Freshwater Deep Sand Bed

[crussell523]

Hello, I am just starting a 55Gal FWDSB at average 3.5" deep. I have no fish in it yet, i have one water sprite in the tank, some anacharis and a plant that i forget what it is. I am wondering if that is deep enough for what i would like to create, which is a completely self sufficient eco system. as to where the plants feed the fish and the fish and dying plants feed the sand bed in return feed the fish.... Also what are some good plants to get in there to feed the fish and help keep everything in check?

I saw this thread but it seems to have died off (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?351618-Deep-Sand-Beds-for-Freshwater-tanks)

 

[duanes]

Back in the early part of the 20century, this, "the balanced aquarium" was popular and many tried to accomplish it. There were many books and articles published about the concept in the early 1900s.
Plants and fish, are only a part of the equation, because in nature there are many organisms that contribute to, and fit in between the 2.
Snails, crustaceans , worms, insect larvae to name just a few, all contribute the workings of an eco system.
Plants should be main organism, if you think about the ratio of plants to animals in any eco-system such as that, to make it work, you would probably need 100 plants, for each tiny fish.