# The Filterless Tank Picture Thread



## dprais1

following


----------



## driftwoodhunter

me too!


----------



## jarvitron

Awesome picture. You say this is after a rescape, how long has the tank been running? Do you do water changes? Is there anything providing water movement? What's the flora/fauna stock like?


----------



## Silmarwen

I'd love to see some more nice filter-free setups!


----------



## PaulG

jarvitron said:


> Awesome picture. You say this is after a rescape, how long has the tank been running? Do you do water changes? Is there anything providing water movement? What's the flora/fauna stock like?


This was the tank before the current rescape, which is unfinished.

I only did top offs maybe once a week or so. Stocking was 14 Flame Tetras, ammonia reading was always zero, nitrites zero, nitrates never over 10ppm. Movement provided by small pump. Tank was only running 9 months before I had to move house, gave the fish to my mum.

I did make a mistake with this tank and that was using John Innes 3, my water was already very hard and this sent it up further. Other than that the only thing I'm doing different this time round is removing the pump and heater, but that's only because I don't want to this time round.


----------



## mitchfish9

PaulG I love your tank! Seems like filterless is trending a little bit right now I will be following along to see more pictures!


----------



## Aqualady

Hi I am new here and I really like the idea of filter-less tank because I have an area I would really like a small tank (6 gallon bookshelf at lfs) but I want as few cords as possible since its on a nook bar like thing.....so I am following


----------



## BigTom

My big tank is now running a filter since I greatly increased stocking levels but here are a few old shots form when it was filterless;


----------



## extrame

Amazing tank Bigtom! someday i want to setup one just like yours
are the tanks in this thread run without Co2 too? 

here's mine


----------



## PaulG

I run without co2.


----------



## BigTom

Yup, no CO2 or ferts (soil substrate).


----------



## extrame

ok! i got no co2 in mine too.
also have another npt which is up longer than the one posted above but i would be re-doing it cos it was over run by the valis. neglected it for almost 2 years. just feed the fish and top-ups


----------



## SouthernGorilla

How do y'all keep the water so clear without a filter? We tried running filterless on our ten-gallon and it just turned into a mud puddle.


----------



## extrame

if you have a lot of plants in your tank, you could keep water clear.


----------



## SouthernGorilla

We do have a lot of plants in our tank. We even have an emersed ivy to pull out nitrates. But all of that doesn't get our water looking like what I see in these photos. I can't post a pic here since it's not filterless. But check my profile.

Maybe the trick is to keep a tank more lightly stocked than we have.


----------



## houseofcards

Those are pretty impressive, especially considering the fish in there. I've only done this on small nanos. Here are a couple:


Large Rock Nano Cube by naturalaquascapedesigns, on Flickr


Nano Moss Cube by naturalaquascapedesigns, on Flickr


----------



## Cinbos

I am crazy interested in doing this for a 40gallon. I just want lights, heater and a very small powerhead for water circulation. I was thinking of running DIY Co2, would that be ok?


----------



## NamSF

Houseofcards,

What kind of light is that? I've been looking for decent LED lights for nano desktops...Thanks


----------



## Silky

man these are nice, I'm starting to get some crazy ideas as I'm sitting here looking around my boring work desk.


----------



## OVT

I am struggling with a decision on whether to go filter-less for my first ever riparium in planing. Starting a separate thread soliciting advise did not produce much useful information. hopefully this thread will get more attention.


----------



## BBradbury

*Filterless Tanks*

The attached pic is a 20 G. Nothing fancy. Just room light for the emersed plants. The ferts are just what the 30 or so Fancy Guppies in the tank produce. No water changes or mechanical filtration, just top off the tank a couple of times a week and trim the plants. The plants thrive in the pure water conditions as do the fish.

B


----------



## Saxtonhill

Wow that is a lush setup!


----------



## seanski21

here's my 2.5 gallon... I do agree that filterless is easier to do with a nano.


----------



## MurphyC

extrame said:


> Amazing tank Bigtom! someday i want to setup one just like yours
> are the tanks in this thread run without Co2 too?
> 
> here's mine




Holly he'll is that val up back? If so I'm ripping all my stems out and letting the vale take over


----------



## j_mccord

Here is my 3 gallon bowl. Its about 4 months old today. 

Inhabitants are tons of MTS, tons of zebra nerite snails, and currently 3 RCS. I'll be adding more RCS soon. No heater, no filter, and 6,500 K light ~8 hrs. a day. I do a ~30% water change roughly every two weeks, or whenever I remember. The water stays around 65-68 degrees. I don't measure anything else.


----------



## PaulG

I still haven't finished my rescape haha!


----------



## waterfaller1

Bookmarking to read. Awesome tanks from a quick glance.


----------



## extrame

MurphyC said:


> Holly he'll is that val up back? If so I'm ripping all my stems out and letting the vale take over


hi MurphyC,
yup those are valis. be careful thou, it could easily take over your tank.


----------



## ggrillo

Going back to freshwater after keeping saltwater tanks for a while, I completely forgot about the need for a filter. I believe it is more reliable to have all of the nitrifying bacteria colonize on the substrate and hardscape (especially something as porous as driftwood) vs. having them mostly contained to a small area outside of the tank that could easily fail.

with the tank I just set up, I may end up slowly removing the filter media and try running filterless.


----------



## MurphyC

extrame said:


> hi MurphyC,
> yup those are valis. be careful thou, it could easily take over your tank.


I have taken the plunge. All stems gone... Got val up back, wendtii in mid and dwarf hair grass n a few swords up front...


----------



## aluka

Heres mine. No filter, no heater, Light 7 hours a day. 6 gallon

Pink butterfly rostail betta + mts. I had some RCS in there, but the betta ate them all =)


----------



## PaulG

Just posted in it's own thread but this one needs some life!


----------



## PaulG

SouthernGorilla said:


> How do y'all keep the water so clear without a filter? We tried running filterless on our ten-gallon and it just turned into a mud puddle.


You can cheat and run a filter with nothing but filter floss for a few hours to clear it up initially.


----------



## waterfaller1

That's cool how it fits right in the window.


----------



## JLD

Im jealous


----------



## Xiaozhuang

These are a couple; they're grown under strong lighting though


----------



## PaulG

Love them!!!!


----------



## VJM

Xiaozhuang, those are absolutely amazing. That first tank is a real piece of art. If you have time, would you mind sharing your details? substrate, lights, ferts, etc. 

So lovely!


----------



## Xiaozhuang

Hey thanks~

Both tanks are grown under a 150w metal halide pendant (so much for low tech) about 2.5 feet above. For the first tank, substrate consists of a thin laterite base layer, garden soil topped off with ANS planta soil (relatively lean artificial soil). I used excel for first couple of weeks. I dose about 4ppm of NO3 a week using KNO3, maintaining nitrate levels of around 15ppm. Phosphates and traces are only dosed when signs of deficiency occur.

I find that an issue for many soil only tanks is that plants don't survive the initial shock when they are first planted, whereas for high tech CO2 setups plants have a higher chance of adapting to the new environment. When setting up a soil tank, using samples from a high tech tank with the same soil and water parameters give higher success rates in a soil only tank. Even seemingly difficult plants such as HC, HM and crypts can be successfully grown in soil tanks if they can survive the transplant shock.

On lighting, my personal experience is that if fish load is low and tank is planted densely, more light doesn't cause algae issues. Thus I use metal halides for all tanks, regardless of size or whether CO2 injection is used.


----------



## MamaFish

Xiaozhuang said:


> These are a couple; they're grown under strong lighting though


 Really, really beautiful.


----------



## idleivey

I also have a 12 gallon long LED lit in the works that will be filterless. It will have a powerhead though.


----------



## waterfaller1

Wow..these tiny tanks and bowls are amazing! What is the plant growing on the surface in the first bowl?


----------



## idleivey

waterfaller1 said:


> Wow..these tiny tanks and bowls are amazing! What is the plant growing on the surface in the first bowl?


Ludwigia, not sure exactly which one.


----------



## waterfaller1

No kidding...thanks. It looks awesome, I love it.


----------



## rice n curry man

DAMN that fishbowl is beautiful!!


----------



## BHolmes

Xiaozhuang said:


>





idleivey said:


>


Everytime I check out the low tech thread I just don't see a need for heavy dosing or injection. It's just so much more natural and clean. All of these tanks tend to stay around longer too. Nicely done


----------



## PaulG

Incredible bowl! Incredibowl! :icon_conf


----------



## waterfaller1

Planning one myself. All these tanks are great.


----------



## thebuddha

idleivey said:


>



Simply AWESOME! 
did the ludwigia just grow up tall and out of the water, or was it floating?




PaulG said:


> Incredible bowl! Incredibowl! :icon_conf



gotta love incredibowls


----------



## idleivey

thebuddha said:


> Simply AWESOME!
> did the ludwigia just grow up tall and out of the water, or was it floating?
> gotta love incredibowls


I took a couple cuttings of emersed ludwigia from another tank and stuck them on the top of the log and it spread out horizontally. I've got a more recent picture, the ludwigia extends to my desk now.


----------



## FISHYANDY

Hey all this is my first post ever on here but so glad to see that people have the same way of thinking.
i love the idea of plants growing without high tech stuff, it like buying free range eggs all natural . I use some small vase i picked up from the charity some for a £1 each and used potting soil and play sand then used a few plants from my tanks and put them in the window and the water can get clouded if i forget to water change but the plants so great 

but great to see some of these big tank without filters perfect balance of nature that what this hobby is about making a own bit of nature in our own home

ANDY


----------



## RedseaReefer

heres my little filterless betta tank ^.^


----------



## SlopTank

Idleivey, that bowl is pretty much exactly what I want to do with the betta tank we have at work, the plastic plants are starting to drive me nuts!

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2


----------



## PaulG

Good to see this thread still going!

My tank has become a complete mess, have spent all day pulling handfuls of blanket weed like algae out. Went out of the country for a week and been too busy to get to the tank this week, trust the UK to get a heatwave in those 2 weeks.


----------



## waterfaller1

Can I join? Just set this up yesterday.


----------



## PaulG

You may :thumbsup:

Love the lighting, super eerie!


----------



## tanks4allthefish

That lighting is pretty cool. What substrate are you using?


----------



## nirotorin

Interesting. I guess I'm technically running a filterless tank. I've got a mini water garden growing out of a plastic storage bin on my back porch. No fish, or anything. Just some ludwigia, and fairy moss.


----------



## waterfaller1

Thanks! The substrate is Tahitian moon sand.


----------



## Jalopy

Hey Xiaozhuang,
That's a really beautiful tank. Do you ever get anaerobic bubbles in the soil? It looks like the substrate is very deep on one end of the tank. Thanks.


----------



## Xiaozhuang

Hey thanks, the deep part is about 3.5 inches deep, the stem plants at the end have roots that can reach the deeper parts so I haven't had trouble with the substrate.


----------



## Crab Man

I love this thread!

What are the pros and cons of powerheads though? aren't there some pond critters / plants that want a still pond?

Anyone have an opinion on whether to move the water or not? Do you lose microfauna by moving the water around with a powerhead?


----------



## Xiaozhuang

Powerheads/flow are probably one of the most underrated topics in these forums. It distributes nutrients, CO2 across plant leaves and makes a significant difference to tank health, making the most of the meager CO2 levels of non CO2 injected tanks. Additionally surface agitation introduces oxygen and CO2 to non-CO2 injection tanks. I keep some high light low tech/dirt tanks which I'm quite sure would have algae issues without the significant flow they get. Some plants seem to enjoy flow more than others. Others seem to do okay without much; I've grown DHG, Anubias, mermaid weed, HM, in still tanks/no flow.


----------



## peachii

Here is my 2 gallon jar. Easily one of my favorite tanks in the house. Currently houses 3 RCS, 2 Amanos and 2 assassin snails and I think 1 Thai Micro Crab but he hides to good and I haven't seen him since I put him in there.


----------



## DaveFish

Awesome thread! I am getting into filterless tanks. I also am finding a lot of cold water alkaline loving plants here in Utah. that way I don't need a heater, maybe get a chiller. lol. I won't need any Co2 and the plants have evolved to take up carbon from all the carbonates in the water. No high lighting, in low to medium light. I have found a Mexican Oak leaf variant, myriophyllum variant, cold water hair grass! And some kind of long broad leaved anacharis that looks like a hygro stem plant with crypt leaves. Really have no idea what it is, but it is a really good looking cold water stem plant. I will keep ya'll posted!


----------



## Seedreemer

Wow, incredible bowls and tanks everyone! Here's mine from around 1999. I was low tech and filterless before it was cool. It's messy but I liked it that way.
Specs:
29 gallon
Plain white bulb
Several hours of sunlight every afternoon
Occasional water changes or top ups
No filter/heater/powerhead
Plain gravel
No ferts or Excel or Co2
Platys and danios


----------



## HuntCast

This thread inspired me to see what was possible with dirt, sand, and water. Just planted some leftovers from my bigger tanks. Not sure how it will work, but we will see what light and water changes can do.
Right now, there is some water sprite and duckweed at the top, a narrow leaf java fern leaf with babies on it, a crypt, and a stem of telanthera cardinalis in there.


----------



## OVT

Do you get too much heat from the lamp so close to the bowl?

I would add more plants and not rush into water changes: in small environment like that, water changes result in disproportionately huge swings in water chemistry. I would let the plants, especially the floaters, do their magic.

v2


----------



## HuntCast

It looks brighter than it is. I had a 13w CFL in there but it was too much. Switched to a low watt incandescent. Much dimmer. There are vent holes at the top of the lamp, so at least as far as I can tell, it isn't too hot. I need to pick up a thermometer ( my bigger tanks have the stick on strips) and see what is going on.
I need to get more plants in there, I agree. Need more floaters, because I can't get my hand into the sides, lol.


----------



## wesleh

Just curious if anyone knows, how much flow is recommended for these type of setups on a10-20g cube? What ghp are you running?


----------



## OVT

I am running 0.

v2


----------



## PaulG

wesleh said:


> Just curious if anyone knows, how much flow is recommended for these type of setups on a10-20g cube? What ghp are you running?


I run 0. Run what you like or what the fish would like.


----------



## HuntCast

Well, 4 days with no water change, and now every plant in the thing is pearling. Really surprising. This may actually work, lol! About a liter sized world that is self sustaining?


----------



## Fantastic5

Awesome setups guys! This is what attracted me to planted tanks. Very lil maintenance with a healthier ecosystem for the inhabitants. I have run a few different tanks for a while with no filter. The more plants the better. Will post my gallon bowl soon.


----------



## difrent7

Saw this thread and figured it is a perfect place to share my filterless shrimp bowl. The bowl sits on the little fluval edge stand with the built in light.








Here is a better shot of the inside of it. The green mesh up front is from a luffa and is securing some moss to some lava rock.


----------



## HuntCast

How many gallons is the bowl?


----------



## difrent7

HuntCast said:


> How many gallons is the bowl?


It is just a 1 gallon bowl that I got for free from a friend. Down the road I want to pick up a bigger bowl or some small unique tank to fit in there but for now perfect for the couple shrimp and small snails I throw into my main tank to feed my assassins.


----------



## HuntCast

Looks great. I am torn on mine. I want to pop a couple ghost shrimp in there, but I think less than a gallon might be too small. Really, it is only about a liter or so.


----------



## difrent7

HuntCast said:


> Looks great. I am torn on mine. I want to pop a couple ghost shrimp in there, but I think less than a gallon might be too small. Really, it is only about a liter or so.


I have read it is safe to keep about 10 cherry shrimp per gallon so I would imagine a couple ghost shrimp won't hurt. Just make sure your tank is cycled.


----------



## Peterstunt

*Shrimp bowl*

This one started it's life as a filtered tank, but I lost interest in it. So, migrated it all over to this awesome bowl that gets the perfect amount of sunlight. Been inspired to do more since this one has been re born.


----------



## Raymond S.

*My 2 cents on this.*



Crab Man said:


> I love this thread!
> 
> What are the pros and cons of powerheads though? aren't there some pond critters / plants that want a still pond?
> 
> Anyone have an opinion on whether to move the water or not? Do you lose microfauna by moving the water around with a powerhead?


If you are familiar/w those air driven sponge filters...there is nothing that says you couldn't just use the up-draft tube from one of those for water movement. Also for more of it in the on-line stores they sell replacement tubes for undergravel filters and those are 1" in diameter. And those same companies also sell the spigots with the righ hand angle at the top
for the tube.
Since my tank has a filter it's not in here. But I built in the filter which works on the same principle using air instead of a pump motor.
I did this specifically so that baby fish/shrimp and daphnia can go through without being hurt. In the first picture the water comes in on the lower left, up and then down through the filter media and back up through a tube that lets out where the bubbles are in the second picture. It has no screen/pads that can trap those mentioned critters.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=14289&pictureid=43401
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=14289&pictureid=43393
But you can just use the pick up tube of an undergravel filter to move water without hurting anything.


----------



## SouthernGorilla

Raymond S. said:


> If you are familiar/w those air driven sponge filters...there is nothing that says you couldn't just use the up-draft tube from one of those for water movement. Also for more of it in the on-line stores they sell replacement tubes for undergravel filters and those are 1" in diameter. And those same companies also sell the spigots with the righ hand angle at the top
> for the tube.
> Since my tank has a filter it's not in here. But I built in the filter which works on the same principle using air instead of a pump motor.
> I did this specifically so that baby fish/shrimp and daphnia can go through without being hurt. In the first picture the water comes in on the lower left, up and then down through the filter media and back up through a tube that lets out where the bubbles are in the second picture. It has no screen/pads that can trap those mentioned critters.
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=14289&pictureid=43401
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=14289&pictureid=43393
> But you can just use the pick up tube of an undergravel filter to move water without hurting anything.


I would add that, based on my experience, you can also use airstones to produce sufficient movement. Our 10-gallon has been without a filter for several months now. The only current in the tank is the result of one small airstone. It isn't much. But the tank stays remarkably clear with two albino cats, a clown loach, a bamboo shrimp, an apple snail, and twelve billion trumpet snails. I suspect this clarity has something to do with the duckweed also.


----------



## brandon429

The reef vase I have ran for nine years is airstone only with no filtration just like the planted vase above... Most wouldn't think the concept works with saltwater but it works just the same~


----------



## Jnad

Just in case you not have seen this, some reading for you filterless fans
http://naturalaquariums.com


----------



## PaulG

Aha! I've popped back as I'm returning to the planted tank hobby and it's good to see this thread has had a bit of a recent revival.

I could never sign up to natural aquariums


----------



## AquaAurora

Roughly 0.5g glass vase
MGOPM capped with gravel
2 revitalized Argentinian swords, salvia minima
Pond snails
Indirect sunlight from window and ambient light from other (low tech) tank's lights (6500k 13w cfls)
Only minor diatoms and hair algae





The swords have had a long journey to recovery. They started out as plants in a tube at a petco, were put in a tank and eaten by my pleco (ate leaves and roots) so all that remained was the crowns. Floated in a mason jar under sub par light in a cold room for many months. Planted in a evolve4 with [censor] lights but soil, so got roots but leaves kept dieing.. then upgraded to a vase on a windowsill with soil. Had a [Hair algae disaster], fixed and moved to bookshelf between the other picos. This all happened over nearly 2 years (just short by a month or so).. miraculously durable plant! Might have to upgrade it to bigger accommodations soon though.


----------



## AGUILAR3

13mo and counting. 1.75g Betta vase with no filter or heater, 9w cfl, MGOPM, gravel and a single pot of c. wendtii housing a stunted 1 year old (1.25" head to tail) female betta


----------



## AquaAurora

What temp is the water in your no tech betta bowl?


----------



## AGUILAR3

6:30 in the evening, 80 deg outside.


----------



## AquaAurora

Lucky! My unheated picos are about 68F x.x


----------



## AGUILAR3

AquaAurora said:


> Lucky! My unheated picos are about 68F x.x


Wow, that is cold. Perfect temp for shrimp.


----------



## AquaAurora

AGUILAR3 said:


> Wow, that is cold. Perfect temp for shrimp.


Yeh but I'm not having lucky with my cherries (in the two picos behind the vase pictured), had saddled gals but never berried and see fewer and fewer of the shrimp..


----------



## ailyhsaun

*Occupants?*



BHolmes said:


> Everytime I check out the low tech thread I just don't see a need for heavy dosing or injection. It's just so much more natural and clean. All of these tanks tend to stay around longer too. Nicely done


What fish are in this tank?


----------

