Walstad + Filtration

[purestar]

Hi folks,

I am planning to start my first dirted tank (top soil + sand as substrate), and would like to know what the implications would be of using a standard HOB filter (aquaclear 70) with filter media. The Walstad method apparently does not use chemical or biological filtration.

Also, any top soil recommendations? I hear Miracle Grow can cause problems.

And, lastly... how do I prevent algae blooms?

Thank you kindly!

 

[Brilliant_Barbs_21]

Hi folks,

I am planning to start my first dirted tank (top soil + sand as substrate), and would like to know what the implications would be of using a standard HOB filter (aquaclear 70) with filter media. The Walstad method apparently does not use chemical or biological filtration.

Also, any top soil recommendations? I hear Miracle Grow can cause problems.

And, lastly... how do I prevent algae blooms?

Thank you kindly!

Definitely do not use miracle grow. They add harmful substances like ammonia to the mix to make the plants grow like a miracle. But they do sell an organic version fine for the job. The only way to prevent algae blooms would be to have plenty plants. If there aren't many nutrients in the water, there won't be much algae either. Plus regular water changes.

 

[Rivercats]

Definitely do not use miracle grow. They add harmful substances like ammonia to the mix to make the plants grow like a miracle. But they do sell an organic version fine for the job. The only way to prevent algae blooms would be to have plenty plants. If there aren't many nutrients in the water, there won't be much algae either. Plus regular water changes.

You can use any Organic Potting Soil. Many people use Miracle Grow Organic Potting Mix. I use Just Natural Organic Potting Soil sold at Lowes. Just be sure it says Organic.

Low nutrient levels will not prevent algae. Many times people run their lighting too long which is a major cause of algae. Algae is caused from an imbalance between lighting, CO2, and ferts. Plus different types of algae often have different reasons for growing in our tanks.

As for the Walstad method are you wanting to do a true Walstad tank or are you wanting a dirted tank. There is a difference. If you want a true Walstad tank then you need to follow her directions. I've been doing dirted tanks for years with my biggest right now being a 220g 100% planted. The dirted tank is high light with CO2 and daily dosing of dry ferts. There are many ways to run a dirted tank with either running them as any other planted tank or doing a true Walstad tank which follows certain guidelines for light, filtration, stocking levels, etc.

 

[Brilliant_Barbs_21]

You can use any Organic Potting Soil. Many people use Miracle Grow Organic Potting Mix. I use Just Natural Organic Potting Soil sold at Lowes. Just be sure it says Organic. Low nutrient levels will not prevent algae. Many times people run their lighting too long which is a major cause of algae. Algae is caused from an imbalance between lighting, CO2, and ferts. Plus different types of algae often have different reasons for growing in our tanks. As for the Walstad method are you wanting to do a true Walstad tank or are you wanting a dirted tank. There is a difference. If you want a true Walstad tank then you need to follow her directions. I've been doing dirted tanks for years with my biggest right now being a 220g 100% planted. The dirted tank is high light with CO2 and daily dosing of dry ferts. There are many ways to run a dirted tank with either running them as any other planted tank or doing a true Walstad tank which follows certain guidelines for light, filtration, stocking levels, etc.

Yeah true about the algae. And about the dirted tanks, I love them. IMO, it's better to pick and choose some things from the true walstad method instead of doing it pure. But it's preference there.

To Rivercats- lol you seem to know everything. I feel like a newbie when I'm in a thread with you

 

[Rivercats]

Yeah true about the algae. And about the dirted tanks, I love them. IMO, it's better to pick and choose some things from the true walstad method instead of doing it pure. But it's preference there.

To Rivercats- lol you seem to know everything. I feel like a newbie when I'm in a thread with you

Well I watched my dad in the 50's and 60's who was doing something similar to Walstad and I've been in the hobby since the 70's. So I'm old... lol... and have a lot of hands on experience.

 

[purestar]

Thank you both for your advice. It is so nice to be able to tap into other people's experience. Mine will be a low tech setup. I thought soil and clay might provide more nutrient than just gravel with fert tabs (which is what I'm currently doing in my first tank).

How deep should I go with the soil and sand? Any prep that you do before setup?

I do plan to plant quite heavily...

 

[GodFan]

I am also interested as I intend to run my new setup as a walstad/normal dirted hybrid.

 

[Rivercats]

Thank you both for your advice. It is so nice to be able to tap into other people's experience. Mine will be a low tech setup. I thought soil and clay might provide more nutrient than just gravel with fert tabs (which is what I'm currently doing in my first tank).

How deep should I go with the soil and sand? Any prep that you do before setup?

I do plan to plant quite heavily...

For a small tank I only do an inch of dirt and an inch of cap. Otherwise I do 1-1/2" of dirt to 1-1/2" of cap which is my preferred depth. Only in my 220 did I do 2 and 2 inches.

I don't do any prep work except pick out really big chunks from the soil. Many like to sift the soil and not have any chunks but I like having the slower breaking down of chunks.

 

[aqua_chem]

The original walstad method didn't include a filter, but she later said that they would be beneficial for circulation/backup. In the end, the walstad system isn't dependent on not having a filter, but rather is designed to circumvent it as much as possible. In my opinion, it's most appropriate for small tanks like bowls where having a filter isn't as practical as, say, a 20H or 29.

 

[purestar]

Hi again,

Well, I seem to be having trouble locating organic potting soil, if you can believe it. None of the hardware stores carries the organic version of miracle grow, and the closest thing they have is a brand which includes perlite. I am concerned this may float around or get stuck inside my filter... ??

I called my local garden centre and they also don't have any organic potting soil this time of year (must be a Canadian thing?!), but they do have an "aquatic" soil made for ponds, which is made from lake sediment and sand and supposedly safe for fish. She described it as a very dense/heavy soil which wouldn't float. Would this be good for my tank or should I stick with the perlite organic soil?

Any advice, appreciated!

 

[Rivercats]

You don't want the one with perlite as it will float if it escapes from under the cap layer. I honestly don't know about the pond soil. Is ordering the Miracle Grow Organic potting mix out of the question? It might be the way to go.

 

[bshenanagins]

I have heard of using pond soil but I'm sure there are impurities within it. I'd go with Rivercats on this and try to buy some stuff onljne so you know what your getting.

 

[purestar]

Update on my dirted tank

Well, I finally found some organic miracle grow... first obstacle overcome Added some red clay and calcium carbonate (due to soft water) And I rinsed my play sand for what felt like hours. I think it's too fine a grain. Set up in the tank looked pretty decent when I filled it with water the first time. But then I really messed up when I drained and refilled it (trying to get the water clearer). My siphon dropped and uncovered the soil and when I tried to fix this, I unearthed even more soil... Aaaack! You can imagine the rest. I now have a brown soup of a mess and I'm not sure how to get rid of the soil now all over the top of my sand, other than to add more sand over this. But I don't want to add too much because I heard that toxic gases can buildup. Dirting is a lot tougher than I thought and I haven't even added my plants yet. I can only hope that water changes and more sand will help. I'm afraid to turn my filter on for fear of clogging it at this point.

 

[Blos85]

I dont know if you strained it or soaked it before you added ot to the tank or not but based on my experience my first tank i added dry and capped with gravel...i noticed that everytime i added a new plant anytime i exposed the soil it exploded into my water. I experimented with the second tank and soaked the dirt prior to adding and it improved. Theory is that the dirt was not completely soaked and it floated onces exposed. I strained the dirt from a tip from someone on here to find that miracle grow organic mix is at least 30% wood chips! Anyhow i soak it also and that never happened to me again. Just a tip. I would just do multiple changes trying to suck up and strain off all you can you may not get it perfect but you should be able to get it close.
Try not to get discouraged dirted tanks arent bad at all but can be messy. A lot of people on here use polyfil in there filter which will keep your filter cost down