Is it possible?

[Pam Allen]

I live in an apartment and have been told that I cannot have a fish tank over 10 gallons.  I will likely do a system off of a 10 gallon at some point but I got thinking about things and was wondering what you all think of this.

Can it be done?

How do I get it to cycle?

Should I add in a worm bed somehow, or are there other ways to get the same benefits that worms add?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkCuPrsPn_I

This is a link to the window farm project.  This is one of their early systems.  They have evolved alot since then but it was a simple thing using water bottles and I want to try and build something similar with Gatorade 32 oz bottles and a bucket at the bottom to hold fish.

Does anyone have any opinions, ideas, or forseen troubles that they would be willing to share with me before I start?

I would replace the air pump water lift system with a small pond turtle pump from the pet store.

Thanks for any input.

Pam

[Jeffrey Ihara]

That looks like a great project, Pam.

I would think that the question of worms vs. no worms depends on whether or not you stick to the vertical plan used in the video. Worms are good to have in the media, but usually their role is to assist with the breakdown of fish solids. I'm not sure if it's part of your idea to have your pump push (fairly dense) fish poop all the way to the top of several vertical columns.

If you shift gears and opt for a smaller-scale version of the kinds of growbed-and-fishtank systems, that could also work nicely. It would be far simpler to set up, and you'd have a place for your worms.

Whichever way you go, I'd recommend getting a regular 10 gallon aquarium rather than a bucket, because watching your fish is part of the fun.