# 5 gallon NPT LED bowl (updated 2/7)



## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

Decided to go bigger. Picked this up at Homegoods for $16. I'm currently looking for a nice piece of wood to go in it, maybe a root/trunk thing? I'd also like to do some nice emergent plants. Anyone have any recommendations for neat emergents?










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## shinycard255 (Sep 15, 2011)

Just out of curiosity... because I would hate to see that bowl break... but how thick is that glass? Will it be able to hold 2-3 gallons of water? I would test it first in a bath tub for a week to be safe... but that's me...


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

heh, thanks not a bad idea. The glass is decently thick but it can't hurt. I'll fill it up in the backyard and let it sit.


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## shinycard255 (Sep 15, 2011)

Good idea. If it can pass a few days to a week of being filled, you should be good to go!


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

Ok so leak test went fine. Found a piece of wood, I've got it soaking right now. I was going to add some rock to build up a slope but i haven't found any nice pieces. Any suggestion on fauna? I was thinking of a carpet of some type, again not sure onwhat plant.


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## akdylpickles (Feb 21, 2011)

Maybe some HC or glosso?


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

I'd be tempted to just make a small bowl like the be covered in some sort of moss, like having it carpet the bottom, the wood, and everything within reach
just my 2 cents


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

Yeah I kinda want to do a simple carpet with some rock. My only concern is that there wont be enough biomass to properly cycle the dirt tank.


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

Well its a crappy shot but you ge the idea. waiting for the HC to grow in. I'm running a PAR38 about 1ft above the tank.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Good looking start


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

Things are coming along. I was getting some algae growth on the wood and rock so I've pulled the light even higher, I'm @ 14" or so. At this pace I may be able to flood in the next two or three weeks.


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

Well its getting there. I'm having trouble with heat and I keep getting die-off. I also pulled the light up more, its @ 24" now. Should I wait more? I feel like if I flood now I won't have to worry about heat but I'm assuming my growth will come to a screaming halt.


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

Well its flooded, everything is doing fine. My only problem is once you fill with water it completely changes the perspective. I'll have to keep that in mind for my next big bowl.


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## Ganyon (Jun 11, 2012)

Looks nice.


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

Good looking bowl!




shinycard255 said:


> Just out of curiosity... because I would hate to see that bowl break... but how thick is that glass? Will it be able to hold 2-3 gallons of water? I would test it first in a bath tub for a week to be safe... but that's me...


Lol.


Sent from my HTC Evo 4G


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## nonconductive (Jan 29, 2010)

thats awesome!


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## Knotyoureality (Aug 3, 2012)

Heh, I had the same thing--only to good affect. I worried the tiny piece of wood I had would be lost in the bowl, but with the way the bowl shape magnifies things, it's perfect. Rule of thumb, anything you put in a rounded vessel should be at least 30% smaller than you expect it should be. 

The other issue, of course, is that anything along the outside edge is invisible unless you get just the right viewing angle. I'm planning on digging thru my storage boxes tonight for a nice sturdy lazy susan to put my shrimp bowl on so I can safely rotate it to get better views.


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

Knotyoureality said:


> Heh, I had the same thing--only to good affect. I worried the tiny piece of wood I had would be lost in the bowl, but with the way the bowl shape magnifies things, it's perfect. Rule of thumb, anything you put in a rounded vessel should be at least 30% smaller than you expect it should be.
> 
> The other issue, of course, is that anything along the outside edge is invisible unless you get just the right viewing angle. I'm planning on digging thru my storage boxes tonight for a nice sturdy lazy susan to put my shrimp bowl on so I can safely rotate it to get better views.


Yeah the outside edge kinda ruined the look I was going for. Next time I'll build it higher and use smaller wood/rocks.


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

So I stocked it finally. Ended up going with 5 white cloud minnows. Thats probably all I will have in the tank. They are making quick work of the water fleas that had almost taken over.


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

Added some hygro to the back and 5x white cloud minnows.


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## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

What are you dosing to keep that HC thriving?


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

Nothing to be honest. I dry started for a month. Flooded and let it set in for a month then added fish. The substrate is ~1" gravel, ~1" Miracle Grow Organic and ~.5" sand cap. I have a PAR38 hanging about 24" above the tank. 

There used to be rocks visible in the foreground but the HC has completely overtaken them at this point.


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

Little update. I've got a couple fry now, some a little larger then others. I was having a little trouble with the HC and Hygro starting to yellow so I have been dosing a little trace and comprehensive. Seems to be working, I've noticed quite a change in only a couple days. Any way here are some updated pics.


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## JMex (Apr 8, 2012)

Very nice looking bowl! That added hygro really made the foreground pop


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## Robotponys (Sep 7, 2011)

I love this! Wcmm are so beautiful.


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## FisheriesOmen (Jan 14, 2012)

Very well done. I used the same kind of glass bowl for mine last year. Decided to take it down though, but you may have re-sparked the interest


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

Thanks. I love this form factor and no extra gear is really the way to go. I want to do another with scarlet badis but I don't think the wife will let me


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## junglefowl (Oct 30, 2012)

Very clever and nice work, Im a newbie and wonder how do you cycle the tank without a filter...


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## Crob5965 (Aug 25, 2012)

Nice I wouldn't mind trying that myself
does it require much maintenance


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

This is awesome! Nice work buddy! I'm really impressed, and I think the magnification due to the curvature works in this tank. Very cool.


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

junglefowl said:


> Very clever and nice work, Im a newbie and wonder how do you cycle the tank without a filter...


So its a dirt planted tank in a style often reffered to as Walstad. Basically I don't need a filter because the plants, substrate and bacteria provide natural filtration. The filter would be nice to create some water movement but it is not essential.



Crob5965 said:


> Nice I wouldn't mind trying that myself
> does it require much maintenance


Not much maintenance, weekly water changes and trimmings are about it.



crazydaz said:


> This is awesome! Nice work buddy! I'm really impressed, and I think the magnification due to the curvature works in this tank. Very cool.


Thanks!


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## Crob5965 (Aug 25, 2012)

Nice I wouldn't mind trying that myself
does it require much maintenance


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## CAM6467 (Feb 11, 2009)

Very cool! I tried something similar in college, but I used a DIY air-pump driven sponge filter tucked into a hollow piece of driftwood that I found in Pennsylvania while working on my master's degree. It was fun, but it wasn't long before the bug bit me to go larger.

I may have to dig my stuff back out and try this bowl idea again! Your tank is a hit and an inspiration!!!


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

So here is where I am at now. The green hygro shed a ton of leaves and went a deep red, I'm assuming because of the soil. Also I was having issues with algae bloom in the water. I seem to have it worked out now; I reduced photo-period, performed one intense water change, started dosing excel and added additional flora. 

Fish wise I'm doing great. I have three small fry rearing in a 1 gallon shrimp bowl and 1 larger fry in the main bowl.

HC had a die-off but I trimmed it pretty heavily and it has come back nicely.


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

Growing well, could use a trim. I've got 8 WCM now, my five original plus three juvies.


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## horsedude (Nov 10, 2012)

great looking good. that is one nice looking carpet and i love you piece of wood  and i agree that it could do with a trim


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

With Naturally Planted Bowls (NPT) they do fine as long as they are heavily planted. There are so many nutrients in the Miracle Gro soil that it fuels the plant growth like crazy for several months.

With shrimp, especially, there is no problem at all with not having filtration. With fish you have to be a little more careful to stock lightly.

The plants provide filtration so as long as the bioload of the fauna (shrimp, fish, etc.) does not exceed the ability of the flora (plants) to suck up the nutrients then you are just fine.


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## CPDzeke (Jan 4, 2013)

I'm doing this without a cap, is that okay?


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

No, I wouldn't do an NPT without a soil cap.


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## CPDzeke (Jan 4, 2013)

Thanks! Put it on and replanted.


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

Got a hold of a better camera.


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

This is going strong. I have far to many WCM at this point and will need to hand some off or build another tank. I have maybe 10+ in the main bowl at various stages and another 4 rearing in my 1 gallon.


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## zankotsu (Jul 26, 2012)

beautiful. you made it look so easy!


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

zankotsu said:


> beautiful. you made it look so easy!


Thanks! Honestly this tank is pretty much runs on auto at this point.


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

My ludwigia has started to flower!


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## Padraig Pearse (May 26, 2013)

Great job, looks awesome.


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

Couple updated pics. Could probably use a trim.


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## juumou (Sep 4, 2013)

Sorry to dig this up, but this is pretty much my dream bowl  Fantastic! I didn't know an HC carpet was possible in a bowl with just light and excel!


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

Thanks! I've made some changes to the bowl. I removed the hydro from the left and added a crypt. I also trimmed back the HC pretty heavily (I took maybe 1.5-2" off the top) which it did not like. It's slowly recovering. There is also way to many WCMs in there, I lose count around 13 or 14. 

As far the carpet goes it has been thriving mostly on light alone. I only dosed excel for a short time when I was having water clarity issues. Here are some updated pics.


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## AGUILAR3 (Jun 22, 2013)

Beautiful bowl. Not a big fan of all the external plants robbing the light of all the other plants but beautiful none the less.


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## HokieFish (Feb 5, 2012)

*GraveDigging*

Sorry to dig up such an old thread, but I feel like some of these really cool threads should be brought back up to the front every now and then. 

I'm getting ready to start a shrimp bowl for my office. I've wanted to do one, but I've been really busy since the birth of my son and haven't had time or energy to devote to setting up something new. It got so bad that I broke down and sold off my 150 gallon dream tank after the last challenge I had with a leak. 
I'm really inspired by this Walstad Bowl. I have stuff to get started, and my idea (even before seeing this thread) was shockingly similar. I have a piece of driftwood that will stick out of the top of the bowl and almost act as a divider between the background plants and foreground plants. 
My question centers around the driftwood. I have my piece presoaking since it is a virgin piece that i have not had in the water before. I want it to water log and leach as much of the tannins as possible before putting it in the tank. Did you (or anyone else) have any issues with your driftwood? Did having part of it exposed to the air lead to an odor? 
Also, since I'm going to be using DHG that has been grown emersed, and start this bowl using the dry star emersed method, will the driftwood become buoyant again before I flood it? 
Thanks for the help and sorry for the long winded post.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

I've used some manzanita branches for a shrimp pico 2g cookie jar, 1 branch sticks out at the tip a little along with a tiny bit of moss. I've not had trouble with odor or mold.. or tannins surprisingly in that tank but I think the pieces were very old and dried out before I got them.
I'd recently gotten some larger manzanita for my 20g that leeched a lot of tannins so I finally decided to boil it on the stove in large pots of water (mmm tannins soup). It was too large to get completely submerged so 1 hour boil, dump and refill pot, rotate wood, repeat. All better for tannins now, but these pieces stick out of the water on an open top tank and he water level fluctuates from evaporation and top offs, so they do get a little white mold on them. I've found spot treating with a q-tip soaked in Excel gets rid of it. No odor issues though.
You wood may loose its water logged-esk state from being dsm, if you don't plan to grow anything on the wood during dms, I'd simply put it in before planting to figure layout, then remove it during dsm to avoid any mold issues from the humid air, and boil it just before flooding and putting it in (make sure to cool off the wood before it goes in).


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## cjstl (Mar 4, 2013)

AquaAurora said:


> I've used some manzanita branches for a shrimp pico 2g cookie jar, 1 branch sticks out at the tip a little along with a tiny bit of moss. I've not had trouble with odor or mold.. or tannins surprisingly in that tank but I think the pieces were very old and dried out before I got them.
> I'd recently gotten some larger manzanita for my 20g that leeched a lot of tannins so I finally decided to boil it on the stove in large pots of water (mmm tannins soup). It was too large to get completely submerged so 1 hour boil, dump and refill pot, rotate wood, repeat. All better for tannins now, but these pieces stick out of the water on an open top tank and he water level fluctuates from evaporation and top offs, so they do get a little white mold on them. I've found spot treating with a q-tip soaked in Excel gets rid of it. No odor issues though.
> You wood may loose its water logged-esk state from being dsm, if you don't plan to grow anything on the wood during dms, I'd simply put it in before planting to figure layout, then remove it during dsm to avoid any mold issues from the humid air, and boil it just before flooding and putting it in (make sure to cool off the wood before it goes in).


Or spray the wood occasionally during the DSM with a mixture of water and Excel. That should keep the mold off.


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## HokieFish (Feb 5, 2012)

Hey, thanks for the advice. I wanted the wood in the tank before starting the DSM because the clean cut portion will be under the substrate. I really can't think of a good way of adding it after i do my emersed growth period without redoing everything. I may just have to get it waterlogged and ready to go before planting and then keep it well covered. With high humidity, and a good seal on the top over the wood (plastic wrap), I would assume the wood would stay waterlogged. 
I guess the other option is to attach it to a piece of slate to hold it down because if it floats out it would destroy the dirt bed and make a real mess. Trying to avoid this, but it is my back up option.


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

Here's an update on the bowl. Right now I have ~12 or so white clouds and they all seem to be doing good. I lost the whole baby's tear carpet, I let it get to thick and it started to break down underneath.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Love how thick the plants are at the surface, no jumper options just hit stem/leaves! 
Whats your current plant list?


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

AquaAurora said:


> Love how thick the plants are at the surface, no jumper options just hit stem/leaves!
> Whats your current plant list?


Thanks! The top is ludwigia, rotala indica on the right, a couple crypt wendtii on the left and whats left of the baby tears.


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## idleivey (Feb 12, 2009)

Hitting the 2 1/2 year mark with this tank. Just noticed I was starting to get some blossoming.


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## Daisy Mae (Jun 21, 2015)

How's this bowl coming along? It's one of the biggest and baddest, I think.


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## AGUILAR3 (Jun 22, 2013)

update on the bowl? How are the fish doing?


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