Walstad method attempt- advice?

[brennae]

Hello, I just aquired 2 free 10g aquariums that I want to use the Walstad method with. I've been reading up on it, but I wondered if anyone who has tried this has any tips. One tank will be for a large female Betta and the other I am not sure yet.
Thanks in advance!

 

[aquaponicpaw]

A 10 gal. Betta tank would be awesome.My reccomenadation After adding plants would be: get a small colony of snails and other possible inverts established first. Then add the Betta.

 

[MickeyA]

Hello, I just aquired 2 free 10g aquariums that I want to use the Walstad method with. I've been reading up on it, but I wondered if anyone who has tried this has any tips. One tank will be for a large female Betta and the other I am not sure yet.
Thanks in advance!

Well the walstead method will work with almost any size tank tank because well stated in her book it doesnt eliminate tank maintenance but minimizes it and with lower volumes of water it requires more maintenance id focus on getting your plants stable first to take care of any melting or what not before lifestock is introduced or get some duckweed or java moss to control algea and the cycling but if you have any vals dont bother with the duckweed vals will kill off the duckweed

 

[FishontheRock]

if you have any vals dont bother with the duckweed vals will kill off the duckweed

Why are vallisneria and duckweed incompatible? I've never heard this before and I haven't been able to find a source for it.

 

[aqua_chem]

Why are vallisneria and duckweed incompatible? I've never heard this before and I haven't been able to find a source for it.

Me neither.....

 

[MickeyA]

Me neither.....

Look under her section allelopathy vals inhibbit the growth of duckweed by releasing chems into the water which causes the duckweed to slowly die off

 

[aqua_chem]

There have been some claims of allelopathy in the past, but most of them have been debunked in the last decade. I've never heard of the one you're describing, but I've seen tanks inundated with duckweed and growing vals well. If vals did kill duckweed, duckweed wouldn't be nearly the pest that it is today.

 

[MickeyA]

There have been some claims of allelopathy in the past, but most of them have been debunked in the last decade. I've never heard of the one you're describing, but I've seen tanks inundated with duckweed and growing vals well. If vals did kill duckweed, duckweed wouldn't be nearly the pest that it is today.

Mrjoegecko has a video called explaining the walstead method part 3 and he had the same occurance where his vals killed off his duckweed check it out a good series too for trying out the walstead method