Fishkeeping - autonomy and aquarium

On 1 Jan 2004 07:13:38 -0800, yves wrote:

I am not actually an "aquariophile" and this is a general question.
the aim is to obtain a three-months long autonom aquarium.
What is the way to obtain that ?

Do you mean no maintenance input at all, or not much maintenance? Do
you want to not even feed the fish for months?

The following reduces maintenance input:

1: A big tank - the bigger it is, the more stable it is and the better
it copes on its own

2: Few fish - the fewer the better

3: More plants - the more the better

4: Low light - but if you make it too low, teh plants won't grow.

5: Large relatively slow-flow filter

6: Good cover-glasses to minimise evaporation

A large tank with just a few small fish (ones that will eat algae) and
moderate levels of hardy slow-growing low-light plants, with just
enough lights on time-switches to keep the plants happy, and a
generous-sized cannister filter will go months with no maintenance
other than occasional (once a week) feeding. I've had a tank set up
like that go 6 weeks without even feeding, and another that survived
two weeks without electric power (though it was summer, so ambient air
temperature was about right for the fish).

This approach won't look particularly pristine though - the tank glass
will be hazy with algae, and you'll probably have a moderate snail
population, which some people don't like.

regards, Ian SMith
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