Re-introducing Myself After a Break!

H4nn4h · May 11, 2026

Hi everyone

I have come back to TFF after a long break, looking for some advice from you lovely people on what the heck to do next!

This is my tank in it's current state, half drained and in the process and being stripped back to bare bones. The occupant is one very lonely neon tetra.

I have no idea what species I want to go for this time around, but I would like the setup to be as hands-off as possible, so CO2, no filter, heavily planted. I was toying with the idea of a soil substrate, but I have never used this before. I have always used Seachem Flourite and sand in my tanks.

I would like to have a mix of bottom dwelling / clean up crew species and middle dwelling species. In the past I have had endlers, tetras, betta, shrimp and snails (not all in the same tank).

The photo below is how the tank was set up a few of years ago when I first started out, housing neon tetra, glass bloodfin tetra, shrimp and a couple of albino plecos. I loved the plecos but they create far too much waste for a low tech, hands off tank so I won't be having them in this new setup.

Any suggestions, would be greatly appreciated! For now, I am just focusing on a good water change some hardy quick growing plants to go back in until I have decided what to do with it.

CaptainBarnicles · May 11, 2026

Hello

welcome back! I wanted a hands-off tank too so I filled it with a load of cryptocoryne of all different varieties. It's a slow grower, doesn't need co2 nor a load of light so maintenance is at a minimum. At this point I've only got to clean the glass and change the water, and pick out a dead or dying leaf here and there

H4nn4h · May 11, 2026

Hi

this is exactly what I am after with this new setup. Definitely in need of a trip to me LFS for inspiration!

CaptainBarnicles · May 11, 2026

I would argue that fast growing stem plants hooked up to co2 is a high maintenance situation...but if you want to fill the tank with plants quickly, hygrophila polysperma is a nice stem plant that isn't too demanding, high light will keep it compact and turn the tips pink

WhistlingBadger · May 11, 2026

Welcome back! If you want to geek out a little bit, read up on the Walstad method. Here: I'll just copy and paste to save you the trouble of clicking on the link. But if you really want to know how it works and why, get her book "Ecology and the Planted Aquarium." It's fascinating. I read it every few years and I'm about due: Thanks for the reminder.

I've done many tanks using her philosophy, and all of my current tanks are Walstad setups, especially the 55g (see link in my signature) The goal is to replicate natural processes as closely as possible, eliminating unneeded technology so natural systems can do the work. The foundations of the method are roughly as follows:

1. Here's the big one: It's all about the plants, because they provide the filtration. If a Walstad setup has a filter at all, it is mostly to provide water circulation and possibly mechanical filtration. But the plants are doing the heavy lifting, keeping the water clean. In practical terms, that means you need a lot of plants, and you emphasize giving them what they need to be happy. This takes precedence over aesthetics (which can still be beautiful) and fish choices. The emphasis is on building a great habitat, which will in turn support the fish.

I usually start out a walstad tank with around 15 different species of plants, a mix of forms and growth rate--rooted, rhizome, stems, and especially floaters, knowing that over time some will come to dominate and others will die out. Once the plants are in and most of them are growing actively, you can go ahead and add fish and the plants will take care of the rest. Search "silent cycle" on the forum for lots of good info on getting started.

2. Fairly light stocking. I use aquadvisor.com to plan most of my initial stocking, and I find that keeping the stocking level around 80% or less works well for a Walstad tank. If you keep up on your water changes you can go a little over that.

3. Water circulation. In a small tank, say 30g of less, an airstone will give you all the water movement your plants need (note that some fish prefer or even require more movement that this, so do your research) In a really large tank like my 150g, I use a canister filter and a powerhead to really keep the water moving and avoid dead spots.

4. Soil substrate capped with sand. This is less important. The soil releases small amounts of ammonia and quite a lot of natural CO2, and provides a huge nutrient boost, all of which gives the plants a great start. It basically saves you the trouble of adding ammonia to cycle. That said, I've done a couple of Walstad tanks with just sand, no soil. It seems to work almost as well and doesn't have the risks of adding soil to your tank. As long as you have a good light, most plants don't seem to care too much.

As far as specific plants, you can use just about anything that isn't too fussy. I've had great results with crypts, java fern, willow and java mosses, fast growers like ambulia and valisneria, and floaters like frogbit and Asian floating fern. Like I said, add a ton of biodiversity to hedge your bets.

OK, that's probably more than enough for now. Keep us posted and good luck.