Indoor pond in aquarium?

Joshaeus

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Hi everyone! Is there any particular reason I could not have a 'pond' in a 10 gallon aquarium indoors? I was going to use turface (perhaps with peat moss underneath) as the substrate, use Marsilea mutica, perhaps a floating plant (like frogbit or red root floater), and some submerged plants (perhaps vallisneria?), and was going to dose fertilizers (other than nitrogen and phosphorous) into the water column for the plants; I was also going to do weekly water changes. The tank was not going to have any surface agitation and thus was going to be filled only 9 inches to improve gaseous exchange. Thanks :) (PS...below is a crude sketch of what I was thinking...obviously there would be more plants than this);

10 gallon pond sketch.jpg
 
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Sure, but you need to 'shift' into the planted aquarium mode to do this. I wouldn't use peat. What is you end goal? To propagate aquarium plants or overwinter pond plants? Is this a school project?
 

Joshaeus

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Sure, but you need to 'shift' into the planted aquarium mode to do this. I wouldn't use peat. What is you end goal? To propagate aquarium plants or overwinter pond plants? Is this a school project?
I am not in school...I just wanted an attractive planted tank and am reviewing my options to do so currently. Overwintering pond plants would be nice, though :) Plus, floating aquarium plants (red root floater, for instance) tend not to do great with the substantial amounts of water movement typical of an aquarium.
 

TheFishGuy

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Hi everyone! Is there any particular reason I could not have a 'pond' in a 10 gallon aquarium indoors? I was going to use turface (perhaps with peat moss underneath) as the substrate, use Marsilea mutica, perhaps a floating plant (like frogbit or red root floater), and some submerged plants (perhaps vallisneria?), and was going to dose fertilizers (other than nitrogen and phosphorous) into the water column for the plants; I was also going to do weekly water changes. The tank was not going to have any surface agitation and thus was going to be filled only 9 inches to improve gaseous exchange. Thanks :) (PS...below is a crude sketch of what I was thinking...obviously there would be more plants than this);

View attachment 135027
I would think doing a paludarium would look cool, basically it is half water half land, or whatever ratio you want it to be. I would check out serpadesigns youtube channel, some great tutorials and information there.

If you wanted to stock it you could do a couple fire bellied toads, as they like using the water and land. ( kinda high maintenance though, I gave up within a year ) or just fish, or maybe even a type of freshwater crab.

In the water I would do anubias, they are slow growers but really low maintenance, and tough. They also don't have high light requirements. and also some hardy but more fast growing ones would be like vallisneria and of course whatever pond type plants you would want to put in.

I would recommend fluval stratum for substrate, high nutrient, but it is aso not as much of a pain to clean before it goes into the aquarium. ( as some of seachems are )

Paludarium.jpg


Here is an example, not one that I have/have had, much nicer but with some tome and patience it could be done :)
 

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