[FernKing]

The one I turned down would have been free and about 2 ft across. 🤦🏼‍♂️

We’re not going to cry 😭 Nope!

 

[FernKing]

It’s been about a week since my last water change. Since yesterday I noticed a lack of “vigor” in the plants and ostrocods (the snails have never been happier though). The plants stopped pearling and the ostrocods were slow or hiding. I was afraid of disturbing the plants like last time. The last two times I changed the water, some plants floated out of the soil 🙄. However, yesterday I noticed a network of roots growing into the substrate against the glass. I took a chance that the plants are rooted deep enough so they won’t float out anymore.
I took out about 4 1/2 gallons of water and added 6. I also added two new Wonder Shells. In less than an hour, everything perked right up and streams of bubbles started to flow from the leaves. 😎
I think the introduction of fish would be a big improvement to the bowl. I need a good source of CO2 for the plants!
Maybe, water quality permitting, I can add fish late next week!

 

[FernKing]

Is this pearling? Super pearling?
Under my North American frogbit, I have HUGE bubbles. Are the plant’s stomata pumping out oxygen? I think there is some controversy about emergent plants putting oxygen into the water but this looks clear to me. The frogbit leaves are right against the light. The picture is slightly difficult to take at this angle. I hope you can see it. Thoughts?

 

[Fake_Buce777]

Is this pearling? Super pearling?
Under my North American frogbit, I have HUGE bubbles. Are the plant’s stomata pumping out oxygen? I think there is some controversy about emergent plants putting oxygen into the water but this looks clear to me. The frogbit leaves are right against the light. The picture is slightly difficult to take at this angle. I hope you can see it. Thoughts?
View attachment 77009

I agree; the picture must have been difficult to take. Nothing to make a conclusion out of. Sometimes a video is better.

 

[FernKing]

I agree; the picture must have been difficult to take. Nothing to make a conclusion out of. Sometimes a video is better.

I have a water-proof phone case. I think I just have to dunk my camera underwater 😭

 

[PlentyCoup]

Do you know what fish you want to try? Have you looked into Least Killifish (Heterandria formosa)? They are not thr most colorful and i dont know if live bearers are something you want to have but i have thought about trying them a few times.
Zimmermans has them for $5 i think right now.

 

[FernKing]

Do you know what fish you want to try? Have you looked into Least Killifish (Heterandria formosa)? They are not thr most colorful and i dont know if live bearers are something you want to have but i have thought about trying them a few times.
Zimmermans has them for $5 i think right now.

The fish I want are all tiny but “flashy” fish. I’m going to get three kuhli loaches because I want some showy eel like fish (even if they tend to hide). The other fish I‘m going to get are cardinal tetras and ember tetras. I love the look of them and they are all peaceful fish. My fish store has some great kuhli loaches and cardinal tetras at the moment. I’m sticking to tiny fish so the biomass is more controlled and so the fish won‘t feel too contained. I’m treating the bowl like a really big nano tank 😂
I’m also looking to get some shrimp too.

 

[PlentyCoup]

The fish I want are all tiny but “flashy” fish. I’m going to get three kuhli loaches because I want some showy eel like fish (even if they tend to hide). The other fish I‘m going to get are cardinal tetras and ember tetras. I love the look of them and they are all peaceful fish. My fish store has some great kuhli loaches and cardinal tetras at the moment. I’m sticking to tiny fish so the biomass is more controlled and so the fish won‘t feel too contained. I’m treating the bowl like a really big nano tank 😂
I’m also looking to get some shrimp too.
[/QUOTE
Sounds good. I like ember tetras i have some in with betta in my first nano tank, they are fun little guys. I would say betta too but then you might have to mess with a heater.

 

[FernKing]

Sounds good. I like ember tetras i have some in with betta in my first nano tank, they are fun little guys. I would say betta too but then you might have to mess with a heater.

I was thinking of a betta too, but they tend to go on random murder sprees. The fish keeper at the local fish store told me how his betta, after living peacefully with shrimp in its tank for months, up and decided to massacre all of the shrimp one morning. He said the betta didn‘t even eat them, he just bit them all in half.

 

[FernKing]

I have 10 fish! I went to the local fish store today. I was after kuhli loaches and some ember tetras. They were out of embers but they had the other fish I was after, cardinal tetras! I got 6 cardinal tetras and 4 kuhli loaches. All very cute. I can tell they are still very young fish. The kuhli loaches are no bigger than a bean sprout! I think my assumption on the CO2 was correct. After I added the fish my plants started pearling and dribbling streams of oxygen bubbles about 2 hours later. I think the plants were consuming all available CO2 and the bladder snails were not contributing to the water column since they breathe air. The fish are pretty shy hiding near the bottom or between the leaves. They’re active and exploring. No one seems distressed. It appears oxygen levels are just fine and they like the water quality.
As the plants grow and become more robust I’ll add more fish 👍

 

[PlentyCoup]

Very cute! They look good. Never had loaches before.
I would still consider a beta maybe not in that set up but in the future. I know individual personality is big factor. I have to pics if my new boy hes gorgeous....... i am also biased towards bettas lol

 

[maico996]

Question: I’m losing about 1/8” a day of water so that’s almost an inch a week. Is it okay to “top off” with treated tap water (like I use for water changes) or do I need something like RO water? What’s best? I haven’t had to deal with this before because my other tanks had lids.

I don't know if anyone answered your question, but yes, you can use treated tap water to top off your tank......er........bowl. That's what I do instead of frequent water changes. I think I do water changes every month, or every other month, and just top off to replenish after evaporation. Your bowl looks great!!

 

[FernKing]

I don't know if anyone answered your question, but yes, you can use treated tap water to top off your tank......er........bowl. That's what I do instead of frequent water changes. I think I do water changes every month, or every other month, and just top off to replenish after evaporation. Your bowl looks great!!

Thank you! I just want to make sure. The rate of evaporation is much higher than I expected so this answer is much appreciated. I plan on doing water changes often (every month or two) as I do notice how much the fish and plants appreciate it.

 

[mistergreen]

A transparent lid would help with the evaporation but let light through. Don't make it airtight, of course.

 

[FernKing]

I think my light was too bright. I know many of us struggle to get the right light intensity, but lighting technology keeps moving towards being cheaper, more energy efficient and brighter. My light is 1200 lumen LED outdoor floodlight. My shrimp jars each have a 600 lumen light, but for only 1 1/2 gallons of water.
Here’s the reasons why I think my light was too intense:
1. New leaves on my frogbit looked bleached white. I read that can be “shock” from intense light.
2. The fish were hiding in the plants, not swimming around the tank.
Since I lowered the light to 75% intensity I’m still having pearling and bubbles from the plants and the fish are happily swimming around the bowl in the water column. I’ll see how the plants do long term, but so far the fish are much happier.

I may make the light 100% intense again in a few months as the plants grow and fill the space.

 

[maico996]

You can also raise the light.

 

[FernKing]

You can also raise the light.

Yes I can but it’s so much easier to control the light from my phone 😂

 

[FernKing]

Who called housekeeping?! 😂
So I woke up to a surprise today. Since I started the bowl, the lower curve of the bowl had been collecting snail mulm on the glass and it was getting pretty dirty 🤢. This was the natural accumulation as gravity pulled the mulm downward from the water column as the snails ate during the night and day. See below. Yuck.

I was trying to figure out how to keep it clean and wondering if this was just a natural consequence of having a classic fishbowl shape. This morning I woke up and the glass was spotless! 🎉
I think my kuhli loaches have been busy all night either sweeping the mulm off the glass while swimming or eating it or something. Even particles of “guck” hanging from the frogbit is gone with snails now grooming the fine roots making them extra clean. Isn’t it nice when the kids clean up without telling them 😂

 

[maico996]

You should hire them out as a cleaning service! 🤣🤣🤣

 

[FernKing]

Maintenance Day: I had a few things going on in the bowl that I had to address.
The micro fish did what micro fish do- they ate the micro fauna in the tank! Goodbye most of the ostrocods and occasional daphnia 😭. No one is left to eat the waterborne algae! Since I started adding fish food to the bowl, with the sudden collapse of microfauna, the water started turning cloudy and greenish.
I had previously trimmed down the swords before planting, taking off the oldest leaves. Unfortunately, I had made the un-aesthetic choice of trimming off the leaves leaving the unsightly stems still attached.
I also had a mineral-like stain around the middle of the bowl from when I started it and only filled it half way.
I’m not pleased with the current light setting. It’s fine for plants but the sudden shock of “on” in the morning is a fright for the fish.
To solve these problems I started off with a 70% water change. If there is any green water algae this will hinder it and allow me to take other actions. When the bowl was mostly empty I scrubbed away the mineral stain ring around the middle. I then trimmed off the old cut stems of the swords and trimmed off old or damaged aerial leaves. The new immersed leaves are more upright while the old aerial leaves were beat up looking and growing more horizontally. They were smothering the other plants.
My light has a more complicated programmable setting that can mimic sunrise, daytime and sunset with soft transitions in between. I wanted to keep my schedule with the 14 hour photoperiod and now add a midday siesta for the algae. Now the light starts off 1% intensity in the morning, slowly ramps up to 75% with each transition being soft and not sudden. It even gently ramps down before turning off at night. The fish are much more relaxed with this setting.
I’ve invested in a floating “feeder cone”. I can now add less food where the fish can take their time and peck at it. The frozen bloodworms and food tablets I have been using sink right down to the bottom and then the tetras don’t see it. This will solve that issue hopefully. The snails and kuhli loaches will appreciate the scraps.
It’s looking good for now! 😎