moment as I have a community tank with two sponge filters I would not want to go filterless until I rehome its occupants and get a 7th Betta.[/SIZE]
David
