Jeri's cherry shrimp bowl

You could use the sand as a cap for the dirt I would assume.

Everything I've read on NPT says not- gravel or larger rocks are needed because sand doesn't breathe as easily as gravel, and if that dirt goes anaerobic it will no longer filter.. and it will kill any animal life..

 

ahh ok thank you for that! I had wondered about the off gassing but thought it might work.

 

Everything I've read on NPT says not- gravel or larger rocks are needed because sand doesn't breathe as easily as gravel, and if that dirt goes anaerobic it will no longer filter.. and it will kill any animal life..

numerous people use sand over dirt on the lanted tank forum with no problems

 

actually you don't want a gravel that is too big. some of mine in the bowl are actually too big. I tried to get as many small pieces as I could. but yes, sand can be done....a lot of people use it. ideally, per walstad, you want gravel that is no bigger than 2 or 3mm.

I have used it in a non soil planted tank, and the plants grew well.

M it's not that you'd sand instead of soil, but sand over soil.

 

Ah, ok thanks! Cool! I've got to try this! I'll be on the hunt for the perfect "bowl"!

 

Yes, awhile ago Diane Walstad herself told me that sand over soil is fine for NPT over at the APC forum.

 

Yes, awhile ago Diane Walstad herself told me that sand over soil is fine for NPT over at the APC forum.

actually, her name is diana

 

oh, oops. my mistake.ops:

 

Jers, where did you get the dirt for it? I can't for the life of me find any place online that claims to sell that dirt in their stores.

 

I got it at home depot. they said they will have it throughout the winter too. in case I want to start, oh, 100 more bowls haha.

it is miracle grow organic garden soil. but I think the potting soil will work too. though if you can't find that exact brand....most garden/potting soils will work. just make sure there aren't wetting agents, or those little white ball things in it.

 

YAY! you just made my day!

 

good, i'm glad hannah! maybe you'll be starting a bowl soon? ;D

so far, all shrimp are doing well....and I think the dwarf sag has gotten a little taller. =] and the water is super clear. in the pics I posted, it was a little bit hazy. I definitely recommend garden/potting soil over topsoil. the topsoil in m 10 gallon is still leaching tannins. >

 

I want to start an NPT bowl now! Is there anything else I can keep in them besides shrimps though?

Thanks, you see the "a" and the "e" are just so close together on the keyboard it's easy to accidentally press one over the other. (bad excuse lol)

 

haha gamer. it's ok.

well in a bowl, I don't really see anything else working besides shrimp....just based on bio-load and swim room. though if you did a slightly larger NPT, like 5g+, you could have some nano fish.

 

if the bowl is big enough you could do a betta or a couple snails. if you had a 5 gal you could do sparkling gouramis.

 

in mine, I think I could put a little corona nerite in there if I wanted. but yeah, things less than 5 gallon are kind of limiting. but shrimp are really cool! not active like fish...but they have their own coolness

 

I'm confused, Pretty sure you need a filter? ??? Especially with shrimp which are really delicate and really vulnerable to ammonia and nitrite? Does the substrate filter it or something?

 

the plants are the filter. they suck the nitrates and everything out of the water. a filter, filters out particles and holds the bb. in a npt the plants are the filter. you just top off the water!

 

Yup, plants act as the filtration, you could add some water movement if like. If it were any bigger I'd think movement would be a must but I could be wrong.

 

I suppose this can only be successful with things like shrimps and snails because of the low bio-load?

 

slightly long post: my sister has been lending me her 2.5gal. aquarium for the past year or so, so to thank her I've offered that when she wants it back, I'll supply the cycled filter media, live plants, shrimp, the light bulbs I had for it, a mostly full bottle of water conditioner, and help her pick out good stocking ideas. Since she is pretty busy, I brought up the idea of NPT, but I want to try it on my tanks so I can guide her through any caveats when working on hers.. So I may shortly be doing a "bowl", it just won't be mine. She's really excited about it, but she just has to find room in their tiny apartment. I really want a shrimp-bowl, but I have a very pretty, very finicky houseplant taking up most of the extra space by my bed(it's a fuschia plant). plus, we got a new kitty, with plenty of claws on her front paws(7 toes on one paw, 6 on the other) who might decide shrimp sound like a fabulous dinner.. Although, I already try to keep her out of my bedroom anyways because she likes chewing on the plant, so I might try it. Incidentally, I tested the dirt from my backyard with the water-in-the-jar test, and it settles in 2 hrs. and after getting the debris off the surface, it's pretty clear.. someday a shrimp bowl may mysteriously appear on my desk with no explanation

I suppose this can only be successful with things like shrimps and snails because of the low bio-load?

nope!
the lady in this article had:
My 29 gallon bowfront pictured above... Inhabitants include swordtails, Endler's Livebearers, a clown pleco, ramshorn and pond snails. Lighting is sunlight from a south window and 40 watts of 6500K compact fluorescent light.

 

haha @ gemstone. yes....this bowl magically appeared one day, and my hubby was like scratching his head. it's on my night table...so I guess he didn't see it for a couple days. haha.

but as others have said, plants are the filter. the soil substrate gives them the nutrients they need. the gravel/sand keeps the soil from getting all over the place...plus providing bb.

I have a 10 gallon NPT with a nano HOB. I just have a sponge (for now) and a lava rock to house bb, kind of an in case thing. it was my first time using soil, so I just thought a back- up might be nice. but the HOB is mostly for movement. I would use something to move the water in a 10 gallon or larger. but a filter, per se, is optional.

the more water movement there is, the less co2 that is available to the plants, so we actually don't want a lot of it. but some is ok. it's just in a bowl this size, you really just can't have anything. but the shrimp like to graze on the biofilm.... so it's a win win

 

Well I have been nipped by the "aggressive NPT fishy" meaning I have the itch to start my own now. And I have some ideas for a set up thanks to this thread.

I've added a 4-6 gal aquarium kit to my Christmas wishlist and let's hope I get one and have it set up by early Jan!

 

aww that's sweet gamer. glad I could be inspiring I guess it depends on your budget...or the person who's buying it for you....but there are several pretty cool little nanos out there. here's an idea

-finnex 4g-rimless, curved glass in front, comes with a nano HOB, light
-fluval chi-5g...I think might come in a bigger size also
-fluval ebi-7.9g-comes with everything, including shrimp stratum
-fluval edge-6g. cool, but a pain, trust me.
-ADA aquariums. rimless, and comes in high clarity glass, which is very low iron. this is on my xmas list. go to adgshop.com to see them.

so there you go!

 

Ah yes the Fluval nano's! I've seen many brilliant planted ones from the series. I'd be happy with most any on the list. I just know I don't want a hex. It's either a bow or squared for sure!

 

I don't think any I mentioned were bowed or hex. rectangles or squares though =]

 

So you don't change any water? Just top it off after it evaporates?

 

That's brilliant, jeri. Awesome.

I might try one for my kitchen window sill. I have a bull nosed verandah though, so it doesn't get lots of direct sunlight. Hmm.

 

gabby: no you don't need to do water changes, once the plants are well established. just top offs. some people use distilled water for the top offs...to prevent too many minerals in the water. it's not as important when keeping neo-caridina shrimp vs. caridina. and it would probably take a long time for any minerals to build up that were very dangerous.

zen: thank you! well you don't necessarily *need* direct sunlight. if you supplement with a desk lamp or something, that should be enough. you should try it!

 

just thought i'd post some updated pics of the cherry bowl. everyone is still doing well. did a partial water change today. i'm really happy that the garden soil hasn't been leaching a bunch of tannins like the topsoil, in the other tank. arty0011:

there's been some new growth in the sags....which is good! today is super cloudy, so I'll leave the light on longer than usual. on days that it is very sunny (which will be a lot less of those soon), I do a shorter photo period.

 

ive wanted one of these bowls but would a vase like this work?

 

it could work....do you know the dimensions, or how many gallons?

 

4 inches wide, 4 inches deep, and about 7 inches high

 

I think that's about .5g. that *could* work....but if you coud find one gallon, it would be easier to work with. when you're dealing with something this small, a 1/2 gallon more matters!

 

I could technically keep about 5 shrimp in here right?(not meaning to high jack the thread)

 

hmmm. well I guess it depends on how heavily planted you make it, or if the shrimp are all girls. cos if there is a boy, they could reproduce..and then you'd have more.

I would start with a girl and a boy....and see how it goes.

 

ok cool thanks!

 

Beautiful! I really like how the driftwood comes up out of the water. Dirted tanks are definitely the way to go, though Great growth!

 

thanks dan. I see you have a dirted one too. I'll have to check it out =]

 

I wish I was as lucky as you jers, I got the garden soil and have been dealing with the tannins for over a week now.