Dioaquatics 12g Nano Bowl

I thought I should update you guys on the little heater I bought for the bowl. It’s doing great so far. Heats the tank to a perfect 74F. I did have to modify it a little and put some mesh around the sides. The slots were kind of big and I didn’t want any fish getting stuck in there, so far so good with that mod. Other than that, nothing much going on with the bowl except some beautiful plant growth. I plan on adding around 6-7 more ember tetras to bring the school up to 15-16 total. One plant I want to add is pink flamingo crypt, on the right hand side of the tank near the entrance to the wooden “cave” the DW creates.
Here’s a FTS
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Look at the color on this bacopa!
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And a super crappy shot of my last female yellow golden back shrimp. She seems to be doing great. I’d love to get a few more, at least one male to add so they can breed but I don’t wan to buy them and have them die just like last time.
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Gorgeous, stunning, breathtaking!!
You have really done an amazing job with that bowl!!! I never knew a bowl could be so stunning!

 

Gorgeous, stunning, breathtaking!!
You have really done an amazing job with that bowl!!! I never knew a bowl could be so stunning!

Thank you so much biz! I’m pleasantly surprised at how well this bowl has turned out to be. Plants are growing great, fish seem to be thriving and it’s low maintenance. Couldn’t ask for an easier tank lol

 

It’s been a while but here’s a picture of my female yellow golden back shrimp chilling in the top of the bacopa after a water change. I want to get a male for her ASAP

 

Great shot!

 

Great shot!

Thanks Lchi! I know I say this every time but I’m really loving the ease of this tank. I’ve never had a tank that’s so easy for me to take care of lol

The minI DHG looks nice but it doesn’t have the length that I was hoping for so I’m thinking of adding some clumps of regular DHG in the mix and see how it looks. I also want to add just one, flamingo crypt on the right side for a nice pop of red/pink.

After that, I’ll add another 6 ember tetras to have a total of 15, my male yellow neo shrimp to get them breeding and a few more amanos and that’s it.

 

Thanks Lchi! I know I say this every time but I’m really loving the ease of this tank. I’ve never had a tank that’s so easy for me to take care of lol

The minI DHG looks nice but it doesn’t have the length that I was hoping for so I’m thinking of adding some clumps of regular DHG in the mix and see how it looks. I also want to add just one, flamingo crypt on the right side for a nice pop of red/pink.

After that, I’ll add another 6 ember tetras to have a total of 15, my male yellow neo shrimp to get them breeding and a few more amanos and that’s it.

I love the idea of mixing in some regular DHG! And the flamingo crypt on the right would be a really pleasing contrast in color. Go for it and good luck, those fish and shrimp better realize and appreciate how beautiful their home is.

 

I love the idea of mixing in some regular DHG! And the flamingo crypt on the right would be a really pleasing contrast in color. Go for it and good luck, those fish and shrimp better realize and appreciate how beautiful their home is.

I'm hoping that mixing the DHG in with the minI DHG will give it an extra layer of "protection" if breeding occurs for any possible fry and shrimplets. I also think the flamingo crypt will contrast nicely with all the green and brown that's already in there. Thank you! I'm sure the fish and shrimp will appreciate their home just as much as I do

 

Sad to report, I lost my yellow golden back shrimp not sure what happened but she’s gone

 

Sad to report, I lost my yellow golden back shrimp not sure what happened but she’s gone

Sorry to hear .

If you want some fire red cherries, I can give you a few. My yellows are still not really breeding that I can see yet but my shrimp tank has been overrun with plants that I need to trim badly.

 

Sorry to hear .

If you want some fire red cherries, I can give you a few. My yellows are still not really breeding that I can see yet but my shrimp tank has been overrun with plants that I need to trim badly.

As bad as I want to put my yellow golden back neos in the bowl, I really might just give up on them. Thank you though. I don’t think I can properly keep them alive in my water and I don’t really want to mess with my water in the bowl. The only shrimp I can keep are amanos so I’ll probably just get some more of those and more ember tetras and call it stocked. I can’t just keep getting shrimp and having them die on me

 

Younger shrimp can adapt better to different water parameters. Can't hurt to try some reds. Next time you want to make a run to AF or FH, let me know. I'll scoop up a few shrimplets and meet you there.

 

Younger shrimp can adapt better to different water parameters. Can't hurt to try some reds. Next time you want to make a run to AF or FH, let me know. I'll scoop up a few shrimplets and meet you there.

Thanks darkone. Next time I’m down there, I’ll let you know

 

Aww, sorry to hear it.

Would you mind sharing what you think the problem is? I imagine it must be related to hardness levels, but since some sweet little neos are a definite 'someday' species for us, (after a move), I'd appreciate knowing more about your experience.

 

Aww, sorry to hear it.

Would you mind sharing what you think the problem is? I imagine it must be related to hardness levels, but since some sweet little neos are a definite 'someday' species for us, (after a move), I'd appreciate knowing more about your experience.

My neo colony didn't take off until after I went with full RO and Equilibrium (200-240 TDS). Even a 50/50 mix didn't do much. My gh was really high so that might've been my problem. I had about 25 shrimp and my 20 gallon shrimp tank looked empty for over 8 months until I did the full switch to RO. They're still good at hiding until I feed them and then I see tons of them.

 

Aww, sorry to hear it.

Would you mind sharing what you think the problem is? I imagine it must be related to hardness levels, but since some sweet little neos are a definite 'someday' species for us, (after a move), I'd appreciate knowing more about your experience.

I honestly think its my waters hardness. I had the same problem with some bloody mary cherry shrimp I got last year form a member on here. When I got the yellow golden back shrimp, I did a 2-3 hour acclimation in hopes they'd get accustomed to my water but that didn't seem to work. I think they just can't survive in my water with the hardness level. Either that, or my TDS is too high for them. I want to get a TDS meter to find out what it is.

 

Aww sorry to hear that. There could be a couple things wrong. The only way to figure it out is to make small changes, only one thing at a time unless you're sure of the culprit. Also remember cherry shrimp only live for about a year.

 

My neo colony didn't take off until after I went with full RO and Equilibrium (200-240 TDS). Even a 50/50 mix didn't do much. My gh was really high so that might've been my problem. I had about 25 shrimp and my 20 gallon shrimp tank looked empty for over 8 months until I did the full switch to RO. They're still good at hiding until I feed them and then I see tons of them.

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I honestly think its my waters hardness. I had the same problem with some bloody mary cherry shrimp I got last year form a member on here. When I got the yellow golden back shrimp, I did a 2-3 hour acclimation in hopes they'd get accustomed to my water but that didn't seem to work. I think they just can't survive in my water with the hardness level. Either that, or my TDS is too high for them. I want to get a TDS meter to find out what it is.

Thanks, guys. TDS meters can be had for $10 - $15 on Amazon KingD... but you know what? RODI systems are getting cheaper than they used to be too... and then you can make your water whatever you want it to be. Just sayin'. Idk about you guys in NY & NJ, but it seems like big city water is usually pretty dang hard. My own tap's GH is around 25 and KH comes in at 17... I think. It's been quite a while since I tested the tap because none of our tanks use it.

Switching to highly purified water that needs mineral replacement is not something I'd advise to just anybody, and certainly not to beginners, but I'm sure DarkOne would agree that it's not the chore that it sounds like and in fact, it's actually rather liberating to 'make' one's desired water.

I'm not pushing the RO/RODI on you either KingD . You have some of the loveliest tanks that I've seen online, so yeah, you don't need my help. Just letting you know you have options.

 

Aww sorry to hear that. There could be a couple things wrong. The only way to figure it out is to make small changes, only one thing at a time unless you're sure of the culprit. Also remember cherry shrimp only live for about a year.

Yea there could be a couple things but I’m thinking it’s my hardness or my TDS. The bowl has fluval stratum so I thought maybe that would bugger the water enough to be perfect for at least neos since they’re “easier” to keep but nope. When I can, I’ll test me TDS and gh and kh again. Yea I knew they don’t live very long but all the neo shrimp I kept have died within a month or 2 at most.

Thanks, guys. TDS meters can be had for $10 - $15 on Amazon KingD... but you know what? RODI systems are getting cheaper than they used to be too... and then you can make your water whatever you want it to be. Just sayin'. Idk about you guys in NY & NJ, but it seems like big city water is usually pretty dang hard. My own tap's GH is around 25 and KH comes in at 17... I think. It's been quite a while since I tested the tap because none of our tanks use it.

Switching to highly purified water that needs mineral replacement is not something I'd advise to just anybody, and certainly not to beginners, but I'm sure DarkOne would agree that it's not the chore that it sounds like and in fact, it's actually rather liberating to 'make' one's desired water.

I'm not pushing the RO/RODI on you either KingD . You have some of the loveliest tanks that I've seen online, so yeah, you don't need my help. Just letting you know you have options.

Yea I found a TDS meter on Amazon that I plan on getting soon once my fish funds are back up. I will keep my eye out on an RODI unit but as of right now, I’d rather not mess with my water much.

 

If you are willing to make the trip I will give you all the shrimp you want

 

If you are willing to make the trip I will give you all the shrimp you want

That's very nice of you. Trip to where exactly? Lol

 

I got my RO unit for $50 (RO Buddie). With another $20 in parts, I have it connected to my shower with a valve. The unit is kept in a 5 gallon bucket with 3 lines coming out of it when in use. The RO/DI unit has a bad DI canister that lasts 5 gallon from what I've read so I got the RO only unit. I get 3-5 TDS from it and it's perfect for shrimp tanks. It takes about 2hr to fill a 5 gallon bucket. Once it's filled with RO water, I put 1/2 tspn of Equilibrium in with a wavemaker to mix for about 15m. If it's cold, I drop a heater in the bucket. This gives me right around 175 TDS. Letting it sit and mix with the wavemaker also stabilizes the pH.

The only thing I would've changed is getting the 100gpd unit over the 50gpd I have because I'm impatient. I think I'll get the 100gpd when the cartridges need to be replaced.

I keep a couple of 2L soda bottles filled with RO and sometimes even a 5 gallon bucket w/lid for top offs on my tanks, mixing ferts, etc. Since I don't have a closed lid for my new 30 gallon rimless, it needs to be topped off more often than my other tanks.

 

Yea there could be a couple things but I’m thinking it’s my hardness or my TDS. The bowl has fluval stratum so I thought maybe that would bugger the water enough to be perfect for at least neos since they’re “easier” to keep but nope. When I can, I’ll test me TDS and gh and kh again. Yea I knew they don’t live very long but all the neo shrimp I kept have died within a month or 2 at most.


Yea I found a TDS meter on Amazon that I plan on getting soon once my fish funds are back up. I will keep my eye out on an RODI unit but as of right now, I’d rather not mess with my water much.

I was losing shrimp like that every 2 months almost like clockwork. They'd be around maybe just long enough to have babies or produce eggs and then gone. IMO the best change I made was using only cold water for water changes, letting it sit until it warmed up to room temperature. Read somewhere that copper hot water pipes can leech copper into the water or something. So far so good.

The only thing that has struck me as odd is the 10 gallon sparkling gourami tank has had the best shrimp survivability results out of all my tanks. The gouramis I'm sure are snacking on some of the babies but the shrimp count in that tank is probably in the 30s and higher now. I had some red cherry survivors in it and I tossed some wild colored culls in it. I never did anything special for that tank, same old water changes like I do the other fish tanks.

 

Quick stocking question guys, do you think I'd be able to put a single honey gourami in the bowl? I kind of want to add a "center piece" fish for the bowl but I want something that's going to stay in the 2 to 3 inch max, size range. Something that won't dwarf the ember tetras. Do you have any suggestions?

 

Hmm interesting...Whats the diameter at the widest part?

 

Hmm interesting...Whats the diameter at the widest part?

If I remember correctly, its diameter is 18in at its widest and has a height of about 15in

 

If I remember correctly, its diameter is 18in at its widest and has a height of about 15in

I’m just trying to think footprint-wise how I feel but your bowl is throwing me off lol. I think you have plenty of water volume...

 

I’m just trying to think footprint-wise how I feel but your bowl is throwing me off lol.

I wouldn't know how to calculate its "footprint" but I know that the opening on the top is 15 inched in diameter so I'm guessing the bottom of it is the same?

 

I wouldn't know how to calculate its "footprint" but I know that the opening on the top is 15 inched in diameter so I'm guessing the bottom of it is the same?

I suppose it might work if they’re not particularly active. I’ve never kept them though!

 

I suppose it might work if they’re not particularly active. I’ve never kept them though!

Looks like I have to see what the minimum tank size for them is and determine if I want to put one in the bowl lol

 

Not much to report here on this thread either. The bowl is on autopilot basically. I am having some blue green algae issues so I have to get rid of that. Might just cut the light cycle down a couple hours. More ember tetras will be added soon to up the school and make them more comfortable and come out more.

 

Are going to get any shrimp?

 

Are going to get any shrimp?

I'm still thinking about it. I don't want to kill anymore shrimp but I want to add more life to the tank. If anything, I'll just go the cheap route and get regulate cherry shrimp and see how it goes. Maybe some higher grade cherries so the colors pop more but again, I'm not sure.

 

Let me know if you want some fire red cherry shrimp. The yellows don't seem to be breeding and I'm only seeing a handful at a time but the rcs are doing well.

 

Let me know if you want some fire red cherry shrimp. The yellows don't seem to be breeding and I'm only seeing a handful at a time but the rcs are doing well.

I’ll definitely let you know. Honestly might just try regular cherries to get into shrimp and hope it works. I’ll hold off on the yellows or any other color until I can figure out what I need to do to keep these guys alive.

 

After almost 2 months, I think it’s time for an update. The bowl hasn’t really changed, everything has been running on autopilot which is perfect in my eyes. This tank is super low maintenance and I love it.
Still have the 9 ember tetras, 2 amano shrimp and 2 nerite snails. I do plan on adding cherry shrimp to the bowl which I’ll be getting within the next month or so from another member here. I also still want to add more ember tetras to see if they become more outgoing. These guys hide all day long, I almost never see them.
Here’s a picture so shown the growth.

 

Wow, that’s really nice. I can’t see any of the inhabitants lol, but the scape is great.

 

Wow, that’s really nice. I can’t see any of the inhabitants lol, but the scape is great.

Thanks! I promise you I have 9 ember tetras, 2 nerite snails and 2 amano shrimp but they all always hide. I think more inhabitants will help everyone feel more comfortable.

 

Alright so my sister has a yellow veiltail better named Sunshine. He’s in a 2.5 gallon tank with some plants and a sponge filter. She doesn’t really know how to do water changes so I’ve been doing them for her every couple of weeks.
She’s had him in her room for a few months now but she wants to move him out but doesn’t want to get rid of him. I decided he’s going to go into my 12g with the embers.
I wanted to get a platinum white betta for the bowl but a yellow one is be fine with me. He’ll stand out for sure.
Here he is. The glass is covered in algae so it’s hard to tell but he’s a nice looking little guy. He’s got blue eyes

 

Nice! I don’t think I’ve ever seen an all yellow betta before. And the blue eyes sound real cool!

 

Got Sunshine the betta in the bowl with the embers! He seems to like it a lot more than his 2.5g tank. He’s been swimming around and chasing the embers but it’s his first time seeing other fish. I’m sure he’ll settle down soon. He’s only been in there for 10 minutes lol. I’m really liking the look of him in the tank.
Here’s a quick video before I scared the out of him lol