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Looks really cool. They even play music for the plant! I'm running several aquariums at home between 17 and 240 litres that I try to run with as little interve

Looks really cool. They even play music for the plant! I'm running several aquariums at home between 17 and 240 litres that I try to run with as little intervention as possible, so I'm quite interested in self-sustaining minuature "ecosystems". In aquariums the plant growth is usually the one thing that requires intervention, as some plant species (especially stem plants and floating plants) will completely overrun the ecosystem within weeks if not trimmed back, and they often will shade the other plants causing them to become stunted or die off entirely. Aquarists or aquascapers (which is a trend that in its modern interpretation also originated in Japan) will often take pride in being able to grow rare or demanding plant species in their tanks. In some cases this can require holding a lot of parameters in balance: Light, micro- & macro-nutrients (in the water and in the soil), water hardness, PH and temperature.

jimnotgym 6y ago
I have been following this movement on YouTube. It looks fascinating. A lot more interesting to me than the bonsai installation. I have an aesthetic and a practical concern. Practically pines (and many others) naturally have a dormant period over the winter, which is amongst the reasons why bonsai live outside. Some trees die without it. It also looks like a great environment for fungal growth! Aesthetically this is more like seeing a person on life support than seeing them alive. Like bonsai tree in the matrix. I guess this is just an art installation though, but I hope they don't kill the tree.
qwantim1 6y ago
My one experiment in setting up a natural ecosystem in a small aquarium went horribly wrong, with organic sediment floating all around in the tank. Natural freshwater aquariums that are setup properly look beautiful compared to the majority of aquariums for freshwater that are just gravel, but setup and water changes take much more planning, access to materials, and talent than I found that I have.
- ThePhysicist 6y ago
  I only change water at the beginning when setting up a new aquarium, once it's stable I do a water change maybe every 3-6 months. The small tanks have a lot of evaporation as well so every week I add 2-4 litres of fresh water to them, so additional water changes are not really needed. If you have a large number of healthy plants in the aquarium and enough filter surface there's usually no problem with nitrate/nitrite buildup. I know people that run their aquariums for decades without a water change (replacing evaporated water of course), so it's definitely possible. You can't agressively use fertilizer though in that case. Most aquascapers use "estimative index" fertilization method where they usually strongly overdose fertilizer to ensure no plant has any nutrient deficiencies, this then makes regular water changes necessary as inevitably there will be a buildup of organics or nutrients otherwise. Personally I found that with most plants you don't need to do that. In most of my aquariums I also don't use organic soil and instead put a combination of volcanic (anorganic) rock and gravel. Works quite well for most plants and if you have enough fish in the aquarium they will produce almost all necessary organics for your plants to thrive.
  - studius 6y ago
    How would you approach setting up and maintaining the following nano-aquascape, with an outcome similar to the Walstad method[1][2]: * freshwater 11.3L natural tank, ranging 9.5L - 11L through evaporation * no powered filtration, aeration, and optimally without a water heater * little if any sunlight * water temperature in tank may range 18.3C to 24.9C through each year * 1 or more aquatic creatures, preferably one creature living a few or more years, removed within a day if they die and replaced within 3 weeks * no water changes after 2-3 months of stabilization initially * no more than a few hours of initial setup * little maintenance required to sustain itself as described other than topping tank with inexpensive bottled spring water * high probability of sustaining itself within these constraints for many years I read and experienced that smaller tanks are harder to setup with 10cm of sand possibly needed for Walstad method that size tank[3]. In "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium" and on her site, Walstad writes that she had success with 3.8L and 7.6L tanks using her Dry Start Method[4] to setup the plants, and then hosted shrimp. However, as interesting a shrimp are, my experience with ghost shrimp was that they were inexpensive, looked lively, and then died suddenly within weeks. She speaks of red cherry shrimp, which I've not found locally. I recommend her site[5] which has a lot of information about Planted Aquariums along with the latest corrections for her book; she also describes how she bred guppies in 12 gallon plastic tubs without any filtration or aeration[6] outdoors 15.5C-25.5°F. [1]- https://amazon.com/dp/B00DB94K5I https://amazon.com/dp/B00DB94K5I [2]- http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/wiki/Walstad_method http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/wiki/Walstad_method [3]- https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/setting-up-3-gallon-walstad-bowl.297688/ https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/setting-u... [4]- https://dianawalstad.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/shrimprcs2017.pdf https://dianawalstad.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/shrimprcs20... [5]- https://dianawalstad.com/aquariums/ https://dianawalstad.com/aquariums/ [6]- https://dianawalstad.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/small-scale-breeding-aug2020.pdf https://dianawalstad.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/small-scale...
- christiansakai 6y ago
  It has its learning curve for sure, but experimentation + reading is key.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
christiansakai 6y ago
Fellow aquascapers here! I went from Walstad mode to high-tech slow growing plants ADA style. Both are surprisingly low maintenance and algae free. I just change the water, do some ferts, and feed the fish. I think I can bypass changing the water if I want to.
Vervious 6y ago
It's crazy how much and how little maintenance a high-tech aquascape needs. I just got back from a six-week trip and all the stems and carpet are completely overgrown, but algae is still minimal and the fish and shrimp are none-the-wiser.
- petre 6y ago
  What do your shripm and fush eat?algae, dead plants exclysively? I'm just changing the water in onne of my low tech aquariums as we speak. I have RCS, Boraras and Otos in them.

jimnotgym 6y ago

I have been following this movement on YouTube. It looks fascinating. A lot more interesting to me than the bonsai installation. I have an aesthetic and a practical concern. Practically pines (and many others) naturally have a dormant period over the winter, which is amongst the reasons why bonsai live outside. Some trees die without it. It also looks like a great environment for fungal growth! Aesthetically this is more like seeing a person on life support than seeing them alive. Like bonsai tree in the matrix. I guess this is just an art installation though, but I hope they don't kill the tree.

qwantim1 6y ago

My one experiment in setting up a natural ecosystem in a small aquarium went horribly wrong, with organic sediment floating all around in the tank. Natural freshwater aquariums that are setup properly look beautiful compared to the majority of aquariums for freshwater that are just gravel, but setup and water changes take much more planning, access to materials, and talent than I found that I have.

ThePhysicist 6y ago
I only change water at the beginning when setting up a new aquarium, once it's stable I do a water change maybe every 3-6 months. The small tanks have a lot of evaporation as well so every week I add 2-4 litres of fresh water to them, so additional water changes are not really needed. If you have a large number of healthy plants in the aquarium and enough filter surface there's usually no problem with nitrate/nitrite buildup. I know people that run their aquariums for decades without a water change (replacing evaporated water of course), so it's definitely possible. You can't agressively use fertilizer though in that case. Most aquascapers use "estimative index" fertilization method where they usually strongly overdose fertilizer to ensure no plant has any nutrient deficiencies, this then makes regular water changes necessary as inevitably there will be a buildup of organics or nutrients otherwise. Personally I found that with most plants you don't need to do that. In most of my aquariums I also don't use organic soil and instead put a combination of volcanic (anorganic) rock and gravel. Works quite well for most plants and if you have enough fish in the aquarium they will produce almost all necessary organics for your plants to thrive.
- studius 6y ago
  How would you approach setting up and maintaining the following nano-aquascape, with an outcome similar to the Walstad method[1][2]: * freshwater 11.3L natural tank, ranging 9.5L - 11L through evaporation * no powered filtration, aeration, and optimally without a water heater * little if any sunlight * water temperature in tank may range 18.3C to 24.9C through each year * 1 or more aquatic creatures, preferably one creature living a few or more years, removed within a day if they die and replaced within 3 weeks * no water changes after 2-3 months of stabilization initially * no more than a few hours of initial setup * little maintenance required to sustain itself as described other than topping tank with inexpensive bottled spring water * high probability of sustaining itself within these constraints for many years I read and experienced that smaller tanks are harder to setup with 10cm of sand possibly needed for Walstad method that size tank[3]. In "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium" and on her site, Walstad writes that she had success with 3.8L and 7.6L tanks using her Dry Start Method[4] to setup the plants, and then hosted shrimp. However, as interesting a shrimp are, my experience with ghost shrimp was that they were inexpensive, looked lively, and then died suddenly within weeks. She speaks of red cherry shrimp, which I've not found locally. I recommend her site[5] which has a lot of information about Planted Aquariums along with the latest corrections for her book; she also describes how she bred guppies in 12 gallon plastic tubs without any filtration or aeration[6] outdoors 15.5C-25.5°F. [1]- https://amazon.com/dp/B00DB94K5I https://amazon.com/dp/B00DB94K5I [2]- http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/wiki/Walstad_method http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/wiki/Walstad_method [3]- https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/setting-up-3-gallon-walstad-bowl.297688/ https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/setting-u... [4]- https://dianawalstad.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/shrimprcs2017.pdf https://dianawalstad.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/shrimprcs20... [5]- https://dianawalstad.com/aquariums/ https://dianawalstad.com/aquariums/ [6]- https://dianawalstad.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/small-scale-breeding-aug2020.pdf https://dianawalstad.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/small-scale...
christiansakai 6y ago
It has its learning curve for sure, but experimentation + reading is key.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

christiansakai 6y ago

Fellow aquascapers here! I went from Walstad mode to high-tech slow growing plants ADA style. Both are surprisingly low maintenance and algae free. I just change the water, do some ferts, and feed the fish. I think I can bypass changing the water if I want to.

Vervious 6y ago

It's crazy how much and how little maintenance a high-tech aquascape needs. I just got back from a six-week trip and all the stems and carpet are completely overgrown, but algae is still minimal and the fish and shrimp are none-the-wiser.

petre 6y ago
What do your shripm and fush eat?algae, dead plants exclysively? I'm just changing the water in onne of my low tech aquariums as we speak. I have RCS, Boraras and Otos in them.