Small tank, with no water water movement?

[rimga123]

Hi All,

not sure if I am posting this in the correct section of forum, maybe it can be moved if needed?

 

So I have this idea of a small tank, maybe 5liter or so that would not be a blown reef tank filled with corals. Just a mangrove, gravel and a small rock or two.

 

Idea for the inhabitants, amphipods, mysis shrimp, bristle worms, (artemia?) and so on. Was thinking maybe of pulsing Xenia for SOME water movement, but I understand that it would not do much if anything at all.

 

how did this whole idea come about and why do I think that it could be possible.

 

I do have a 10liter fluval spec pest tank just beside my main reef tank with lots of little critters in it, crabs and corals (and lots of aiptasia)

very minimum equipment, no heater, not even a thermometer. just a light and SOME water movement. I cannot for the life of me find a decent pump that is quiet, strong enough and would fit in the back chamber.

So I know for a fact that temperature wont be an issue.  I will post some photos of this said Pest tank in the next post.

 

and now the reason (might be a good enough reason) why do I think that this tank MAY work with no water movement.

 

I tried to culture my own phytoplankton a while back (maybe start of summer), a very unsuccessful experiment, but i just left that jar with that water chill on the window sill. eventually i started to see some zoo plankton zipping around in that jar and I still do by this day.

so that jar (about a liter worth of water) have not seen any kind of water movement in about 4 months and still has some life in it.

 

so here I am, thinking if I should go ahead with this or not.

I could add a small aearator that I already have, but do not really want to. this would be sitting in my bedroom, so I am trying to avoid any kind of buzzing or bubbling.

 

Wacha all think?

[rimga123]

Few photos from the life of the pest tank

Its kinda just left to do its own thing, i have only ever done one water change in a year and a half of its life

 

[rimga123]

 

 

[seabass]

I'd use a small pump like this:  https://www.amazon.com/Submersible-Nozzles-Aquariums-Fountain-Hydroponics/dp/B07ZNPZWMR/

This will provide adequate flow while being relatively quiet.

[rimga123]

Seen you @seabass in this thread and I was expecting a long post of does and donts lol

but yes, was looking into something like this, actually i am running a similar pump in my fluval spec tank, very quiet, but not very powerful.

although it would provide an adequate flow, it would be a huge eye sore.

was thinking maybe of an undergraverl filter powered by an air stone or just an airstone. if I would absolutely have to use something like that.

 

The way I am thinking of approaching it though.

 

1st I need to acclimate my mangrove to saltwater. so i could do a setup with deep'ish sanbed and slowly add some saltwater and just let evaporation do the rest of acclimation. I would imagine it taking about a month or so.

 

2nd I will probably introduce the zoo plankton and some algae from my failed experiment and my pest tank. they are already "use" to similar conditions.

 

3rd just wait an see if everything will go fine, no foul odor from water and so on. and start introducing bristle worms, spaghetti worms, amphipods.

if they go belly up obviously I will need to think about water movement.

 

also, since it is incredibly difficult to get a mangrove here in Ireland, if my mangrove that I have right now would not successfully acclimate to salty waters, the whole thing will get scrapped.

I got two mangroves in January of this year and only one of them starter sprouting leafs just now in my paludarium. i thought that both were goner, i still think that one of them are definitely not going to make it. the tip started browning multiple times and I've cut the browning tip ever time to stop it from going further down the plant.

 

[seabass]

2 hours ago, rimga123 said:

was looking into something like this, actually i am running a similar pump in my fluval spec tank, very quiet, but not very powerful.

although it would provide an adequate flow, it would be a huge eye sore.

 

7 hours ago, rimga123 said:

Just a mangrove, gravel and a small rock or two.

 

  Maybe use the rock(s) to help hide the fountain pump.  An air driven undergravel filter or air line would have the hum of an aquarium air pump (which you indicated that you didn't want).

[rimga123]

Fair Point

I do have a couple pumps that i may try

Maybe even a hang on the back filter would be a good option, would take less space

Or i might just scrao my pest tank and redoit with a mangrove

I really regret going all in one rout with the pest tank

It was really unnecessary 

[rimga123]

HI All,

 

so a slight update and a question

 

Update - mangrove that I was sprouting for this "project" is not doing that good anymore. MAY BE BECAUSE I BROKE OFF BY ACCIDENT EVERYTHING THAT IT HAS SPROUTED, but I am not sure.

 

Question -  I have tried google, but could not find much information about it. Obviously there are many examples of freshwater tanks, tubs and so on being successful at sustaining  at whatever i am trying to attempt here. Life in a stagnant body of water

 

Is there any crucial biological processes that cannot happen in still water that would prevent me from having any form of success?

 

Obviously I could not house a fish in such an environment, nor would I want-need to.

From my windowsill "experiment" I can see that zoo plankton should be fine, but how big could I go? a shrimp? Crab?

All of the filtration in the water would be done by anaerobic bacteria and the mangrove. I would love to get some macro algae in the tank as well, but I can't see macro being able to survive in such conditions?

 

if anyone has any input, or stories how they left bin of water with caulerpa that they forgot about and it was doing sweel a month later, I would love to hear it

 

 

[seabass]

8 hours ago, rimga123 said:

Is there any crucial biological processes that cannot happen in still water that would prevent me from having any form of success?

One major concern is oxygen.  There will be some gas exchange at the surface of the water without flow, but not as much as with flow.  This is the main concern and the reason for a tank crash when the power goes out.

[rimga123]

Aye! I understand that. I thik oxygen would he the biggest limiting factor to what i coupd keep in the tank.

But, just by off chance this tank came up on my instagram feed yesterday. Magrove, no water movement and some macro algae

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyXGDMsyIEq/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

 

This inspires confidence!

 

Will go shopping for a small vase or an aquarium today