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GIANT FISH BOWL!!! 🐟🪸🐠 (ultra low tech!)

49K views 190 replies 17 participants last post by  FernKing  
#1 · (Edited)
This is a project for a future date, as I am still learning- but this just came in the mail: MY GIANT FISH BOWL!
I have never seen a glass bowl this size. I’m very excited to make this into a new planted, dirted aquarium, Walstad style! The bowl is 16” high and 19“ in diameter!! 🤯
I used the internet measurement standard, a cat, to show you how truly big this bowl is. My cat also weighs 17 pounds, fyi- He’s a big boy! I am getting mixed messages on how big it is from reviews online. People are reporting between 10 and 12 gallons! Maybe they are measuring 10 gallons when adding substrate and other objects like driftwood. I’ll try my best to measure the gallons some way at a later time.
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The company warned that the bowl would likely arrive “dirty” as they get it directly from the factory. It was, but I gave it a bath. This bowl wouldn’t fit safely in any sink in my house so I had to wash it outside on a beach towel. I used biodegradable dishsoap and wiped it down with pure rubbing alcohol after I hand dried it.
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I have a custom light fixture being made to support the bowl and I am going to keep this project low tech! No pumps, no filters, no CO2! I will also be constructing this aquarium “in the round” as the bowl will be placed on a lazy susan so it can be appreciated on all sides. I’m not going to be “aquascaping” as much as I am going to be planting the bowl like a bouquet. I will create color, texture, depth and interest with plants only! No rocks or driftwood (except maybe a few sticks). Stay tuned as I update in the coming months!
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#4 ·
That is the biggest fish bowl I've ever seen!

Total volume is a little less than 15 gal. Resist the temptation to fill it to the top, fill to about 3/4 full so that there is a larger surface area for gas exchange. With substrate, your working volume will be about 12 gal. Total weight will be around 125 lbs, so be sure you have a heavy duty turntable under it.

Looking forward to photos!
 
#7 ·
So I’m definitely months away from setting up my fish bowl, but I have a plan!
I’ve decided to simulate the success of my shrimp tanks as much as I can. Part of the benefits of the “Dry Start Method” is that your soil gets “mineralized” in the process. Due to the selection of plants and how I want to set up this bowl, I will not be using the DSM. Therefore I’m mineralizing my soil separately!
I found this plastic tub in my garage and I am mixing my organic potting soil with seasoned pond water. That should get the bacteria going!
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It’s October right now and as we approach winter I wonder what my aquatic plant selection will look like. I have local resources to order plants here in Florida but what happens to the aquatic plant supply chain during winter? 🤔 Do the plants look sickly, small and beat up during winter? Are some plants hard to get in winter? I wonder if I will have to wait until late Spring to set up my bowl? 😞
Another advantage of waiting is I will have my shrimp bowls fully set up soon. I am propagating frogbit, bladder snails and hopefully I will be breeding shrimp all to add to the giant fish bowl later. I want the fishbowl to have a running start against algae and for my plants and animals. I also want to save money by “shopping at home” with shrimp, snails and plants I grow myself 🥳
 
#13 ·
I’m trying to “buy local”. I have my local fish store that I want to give my business to because they are excellent. They specialize in aquatic plants, freshwater planted tanks and the fish I like. I can’t complain. As a backup I have a Florida-based aquatic plant nursery that specializes in online sales. They can ship to me fast (1 day). Thankfully Florida doesn’t have snowstorms but I wonder if the stock is just going to be lame in the wintertime compared to the end of fall (the typical growing season). I’ll have to figure it out!
 
#31 ·
Yes (well at least i think its a tube and not a reflection) its in the upper left corner and seems to be coming straight down into the tank at a slight angle. This and combined with the fact that the top of the tank is off in the photo makes me think it might be more "high tech" then it looks.
 
#37 ·
Sure! We’ll have an aquatic plant party. I’m happy with the plinth. I wanted to put the bowl in the dresser but my husband said he didn’t like the empty space next to it. I wanted it to be the same height! So I was on the hunt for a 36” tall “fishbowl stand” and I found this lacquered aquatic plant themed lotus stand 💖
My custom light didn’t work at first so my light guy is modifying it. It was kind “limp” it kept sinking. It should be ready by Monday. Here’s a sneak preview with a temp light for now.
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#40 ·
So my light fixture was delayed until next week due to installation issues. I was keeping my plants in my patio pond acting as a holding tank. I could see that they were stressed so I decided to plant my bowl now and use a temporary light.
I spent the past several months mineralizing my soil with excess pond water during water changes. This time I’m going to mix my soil with less than 50% STS and use STS as my gravel. I packed a layer of wet STS around the sides of my bowl to hide the soil layer. I’m being strict, 1” soil & 1“ STS gravel!
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As far as planting goes I‘m using what I know works! When I planted my shrimp jars it helped me get to know certain species. Largely, I’m planting different varieties of swords. They just work for me!
I bought or added:
Echinodorus “Marble Queen”
Echinodorus “Fancy Twist” (it’s small and colorful, the leaves are dark purple in my shrimp tanks!)
Barclaya Longifolia “Red” bulb
Echinodorus “Ozelot Green Mini”
Echinodorus vesuvius (I love the leaves! the roots were very short so I hope it survives!)
Cryptocoryne wendtii “Mi Oya”
Cryptocorne wendtii “Bronze”
Cryptocoryne Parva (it’s melting badly 😑)
Cabomba for the water column
& North American Frogbit To suck up excess nitrogen.
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I’m trying to blanket the bottom with lots of fast growing low tech plants with lots of texture and color!
 
#41 · (Edited)
I need to learn the art of “doing nothing” 😅😭 I need to trust the process!!!
Since I’ve planted everything, I’ve done three water changes.
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On day two, the ammonia levels were zero but nitrates and nitrites were higher. I changed the water again and added floating plants. I need to accept this as normal for a brand new tank.
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I tried using my ”poking tool” to see if any soil was going anareobic. I ended up instead knocking three plants out of the soil where they floated to the top 😭. My new strategy is to leave everything alone, if possible, for a week. I need to avoid water changes too! Water changes are disturbing the plants and their short roots too much! Since there is no ammonia, the plants should absorb the nitrites instead (If I’m not mistaken).
Tha snails and ostrocods I introduced seem happy. I need to trust them. I have the light on full blast, 14 hour photoperiod, no siestas! I need growth growth growth!!! Let’s see what happens!
 
#42 ·
Check this out! The “Marble Queen” sword is an oxygen producing machine! This leaf isn’t just “pearling” it‘s been pumping out bubbles like this all day! When I put this plant in its pot in my patio pond for a few days, the roots had already started growing into the substrate! I just hope this plant won‘t become an unmanageable monster 😅 This is good news for the future animals I’ll be adding. Plenty of oxygen and rapid growth is perfect for our natural tanks!
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#44 ·
Looks nice - although that door next to the bowl/stand scares me a little. :)

How many gallons?

One consideration, I myself have a 2 gallon jar + light setup and was surprised at how much the light increased water temperature. Make sure the temperature ends up where you want it to be.
 
#45 ·
The bowl sat empty for 6 months by the door on the stand. No problems! Now that the bowl is full, the bowl weighs about 100 pounds and isn’t going anywhere.

This bowl is just under 15 gallons. With soil and a gap at the top I have about 13 gallons of water when full. The lights I buy are cool to the touch when operating. I’m using Cree Lighting wireless color change bulbs. My light is 1200 Lumen. I think the company is discontinuing these bulbs 😭😭😭
 
#46 ·
I finally took a good picture of the finished set up! I’m very happy with the whole look and the plants are happy at the moment too. I’m leaving the light on full blast for 14 hours a day, encouraging plant growth. I’m getting pearling and streams of tiny bubbles from the leaves all afternoon and evening! I can’t wait to add shrimp and fish when the water stabilizes and the plants grow some more.
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#48 ·
It’s so BIG! I am going to be doing status updates and comparing and contrasting my first tanks as this develops.
I will to talk about what I‘ve learned in this process and I’ll point out some changes I’ve made along the way. Hopefully I will help others learn from my mistakes and successes if they want a similar set up.
My goals for this tank are:
1. Ultra low tech! No filters, no pumps! Keep equipment to a minimum! I don’t reject using a UV filter or my mini pump to mitigate problems temporarily, but for normal operation no filters and pumps!
2. Style! I want aesthetics and design to be a prominent feature to this aquarium set up. I have succeeded in the design I was interested in, but I want to make sure the aquarium itself is a success. Healthy plants and animals thriving, not just surviving!
I want the bowl to seem unlikely and dream-like, as if there’s some trick to how it works as it appears to be against the wisdom of conventional “high tech” tanks. That’s what originally attracted me to the “Walstad method”. It’s the idea that an aquarium can be biologically sustainable, not merely technologically. I credit lighting technology evolving in the past decade allowing me to do this kind of set up easily and affordably.

I’ll post more updates soon!
 
#49 ·
Water quality & plant update:
Water now has a tiny bit of ammonia, nitrites are lower and nitrates are about the same. There is absolutely no odor. I’m inclined to do nothing at this point because: I’m seeing new plant growth everywhere!! Compared to my last attempt at a low tech tank I think the combination of pre-mineralized soil and STS is proving to be much easier to handle. Also, compared to the shrimp jars I have a MUCH higher ratio of soil to water with this bowl set up. My shrimp jars were cylinders in shape and only held about 1 1/2 gallons when full. This bowl has almost double the amount of soil compared to the jars but also has about 13 gallons of water. I think the extra water is allowing the plants to “breathe” more.
From what I can see, almost all of my plants have new leaves. The water isn’t perfect but the plants are growing so I don’t want to disturb them with water changes. I’ll change the water about 40% next week. All of the new “Fancy Twist“ leaves are growing in red ❤ and I believe the Vesuvius put out a runner! I’ll Continue to watch it as it develops. I’m even having success with the crypts this time! No major melting and I’m even seeing streams of bubbles come from their leaves while the new leaves slowly grow.
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