Apartment Aquaponics: The Aquarium that feeds itself, and you.

Written By Hannah Garcia

With inflation driving grocery prices higher every month, food security is no longer just a global issue—it’s personal. It’s local. It’s inside your home.

That’s why Tierra y Luna is developing regenerative food production systems at every scale—starting with this small but powerful prototype: the Betta Ecosystem Tank.

🌿 What It Is

This 10-gallon aquatic micro-ecosystem is designed to be a closed-loop hydroponic food and habitat system, built to thrive indoors. Yes, even in a small apartment.

Instead of a filter, we rely on live plants, leaf litter, microfauna, and nutrient cycling to purify the water. Everything contributes to a functional web:

✧ How to Build a Self-Sustaining Betta Ecosystem Tank ✧

This isn’t your average aquarium. It’s a self-regenerating hydroponic system designed to:

  • Support a Betta fish and Neocaridina shrimp

  • Cycle nutrients using live microfauna

  • Grow food-producing plants (like basil or spinach)

  • Require little to no external filtration

  • Educate and inspire a regenerative mindset

It’s both biological art and climate resilience in a glass box.

🧪 What You’ll Need

💧 Tank + Environment

  • 10-gallon tank (glass preferred for clarity)

  • Natural light access or a grow light (6–8 hrs/day)

  • Gravel or sand substrate (optional but aesthetic)

🐟 Core Life Forms

  • 1 Betta (ideally male, for display—avoid placing with other males)

  • 5–10 Neocaridina shrimp (start with a mix of sexes for a reproducing colony)

  • 1–2 types of snails (Ramshorn + Malaysian Trumpet snails work well)

🌿 Plants (for nutrient cycling + hydroponics)

  • Peace lily (roots submerged, leaves above)

  • Floating plants like duckweed or water lettuce

  • Optional rooted: Anubias, Java fern, or hornwort

🦠 Live Microfauna (natural cleaning + food chain)

  • Scuds (amphipods for cleanup and protein cycling)

  • Daphnia or Moina (feeders + water clarity agents)

  • Leaf litter (Indian almond leaves, oak, magnolia—support biofilm)

🔁 How It Works: Your Internal Ecosystem

  • The Betta produces ammonia waste →

  • Microfauna and snails consume detritus →

  • Plants absorb nitrogen from waste →

  • Microgreens or herbs grow via nutrient-rich water →

  • You harvest greens, enjoy visuals, and maintain harmony

All organisms play a role.
This system simulates what nature does—just on your shelf.

🛠 Setup Tips

  • Layer in stages: Add leaf litter and water first, let it cycle with microfauna for a week before adding shrimp/fish.

  • No filter needed: If you maintain a dense plant load and monitor waste, filtration becomes unnecessary.

  • No heater unless needed: Room-temp is often fine for Betta if stable (~74–80°F).

  • Use RO or dechlorinated water: Avoid chloramines—your beneficial bacteria and microfauna are sensitive.

  • Limit feeding: Let Betta hunt small live prey (like Moina), and supplement only lightly.

🍀 Optional Add-Ons for Food Growth

Want to grow herbs or greens?

  • Float cut basil, mint, or lettuce heads for regrowth

  • Add a net pot hydroponic cup near the surface and root spinach or kale

  • Use peace lily roots for passive water filtration + nutrient uptake

This is the apartment-scale aquaponic/hydroponic hybrid you've been waiting for.

✨ Why It’s More Than Just a Tank

  • It teaches you about cycles, decay, and rebirth

  • It brings you closer to how food and life are created

  • It’s a scalable model for larger systems—like the greenhouse we’ll build with AI heat reuse

  • And it’s simply beautiful to watch

The shrimp dance. The Betta flares. The Moina twinkle.
And you—you’re growing food in a bowl of water and light.

Hannah Garcia https://tierrayluna.store