Set-Up and Cycle a Filterless Fish Tank
There are many reasons why a person would set up a filterless fish tank. An internal, mechanical power filter can easily suck-up and kill many aquatic creatures including small fish fry, daphnia, copepods, greenwater, small shrimp, ghost shrimp larvae, scuds, aquatic worms, etc. These creatures should all be housed in a filterless fish tank.
Many aquariums rely on the filter in order for the tank to stay cycled. Here you will learn how to cycle and maintain an aquarium without an aquarium filter.
This is a Filterless Fishtank.
You can see that this filterless tank has an air-stone in the top-left corner.
This is a 10 gallon breeder tank that holds dwarf sunset platies.
The tank has plenty of aquarium gravel and aquarium decorations in it.
The tank also has plastic plants placed from the bottom of the tank, to the top of the tank.
This will give the fry a better chance at survival.
How to Set Up and Cycle a Filterless Fish Tank
Items that you'll need include :
* Aquarium gravel
* Decorations
* Plants
* Filter floss
* Air pump
* Heater
* Aged aquarium water
* Beneficial bacteria
* Pond snails
* An aquarium heater
* An aquarium light (optional)
This is another Filterless Fishtank.
This 55 gallon aquarium was being used for breeding Ivory Mystery Snails.
The surface area of this tank is so large that I didn't add an air-stone.
Step 1
Place the tank in quiet location.
Make sure that you are placing the aquarium onto a leveled surface.
Step 2
Add substrate into the filterless fish tank.
You can use aquarium gravel, sand or landscaping gravel to act as a substrate in your filter-less aquarium.
Step 3
Fill your tank halfway full using aged aquarium water.
Then fill the tank the rest of the way full, using dechlorinated tap water that has aged for at least one day.
At this point, add an air-pump (with an air-stone) and/or an aquarium heater to the filterless tank, if desired or necessary. In warmer climates, the heater should only need to be used during the coldest winter months.
Add an aquarium thermometer into the filterless tank, so that you can easily monitor what the water temperature is.
Step 4
Add live aquarium plants, plastic plants, filter floss and aquarium decorations into your filterless fishtank.
Add as much of these items as possible into your filterless fish tank. These items will provide your fish with shelter, in addition to providing beneficial bacteria with more places to grow on.
Step 5
Add one handful of gravel from a healthy, cycled aquarium into your newly set-up filterless fishtank. Using more of this "established" gravel will cycle your new tank much faster, than only using one handful of "established" gravel would cycle your tank. One handful of "seeded" gravel is better than no seeded gravel at all.
Add as many plants and decorations from a healthy , established aquarium as possible. Adding more items with beneficial bacteria growing on them (seeded items) will help to jump-start your tanks cycle.
Step 6
Add pond snails into your filterless fish tank. Pond snails will clean up algae spots in your tank while eating any leftover fishfood that may be leftover from a feeding.
Pond snails will need to eat fishfood once every day, in addition to any algae or leftover fishfood that they may eat.
Step 7
Feed the pond snails right away.
Then continue to feed the pond snails at least one time everyday, from this point on.
Step 8
Wait one whole week before adding any fish into your filterless tank.
After one week has past, test the water using a reliable water quality testing kit.
If the ammonia and nitrite levels are both at 0, then your tank is cycled.
Now you can add fish into the filterless tank.
Step 9
Maintain the filterless tank as you would maintain any fish tank.
Feed the fish at least once a day, test the water quality once a week and perform partial weekly water changes.
Warning! :
A filterless tank should have no power filters on or in it!!!
You can add any of the following items into a filterless fishtank
to increase oxygen flow at the surface of the water :
Aquarium Air Pump and Airline Tubing
Air-Stones
Sponge Filters
A filterless fishtank can have an external air-pump with an air-stone on it and/or a sponge filter. Because these devices can't suck-up and kill any tiny creatures such as copepods, daphnia, baby fish fry, etc.
More Information about and Another Method for Cycling a Filterless Fishtank
Here is how to cycle a fishtank without using any internal or external filtration.
Step 1
Set up the aquarium.
Step 2
Add gravel from a seasoned and healthy aquarium.
Step 3
Add plants to your new tank. (live and plastic plants that have been aged in a healthy fishtank.)
Step 4
Add seasoned decorations from a healthy, aged aquarium into your new "uncycled" tank.
Step 5
Fill up your new uncycled tank using aged water from your healthiest, cycled tank. Continue filling up the new, uncycled tank using dechlorinated tap water that has been aged for 24 hours.
Step 7
Add pond snails, copepods and any other beneficial creatures from your aged tank and into your new, uncycled tank.
Step 8
Remove some aged filter floss out of a mechanical aquarium filter on any one of your healthy aquariums and add it into your newly set up, uncycled fishtank.
Step 9
Feed the new tank daily.
Step 10
Check the water quality daily until you are sure that the tank is cycled.
Once you're sure that the new tank is cycled, you can add in any fish, snail, shrimp, etc. If done properly a new tank can be cycled instantly using the method described above.
Here is a whole row of filterless fishtanks.
None of these tanks have an aquarium filter in them.
Aquatic environments of all sizes can be cycled without filters or air pumps.
Keeping any tank cycled requires chemistry. You will need to understand certain chemical processes throughout your advancements in the fish keeping hobby. Ammonia, Nitrates and Nitrites to name a few.
Seasoning a New Aquarium
Make sure that any items moved out of an aged tank and into a new tank are coming from a healthy tank with a strong cycle. Which means that any tank having any items that are moved should :
* The tank should have been set up and running for at least 6 months.
* The aquatic creatures (fish, shrimp, snails, etc.) in the tank should be healthy.
* The tank should remain cycled. (no ammonia and nitrite) no cloudy water/ammonia cloud.
Adding items that have "aged" in a healthy aquarium into a new aquarium to help jump start the cycle is called "seasoning an aquarium".
You should be familiar with beneficial bacteria so check out my article Titled :
Beneficial Bacteria
You will also need to understand the process inside your aquarium called The :
Nitrogen Cycle
Until you are familiar with how often tank maintenance is required your should use water quality test strips.
You can learn all about them here :
There is a proper procedure for performing water changes.
Learn how to perform a partial water change and here :
Partial Water Changes
Oxygenation
You can add an external air-pump driven air-stone into a filterless fishtank.
Air-stone don't harm small aquatic critters such as tiny fish fry.
You can also attach a sponge filter to an external air-pump
to filter the tank without harming the little creatures such as copepods, etc.
This is your average kiddie pool (plastic kid's pool).
Your average kiddie pool has a very large amount of surface area. The pool is usually less than a foot deep which makes the surface to water ratio good for oxygen exchange rates. Basically, you can get away without adding a internal or external filter, air pump, water pump, air stone, air bubbler, etc. with certain fish such as guppies, goldfish, channel catfish, snails, platies, angelfish, mollies, koi, minnows, and possibly others.
Larger fish like angelfish must not be overstocked or else they will need some type of filter or pump to create surface agitation which in turn increases the oxygen content in the water.
If your fish are having trouble breathing try adding an aquarium air pump to your aquatic environment. Aquarium air pumps are the best way that you can create surface agitation in your aquarium.
Learn more about aerating an aquatic environment.