Tom's Bucket O' Mud (semi self-sustaining aquarium)

[hydrophyte]

Originally Posted by BigTom

This is really stunning Tom. You are right it take several months to properly develop, but you have demonstrated so well that a low tech setup can get plant growth just as vibrant as a high tech planted tank with extra CO2.

Is that wavy-leaved plant in the background a Calathea or Maranta prayer plant? And does it have good root development in the water? I would be interested to know the species/variety name for that one. It looks like it is happy in there.

[BigTom]

Cheers hydrophyte. Yeah, its Calathea rufibarba I think, or something similar (was just labelled 'Foliage Plant' when I bought it, very helpful!).

It took a few weeks to get used to being in water, and all the old roots rotted away quite quickly. New roots were well developed by a month or so I think, and there's now a big 12" tangle of them growing out of the planters.

The leaves were somewhat larger when I bought it, and have gradually died off to be replaced by these slightly smaller and less purple ones. It's now a very happy and robust plant though and growing densely.

[hydrophyte]

That is good to know. I should try to track that one down. It looks lovely in your setup.

I observe the same response with Spathiphyllum and Anthurium. When I put those plants into the riparium planters their existing roots die off and the plants look sad for a few weeks, then they grow new roots and recover. I have noticed that the new water-adapted roots tend to be thicker.

[PaulG]

Calathea? Well I never, I'll have to try that.

[BigTom]

I need a bigger Bucket.

Went for a walk in the hills today, and towards the end spotted an awesome old stump that had been torn out of the ground by a bigger tree going over in the Christmas gales.



After about ten minutes of poking, yanking and pocket knifing I finally got the bugger loose and sent the girlfriend into the swamp to retrieve it. All we had to do then was carry it two and half miles back to the van.

It looks much better in the flesh than it does in the photos, but the damn thing covers a 5' x 5' footprint, and my tank is only 3' x 3'. I anticipate spending much of next week figuring out how to overcome this!

Big wood hunter (ahem):

[xenxes]

Lol I wish I lived where you live. What kind of fauna is in that puddle of water?

You sent the girlfriend into the swamp to retrieve the big wooden stump (*cough cough*)? Time for a new bucket?

[driftwoodhunter]

: ) you look just like a big game hunter, getting the trophy pic taken. They even hold the antlers that way... lol

[driftwoodhunter]

You sent the girlfriend into the swamp to retrieve the big wooden stump (*cough cough*)?

I wondered about that, too. ; )

[morselchip]

Nice rack on that.... Um....... Stump. Lol!

[BigTom]

Hehe. I justified getting my girlfriend to do the fetching on the basis that 1). she weighs considerably less than me and was therefore less likely to disappear forever in an enormous gurgling bog-belch, and 2). she had waterproof socks on :p

[driftwoodhunter]

LOL - I love it! If I had a band, I'd have to name it Gurgling Bog Belch. : )

[doncityz]

This is nice!

Can you take a photo of where the powerhead and filtration is?

[BigTom]

Hi Don. There is no filter (the plants cover all of that), and I'm afraid I can't really get at the powerhead to show you, it's buried at the back under all the riparian plants (it's just a small koralia which has been heavily muffled to produce a very slow flow).

[Beer]

I really love this tank. I love that it is pretty much self sustaining and and allows for frequent trips.
I just have one question about it tho. Do you get a musty/swampy smell in the room from the tank? With the low flow and pretty much non existent water changes, I'd imagine that it might start smelling like an actual pond.

[doncityz]

Originally Posted by BigTom

Hi Don. There is no filter (the plants cover all of that), and I'm afraid I can't really get at the powerhead to show you, it's buried at the back under all the riparian plants (it's just a small koralia which has been heavily muffled to produce a very slow flow).

No filter ... very cool..... i'm liking this idea a lot.