papyrus grows very fast and
and is an alternative for
ranonkel in a tropical aquarium
a webcam is cheap and
nice way for observing
lower annimals in youre
ecological aquarium
Its easy to zoom out 20x
the ecological aquarium
In an ecological aquarium the aim is to create a natural environment. To say it
in other words : the purpose of an ecological aquarium is not the beauty of
the fishes , but the wonders of the waterworld. This means that the plankton
in an freh water or saltwater aquarium should thrive. And that is impossible
if you filter youre aquarium water with pumps. By using filters the microscopical
live get filtered out, and by using pumps the plankton get damaged.
Other important issues:
Microscopical live need a hiding place as all the other watercreatures eat them.
The water should be as clean as possible ,so low in nitrogen (like nitrate and ammonia)
and phosfate. As a rule of thumb: the lower the nitrate and phosfate the more
beautiful is youre microfauna and microflora.
This website will show you the history of the ecological aquarium and how to
set it up by using modern knowledge. But first : why is it so
interresting to create an ecological aquarium?
Ecological waterlive , a miracle.
If you create an ecological healthy microclimate in youre aquarium you
will be rewarded with an asthonishing world , mostly existing of lower
animals: An impression of that world can be seen on this plate
(printed in 1870) that shows the lower fresh wateranimals of middle Europe
On this old plate one can see: 1 scud 2 moss animals ( the bryozoan Cristella mucedo)
3: leeches 4,5 fresh water mussel and snail.
Other animals that will thrive in youre aquarium are the waterinsects
toadfish, newts , newborn fishes, nematode (worms), shrimps
(like mysis), snails (I mean the beautiful ones), rotiferia, diaptomus,
cyclops,daphnia , mytes and all the other water-world marvels.
Have a look at how it all started
History of the aquarium.
The first existing aquaria were all ecological as there were no electrical
pumps in that time. Please take a look at the next plate from 1890:
- There are plants growing around and in the aquarium, some plants have
there roots starting in the aquarium.
- The aquarium is a stand allone in the living room,(so not like a
television), not surrounded by walls.
- No pumps or bubbles or other noise making machines, electricity or lamps.
- The whole composition of plants , table and aquarium not only has an
ecological and natural effect but also an highley esthetical value.
The style is called Jugendstile, (fin du siecle). The border
between the aquarium and the room is filled up with plants
Well you know how it ends: electrical pumps cleans the water and removes
all the microlive, the aquarium has become a television
cleaning the water ecologicaly
This can be done by using fastgrowing waterplants. By cleaning water
this way ,plankton will stay alive, and find shelter between the roots.
I know the following four methods, number 4 can be used for saltwater
aquaria too:
1
Duckweed
lemna minor or lesser Duckweed
Duckweed is champion of the waterworld plants in very many ways:
Its the fastest growing plant in the world, it growns 20 times faster
then corn, and it uses solar energy in more efficient way. Its also one
of the smallest plants in the world.
- Its very resistent against polluted water.
- It corrects the acidity of water.
- Because it grows so fast, it's helps to prevent the growth of algae.
Lemna minor has an great appetite for the worst polluting substances in water:
nitrogen and fosfate.
Its has the unique ability to take up nitrate and ureum directly from the water
unlike all other waterplants, who need the help of bacteria
duckweed cleaning
Duckweed is now used in industrial watercleaning units, but can be easely used
cleaning the ecological aquarium as well. But, of course, has to be
removed from the surface on a regular scheme. Duckweed's growth is strongly
affected when there is movement in the water , so it can't be used in
combination with electrical pumps or airbubbel devices.
Duckweed mysteries
There is a world of microlive growing between the small roots of the lesser
duckweed, its caller the duckweed jungle. King of the jungle is the hydra
eating all those microfauna that seek shelter between the roots:
waterinsects, waterfleas, worms, small fish and newts.
toadfish behave like whales, removing the algae from the water
On top of the leaves of lesser duckweed on can find primitiv insects
like springtales
2
Ranonkel
The ranonkel is a very fast growing water plant , with its roots under the
watersurface. A lot small wateranimals , like fish and newts , find shelter
between the roots. It has the unique quality to keep growing outside the
aquarium but still keep using its waterroots for removing fosfate and
nitrate the water. My own ranonkel has a surface of 2 square meter, and
grows rapidly. By removing the leaves one cleans the water from nitrogen
and fosfate. Biggest disadvantage of waterranonkel is that is forms poisonious
small fruits, so take care of childern.
3
Reed
Reed beds (or helofyte filter)are effectiv in removing nitrogen and phosfate
The cleaning can be increased by a flow of water through the roots.
The roots are very effectiv not only for cleaning but
but also as a hiding place for small watercreatures.
An alternative for the use of reed is papyrus in tropical aquaria
or Broadleaf Cattail.
Three cleaners together: frogbite, duckweed and reed
The roots of the reedbed contains large amount of aerobic bacteria.
The oxygen is transported by the hollow stam of the reed.
4
under the aquarium illumination
It is possible to use the underside of a full-glass aquarium for
growing algae, thus creating extra biological cleaning capacity.
It can be done by drilling big holes in the floor on which the
aquarium rests. This methode is very helpfull in a seawater tank.
Do's and dont's
-Use only living food , like waterflees, they stabilize the water by
removing algae. Mysis is living food low in phosfate
-Keep the amount of bigger animals, fish, frogs and amphibian low
-Use rainwater for adding water that has dissapeared by evaporation
-Don't use airbubbels, it kills youre microlive
-increase the bacterial cleaning surface by using vulcanic rock
-remember that an ecolgical aquarium is low in oxygen on the bottom,
as there is no streaming water, just like in the real nature.
-use a webcam to observe youre microlive, most webcams can zom out 20x.
-don't use tl light above the aquarium, it's ugly. Use spots at night
Other uses of the ecological aquarium
the travelaquarium
Ecological stable aquaria can be sealed of from the outside world.
In this way the aquaria can thrive for years. one can give these aquaria to
people in a hospital or prison or to be placed on an officedesk
The microscopical aquarium
One can have an aquarium so small that it can be placed under a microscope
A petriscale can be used for that purpose, and be observed by a webcam
placed on the microscope. If youre addicted to microfaunawatching
then this is youre thing.
the wineglasaquarium aquarium
I have several wineglasaquaria, filled with duckweed.
The duckweed prevents evaporation , and these aquaria are stable for
years
Inhabitants are diaptomus , cyclops, daphnia , flatworm, hydra , shrimp etc
