Today I want to share with you yet another experiment I did in order to better understand what it takes to build a small size self-sustaining aquarium with fish.
This time I used a 3 liter plastic bottle.
Fill up the bottle with dechlorinated water.
Add some gravel.
Here I use a seashell to anchor Aponogeton.
Another seashell to anchor Hairgrass.
This Elodea plant is long and has a couple new stems growing.
I cut it in...four pieces.
Next I add some Frogbits.
Also, it comes with some Duckweed.
Next I add 4 pond snails.
They feed on algae and remains of organic matter like wilted plants.
And most importantly, pond snails climb out of water to breathe atmospheric air.
Also I add some seed shrimp.
I leave the aquarium open for 5 days.
December 21st, 2018
I give snails a pinch of homemade fish food flakes.
Close the bottle tightly with a bottle cap.
This is a closed ecosystem where plants and algae consume CO2 and dissolved nutrition (waste) while producing oxygen and get eaten by snails and seed shrimp who consume oxygen and produce waste and CO2 for plants and algae.
Also there are bacteria and it's all more complicated than I described ;)
Similarly setup aquariums with access to atmosphere can self-sustain for number of years.
Let's see how it goes in this tank.
January 2nd, 2019
All four snails crawling around.
Here you can see planarian.
I don't see pouches of snails eggs so far.
Normally pond snails lay eggs in the first days they get in new aquariums.
They would not lay eggs only if conditions in aquarium are not suitable for breeding.
So, something is wrong here.
Planarian can eat snail eggs.
But planarian would not remove the eggs pouches...
So I keep looking...
trying to identify the problem.
Observation is the key...
And the answer is right here!!
Pause and look at it ;)
January 7th, 2019
The abnormality we spotted five days ago persists.
Walls of the bottle get sucked in even more in the last couple days making two large dents.
It indicates lower air pressure inside of the aquarium than it is outside.
January 28th, 2019
Only one small dent in the wall remains.
Some leaves of Aponogeton are wilted.
February 25th, 2019
Some Elodea plants wilted in the past month.
I don't see eggs pouches of pond snails.
The walls are without any dents.
March 6th, 2019
I see only 2 active snails.
Yet, don't see any eggs.
About half of all Elodea plants wilted.
Seed shrimp seem to do fine.
March 11th, 2019
Duckweed and Frogbit plants seem to do better than other plants so far.
April 1st, 2019
I see only 1 active snail.
Plants are dying...
The End...
of this project ;)
April 5th, 2019
I modify this aquarium with holes in the upper part of the aquarium to allow air circulation while reducing water evaporation.
I have been testing this design for a couple years now with good results in smaller aquariums.
Check links in the description for details.
Have fun and happy aquariums ;)
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