# My small Walstad bowl for the office



## DogFish

I really like that light, I have a bowl I just started myself. Is that a current IKEA product?


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## DogFish

Never mind, just went to the IKEA site found one I like. BTW - The plaque works well with your light.


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## Newman

how much less than 1 gal is this?
looks great, and clean. you can probably get a male and female cherry shrimp in there and see where that takes you...

also depending on the water pH and hardness and all that, you can later try some smaller species of shrimp. idk whats smaller than cherry shrimp but im sure there is something.


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## Ozydego

Thanks for the compliments, eventually it will be a plant soup. The ikea light is about 6 years old, but they have so many kinds that it's pretty easy to customize a look.

Well, doing some internet math I calculated that if it was an entire sphere it would be 1.39 gal, so with the bottom and top not being in the water column, I estimate around .9 gal which is 2/3 of the entire sphere. I am pretty confident its just under a gallon, so I feel a little better about potential livestock. Maybe a female and male cherry would work here. The normal pH is 7.3 with a hardness of around 3. I will check specifics later.


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## LucyLoofa

Very nice! I can't wait to see the progress on this bowl!


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## mcqueenesq

First, O-H! Second, thanks for providing the inspiration for my next obsession. Great job on the bowl.


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## Alyssa

OMG! I loveeeeeeeeeeeee this! <3 I want like SIX for my office! <3


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## Ozydego

Went to the LFS today and picked up 3 cherry shrimp, 2 females that are both berried and one male. I got a third because I have never dealt with shrimp this small and I was worried at least one might die... All three are doing good, I will most likely haul the extra one, or more depending on the eggs and move them to my 3.5 gallon betta planted, and from there the 55 gallon if I get enough... Right now, we will see how the three cherries work out, and which female gets to stay with the male in the bowl. 

I also picked up a hygrophilia kompact which I was able to split in two for the bowl... Up to 3 species of flora now.

Oh, and I-O


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## TactusMortus

You would not believe the amount of shrimp you will have in a few months time. I went from having a dozen from a few kind members who threw in shrimplets in some of my plant orders to today having so many I don't know where to keep them all. This all in a mater of 6 months. I have noticed it is nearly impossible to kill them too unless you doing something truely extreme


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## Ozydego

Well, I do have several places to put them so we will see how it goes, finished the stand tonight, plaque staind and put back together... Basically screwed the light back on... It made a big difference, also took some pics of the CRS









Clearer male








Berried female








FTS








Left side


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## madness

Just for clarification the abbreviation is RCS - Red Cherry Shrimp.

CRS is for Crystal Red Shrimp.

Annoying and confusing I know. The only reason I point it out is that if you are asking for advice or information on keeping them it WILL make a difference which type you are keeping. People have had great success keeping Red Cherry Shrimp in these types of bowls and getting them to thrive (breed and maintain good health). With Crystal Red Shrimp things seem to be more difficult/high maintaince according to the reports that people have made here who attempted it.

The combination of low waste production and very minimal oxygen requirements (along with general hardiness) allow the Red Cherry Shrimp to thrive in these bowls with very little effort even when not using any sort of filter, aeration or heater. Other stocking options (Crystal Red Shrimp, nano-fish) seem to really push the limits of what these bowls can 'naturally' filter and balance and might require mechanical assistance (filters, etc.).

Red Cherry Shrimp like you have will be fine in the bowl as long as you have enough plant matter in there to soak up the small amount of waste that they produce. If you feed the shrimp that will actually have more of an impact upon water quality than the entire shrimp population most likely so just be careful to use very small portions if you feed them (and skipping days might not be a horrible idea if you only have three shrimp). I don't know what the ratio is but they seem to consume WAY less food than even the smallest fish.

With established plants (and especially if you have rock or wood in there that develops bio-film and/or algae the shrimp will actually be able to forage for most of their food.


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## Storm

Can you help me find that light at Ikea? It looks perfect but I couldn't find it.


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## Ozydego

Madness, thank you SO much for the response, that helps a ton and may save me from a mistake down the road... Yeah, I knew I had cherries, but the abbreviation caught me there, thanks for clarifying. 

As far as my light, I have had it for at least 6-8 years, the closest I could find was this one, http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10143485/ but a search for "picture light" on google would probably turn up the best results.


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## LucyLoofa

That plaque looks so lovely stained that cherry red. <3 
This bowl looks wonderful I am so excited to see progress! I hope to have one for myself at my computer desk at some point.


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## rikardob

Do you do anything with your water aside from dechlorination to ensure the survival of the shrimp while the bowl fluctuates in its infancy? You put the shrimp in there on the second day right?


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## Alyssa

Is it JUST me or does ANYONE else imagine this light with six bowls all around it?? LOL!










I'm seriously considering it! LOL! Since they are flexible ... you could do vases or whatever! Hee!


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## madness

rikardob said:


> Do you do anything with your water aside from dechlorination to ensure the survival of the shrimp while the bowl fluctuates in its infancy? You put the shrimp in there on the second day right?


The plant load is what you rely upon to 'filter' and 'balance' the water both long-term and while the bowl is cycling.

If I was doing a bowl that was not going to be really heavily planted I would probably float or plant (if you have an inert substrate that won't make a mess when you pull the plants up eventually) extra plants for the first month or so until the 'permanent' plants are established and growing well.

Something like anacharis that most everyone has access to is one example. You can toss a big clump of it in and then when things stabilize in the bowl you can pull it out. 

With shrimp and no fish it seems like some people have had luck keeping water quality decent and keeping algae at bay with more sparsely planted bowls but it might be hard to start out with a lightly planted bowl initially and avoid all of the potential growing pains.


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## Ozydego

I do think now that I may have added them too early, but I check the parameters often to detect any issues, (none so far) 

I do need to grab a floating plant to diffuse the light though, it is a bit strong for this small bowl, 11 watt halogen for 1 gallon at 4 inches I think could fry a shrimp... I have a UV filter for it, but havent decided whether to use it or not, to diffuse some light... I am wondering how the plants would fair w/o the UV spectrum?? Thoughts on that? 

I was in an impulsive mood and that is a big nono for aquarists I learned about letting the bowl "mature" a little late, yes I did add them in at 2 days. I am expecting to do a few pwc's until my biofiltration kicks in better.

Alyssa.. yeah, six bowls, different sizes, different themes... AWESOME!


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## madness

Just keep an eye on the water quality and do partial WCs if needed.

Red Cherry Shrimp are remarkably hardy all things considered.


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## Ozydego

*Suprise*

So I got home tonight and turned on the light and saw this:











She was fanning her tail and I couldn't see any eggs so I thought she got rid of them, then I saw this:











This makes it easier to see:











I didnt think she would hatch the eggs that quick!! These shrimplets are literally minutes old, was able to turn the lens backwards on my camera to get this macro shot. They already show the red markings:


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## Alyssa

:::squeeeee::: So cute!


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## madness

Congratulations.


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## Sparky007

Turn the lens on yur camera backward? Do tell cause that is an amazing pic of a baby shrimp. You can almost see the individual cell structure on the antenna. What kind of camera and lens?


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## cableguy69846

That pic is awesome. Now you have my attention. Lol.roud:


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## Ozydego

My canon rebel SLR has interchangeable lenses, so I took the standard lens, the 18-55mm and simply turned it around and held it steady against the base of the camera. I had to manually focus because of course there is no power to the lens to auto focus. I found the white smudge I was looking for, then moved closer and further until the focus was exactly where it needed to be, I used the auto camera mode and the built in flash, (I tried it with my manual tank settings and couldn't get a quick enough exposure to get a crisp image. The cameras auto settings did the trick. My wife found the idea from her cousin and other than the risk of scratching the lens if not careful and fumbling with manually focusing it's pretty easy.. It does create a little bit of a fisheye look, but really good pics.


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## Penny

Wow great picture! What a cute little guy. All these shrimp bowls really make me want to try one!


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## Newman

Alyssa said:


> Is it JUST me or does ANYONE else imagine this light with six bowls all around it?? LOL!
> 
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> I'm seriously considering it! LOL! Since they are flexible ... you could do vases or whatever! Hee!



I have to do this now lol
After my move I'll setup a few bowls with different scapes and plants and different shrimp species (including my CRS bowl).
Snowball shrimp, yellow shrimp, Crystal Red shrimp, blue tiger shrimp, red cherry shrimp, and black tiger shrimp or something like these would make for a very interesting setup...


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## Ozydego

Even better way to set it up... Cool! 

I threw some Riccia in the bowl, the shrimp are making too much ammonia and my plants aren't established, am doing daily water changes.. 

Shrimp don't seem to mind at all, even the shrimplets, except for the one I sucked up, but I used a spoon to transport him back to the bowl... 

I hope the Riccia helps handle some bioload, it's already pearling, I think I need to move one of the females out...


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## Newman

Ozydego said:


> except for the one I sucked up, but I used a spoon to transport him back to the bowl...


exactly my method when cleaning my bowl.


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## Ozydego

I am wondering, should I seed this bowl with BB from my established tanks, like the corner of a sponge from the filter... I will need the BB right, the plants don't do all the work?? My Shrimpies don't seem very happy, one has lost her bright red coloring. I am keeping up with pwc's but right now it seems that there is always some ammo in the bowl, does the potting soil release any ammo itself?


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## cableguy69846

Ozydego said:


> I am wondering, should I seed this bowl with BB from my established tanks, like the corner of a sponge from the filter... I will need the BB right, the plants don't do all the work?? My Shrimpies don't seem very happy, one has lost her bright red coloring. I am keeping up with pwc's but right now it seems that there is always some ammo in the bowl, does the potting soil release any ammo itself?


What kind of potting soil is it?


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## madness

The potting mix will release some chemicals. That is why these bowls tend to be heavily planted to start with.

The beneficial bacteria will eventually establish themselves but adding cultured or established media should help some.


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## cableguy69846

madness said:


> The potting mix will release some chemicals. That is why these bowls tend to be heavily planted to start with.
> 
> The beneficial bacteria will eventually establish themselves but adding cultured or established media should help some.


+1 That is what I was gonna say. Madness took the words right out of my mouth.:thumbsup:


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## Ozydego

It's miracle gro organic potting mix that has been outside in a bean pot for the summer... I dug down and stole some good stuff from 3 inches in. Seeding it is then... Give my little scavengers a treat


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## Alyssa

Newman said:


> I have to do this now lol
> After my move I'll setup a few bowls with different scapes and plants and different shrimp species (including my CRS bowl).
> Snowball shrimp, yellow shrimp, Crystal Red shrimp, blue tiger shrimp, red cherry shrimp, and black tiger shrimp or something like these would make for a very interesting setup...


LOL! I now I am pretty sure that I will wind up doping the SAME thing! Looks lie it only has five lights though ... but I think it would still look GREAT - especially if it is in a spot where you could see all the bowls from all sides easily.


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## Newman

I think that we could even just setup one central CFL light of about 23W to light several bowls placed around the lamp. The lamp will probably need some sort of reflector DIY though lol...


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## Ozydego

*shrimplets playing*

I came downstairs this evening to find at least 8-10 shrimplets all swimming around and chasing. I decided they needed to be recorded, here is the youtube vid:

Shrimplets Playing


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## Newman

same behavior i recorded when i took a vid of my shrimp bowl way back when it was only cherry shrimp. I do not think they are playing, i think it might be a more serious situation both in your bowl and in mine. But if yours stay alive just like mine did, then it is probably not too bad a problem.


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## Ozydego

what do you think it could be?? It started about 5 minutes after turning the light on for the evening, it was like they woke up and were running around... any clue on yours?? water quality, starving?? 

everyone made it through the night and today I brought the bowl to my office, they were active for about 30 minutes after getting them settled and a PWC after an almost catastrophic spill in my car on the way to work... I may have lost a shrimplet in the spill, the 3 adults are all still well.. at least 6 shrimplets cruising around. They have settled now and are not cruising...


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## Newman

my best guess was a pH change that was slightly rapid, or an change in oxygen/CO2 levels.


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## CHHB

Love the tank. Do you have to worry about heating at all?


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## Newman

I don't think cherry shrimp care if the temps are 70F-83F. if its below or above that, they are unlikely to thrive but might still live. but if its more extreme then, yes temps do become an issue.
House heat should take care of all of the heating a shrimp bowl needs to function well.


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## Ozydego

I was worried a little at home because we keep the house cool, especially with the recent drop in outside temp... The shrimp were losing their color. I feel better about the temp at work, it always warmer. That and with the tank maturing I hope the color will come back. If not I will be making another choice with livestock...


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## Ozydego

After the near disaster on the drive to bring the bowl to work, it has settled into a nice rythm and hopefully the shrimp will get their color back. 

The shrimplets are active for a couple hours each day and then they settle down, the adults and shrimplets do come out for feeding time, but not nearly as voraciously as I would like. still wondering about the capacity of this bowl. 

The temp here is much steadier and the light is also on a better schedule, the plants pearl most days now, so I think things are smoothing out with the bowl, I am doing PWC's of 30% every couple days because I only have strips to test with here and they really are worthless. gonna have to remedy that soon.


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## Newman

they should have a normal feeding response if you feed 2-3 days a week. its ok to let them be a little hungry for a few days and just eat biofilm from the bowl.


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## Ckent42

If there is no surface agitation, how does gas exchange happen? And doesn't a film form on the top? Or do you just change the water enough that it doesn't happen, and the new water has all the necessary co2?


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## Ozydego

Shrimp make some CO2, plants make some O2, but the shrimp definitely "get excited" after a water change, so they may be sluggish from low and high parameters before the change, they are much less excitable these last couple changes so I think the bowl is starting to mature a little, the ammo is definitely less than it was before going 2 days in between, eventually after I get a liquid test kit I will know when I can start tapering off the changes as frequently... An oily film does start to creep in, but a little paper towel squeegee and water changes hold that off, I think the water changes are where a lot of the exchange will happen in the beginning as I "stir" the bowl up with the new water siphon. 

slow start, but I can almost tell the sex of the older generation of shrimplets, both mothers had their eggs hatch and there is about a week difference in size... Everyone at the office is fascinated, all the "so when are you gonna eat them" jokes are already going around.. It's fun explaining the specifics to those that are interested, I describe it as my mini ecosystem in a bowl. I will probably bring the three adults home in the next few weeks as the shrimplets grow, reduce the bioload and let the fauna fend for themselves...


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## Ckent42

But you feel that it will level out to the point where the shrimp and the plants balance each other, completely removing the need for water changes? I've seen a lot of posts about planted tanks with little to no water changes once they're cycled, and it makes me wonder if this is really possible in a highly planted tank, or if it is detrimental to the creatures involved.


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## Ozydego

I think eventually I will be able to get the changes a lot less frequent, I have read some bowls that go weeks or a month without a water change... I dunno if it will happen in this small bowl, but I am goona try! That is my ultimate goal is to get it more hands off.. 

BTW, I edited the above post with a little more info prolly while you were typing Ckent


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## Newman

Ozydego said:


> Shrimp make some CO2, plants make some O2,


This

also it's probably possible to do no water changes at all, and just RO topoffs. i have considered it for my bowl, but i would rather have my crystals in top shape and breeding. if i still had cherry shrimp in here, i'd try it.

Shrimp get their O2 largely from the plants when the bowl lights are on. at night, both plants and shrimp consume O2...
Shrimp can breathe in bowls because like most crustaceans, they can create their own water flow past their gills using their appendages (in their head region).
They can also improve water flow by swimming around the bowl, which leads me to believe that overactive shrimp suggest depleted oxygen or a slight change in pH.


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## Ozydego

After being able to watch them closer during the day, I think the increased activity is due to oxygen/CO2 ... About an hour after the lights go on or a water change, the activity does go way up leading me to believe that after the plants start producing more O2 (the pearling is an overproduction of O2 that cannot be dissolved due to little water flow) and using CO2 and the new gases after a pwc... I definitely think you are on to something there Newman...


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## Ozydego

Long time without an update here but a few things happened over the weekend. I was here Sat and did 2 50% pwc's b/c I put in a java moss piece of DW and the water got cloudy (I uprooted a stem in the process and pulled the soil up over the sand). I came in today and most of the baby shrimp and one adult were up at the top of the DW, less than an inch from the top and ~8-10 tiny shrimp died with 3 bigger babies as well. The 3 adults and about 8 bigger babies survived with a few tiny shrimp still alive as well. I have done 3 50% pwc's today to get the cloudy back out again and everyone seems normal. I am trying to figure out if it was the cloudy from the soil or moss sucking all the oxygen out without light for a day or just lack of oxygen in general that caused the dieoff. This has not happened on days off before the java moss, not even close until yesterday. Wondering what may have happened, I still dont have a testing kit here yet... that would tell me a lot more


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## Newman

yes try for that testing kit. likely the solid that got dragged up had something in it that caused some shrimp to die. that soil is still fresh and may be leeching stuff. don't worry about it, just do water changes and keep the light on each day. its unlikely that the moss is suffocating the shrimp at night. its worth it to keep it in there because it provides good foraging area.


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## jerilovesfrogs

newman: you mentioned topping off using RO water. is that really necessary...using RO? or just something you'd do. just wondering =]


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## Newman

RO water top off is ideal so that TDS doesnt build up. only water evaporates, and most of the minerals become more concentrated in the bowl...overtime this can become detrimental if you top off with only tap water, but i imagine it needs a lot of time to become lethal to anything.


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## Ozydego

Right, if I ever get to the point of just topping off, I would worry about all the stuff... Right now with multiple pwc's some days I am not thinking about it, I hope to have to worry about some day. Here is a quick pic I snapped of the updated bowl


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## Newman

i really like how the moss DW improved this!


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## madness

The moss driftwood looks like the piece that I just pulled out of my bowl to put into my Tangerine Tiger shrimp tank. 

The rough texture of the Malaysian style driftwood seems to grow/create a lot of biofilm and the shrimp seem to really like it.

Nice addition. The shrimp might hide/disappear into the moss but once they get comfortable (and the population grows back) there will still be enough wandering around to make the bowl interesting.


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## Ozydego

I counted 15 shrimplets this morning on the highest leaves, wondering what is keeping my oxygen level so low... thats why I assume they are hanging out close to the top, to get some air, 

oh and I have a rogue flatworm running around in the moss... I see him every now and then, but I have not been able to grab him...


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## Newman

yes if they are hanging near the top, the oxygen levels are lower than optimum...or they're having trouble breathing (ammonia, nitrite, or w/e)

as the plants fill in much more, this behavior will be limited.


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## Ozydego

I definitely think I added the shrimp too early now... For anyone else starting a bowl, wait until the plants are well established before adding fauna... I may have to pull most of them out until I can get this bowl settled more...


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## rikardob

Did a little research the other day. Looks like Cherry can survive in these bowls so well because they can sort of create o2 two different ways. They first will use their little paddles to rush water past their gills. If that isn't enough then they swim fast. I guess this explains why they do circles around our bowls every once in a while. 

Maybe you could do an airstone until the plants make enough?


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## Ozydego

I grabbed a master test kit today just for this bowl... I will use it somewhere someday but I wanted accuracy. PH 7.4, 0,0,0 nothing in the water after a 50% this morning... if anything, I know I am putting in clean water.. I may do the high pH test just to check that to see if its any higher than 7.4.... definitely thinking oxygen now... maybe too many little shrimps with a bowl thats too young to support their needs. Will check later, since I have like 2 years worth of tests now!


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## Ozydego

The reason I do not have an airstone is the reason I picked this bowl in the first place, my office does not allow anything running when we are away from our desks that is not already at the desk when we get it. so, no airstone or heater, thats why this setup intrigues me so much because it allows me to not break the rules and still have an aquarium... 

Maybe if the population thins out a little then the oxygen levels wont deplete as fast and the oxygen will end up self regulating the inhabitants of the bowl so once it matures, the population may be able to increase without issue as well.. The plants just need to mature, most of the plants and moss show pearling so I know there is some production somewhere...


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## Ozydego

small update, in just under 2 days, without a pwc, my pH has dropped significantly, down to 6.4, thats a major change in 2 days from7.4, my other numbers are 0,0,0 nothing else in the water, but the pH swing has me concerned a little, the DW is still releaseing enough tannins to turn the water tan in 2 days, I think I red somewhere that that will drop the pH can anyone confirm this? Good news is, no deaths today, so they were able to cope with the O2 for 2 days w/o a disturbance or light yesterday...


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## jerilovesfrogs

i've heard that DW will drop the ph. and different rocks too. my kit is too old for me to be testing my own nanos....though. but it makes sense when i added a large piece to my 75g...the ph must have gone down, because some of the snails showed shell damage

glad to hear they are doing ok. how many shirmp are in there btw


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## Ozydego

2 adults and ~15 juveniles I will move the adults out eventually, and try to keep the cycle going with mostly juveniles in the tank to keep the load down... plus, 15 little shrimp moving around is more fun to look at then 2 adults moving sometimes...


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## jerilovesfrogs

Ozydego said:


> 2 adults and ~15 juveniles I will move the adults out eventually, and try to keep the cycle going with mostly juveniles in the tank to keep the load down... plus, 15 little shrimp moving around is more fun to look at then 2 adults moving sometimes...


yeah i know what you mean about watching a bunch of little shirmp moving around vs only 2. do you have recent pics ? 

Edit: nevermind...i found a pic on page 4  looks really nice!


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## jdm68

The tannins in the wood, and also in the soil, could do that to your pH. Try using some pH buffer to help slow it down. You should throw some floating plants in there; makes for nice shrimp "monkey bars" if you will.


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## Newman

if you are using tap water, and you tap is hard, then it has plenty of buffering capacity and wont need a buffer...


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## sssnel

This bowl is great.


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## Ozydego

So I thought I had mold in the bowl on the DW and moss, but now I am thinking something different, It is white round balls, looks like mold, I can suck it off really easy, but for the last 2 days I have left it, by an hour after the light is on, it is gone, the next, back to a full "bloom", then gone again today with the light.... it almost looks like it is shrinking with the light, then coming back after its back in the dark... I have like 50 of these little white balls.... Any clue?


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## DogFish

Now that you been running a while, what is your thoughts on your light & plant growth. I'm looking for a light for my own bowl (link in sig) With HC I'd like to get a correct light level the 1st time.

Thank You


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## Ozydego

The growth has started to take off, I think the bowl is finally established and I could not be happier with the halogen bulb... In the last 10 days I have seen more growth than the rest of the time the bowl has been going. There is defintely a break in period and during that time, the plants seemed to just be surviving.

In the last 10 days, the Cambomba has done its normal double in size and my jungle Val has sent out two runners, one towards the back 10 days ago which is now 3/4 the height of the bowl now and a new runner to the front that I get to watch grow out right in front of me. 

It was a slow start, but thinking back this seems totally normal now, the only thing I have a slight issue with is that the bowl overall does seem slightly dark... I think this has to do more with the moss and DW than the light, and maybe even the shape of the bowl itself, the area around the bowl is bright from the light so I know it's there, it just somehow gets lost a little in the bowl... The plants don't think so though, they enjoy it


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## DogFish

Would you post up a pic on the Bowl Light show & Tel thread I just started? I think that will help a lot of us. Thanks


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## sublimescorpio

I love this idea I think I may try a bowl for some of the shrimp TactusMortus (thx!) is sending me..I have the perfect glass piece at home too  Thanks for the inspiration!


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## Ozydego

A little update, the jungle Val is growing nicely and the Cambomba stems, even though slightly yellow are needing trimming once a week. I am trying experiments with emersed plants, the Cambomba was a failure. Now I am going to see how the jungle Val does slightly out. And of course pics...




























iPad only pics from this point on, I'm not taking my SLR to the office...


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## diwu13

Is that plant in the lightbulb alive? Is the lightbulb completely enclosed or is there an opening to water it?


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## Newman

vals just dry up out of the water. that's my experience. that looks like a dwarf sag to me but maybe its a val.


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## Ozydego

Sold to me as a jungle Val, these are the runners, the plant in my 55 has 30" leaves.... Will prolly flop the tips I have out back in, my lfs does have arrowhead, I might grab that for some emersed fun

Yes, the succulent in the light bulb is alive, the guts have been cleaned out of the base and it is open for some air exchange, my little terrarium, here are some pics of my others


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## cableguy69846

Ozydego said:


> Sold to me as a jungle Val, these are the runners, the plant in my 55 has 30" leaves.... Will prolly flop the tips I have out back in, my lfs does have arrowhead, I might grab that for some emersed fun
> 
> Yes, the succulent in the light bulb is alive, the guts have been cleaned out of the base and it is open for some air exchange, my little terrarium, here are some pics of my others


Those are awesome. What is the plant in the larger one?


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## JessDay06

I also have tried terrariums, but am still figuring out which of my local plants do the best. They are really fun to do!


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## Newman

those are cool plant bulbs lol


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## diwu13

Ozydego said:


> Yes, the succulent in the light bulb is alive, the guts have been cleaned out of the base and it is open for some air exchange, my little terrarium, here are some pics of my others


How did you put them into there? You cut out the base of the lightbulb? Those look really nice haha.


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## Ozydego

Found a tutorial online, then went to the local plant store to find the succulents and the plant in the big bulb is some kind of fern... Here is the link

http://thehipsterho.me/2010/01/how-to-make-a-tiny-terrarium-in-a-light-bulb/


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## Ozydego

Did a good glass scrubbing today, so I figured I would grab some pics while it looks really good. This bowl is fairly hands off now, except for the algae scrubbing once every couple weeks and a 50% pwc once a week or so. The only other thing I do is pick out some hair algae whenever I am bored, 20 or so shrimp have made the journey back home, Monday I removed 2 berried females and a few males that jumped into the net. This bowl has become my cherry source, except 1/2 to 2/3 of the shrimp are clear, very little red at all... Dunno about that one, even when I brought 15 juvies home a few weeks back the few stayed clearish. I thought they might red up once they got back in a more typical environment, but no dice... Are these the culls some talk about? Anyway, pics....

FTS









Left side









From above


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## PinoyBoy

Your bowl has filled in nicely, and yes, little to no reds are considered "culls" by most breeders. Nothing wrong with them, all my RCS are culls :frown: except for this one female that I consider "normal" red.

Micheal's had a sale on bowls and a few weeks ago, it reminded me of this bowl. 2 bowls for 5usd! The bowls looks to be about 2 to 5 gallons with nice thick walls. I regret not buying them


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## Newman

bowl looking great and i really like your moss. you need to get a fire red cherry in order to see more red babies.


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## synthorange

Yeah, it's also been my experience with the shrimp growing up in my coffee jar tank. They lived happily enough, but never seemed to develop any colour. Their siblings in a filtered, flowing tank turned out proper red.


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## Robotponys

ooh those terrariums look great! mine ended up cracked, dirty, and moldy... whoops! i think I will try again, I did make a nice stand for it.


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## mdreher

Your bowl looks great. I can't wait to get mine up and going. I'm having extreme bowl envy right now:drool:


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## Ozydego

No update on the office bowl, but I thought I would share my bigger bowl at home, right now has two berried RCS females and 3 males, we will see how it goes...


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## Ozydego

It's been a long time since I updated this bowl, but it's because it went home for a while, got rescaped, matured for a few months, then finally back at work. New set of cherries in there and already little ones


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## RavenSkyfire

I now know what my second at work tank is gonna be!! This is awesome and has really inspired me!

Only one problem! I have three other projects I want to do also! Need more money!! LOL


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## Sony

I'm guessing you are a woman? (sunglasses and cook books?) 

I really hope I am right! Nice bowl!


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## Ozydego

Depending on which pic, the sunglasses are mine, the cookbooks are my wife's. She only gave me a small amount if room to work with in what she calls "her kitchen"


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## Jetbo

Makes me wish I was working in a cubicle again instead of out of my apartment just so I could set one of these up 

nice!


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## GMYukonon24s

Nice bowl! I like the grass and than the plant that sticks out.


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## Ozydego

Dwarf hair grass and an arrowhead plant. Simple and fun


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## MrAlmostWrong

How do you keep the snail from sneaking out?


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## Ozydego

The snail just does his own thing, I have never had issues with snails going over the edge in this little bowl. A shrimp every now and then, yes, but not snails...


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## Elppan

Oh my goodness this is sooo cool. Damn! I jusy bought a Fluval spec desk.... Now I'm going to get a bowl to try it out too! I'll keep two planted shrimp tanks. Now I just have to wait a few weeks for my bonus check to set up a bowl. And then in a month or so pick up some RCS they are so much fun to watch. 
Oh my birthday is coming up in November, I'll make a family member order me some shrimp! So for now I'll just have a few pretty planted gardens.


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## bluestems

Love your bowls! Thanks for the inspiration, as well as the tiny terrarium link... two projects to put on my to do next list =)

btw, you mentioned using miracle gro soil, but I thought you were not supposed to use soil with additives in Walsted style setups... ? Did it work ok for you though?


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## vannyvanny

This thread gave me so many inspirations for so many things that I can't do  But really, nice work with the bowl! It's beautiful just like that bulb  even more so actually


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## Ozydego

Thanks guys for the compliments. The bowl is back home for a while while I move into a new position at work and get settled there. I will be able to take some much better shots now that I can take pics with a DSLR. 

As far as the soil, the Miracle grow "Organic" potting soil, also called MGOPS does not have any additives that harm fauna. I believe it took people quite a bit of trial to find the right soil. Even still, the sand cap is essential in my opinion, not only to keep the soil down, but keep the organics from fouling the water. I have heard some people that have disturbed the lower layer and had some deaths. I have not had any issues myself and I have a larger tank with the same soil set up and the fish are doing great in that one just like the shrimp in these bowls.


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## recklesswalser

Do you do any WC or anything? I have a 2g bowl that I have a betta/small sponge filter (cycled) that I want to pull and turn into a shrimp bowl. would that be safe? also I have hardscape in it from a established tank


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