# I've got bowl fever!!



## DrGonzo (Apr 12, 2012)

I'm not familiar with that specific potting soil but if its got any fertilizer at all you wont want to use it. Also if it's got those little white bits in it you won't want to either. From the picture it says 'feeds plants up to 6 months' so that would make me think it has fertilizer in it.
Either look for 100% organic potting soil or just plain old topsoil with no added anything.
Another tip I've heard is if you don't fertilize your lawn and you've got spots where water collects when it rains then to dig there because it is full of clay which is great for planted tanks.


----------



## GoldenTetra (Jan 17, 2009)

I used a miracle gro with fertilizer.. I've also used one with the white bits - fertilizer was ok... the white bits.. Omfg what a freakin mess, they float, they're ugly, they get in the filter they sit at the top, they make a mess, etc. etc. etc. Stay away from anything with the white balls lol. I would think though, if it does have the balls, that for a tank this size, if you sifted it with like a flour sifter (may be a bit tedious but hey...) to use it as a substrate it would work... Then you could cap it with something else and it would probably work out ok  might want to wait for a more knowledgeable person to come along and verify that one for you though...


----------



## GoldenTetra (Jan 17, 2009)

Ooh and I LOVE that bowl/vase/masterpiece-waiting-to-happen


----------



## Drift Monkey (Mar 26, 2012)

Nice bowl design! I'd try to find some of the Miracle Gro Organic potting soil without ferts...found mine at Walmart.


----------



## GMYukonon24s (May 3, 2009)

Nice shape


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

Ok, so I will buy the organic soil. I'm thinking of a thick bottom layer for longer lasting root feeding and then capping it with something, IDK what yet. 

I saw this lamp on another thread here http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1GK9EK7GGEB892QY2H86

It's 3000k, 4.2 Watt LED. Great look to it, but I'm afraid it may be too yellow. I want to stay away from bulky lights because once again, this is in my living room and would love to please my fiancé with this project. 

Are the planted bulbs a good idea? I've used them before and loved them once they grew out. What about fish? I'm not sure about the shrimp thing just yet, no betta for sure. I guess that leaves me with danios and neons maybe?


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

Thanks for the compliments by the way!


----------



## DrGonzo (Apr 12, 2012)

I wouldn't recommend fish at all. Shrimp and inverts is what I'd do.



Disher said:


> Ok, so I will buy the organic soil. I'm thinking of a thick bottom layer for longer lasting root feeding and then capping it with something, IDK what yet.
> 
> I saw this lamp on another thread here http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1GK9EK7GGEB892QY2H86
> 
> ...




Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## shinycard255 (Sep 15, 2011)

That bowl looks awesome! Nice find  Start a journal, I'll subscribe for sure


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

DrGonzo said:


> I wouldn't recommend fish at all. Shrimp and inverts is what I'd do.


Ok, good to know thanks. I guess that's the direction I'm headed then! What type of shrimp do you suggest? I just went to the store and saw cherries, bamboo, and a shrimp labeled as an algae eating shrimp. Is that an amano shrimp?

How do I get this moved to the tank journal section? Or should I just start a new thread?


----------



## GoldenTetra (Jan 17, 2009)

I'd start a new thread. Anndd depending on how much you're willing to spend, the choice is really yours when it comes to shrimp! Cherries usually tend to be the most wallet-friendly (here they are atleast).


----------



## Drift Monkey (Mar 26, 2012)

Disher said:


> Ok, good to know thanks. I guess that's the direction I'm headed then! What type of shrimp do you suggest? I just went to the store and saw cherries, bamboo, and a shrimp labeled as an algae eating shrimp. Is that an amano shrimp?
> 
> How do I get this moved to the tank journal section? Or should I just start a new thread?


Cherry shrimp are ideal. They are hardy and easy to care for.


----------



## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

yes the algae eating ones are amano shrimp. also called japonica shrimp by some stores. you dont exactly want those for a small bowl...you want shrimp that are cherry shrimp size.

there are a few neocaridina choice you can have in that bowl. yellow shrimp(what i currently use), blue pearl shrimp, orange.pumpkin shrimp, rili shrimp, blue rili shrimp, painted fire red cherry shrimp.

depending on how tall that vase is, a small sword plant or crypt can be a nice centerpiece. an elevated blyxa japonica could also be nice, with some low type of carpet plant around it. by elevated i mean try to figure out how to raise it above your foreground to make it stand out and be taller. maybe touching the top of the water.


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

A found a cool piece of DW, but the darn thing was too big and wouldn't fit through the opening of the bowl! I had to break it down so it will fit. 

My first attempt at adding the soil was a failure, as you can see in the picture I added entirely too much water grrr. I dumped this out and tried again, still too much water!!! I'm letting it soak and evaporate hopefully leaving me with the right mud consistency allowing me to cap it with gravel today. 

I would like to tie some moss onto the driftwood but haven't made up my mind yet.


----------



## Wulfyn (Mar 20, 2012)

I myself just got into bowls and vases, my bowl has 3 "ghost" shrimp in it, papyrus, peacock moss, and 2 types of aquatic floating ferns (I beleive). Need different plants to add color tho. I opted for pea gravel and in the shrimp bowl they will fertilize the plant. You can see one of the shrimp in this first pic.


----------



## GMYukonon24s (May 3, 2009)

Nice pieces of wood.


----------



## DrGonzo (Apr 12, 2012)

shinycard255 said:


> That bowl looks awesome! Nice find  Start a journal, I'll subscribe for sure


Hey shinycard, when does the narwhal bacon? 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

I capped the soil and filled it up. Not too crazy about the DW, I will be taking one of the pieces out. I bought this lamp and I'm not sure if I like it. My fiancé isn't too crazy about it either. I put a 5000k bulb in the lamp and now I just need to plant and watch it grow!


----------



## shinycard255 (Sep 15, 2011)

DrGonzo said:


> Hey shinycard, when does the narwhal bacon?
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


Midnight :icon_bigg


----------



## decotank (Oct 27, 2011)

Herere is an article by Diana Walstad tha you might find useful: http://www.bookmasters.com/marktplc/00388Shrimp.pdf


----------



## m8e (Oct 16, 2009)

Tiny surface area and no water movement.:icon_excl


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

Thank you Decotank, great link. I never thought about using sand, no turning back now! 

This will be a filterless bowl and I'm not too concerned about the surface area, we'll see how it goes!


----------



## FisheriesOmen (Jan 14, 2012)

Surface area might be a big deal especially if you are putting any fauna in there. I think that bowl lost function for looks so I'd be careful cause you need the gas exchange for your shrimp and plants (if you can even fit them in the opening). as far as the light, From experience (actually yesterday) i realized if it isn't tall enough to cover the top of the bowl then most likely a lot of light will be wasted. That's why I switched to a larger work lamp instead. Hope everything works out.


----------



## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

i think this is how you should scape it:
put moss on the DW - tie it on. then put some sort of taller plant in the back of the DW such as blyxa japonica or pygmy chain sword. in the front plant some HC or something low...idk. maybe just leave the front bare. trust me as long as the front is low, it will look great.


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

Newman said:


> i think this is how you should scape it:
> put moss on the DW - tie it on. then put some sort of taller plant in the back of the DW such as blyxa japonica or pygmy chain sword. in the front plant some HC or something low...idk. maybe just leave the front bare. trust me as long as the front is low, it will look great.



I planned on tying moss to the DW, but as far as low plants go I'm still trying to figure that out. Anymore low plant suggestions? Thanks!


----------



## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

crypt parva is another good low lying plant. try it.


----------



## Wicket_lfe (Aug 21, 2008)

Just getting started, keeping it simple. I have a dwarf lily and some blue pearls


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

Thanks Newman! You've given me some great suggestions. I'm regretting the choice of my substrate, I don't like the look of the pebbles at all right now but maybe once I get plants growing it will start to look better. 

I've got the bulbs planted and tomorrow I'll be tying some moss to two small pieces of DW. Hopefully I get at least half of the bulbs to grow. More pictures tomorrow.

So far this has been an interesting experiment. I'm already thinking of ways I could improve a planted bowl if I were to start over. It's so hard to have patience sometimes! Especially with a fiancé prodding me to put something that moves in it lol


----------



## Wicket_lfe (Aug 21, 2008)

LOL, sorry, i think i confused this thread with another.

I love the shape of the bowl though. Is it difficult getting stuff into the opening?


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

Wicket_lfe said:


> LOL, sorry, i think i confused this thread with another.
> 
> I love the shape of the bowl though. Is it difficult getting stuff into the opening?


Haha it's ok, I like to see other bowls/vases! 

It's not too bad actually. The one thing I don't like is the extreme distortion of the bowl. The glass is super thick so when I try to move things around and rearrange it's difficult to see where I'm actually placing things if that makes sense. I will get use it, though.


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

Finally something green! Hornwort, moss, and a fern I think? I lowered the water level to increase gas exchange and to allow for free-floating plants. 

The water is still pretty cloudy from the soil and DW. I've been doing a 1 gallon water change everyday to help out with that.


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

A few of my bulbs are starting to grow(Aponogeton and Crinum thaianum). I wish the lily bulb would sprout already!! The hornwort is growing crazy fast. I added some micro sword hopefully I can get that to take off also.

The double tail betta was a complete impulse buy but he was calling my name at the store saying, pick me pick me! I've been told they aren't compatible with RCS? Can anyone confirm this? Otherwise he will get a new home. The store was selling RCS for 5 bucks a pop, yikes!! I'll pick some up from another member on here for a better price.


----------



## ~Volatile~ (Dec 28, 2009)

I've got a tank with a betta and some RCS, but they have ample space to hide, otherwise I wouldn't trust him.


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

Yeah I'm not going to trust him. I'll take him back to the store tomorrow... He's so awesome but I'd rather have shrimp than a betta. I might look into a few fancy guppies instead!


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

I bought some RCS from the store a few weeks ago. Everything was going great until I started replanting the micro sword... 

I poked too far into the substrate several times over not thinking anything of it. The next two days the water was milky and the plants were covered in a white slime and all shrimp were lost! I'm still not quite sure of the exact cause. I didn't take pictures because I was so frustrated. I did a complete water change two days in a row. Everything seems to be ok now.


----------



## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

why are you keeping fish in this? at any rate, yes you shoulnt really touch the substrate at all to avoid issues. you'll want to choose plants that do not need replanting and uprooting. microsword was a good choice, but you dont need to really touch it if its doing well.

if you need some hardy cherries down the line, i can provide you with quite a few, or as few as you want. I have been breeding PFRs for a while now, and need to cull some of the regular grade cherries 
they're really hardy. earlier this spring i had to keep them outside in cold weather and they managed fine until i got them back indoors.


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

Newman said:


> why are you keeping fish in this? at any rate, yes you shoulnt really touch the substrate at all to avoid issues. you'll want to choose plants that do not need replanting and uprooting. microsword was a good choice, but you dont need to really touch it if its doing well.
> 
> if you need some hardy cherries down the line, i can provide you with quite a few, or as few as you want. I have been breeding PFRs for a while now, and need to cull some of the regular grade cherries
> they're really hardy. earlier this spring i had to keep them outside in cold weather and they managed fine until i got them back indoors.


They are in there temporarily! I failed to mention I had an outbreak of some type of platyhelminthes and the fish are eating them all up! Taking them out this weekend. Thanks for letting me know about the cherry shrimp, I'll be taking you up on that once this bowl has stabilized. 

The micro sword never really got a solid planting to begin with so I decided to make sure the roots were in the rocks really well.


----------



## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

Holy moly get those fish out of there, even the betta, =[


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

Chlorophile said:


> Holy moly get those fish out of there, even the betta, =[


Take a deep breath, now relax lol the fish were in there for a short few days. The bowl holds about 2.5 gallons of water. I've seen smaller systems on here with much more of a stock list  Now go hunt them down ;-)

Anywho, I bought a new bowl and set it up. I made some mistakes with my first bowl and learned a lot in a short amount of time. One of which was to never ever mess with the substrate and to plant more heavily on first start up. 

Here's my new bowl 








I'm really digging this substrate. Much better than the gravel.


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

The new bowl is progressing very well! A added three small snails to munch on the algae. This bowl doesn't have near as much algae as the first one. 

A few things I did differently:

I strained the dirt to filter out sticks, twigs and larger debris. There's less risk of air pockets in the soil which are a bad thing! The finer dirt particles allow for more settling and no air pockets.

Capped the dirt with a deeper top layer substrate. In case I need to replant anything I won't risk poking into the soil... Never poke the soil!!!!

I planted a bit heavier with fast growing plants. I'm using several bulbs, so I made sure the bulbs were sprouting and growing before planting them. Once the bulbs show first signs of life, they grow insanely quick. Great for nutrient uptake! 

I would like to add a few more plants to this. Maybe a few red root floaters and some blyxa? Still deciding! Any suggestions would be great. Thanks for everyone's feedback and concerns, y'alls expertise is greatly appreciated.


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

I've had to do some major trimmings with this thing but overall very little maintenance. I have some hair algae but very unnoticeable and under control. 

The bulb plants naturally grow too tall for this "bowl" but I've made it work. The lily was a great addition, I really like the color contrast it gives. 

I will add some RCS in August, I can't wait! The bowl seems very stable and sustainable for plant growth. I'd love to find some shorter growing plants, any suggestions?


----------



## Shanster (Jul 23, 2012)

I love the "shrimp bowl!" It's super cute... Hopefully your fiance is happy. 

I don't know if there is enough light or CO2 for this plant, but it's small and dainty.
Hemianthus callitrichoides - Dwarf Baby Tears


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

Thank you! We both really enjoy the beauty it brings to our living room. I might just leave it as is. I'm already wanting to start up another one anyways lol

There has been one cherry shrimp in the tank for at least a month. Recently I picked up one more, but this one was berried. Super excited to see if the hatchlings survive. Keep your fingers crossed!! Here's a few pictures of the two shrimp, sorry for the bad quality. I really could use a fancy pants camera!

The first shrimp I added








And the second one


----------



## SpecGrrl (Jul 26, 2012)

Yay shrimp bowl!

It looks gorgeous!


----------



## Indian fern (Jul 16, 2012)

You should put soil first. Dry will be ideal. Top it with sand or gravel. Slowly fill with water until top. Do this gently so you wont disturb the substrate. About overnight the soil is thoroughly wet. Its PLANTING TIME! :3


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

Indian Fern, I'm way ahead of you on that one lol I did that months ago.

My two cherries passed away, one of which gave birth to many surviving offspring which later died. It looked like both had bad molts. Is that a TDS issue? I haven't tested my water at all, I just know my plants are loving it. I would like to try cherries again. 

Maybe my bowl hasn't matured enough. Any thoughts?


----------



## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

how old is it?


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

Around 6 months


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

The tap water, right out of the faucet is between 500-700 TDS on any given day. This has got to be the reason for the shrimp deaths. I will not get an RO/DI unit because I can't justify the cost of one just for a shrimp bowl. Maybe I'll stick with plants and snails!! Lol


----------



## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

it probably would damage CRS but cherries should be fine. I raised my cherries in that TDS fine, and my current yellow shrimp are also living in that TDS. 
its high, but not lethal. you could buy a gallon of DI water from a store and mix it in the WC water to dilute the TDS to lower levels.

Back when my bowl ran crystal shrimp I used gallons of distilled water for water changes. one gallon lasts maybe 3 weeks at most provided you water change maybe 20-30% water volume.


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

Well that's good to know, thanks. I'll try diluting the tank water with store bought RODI over a months time and give it another shot.


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

Updated picture on the first page! I finally ordered a GH/KH test kit. If my numbers are good I'm going to try cherries again. I also added an air stone for some water circulation.

I've got these wicked white bugs swimming around everywhere! Definitely not daphnia. They are too small for my phone to zoom in on otherwise I'd post a pic. I'm hoping they aren't dangerous for shrimp.


----------



## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

those are water mites. no they are not dangerous to shrimp.


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

Here's a pic through the lens of a dissecting microscope.


----------



## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

look at them under a standard scope. use a depression slide if possible. you should be able to see tiny thin legs moving around on the anterior portion of the bubble-like body.

this pics you posted look like ostracods. but that's only because i can't see any legs. if the legs are there, its a water mite. ostracods also do not move around really fast and erratically like water mites do.


----------



## LyzzaRyzz (Nov 6, 2012)

Great bowl! I think I'm gonna start one soon!!


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

Newman- I'll take a closer look at them on Monday under a microscope. They swim around a lot so based on their motility it leads me to believe they are mites. Thanks for the ID.

Planted bowls are so easy. I'd suggest capped organic potting soil for your substrate. It works great!


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

They are definitely seed shrimp. Now that I know they are safe for shrimp I enjoy them more than ever. Really interesting creatures and are a great part of my clean up crew. They immediately devour any decaying plant leaves.

Here's an update of my shrimp colony, I had two PFRs and mixed them with cherries from a member on here (can't remember his name right now, but thanks). Please chime in!


----------



## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

yes i see the PFR. nice red shrimp. looks like the majority of those small white specs that people see in their tanks/bowls are ostracods (seed shrimp).
if you watch the video in my bowl thread you can see that there is a constant flow of ostracods in my bowl lmao!


----------



## tex627 (Jan 11, 2009)

Wow, looks full of life. The cherry shrimp look great!


----------



## manzpants92 (Dec 6, 2012)

Wicket_lfe said:


> Just getting started, keeping it simple. I have a dwarf lily and some blue pearls


What kind of substrate is this?


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

UPDATE!

FTS









Close up of the soil layer. I used a good 2-3"









Top view









Dwarf sag being limited to the edges









One of the two rcs in this tank









I do a water change every once in a while...no set schedule. I will dose a dropper full of excel and iron on occasions when I remember lol there's nothing routine about this bowl I love it. 

Only three types of plants: dwarf sag, crypts(not sure which species), and a lone lily bulb. The crypts have absolutely dominated and grow like crazy... They love the deep soil bed.


----------



## NYCaqua (Dec 26, 2013)

This reminds me of the times when i had about 15 bowls on a mantle with nothing but aquatic plants in them. CF bulbs and just slight fertz. Wish i had taken a picture before i took them all down.


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

Why did you take them all down? I don't know if I could ever get myself to take this down lol


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## NanoDave (Feb 25, 2013)

Looking good, definitely inspiring for me to do another bowl but with shrimp this time around.


----------



## Disher (Apr 1, 2012)

You should do it! They are a lot of fun to setup and very little maintenance. 

I added a new light to this bowl. I wanted to give the deep blue solar flare a try and finally ditch the cfl. What do you think? 










The light is concentrated on just the bowl so there's no annoying ambient light.


----------



## NanoDave (Feb 25, 2013)

I'm a big fan of the Deep Blue Solar Flare lights, heres a few pics of the two tanks I use them on. Had pretty good success growing low-medium light plants.


----------



## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

LOL @ "fish tank" 

I found another use for Solar Flare: I have a red one mounted behind a tank pointing up against the wall. Makes for a cool highlight.

v3


----------

