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One of My Aquarium Projects — 2 Comments

  1. Really nice.   I’d go with the non-hardware plan.  Just put creatures and plants that can handle it.  Which would be a lot of the plants, but maybe not as many of the tropical variety creatures.

    I use to be a big time aquarist as well.  Maxed out at around 15 tanks ranging from 2 gallons to 50 gallons.  Was really big into planted ecosystem tanks like you. Also was really big into native fish and other critters.  Darters are the coolest fish hands down. ;]  And I was always experimenting with tanks that had minimal hardware. 

    Heaters were the first to go since more and more of my tanks were native species.  Then less and less air pumps and circulation/filter pumps.  I had a planted saltwater tank with corals and seaweed, etc etc that was quite vibrant.  Only had a HOB with no filter, a circulation pump, lighting and a top off system using a float valve taking water from a nearby freshwater tank. 

    Another simpler salt tank only had a pump and got some light from nearby windows.  Several small freshwater tanks with java fern or moss were kept near windows with no hardware whatsoever.  These were great killifish and shrimp tanks.

    Well…  I could go on and on.  I got way too many homestead and house projects to prioritize first before I can get back into this great hobby.  I’ll have to live vicariously through you.

    Well.. one more thing I wanted to add.  There are a lot of small fish that are native to the states that can be frozen solid during winter and stay alive.  I was in Chapel Hill NC at the time and had a 10 gallon with java fern/moss and a blue-spotted sunfish on my front deck outside and it would get frozen COMPLETELY solid a couple times over winter. 

    Fish was always fine come spring for over 3 years when a neighbor kid threw a rock at it and it all drained.  Also rarely fed it.  It got plenty of food from the ecosystem of the tank and the bugs that were outside and were attracted to the water.

  2. Jack, I think you may have piqued my interest enough to consider starting an indoor tank (10 gal) just to give it a try. It looks beautiful the way you have it set up. I really like the black sand.

    Apparently outdoor aquaponics/aquatics tanks aren’t enough of a hobby for me! Neither is the ebb/flow bed I have in the garage.  Thanks a lot JERK!