Dimensions 47 × 47 × 40 cm

Title Dancing with Rainbows

Volume 40L

Background None, but the bowl is backed by a pair of painters' canvasses standing at right angles.

Lighting 2 IKEA Arod floor lamps, each equipped with a Philips 17W 6500K 2350 lm daylight LED bulb.

Filtration None, not even a powerhead.

Plants Anubias, Bucephalandra, Cryptocoryne, Fissidens, Glossostigma, Helanthium, Marsilea, Microsorum, Nymphaea, and Vesicularia sp. Note that the Helanthium tenellum (formerly Echinodorus tenellus) is barely visible, as it's hidden in the thicket near the Nymphaea. A few small sprigs of Glossostigma which barely propagated but nevertheless thrived are likewise buried in the carpet of Marsilea in the foreground. This is why neither of these plants feature in the planting diagram.

Animals 1 Betta splendens, 10 Caridina multidentata, 6 Hemigrammus erythrozonus, 3 Hasemania nana, 13 Hyphessobrycon amandae, 5 Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi, 2 Melanotaenia boesemani, 5 Neocaridina sp., 4 Otocinclus sp., 16 Paracheirodon axelrodi, and 3 Pseudomugil gertrudae. Quantities may be slightly erroneous.

Materials Pool filter sand with 2 mm typical diameter.

Additional Information The title refers to the 2 species of rainbowfish which inhabit the bowl, but also more generally to the resident biodiversity and its emergent choreography. It was never my intention to keep the Melanotaenia boesemani in a bowl of this size (even though it's huge, as glass bowls go). They ended up there as a result of a water emergency in another tank, and managed to avoid my attempts to recapture them. Granted, they actually have about 145 cm of clear swimming space around the circumference, but never seem to run laps on account of their constant distraction with other fish. Judging from their behavior, they're quite content, but nevertheless I plan to transfer them to more accommodating quarters as soon as I can find something suitable for the long term. Videos are available at the link provided in the "Aquascaper Information" section.