# 3 Gallon Shrimp Bowl – First planted tank – first post



## ISail (Mar 13, 2011)

I want to start by saying thanks for the knowledge I’ve gained while lurking here the last month. Long ago I had a lot of saltwater, reptiles, and some mammals, but have pretty much limited myself to a dog or three for the last 20 years. 

A couple of months ago it suddenly crossed my mind that I’ve never had a planted freshwater tank. Couple of weeks later I noticed a 3 gallon round glass bowl in my parent’s basement. The glass is terrible. It’s probably 50 years old. So I said to myself: “Self, you ought to put some shrimp and plants and stuff in that bowl.”

After very minimal research (thanks again for the info!), an order from an online plant store, some scrounging in the yard for rocks, etc., and a trip to the pet store for some glass shrimp, I ended up with this shrimp bowl.

It’s been set up for two weeks, had plants for 10 days, and shrimp for 6 days. 

*Tank: *3 gallon glass bowl with TERRIBLE quality glass
*Light:* Home Depot desk light with 26 watt CF
*Filtration:* None
*CO2:* Nope, not yet. 
*Substrate:* Seachem Flourite 
*Rock:* From the lake
*Wood:* dead ficus branch

*Flora: *
Baby Tears , Dwarf (Hemianthus callitrichoides)
Cryptocoryne, Wendtii, Green (Cryptocoryne wendtii)
Java Fern (Microsorium pteropus)
3 Valisneria (that will be moving to a taller project soon)

*Fauna:*
6 Ghost/Glass shrimp from local pet store feeder tank

Comments, criticisms, or even insults are welcome. I have tough skin.

My camera skills are limited, but this thread would be worthless without pics:


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## farmhand (Jun 25, 2009)

Looks real good. Welcome to TPT.
Warning, this place is addicting!


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## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

Very nice. I would like to recommend that you get rid of the Ghost Shrimp and get some RCS (Red Cherry Shrimp) and perhaps a male guppy. CO2 would be very beneficial as well. Soon you will want another tank (Trust us) and it looks like you are into nanos. Maybe a 2.5 gallon, as they are a low cost but great size tank. Good luck and keep us posted!


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

Looks awesome. I wish I had that bowl (minus glass quality) because that shape is much cooler than my shrimp bowls shape. I recommend you grow out those crypts and let them fill this bowl. its going to look amazing.

Also check out my shrimp bowl =)


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## Piphobbit (Dec 2, 2010)

Welcome to the forum!

This is a great looking bowl  nanos are super fun and you'll definitely want more more more! Love the twigs and the wood.

Let us know how the shrimps do! When I made my 2 gallon jar, I started out with 3 ghost shrimp, but they were hunted down by one particularly aggressive guy who ate his 2 friends  Now there is only Patrick left...lol


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## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

By the way, one of your shrimpies is prego...


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## Quentin (Mar 16, 2011)

Looking good. Can a tank survive with no filteration?


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## ISail (Mar 13, 2011)

Thanks to all for the responses!

Geniusdude:
If the ghosties live I'll probably get some RCS. Another tank is also a given. I'm already eyeing a 3 gallon +-, tall, square vase to give the valisneria room to grow up! Also, all but one of the shrimps are at some stage of pregnancy. We'll see how it goes! 

Newman:
I like the round shape too. Magnifies the stuff inside, especially useful for the little critters!

Quentin:
The shrimp should be fine without filtration. Any fish other than maybe a guppy or betta would probably not make it. 

One last shot. Will get some more when the water clears and I get a little more growth.


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## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

Hey Todd, the ghosts will be aggressive towards RCS though... Just sayin. And if you want to breed the RCS, forget it with ghosties... Hey have you read Newman's Shrimp Bowl thread? You really should. I plan to do something similar soon. Good luck!


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## ISail (Mar 13, 2011)

Geniusdudekiran said:


> Hey Todd, the ghosts will be aggressive towards RCS though... Just sayin. And if you want to breed the RCS, forget it with ghosties... Hey have you read Newman's Shrimp Bowl thread? You really should. I plan to do something similar soon. Good luck!


I'll definitely be moving the ghost to another tank, of just returning them toi the store. Thanks for the head's up though!


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## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

There's something really nice about the simplicity of a bowl. Love this one.


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## ISail (Mar 13, 2011)

Betta Maniac said:


> There's something really nice about the simplicity of a bowl. Love this one.


Thanks. I used it because it was available, but really like it more and more. Tough to scape something from 360 degrees though!


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## Mad78 (Oct 23, 2007)

farmhand said:


> Looks real good. Welcome to TPT.
> Warning, this place is addicting!


 
HAHA, sort of an understatement dont you think?


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## ISail (Mar 13, 2011)

*Update*

Well, things were going pretty good, but I can never leave well enough alone. I setup DIY CO2 (in a Maker's Mark 1.75l bottle). Kept an eye on ph closely for 3 days and no problems. Plants loved it and shrimp looked great. Had to be gone over night unexpectedly, and when I got home the ph was off the bottom of the chart and the ghosties were dead. Live and learn.

On the bright side, added a chunk of chain sword and it is doing well. The crypts are doing VERY well. Have some algae but I don't mind too much. Algae is nature too.  Started adding some Excel to keep it in check. Have 10 RCS and 2 olive nerites on the way. 

Will post some new pics after the RCS arrive.

I should have asked this before ordering, but will the nerites live w/o filtration?


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## Kibblemania1414 (Feb 1, 2011)

farmhand said:


> Looks real good. Welcome to TPT.
> Warning, this place is addicting!


agreed, can't stop posting....


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## v369 (Nov 14, 2010)

that is a cool project! the bowl is great love the 360 view. total props, that is hard to pull off. 
make sure its fully cycled before adding the rcs. 
i like the fiscus branch(good shape and placement) but you may want to replace it with some aged wood as it may breakdown too quickly.


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## Inkling (Feb 11, 2011)

If I found that bowl in my parent's basement, I'd be squealing with joy! That's exactly the sort of thing I'm always on the lookout for at garage sales and thrift stores.


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## ISail (Mar 13, 2011)

*Update*

Here's what it looks like now. Its a little busy, but I'm learning and trying different kinds of plants. The rock will probably go soon, but it makes such a good background for the crypts. One day I'll set up something bigger and this will just be crypts and moss and anubias. For now its got:

Fauna:
6+- RCS
1 misc. caridina
4 Olive nerites

Flora:
crypt wendtii
anubias nana
java moss
java fern (babies from another tank)
moss ball (1.2 of one anyway)
dwarf lillies
frogbits

here it is from multiple angles:


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## ISail (Mar 13, 2011)

*2 more*

Oh yeah, more specs
filtration and equipment: none (an airstone occassionally)
Lighting: desk lamp with 26 watt spiral flourescent - varying distances from the top depending on how hungry the fauna is
Dosing - occassional liquid fert mix and excel

Here's two more of the bowl, and 1 preview of my next project:


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## Lisa816 (Nov 4, 2010)

Love the bowl. It looks great! And 3 gallons is such a nice size. Biggest bowls I've seen were 2 gallons.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

both of those look great


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## ISail (Mar 13, 2011)

Thanks for the kind words Lisa and Newman! 

I've really enjoyed the bowl. I think the frogbit was the best addition, because the shrimp really seem to enjoy hanging upside down by the roots and feeding from them. Funny to watch.

The "Shrimp Column" will be getting a thread of its own in a couple of weeks.


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## radioman (Oct 29, 2007)

That vase looks really cool!!!


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

btw dont remove that rock from the bowl, it looks perfect with the grey look of the tank.


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## Chrisinator (Jun 5, 2008)

Sweeet


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## demonr6 (Mar 14, 2011)

Nice bowl, I have one just like it I started last month after seeing the stuff Newman is creating. I also like the magnification that you get from it in order to see the smaller critters better. Nice work. Keep the updates coming when you have time.


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## ISail (Mar 13, 2011)

Newman said:


> btw dont remove that rock from the bowl, it looks perfect with the grey look of the tank.


I think youre right. The rock and driftwood back to back also create a nice cave for the shrimp.


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## ISail (Mar 13, 2011)

demonr6 said:


> Nice bowl, I have one just like it I started last month after seeing the stuff Newman is creating. I also like the magnification that you get from it in order to see the smaller critters better. Nice work. Keep the updates coming when you have time.


You are right about the magnification. Especially helpful for those of us with older eyes! Thanks for the compliment. Lets see some pics of yours.


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## demonr6 (Mar 14, 2011)

I haven't gotten around to pics yet, I threw a bunch of clippings in there a couple of weeks ago and it is a hot mess..


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## ISail (Mar 13, 2011)

Great news! Looks like I've got 2 berried RCS! I know, I know, they breed like roaches. Still exciting for me, especially in a bowl with no filtration or equipment.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

I was glad at first that they bred in such a bowl too. now if only my crystals can accomplish the same feat lol.


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## sockfish (Jul 11, 2007)

I really enjoy the look of this bowl! I definitely would keep the wood and rock, it keeps it from looking like just a bowl of salad [!] and more like a scape. I have had a 2 gal like this going for several years, and it's still my favorite little tank.

Curous to see how the tall one turns out-I never tried this sort of vase because I worried about circulation.....I'll stay tuned!

sox


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## ISail (Mar 13, 2011)

Sox,

Im curious about the Shrimp Column vase as well. Not much surface area for 2.7 gallons. Currently running a zoo med 501 seeded from another tank. I'll try to get a thread started for it tomorrow as ill be looking for lots of advice and input before stocking and "pulling the plug."


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## ISail (Mar 13, 2011)

Newman said:


> I was glad at first that they bred in such a bowl too. now if only my crystals can accomplish the same feat lol.


I'm anxiously awaiting your results as well!


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## sockfish (Jul 11, 2007)

I've been out prowling the net for gigantic bowls like ISail's. I found this link. There is a really huge, 16in diameter bowl [I think that figures to 30 plus gal!], but the 12in bowl should hold @ 4gal....about $36.00

http://www.shopdrops.com/terrariums.html

Thanks,

sox


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

I can't wait to get shrimp in mine. I have 2 10" bowls I set up about a week ago. I'm giving the plants a chance to grow in some and acclimate. I'm not even sure the plants I use will work long term.


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## demonr6 (Mar 14, 2011)

If you have a crafts box store around.. we have Michael's here in Orlando, they have those bowls. I bought mine there for nine bucks.


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## sockfish (Jul 11, 2007)

I tried a bowl from one of our local craft stores--the thing was so cheap it cracked when I put the water in! It had me bailing pretty fast--it was on our dining room table.....:confused1:

sox


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## PinoyBoy (Mar 14, 2008)

I went to target earlier looking for some cheap MDF furniture, then I stumbled across the part of the store where they have the glass jars. It reminded me of these small lowtech bowls. Any new pictures of this iSail?

Sorry to hear about your dinning room/table sockfish, hopefully everything is safe.


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## ISail (Mar 13, 2011)

PinoyBoy said:


> I went to target earlier looking for some cheap MDF furniture, then I stumbled across the part of the store where they have the glass jars. It reminded me of these small lowtech bowls. Any new pictures of this iSail?
> 
> Sorry to hear about your dinning room/table sockfish, hopefully everything is safe.


The last posted pics are from a couple of weeks ago. Nothing new since those. Ill get some more up in a couple of weeks.


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## narhay (Feb 28, 2007)

Looks like you've learned a lot. I was going to comment that vallisneria tends to fill up my 24 and 30" tall aquariums in a couple weeks, and nearly spit my beer out when I saw it in your tank, but it's looking really good now. I really like the segregation of crypts and other plants.


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## ISail (Mar 13, 2011)

narhay said:


> Looks like you've learned a lot. I was going to comment that vallisneria tends to fill up my 24 and 30" tall aquariums in a couple weeks, and nearly spit my beer out when I saw it in your tank, but it's looking really good now. I really like the segregation of crypts and other plants.


The Val melted and never came back. Everything else is doing quite well though. I just thinned the crypts, dwarf lilles, and frogbit for a 10g I'm starting. The bowl still looks quite full with 1/4 of the plants gone. I have learned a lot, and am really enjoying it. Bigger and multi tank syndrome has set in fast. I have the bowl, the vase, the 2.5g I kidnapped from my GF's kids and converted to planted, and now a 10G. I've had the 1o for 5 days and am already kind of wishing I had just gone 29g (my favorite standard size).


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## jdm68 (Jun 2, 2011)

sockfish said:


> I've been out prowling the net for gigantic bowls like ISail's. There is a really huge, 16in diameter bowl [I think that figures to 30 plus gal!]


I think this figures out to more like 9 gallons, which is still quite large. I've been having to figure out the volume of spheresconfused1 quite a lot lately in a search for my own bowl.
The formula is: Volume =







where r=radius of sphere. The bummer is then you have to convert cubic inches to gallons. I came up with ~2145 c.i., or ~9.3 gal. Take off the .3 for the flat spot on the bottom and the opening on top.


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## ISail (Mar 13, 2011)

I figured the volume of mine the old fashioned way, I filled a one gallon milk jug and poured it in 3 times... :icon_roll


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## jdm68 (Jun 2, 2011)

I like your way better. I certainly no mathematician, so I'm never truly confident in the solution to the problem...


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## dbLbogie (May 1, 2011)

ISail said:


> The Val melted and never came back. Everything else is doing quite well though.
> ......
> I've had the 1o for 5 days and am already kind of wishing I had just gone 29g (my favorite standard size).


Did that Val / Sag melt around your time dosing Excel? I have a Sag / Val tank that I almost turned to goo when messing with Excel to fix some algae issues a while back.

$29 at Petco for a 29 gal tank... sale is still on! :hihi:


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## ISail (Mar 13, 2011)

dbLbogie said:


> Did that Val / Sag melt around your time dosing Excel? I have a Sag / Val tank that I almost turned to goo when messing with Excel to fix some algae issues a while back.
> 
> $29 at Petco for a 29 gal tank... sale is still on! :hihi:


I don't remember for sure, but think I was using excel. Good luck with the 29. Its my favorite standard tank size. I'm thinking about having a tank built that is the same face dimensions, only deeper.


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## sockfish (Jul 11, 2007)

jdm68: I used an online calculator to get that number but, you know, "garbage in-garbage out". I clicked the wrong thingey, you are correct, it's @ 9 gal.

mea culpa,

soxus


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## sevenyearnight (May 1, 2011)

I love it. I agree that it is a fabulous looking rock.


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## ISail (Mar 13, 2011)

sevenyearnight said:


> I love it. I agree that it is a fabulous looking rock.


Thanks a bunch. Both the rock and the wood were collected in the back yard.


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## ISail (Mar 13, 2011)

*Bowl Broke!*

Well, I grabbed the bowl by the rim to turn it Sunday, as I've done 1000 times, and it cracked. I scrambled around and got the the shrimp relocated to the column vase, and got it emptied. Sad day. I've got a 10 gallon going now (iphone pic below), so I haven't decided if I'm going to try to find a replacement vase or not...


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

those are the plants from the bowl? that tank looks good btw.


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## ISail (Mar 13, 2011)

Newman said:


> those are the plants from the bowl? that tank looks good btw.


Thanks for the compliment! The crypts, lillies, and java are from the bowl. This picture was taken before the bowl broke, so the tank has been rescaped with some more stuff from the bowl.


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## jerkosaurus (Jul 17, 2011)

Too bad about the bowl, it was pretty sweet! But I really like the look of that 10g, does it have a thread of its own?


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

Thats a pretty awesome looking tank man!


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## ISail (Mar 13, 2011)

The 10g does not have its own thread yet. That is a quick cell phone shot. I hope to start a thread next week with some more and better pictures. It looks much better now with a slight re-scape and some plant growth.

Thanks for the comments guys!


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## RWaters (Nov 12, 2003)

ISail said:


> Well, I grabbed the bowl by the rim to turn it Sunday, as I've done 1000 times, and it cracked.


That's exactly what happened to mine, except it was when I was setting it up so I never even had a chance to use it! I may try again if I can find a sturdier, clear bowl.


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## audioaficionado (Apr 19, 2011)

When I got mine at Petsmart, I sorted through them all and got the one with the thickest glass at the rim.


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