What's needed for a 3 litre tank?

[GaspingGurami]

I've inherited a 3 litre tank and I'm thinking of turning it into a low-maintenance shrimp and moss tank.

I have placed a substrate of 1.5 inch deep lapis over the mulm collected from the old tank. on top of this, I put a pebble tied with mini-moss. Topped up with tap water, and now I have a 1 inch long black lyretail molly to do cycling duties.

Lighting is a clip on 9W PL light, timed to come on at night for 10 hours.

When tank has sufficiently cycled, I'll remove the fish and introduce shrimps.

Question is, is this setup sufficient to be self maintaining, with me only providing the lighting and water top up. I hope not to have to dose liquid fert, CO2 and even the UGF filter is taken away.

I'm thginking, feed the shrimps some, then their waste can feed the moss which in turn can feed the shrimps.

Can such a plan work? Or am I building castles in the air?

[|squee|]

Hmmm I think it might work. Why don't you give it a try. One thing though, I feel the light isn't enough for a 3 footer. I tried a 9W light on my 2 ft and I felt it was pretty dim.

One thing though, I feel that if you do not include a fliter, a ton of plants must be in the tank to provide space for the BB. I'd still include a small internal fliter anyway, shrimps are pretty sensitive to nitrate/nitrite ( whichever one is the harmful one )

[Encriptic]

i think he meant 3L tank.

[|squee|]

woops! :P ok 3 litres... erm.... ok forget my "advice"

[juggler]

I have a similar setup (about 30L) in the office of Java Moss and baby Swordtails. Yes, it is workable without any fertilisation, no substrate, no co2, no filter, no major water change -- just top-up. A study lamp of about 10W providing the light source 10 hours daily.

In your case, 9W over less than 1 gallon of water seems too much for moss. May be better lower the light source or place it higher. Monitor and see.

[GaspingGurami]

[quote:173bc05c1f="juggler"]I have a similar setup (about 30L) in the office of Java Moss and baby Swordtails. Yes, it is workable without any fertilisation, no substrate, no co2, no filter, no major water change -- just top-up. A study lamp of about 10W providing the light source 10 hours daily.

In your case, 9W over less than 1 gallon of water seems too much for moss. May be better lower the light source or place it higher. Monitor and see.[/quote:173bc05c1f]

Just 1 night of having the lamp on, some fronds of the moss is pushing through the netting. It is a really strange sensation, not having to dose anything.

[hwchoy]

don't need to cycle the tank, your "mulm" already more than enough bateria. your gravel is probably too thick since you're not planting anything. no need to dose fertiliser too.

[GaspingGurami]

[quote:88dfed8cdb="hwchoy"]don't need to cycle the tank, your "mulm" already more than enough bateria. your gravel is probably too thick since you're not planting anything. no need to dose fertiliser too.[/quote:88dfed8cdb]

Talking about mulm, I discovered in the old UGF, a tubifex worm that is at least 3 inches long before extension!!! The PO of this tank fed live tubifex and one must have escaped! Naturally, I put this back into the gravel of my new setup together with the mulm.

I wanted a thicker gravel so that I can bury a bit of a mangrove root tied with moss. Unfortunately, I have yet found one small enough to fit this tank.

During this period, (3rd day after setup,) I have not tested Ammonia and nitrite yet, should I be giving any food to the small black molly? I can see it picking at the moss mesh, the new gravel, and sucking at the surface. I dunno if there is sufficient food to be found in these new substrate and washed surfaces and scumless water surface to support life for long.

Should I feed?