New Walstad setup in the works

[Boet]

I will be using mineralized top soil with dolomite and potash underlay and gravel cap. The tank is 36x18 and once substrate in place the Finnex Planted Plus 36 inch fixture will be 17 inches from substrate and will sit directly on new glass top. My tap water comes from a personal well (Alaska) and is naturally soft with PH 6.8" GH 3.0 and KH is low as well but can't remember parameter

Plants:

1 x Anubias hastifolia
1 x Anubias 'Coin Leaf'
1 x Cardamine lyrata
2 x Cryptocoryne lutea
5 x Ludwigia alata
1 x Echinodorus 'Ozelot'
1 x Banana Plant LRG
1 x Erect Moss
1 x Hygro Blue Willow
3 x Microsword/ Copragrass Matt
1 x Cryptocoryne wendtii Red
1 x Dwarf Aquarium Lily
1 x Hydrocotyle verticellata
1 x Bacoba rotundifolia
15 x marsilea minuta

SubTropical Fish
(6) Barb - Red Glass - Pethia conchonius
(12) Golden White Cloud Minnow - Tanichthys albonubes
(7) Peppered Corydoras - Corydoras paleatus

I am thinking about cherry or Amano shrimp but not sure yet. I have one Amano left in a 20 long setup that is going on 6 years old. And also possible oto cats but not sure they can handle 72 temps. I will have a heater but it will be set to 72 so it doesn't drop lower on cold winter nights.

Here is a pic of the tank and the mineralized soil is still in bags underneath. I am waiting on the plants to arrive. This will be my last tank and I wanted low maintenance. I have a soft spot for the minnows

 

[Boet]

Forgot initial picture hmmm, guess I can't add a screenshot?

 

[tiger terror]

Forgot initial picture hmmm, guess I can't add a screenshot?

You can use Imgur to paste pics..

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[Boet]

What is Imgur Tiger Terror?

 

[Mebbid]

What is Imgur Tiger Terror?

Image hosting website

 

[tiger terror]

What is Imgur Tiger Terror?

There's mobile app available in the play store which works very well..

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[Nils]

This will be my last tank and I wanted low maintenance. I have a soft spot for the minnows

What do you mean "last tank"?

 

[Hooked on Fish]

Hi Boet,

I've had a Walstad style tank going for a little over 5 months now. So far pleased with the results. I've deviated slightly from the Walstad method in that I do a weekly 10% water change, have a reasonably heavy fish load, use a daily dose of Glutaraldehyde and every few days add about half the recommended dose of a flocculating agent to keep the water clear. You'll notice in the back left-hand corner of the tank I run a secondary filter filled with polyester fiber (pillow stuffing). Combined these help keep the DOC in check. Anyway the plants are growing well requiring a weekly prune.

For substrate I used a mix consisting of about 3/4 of a 25 litre bag Miracle-Gro Organic Choice garden compost (compost with no fertilizer), with about half of that again in volume of river sand and a 1 kg bag of Trill Shell grit (to help neutralize the acidification of the organic matter and to act as a slow release source of CO2). One change I would make when I do it next time is reduce the amount of shell grit by half. The shell grit is buffering the water holding the pH level between 7.2-7.4. I'd prefer to be around 7.0.

I hope to soon set up another tank with ordinary garden soil. In fact I have it soaking in a tub for a few weeks to avoid the cycling issues occurring in the tank.

 

[Kunthan]

Looks Great!!!

 

[Brookster123]

Hi Boet,

I've had a Walstad style tank going for a little over 5 months now. So far pleased with the results. I've deviated slightly from the Walstad method in that I do a weekly 10% water change, have a reasonably heavy fish load, use a daily dose of Glutaraldehyde and every few days add about half the recommended dose of a flocculating agent to keep the water clear. You'll notice in the back left-hand corner of the tank I run a secondary filter filled with polyester fiber (pillow stuffing). Combined these help keep the DOC in check. Anyway the plants are growing well requiring a weekly prune.

For substrate I used a mix consisting of about 3/4 of a 25 litre bag Miracle-Gro Organic Choice garden compost (compost with no fertilizer), with about half of that again in volume of river sand and a 1 kg bag of Trill Shell grit (to help neutralize the acidification of the organic matter and to act as a slow release source of CO2). One change I would make when I do it next time is reduce the amount of shell grit by half. The shell grit is buffering the water holding the pH level between 7.2-7.4. I'd prefer to be around 7.0.

I hope to soon set up another tank with ordinary garden soil. In fact I have it soaking in a tub for a few weeks to avoid the cycling issues occurring in the tank.

I'm no expert in the matter, filtration, dosing and wc's seem to be a standard low tech planted tank??

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[Caliban07]

I'm no expert in the matter, filtration, dosing and wc's seem to be a standard low tech planted tank??

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Not that it really matters but I would have to agree with this.

Having said that. (If you bother to actually read the book, which most people who comment on the subject hasn't) Walstad does advocate the use of glut in some of her tanks and also changes water every 6 weeks.

Her substrates are kept at 2 inches with 1 inch standard/organic soil and a 1 inch cap of your choice which is either gravel or sand. She also mentions the use of floss 'if the hobbyist prefers' but I wouldn't say the floss in itself keeps DOC in check unless it's changed quite frequently.

So to summarise:

True Walstad would be

1) soil with no additional ferts capped with small/medium sized gravel and sand

2) water change of about 40% every 6 weeks including evaporation top offs

3) no filtration.

4) a hypotheses of 0 need for fert and carbon dosing but does mention glut.

Op I'm looking forward to seeing how your wasted style comes along.

HOF: your variation on walstad's methods have served you well. Lovely tank.


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[Boet]

Your tank is beautiful Hooked On Fish I am thinking of adding a bit more buffer but don't plan on filter other then gentle circular water movement. Initially anyway I did purchase a Powerhead with a quick filter attachment to assist polishing the water as needed and/or just to add water movement. What light do you have on your Walstad?

Nils, this will be my last tank as I have back problems and it was time to cut down to one I am happy with going back to my original fish (white cloud minnows and peppered Corydoras that I started this hobby with (minus the Discus in the 80's) and a subtropical Oh, I do have a 1.5 gal nano Walstad with cherry shrimp in my office and who knows lol

 

[Boet]

Not that it really matters but I would have to agree with this.

Having said that. (If you bother to actually read the book, which most people who comment on the subject hasn't) Walstad does advocate the use of glut in some of her tanks and also changes water every 6 weeks.

Her substrates are kept at 2 inches with 1 inch standard/organic soil and a 1 inch cap of your choice which is either gravel or sand. She also mentions the use of floss 'if the hobbyist prefers' but I wouldn't say the floss in itself keeps DOC in check unless it's changed quite frequently.

So to summarise:

True Walstad would be

1) soil with no additional ferts capped with small/medium sized gravel and sand

2) water change of about 40% every 6 weeks including evaporation top offs

3) no filtration.

4) a hypotheses of 0 need for fert and carbon dosing but does mention glut.

Op I'm looking forward to seeing how your wasted style comes along.

HOF: your variation on walstad's methods have served you well. Lovely tank.


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I have the print and digital editions of Walstad's book I don't know how many times I have read and skimmed and read again, it is dog eared. I have to say you have me running back to it lol as I don't remember 6 week w/c but even so top off and 10% isn't much. Thank you Caliban07 once I figure out the photo attachment I will post progress.

 

[Caliban07]

I have the print and digital editions of Walstad's book I don't know how many times I have read and skimmed and read again, it is dog eared. I have to say you have me running back to it lol as I don't remember 6 week w/c but even so top off and 10% isn't much. Thank you Caliban07 once I figure out the photo attachment I will post progress.

Lol boet I meant months not weeks sorry. It's sure in there somewhere.


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[Boet]

ROFL

 

[Hooked on Fish]

Yep my tank is definitely a low tech setup (but that is exactly what Diana Walstad calls her method). Agree that filtration doesn't rate highly in her book but then her tanks are only lightly stocked. I figured that as I already owned an Aqua One Nautilus 2700UVC I might as well use it. A large biological filter while not particularly helpful to the plants (as aquatic plants make better use of ammonia than nitrates) does allow me have more fish.

Personally I really don't think it matters if you bend the rules a bit on this. Use whatever works for you in your setup. The tank and filter was originally intended for African Cichlids and is probably too deep for planted. For me this was just a bit of an experiment to see if I could get plants to grow better short of going high tech. Not that I have anything against high tech but I would like to get a more suitable tank first. I do have an old AquaNano 40 liter that I intend setting up using ordinary garden soil and trying it exactly as the book says, but I confess to being nervous about doing so. Anyway you'll never know unless you give it a go.

 

[Hooked on Fish]

Your tank is beautiful Hooked On Fish I am thinking of adding a bit more buffer but don't plan on filter other then gentle circular water movement. Initially anyway I did purchase a Powerhead with a quick filter attachment to assist polishing the water as needed and/or just to add water movement. What light do you have on your Walstad?

Nils, this will be my last tank as I have back problems and it was time to cut down to one I am happy with going back to my original fish (white cloud minnows and peppered Corydoras that I started this hobby with (minus the Discus in the 80's) and a subtropical Oh, I do have a 1.5 gal nano Walstad with cherry shrimp in my office and who knows lol

Forgot to answer your lighting question. I use 2 x Aqua One PlantGlo LED lighting. The plants seem to like it and its cheap to run. I have the lights on a siesta lighting schedule (5 hours on, 4 hours off, followed by 5 hours on again). Between that and a daily dose of glut the algae is kept in check.

 

[Boet]

Thank you HOF I will be doing the mid day Siesta as well.

 

[Boet]

There's mobile app available in the play store which works very well..

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I don't use play store? Something I can use from iPad?