Unfiltered and unheated.....

[BushFishRox]

Since you edited this in, I will respond. You do not need a filter on any tank.... Filters only prolong the amount of time between water changes..(f.y.i.) I have a 5.5 unfiltered with guppies in it and they do just fine.......

wow that is all I can say so what about the ammonia in the tank? does it just magically disappear?

 

[Onion01]

so take your "rants" elsewhere as that is not being rude rather it is just straight to the point rather then dancing around the bush... also always use the Search forum feature before you post...

I think you mean beating around the bush. But yeah, I agree. You just can't cut corners in good fish keeping.

 

[bigspizz]

wow that is all I can say so what about the ammonia in the tank? does it just magically disappear?

If a siphon and bucket is magic.....I guess you could say so.

 

[Miles]

wow that is all I can say so what about the ammonia in the tank? does it just magically disappear?

Nitrifying bacteria grows on every surface area, even in an unfiltered tank.. Aquarium gravel and driftwood will harbor bacteria, in very small amounts with the o2 provided from the plants.

Although the concentration of nitrifying bacteria will be miniscule compared to a filtered tank, it should provide enough ammonia breakdown to support 1 to 3 fish, in 15 gallons of water.

The plants also consume ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate during the nitrogen cycle, so they will act as a filtration unit as long as they are getting enough light.. Algae will do the same thing as well.

3 white clouds in 15 gallons of water.. with plants.. that's hardly any bioload for that amount of water..

Compared to people who have kept goldfish in tiny volumes of water with no plants.. for centuries.

 

[bmxer4ever]

Thanks for all the replies - just read through from start to finish, and i have to say, one innocent question has led to a very robust discussion(!). So many conflicting views!

Tank would be beside the window, south east facing, gets good light in the morning. 3-5 White clouds were all the fish I was going for. Tank will probably be 30"x12"x12". Does any kind of algae eater live in this type of set up?

And as for the "search forums" idea - I'm online to be pro-active. I thought this was the whole point of a forum like this - that we should ask questions and share information.
So if I want to know something, I ask.
If it's a question that's been answered often, then usually some kind soul directs me to the appropriate thread.
What's the point of this forum, in fact, what would it contain if everyone just searched the forums for their answers and never started threads themselves?
I'm certainly not going to stop posting just because someone thinks the questions I ask have been answered already.

 

[Oddball]

I know of someone who got really creative with a nonpowered in-loo aquarium. He had a high tank toilet (like you saw in "The Godfather") that he plumbed a drain line from (T'd off the tank supply). The water to the toilet tank was filtered by a 3-stage filter so the water was ready for the aquarium without needing chemical treatment. A constant drip line fed into a 6 gallon aquarium. There was a small overflow chamber installed at the top of the aquarium. Another hose left the back of the aquarium and was mounted (zip-tied) to the toilet seat fastening hardware where the drain water led directly into the bowl. The 6 gallon aquarium received a 4 GPD constant water drip change and the white clouds seemed to be doing fine.
Since the toilet feed line is under pressure, I'm sure this system would also work with modern conventional commodes.

 

[M|L]

I really wish you could be more informative and less brash with beginners, or anyone asking anything not "bling bling" Not every one is rich! You are a mod. If you are only a mod so your name is red fine, but didn't aquamojo just get blasted for days, for being accused of being like you?.....Your short, rude answers, are just trolling for posts at the op's expense. Sorry for the rant but you are just too rude for words!


"get a bigger tank"
"those pics are the most terrible pics of the same thing over and over" (the only rude comment on the whole thread)
"end of story" (no it is not, you are just conceited imo.....)

OK, I will be a little more informative. Minnows are naturally coldwater fish, so no heater is fine.

However, without surface agitation (which the filter provides), the water surface will not provide the proper transfer of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Infact, toxics wastes will accumulate extremely quickly and your water will foul.

I don't care how much plant you can stuff inside that 15 gallon tank (which is NOT a lot), they won't provide the necessary oxygen and filtration benefits that a filter can. Let's forget about the fish needing oxygen, beneficial bacterias alone consume a lot of oxygen to convert ammonia into less toxic wastes.

Now, this can possibly be avoided (or at the very least reduced) by providing daily water change, and will the minnows survive? Probably yes. But that's like keeping a goldfish in a bowl and say, "Hey it's doing fine, it's still alive!" Bottom line is, that is NOT the proper way of keeping a fish and a healthy aquarium and non of the inhabitants will thrive.

As for me being rude, that's personal opinion. I'm a sarcastic person (in real life and on the internet), so if I say anything that is deemed offensive chances are I'm not being serious (such as that "those pics are the most terrible pics of the same thing over and over" comment). I'm also very direct, I won't beat around the bush and try to be nice. If you have a small tank, what more is there to say? GET A BIGGER TANK. DUH EINSTEIN. I've kept fish for some time now, and it's through criticism that made me improve.

I can go on and on but let's get back on topic here.

Edit: How many minnows are we talking about here? 1? 2? 5? 10?

 

[guppy]

I have kept, white clouds, giesha girls, ane guppies in unheated, unfiltered tanks, A 30"x12"x12" tank is about 18g. Even with no filtration or airstone this size tank will allow you to keep about 2 dozen white clouds or guppies safely. The common chinese algae eater will live in a tank like this quite easily at those temps if adapted to them slowly but they will not be very active or eat very much, snails are a better bet if you keep up with the breeding. Plants help produce O2 if they get enough light and slow the build up of ammonnia products but regular water changes are needed. Also, not using a lid helps as it improve surface gas exchange.
If you have an incandesant light fixture above the bathroom mirror you can use a screw in adapter to add a single plug in for a 2 plug in extension cord for an airpump or filter, and a light. This would take care of your problems of both lighting and surface stagnation (still tank surfaces tend to build up a protien scum that interferes with gas exchang).
You could also hang an airpump at the nearest power outlet and just run an airline to the restroom to power an airstone, ugf, or boxfilter.

 

[bigspizz]

OK, I will be a little more informative. Minnows are naturally coldwater fish, so no heater is fine.

However, without surface agitation (which the filter provides), the water surface will not provide the proper transfer of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Infact, toxics wastes will accumulate extremely quickly and your water will foul.

I don't care how much plant you can stuff inside that 15 gallon tank (which is NOT a lot), they won't provide the necessary oxygen and filtration benefits that a filter can. Let's forget about the fish needing oxygen, beneficial bacterias alone consume a lot of oxygen to convert ammonia into less toxic wastes.

Now, this can possibly be avoided (or at the very least reduced) by providing daily water change, and will the minnows survive? Probably yes. But that's like keeping a goldfish in a bowl and say, "Hey it's doing fine, it's still alive!" Bottom line is, that is NOT the proper way of keeping a fish and a healthy aquarium and non of the inhabitants will thrive.

As for me being rude, that's personal opinion. I'm a sarcastic person (in real life and on the internet), so if I say anything that is deemed offensive chances are I'm not being serious (such as that "those pics are the most terrible pics of the same thing over and over" comment). I'm also very direct, I won't beat around the bush and try to be nice. I've took some seriously horrific pictures, and it's through criticism that made me improve.

I can go on and on but let's get back on topic here.

Thank you M.L! That was the most positive response I could have imagined! Maybe a smiley or a jjk would help. The mods can be menacing at times (no-one wants to be banned for speaking out of a group and straying from the "common" answer) I appreciate you taking the time to clear the air a bit. The other kid is just a troll and I didn't realize it till I read his posts....sorry for that one. (it would have gone unnoticed had I noticed he was a troll in the beginning)



I think this is a good question(the unfiltered original topic). How do people sustain stagnant ponds?.....(this is an additional thought, not derail)

 

[BushFishRox]

I think this is a good question. How do people sustain stagnant ponds?.....

really the only fish that could survive in a pond like that for any amount of time are koi just because they are so tough other then that fish would be dead in a matter of days rather then weeks...