# Are the rules really different for planted tanks?



## Moni (Feb 1, 2014)

It's occurring to me that the rules are different for planted tanks. I've been keeping Red Cherry Shrimp and Endlers for over 10 years and have discovered recently that they can be kept in a much smaller tank if is cycled, heavily planted, and not overcrowded with inhabitants. In the past I found that I needed at least a 10 gallon to keep the shrimp happy and healthy and at least a 5 gallon for guppies or endlers. Now after experimenting with planted bowls holding only 1-2 gallons of water I'm finding that they do quite well. This is great news for people who only have room for a fish bowl and still want to enjoy keeping fish and/or shrimp. No pumps and filters needed either. Have any of you also found this to be the case? Can you keep fish in a well planted tank or bowl that you would not be able to if it was not planted? I myself have fish aquariums all over my house and a small "fish room" to boot. Still it's fun to create planted bowls and share some with friends.


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## jennesque (May 10, 2012)

I wouldn't do a bowl for something that needs a heated tank /stable temperatures. I don't know if shrimp are ok with potential temp swings but I know most fish are, and something that is only a few gallons is hard to keep stable as far as the temperature. 

However, I would agree that a heavily planted tank will greatly help with the bioload. I wouldn't personally suggest overstocking a tank because it's heavily planted, but I think you can get away with less filtration and slightly less PWC with all the plants.
Heavily planted tanks are a wonderful idea if you want to keep a large community of fish that like dense vegitation, access to dim lighting, and calm waters.


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## THE V (Nov 17, 2011)

How about these rules: 

Rule 1: Plants are living organisms and have needs. 
Rule 2: There is no "one size fits all" for planted tanks. Lots of variables. 
Rule 3: You will get Algae 
Rule 4: You will get Snails
Rule 5: You will screw up repeatedly
Rule 6: NO WHINING ALLOWED!! (This is always a rule in every situation). 

I've got a healthy breeding cherry shrimp tank with around 100 individuals in a 2.5 gallon hex. It's got a cute little heater, nternal filter, cypts & a ton of hair algae. I feed them when I'm home but then I'll travel for a couple of weeks and they still do just fine.


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## Moni (Feb 1, 2014)

I don't usually use heaters because my house stays at a comfortable temperature. The lowest room with my 55 gal. tank can gets down to the lower 60s at night so I have a heater in there. I mostly raise wild guppies, endlers, cherry shrimp and am trying with opae ulas. None of those are very picky with temperature, although the cherrys stop breeding at lower temps. No opae babies yet, but they are doing well. Our unheated 45 gal. Upstairs recently produced a brood of baby cory cats...so adorable. 
Those rules The V listed are true. Yup.


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## ufimych (May 30, 2011)

I used to keep even tetras and barbs this way, the lowest tech, no filters or pumps, just a water heater for winter months. If the tank is not overcrowded, with guppies and shrimp you do not need a big one. However, even in a small tank, water stratification will take place, being too cold near the bottom and much warmer right under your light bulbs. It would be still helpful to make water moving by some convection at least periodically. Under natural outdoors conditions water is moving by wind or by big fish and even terrestrial animals, entering water. Some circulation, at least periodically, is beneficial for plants and your critters.


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## twentypoundtabby (Dec 7, 2013)

I currently have two 2.5 gallon aquariums, both with heaters, both with sponge filters and both choking with plants. They aren't pretty, but they aren't meant to be pretty. One has cherry shrimp that are constantly breeding - worse than the endlers. And the other one has endlers constantly breeding so that I'm constantly moving them out to larger aquariums. The endler tank will be torn down soon since they seem to breed just fine in a 20 gallon with cardinal tetras. 

I wouldn't put cardinals in such a small tank. 

I actually didn't have snails for years until I did a plant trade with somebody else and now I have the dreaded bladder snails.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

The tanks with no heater, filter, light or whatever may be OK, as long as the livestock are OK with the room conditions. If the power goes out can you maintain the room as warm as they need? 

A small tank, with filter etc. and overstocked would be in trouble if the power went out. 
A large % of the filtration is the plants, and they only do their thing when the light is on. 
Filter (any water movement- power head, filter, air bubbler) is required to keep the O2 level high for the fish and bacteria. Again, plants won't do this when the light is off. 

So, I can say, yes, the guidelines for stocking levels and equipment can be different, but the most basic rule of all still needs to be:
Set up the tank and be prepared for the 'worst case' scenario.


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## 1987 (Jan 27, 2007)

I have three planted tanks.

One of them has been up and running for almost three years and probably would be overstocked if it was a normal tank. I only run a large sponge filter driven by an air pump, and it's my most stable tank.

One no matter what I put into it for some reason fish die. Everything is perfect, I think the fish just get beat up on the 2 hour ride home from the LFS I like to go to. Plants just zoom in this tank. It reminds me of when I used to run EI and C02 tanks.

My newest one cycled itself in less than a week and has been running super smooth. Fish are happy, but the plants just sit there like they are stunted. No new growth on anything, even the duck weed grows slowly.


The point of this post is that in the same house with the same dirt and same gravel same water I have three different situations. Just like regular tanks every planted tank is different and it will take some amount of trial and error to find a happy medium.


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## Moni (Feb 1, 2014)

All my tanks have mechanical filters. I've only recently started experimenting with bowls that are completely natural. Plants are natural filters and purifiers. The shrimp seem to really enjoy the bowls. They swim laps around in them which is something they don't do in the larger tanks. I think they like the round shape. I will try to post a video soon.


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## THE V (Nov 17, 2011)

In mid-next month I'll be moving into a new office building. I've been thinking about doing a little 2 gallon bowl with cherry shrimp in it. I'll be topping it off with DI water cause I can't do a water change more than probably once per year. 

I'm thinking some dwarf sag's and some smaller crypts might work out well in potting soil capped tank.

Perhaps I need to find some Alternanthera reineckii or another red plant that can take low tech conditions.


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## Moni (Feb 1, 2014)

I think it would probably work on an office desk if the temps don't get too low. I've read that RCS can tolerate down to 55-57 degrees. Here is a video I took of my 1.75 gallon planted shrimp bowl on my dining room table. There are 6 young RCS shrimp in here. The adult females I have are much more red than these. I do use a desk lamp occasionally on this one for better viewing. The shrimp don't always swim as much as they do in this video. A lot of the time they are cleaning and exploring the plants in the bowl. They are so much fun to watch. Shrimp are good cleaners too. They eat all kind of algae.


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## 1987 (Jan 27, 2007)

Moni said:


> I think it would probably work on an office desk if the temps don't get too low. I've read that RCS can tolerate down to 55-57 degrees. Here is a video I took of my 1.75 gallon planted shrimp bowl on my dining room table. There are 6 young RCS shrimp in here. The adult females I have are much more red than these. I do use a desk lamp occasionally on this one for better viewing. The shrimp don't always swim as much as they do in this video. A lot of the time they are cleaning and exploring the plants in the bowl. They are so much fun to watch. Shrimp are good cleaners too. They eat all kind of algae. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YzWunOHiE8


Really wish I had the patience to do something like that. Looks greats


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## THE V (Nov 17, 2011)

I was thinking about getting a desk lamp on a timer. I'll be honest I find every excuse possible to avoid sitting at my desk in the office.

I'm thinking that 2 days a month is more than sufficient. 

My wife has asked me what fish I had in the little 2 gallon hex in the garage when the cherries swim like that. Nice little bowl.


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## AGUILAR3 (Jun 22, 2013)

THE V said:


> I can't do a water change more than probably once per year.


Why is that? It takes me no more than 30 seconds to scoop out and replace 2 cups of water on my 2g. If you aren't going to be in the office that much, why bother?


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## Moni (Feb 1, 2014)

1987 said:


> Really wish I had the patience to do something like that. Looks greats


Thanks. It wasn't that much work to put together. I have an overgrowth of plants in my tanks, so getting those was not a problem. Everything I chose is low light and easy. When I have more time I'll list the plants and maybe a tutorial on exactly what I did if anyone is interested. I also use super glue gel to attach some of the plants where I want them. It's safe. I've been using it for years with no problems. I do water changes about once a month. Recently I found a little nano magnet on Amazon for cleaning round bowls. It works perfect.


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## Fletch (Mar 18, 2004)

I have two bowls (2.5g each) loaded with plants. One is unheated, and the other has an under gravel heating pad from Fluval http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind...476&siteID=je6NUbpObpQ-WTpkCs42FgP2VJ7cwHHt9g . It maintains the bowl temperature between 20 and 24 degrees C, depending on ambient temperature (its been a cold winter here in Canukistan). Plants in the heated bowl are growing like crazy, while the unheated bowl is doing okay, but the growth is very slow. Fluval also makes the same heater for a 5g tank. The only thing you see is the electrical cord, otherwise it is completely hidden under the substrate. The unheated bowl has 5 healthy ghost shrimp in it, and both bowls are loaded with snails and copepods. Nice and clear, even though no filtration is used. I highly recommend heating small bowls, and keeping the livestock to an absolute minimum. Slightly overfeeding can cloud the water in no time, and stress out the creatures.


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## Moni (Feb 1, 2014)

I just ordered a book by Diana Walstad titled, "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium". From what I hear she has some very interesting methods for going low tech. Have any of you heard of her?


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## green18 (Jan 6, 2014)

It is a really good book and I am trying a tank with her methods right now. Only a few weeks in.


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## AGUILAR3 (Jun 22, 2013)

Moni said:


> I just ordered a book by Diana Walstad titled, "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium".


Cool. Just downloaded her book. Should be an interesting read.


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## Moni (Feb 1, 2014)

AGUILAR3 said:


> Cool. Just downloaded her book. Should be an interesting read.[/QUOT
> I should have my copy tomorrow. :red_mouth I can't wait!


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