Is it possible to have a fish tank that you never need to clean without pumps?

Question

I want to keep a fish in my room, but I want something pretty unexpensive and easy to take care of. Cleaning the cage often would not be convenient for me.

I thought I saw on TV a while ago a fish tank that had plants on top and the whole thing was entirely self-sufficient. I think it was on extreme make-over home edition. And I have pets, I know how to take care of them, and that's why I'm asking, to make sure wether or not to get a fish or not so stop attacking me.

Answer 1

Cindi, I'm sorry that some people have to immediately jump to the negative when you had a perfectly innocent question (as it seems to me), and I don't think it's a bad question to ask, ESPECIALLY if you recall seeing something about it on tv. Don't pay attention to the negativity of people, it's not worth it. I myself personally had never heard of a self-keeping fish tank so I did some quick research online, and lo and behold, YOU ARE CORRECT!!

NOW, TO THOSE WHO THINK THEY KNOW IT ALL: What she may have seen and/or is talking about is this:

EcoSphere is a self-sustaining ecosystem, you never have to feed the life within. Simply provide your EcoSphere with a source of indirect natural or artificial light and enjoy this aesthetic blend of art and science, beauty and balance.

Because the living resources within the EcoSphere utilize their resources without overpopulating or contaminating their environment, the EcoSphere requires no cleaning and only minimal care.

SO SHE IS RIGHT, SHE HAS SEEN SOMETHING OF THE SORT. Here is the link for more information:

http://www.eco-sphere.com/aboutecosphere.htm

Cindi, make sure you research anything you are interested in thoroughly. If this turns out to not be what you were looking for, well heck, you've learned something new, so have I. Maybe many of you on here have.

EDIT 8/30: Response to SOUP NAZI: I simply made a statment of MY opinion about people being rude with their answers to an innocent question, and gave her the info that she was asking about. I did not specifically mention names, just I felt some answers were not necessary and rude. She didn't ask for ignorance, she asked a question, and I gave her a perfectly good answer without sarcasm. All she wanted to know is if there was such a thing and some people tore her down. I NEVER stated that is WAS or WAS NOT a wonderful idea to have one (nor did she ask if it was, she just asked if there WAS such a thing), I just stated what she might have seen, so lay off....you are out of line. You say I am insulting people? I think not. Look at your answer to her again and then your statement to me, and then tell me who is insulting whom. I answered her question, you belittled her. The end.

Answer 2

Generally, filterless tanks must be very heavily planted, and preferably larger, with as much surface area as possible. 40 gallon breeders work well for this. You'll have to choose fish that can do well without a heater, since without a filter, warm water won't circulate properly anyway. So, neon tetras and other similar small fish are out. Unless the room you have the tank in is at a constant 80 degrees or so, tropical fish are out. However, white cloud mountain minnows would work well. Use excellent lighting for the plants, and do 50% weekly water changes (the same amount I recommend for a filtered tank, btw...). Keep stocking levels very low. For a 40 breeder, heavily planted, 8-10 white clouds or so, with some shrimp and snails, would be sufficient. Remember, you're basically running this tank like a pond would in nature. If you take the dimensions of a 40 gallon breeder, and put it in a lake in the wild...you would not find many fish, on average, in that same amount of space. Don't crowd it!

Answer 3

Actually, it is very possible to have what you are looking for. It is a "natural" tank. Look up Diana Walstad on google, and I guarantee that you will find everything you are looking for. This method uses low light, soil from your garden, and tons of plants for a self sustaning tank. It did one for my betta fish, which wasn't too expensive. Never have to clean or change water! Well, once or twice a year is good!
All you need is 1) tons of plants 2) a 1 gallon or two gallon tank. 3) some garden soil and gravel 4) a fish.
Give this method a try!

Answer 4

No, sorry you have to clean the tank even with filters. Maybe you can look on line or go to a pet store and get info on which fish are stronger and can go the longest without cleaning the tank. Take a look at those fish, see if you like them and then go on to decide if those fish will meet your needs.

Answer 5

Actually, it IS possible. But very experienced, knowledgeable fishkeepers have to work really hard to get the system balanced enough to actually pull it off. If there were an easy, 1-2-3 way to do it, most of us would be doing it! (I added a link in my sources section to a discussion about it on the Aquahobby Forums.)

For the vast majority of us, the honest answer is No, you can't do it, and if you don't want to do water changes, don't get fish.

Answer 6

If you want living things that require food there is going to be waste that will have to be removed. Even a tank with just water will grow algae after a while. Fish tanks are not easy or cheap to maintain.

Answer 7

Fish don't have cages. No, it's not possible to have an aquarium that never needs to be cleaned, even with the best filters. In order to provide a healthy environment for the fish so that they won't die, you must do weekly water changes, cleaning and maintenance on the aquarium. If you are not prepared to do that, it would be advisable that you rethink keeping live fish.

Answer 8

While you are always going to have to clean the tank...you can buy some sucker fishes to help clean off any algae that might develop on the sides. While this will never eliminate the need to clean your tank, it will help some.

Answer 9

Um, it's called a bowl full of Goldfish crackers... you only need to clean it out if the Goldfish go bad, or if bugs get in it. All live fish need clean tanks, all living things produce waste, and unless you have an absolutely huge tank (a few hundred gallons), you're looking at weekly, or bi-weekly maintenance.

Nosoop4u

Oh good! You saw it on TV!? Then it must be real! *rolls eyes*

EDIT: MrsCrabs, have you ever kept those little ecocraps? Do you realize some better terms for those things are "abuse", "deathtrap", or maybe even "scam"? Thank you for your 2 cents, now, before you attempt to insult anybody, learn what you are talking about.

Answer 10

If you know how to take care of your pets, how come cleaning a tank is in convinient. You might not have to clean a tank but you'll have to take 20 minutes of your day changing water.

If you want something, a 2.5 gallon completer set up should be perfect and it woudn't do much of a problem for your fish if you don't clean it. A betta fish might be the right fish for you!

Here is a link for a tank example that would be great for a single betta fish or two of them with a divider.
http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?familyID=10313