Walstad Method

[MewMew42]

Ive been faffing arounf for ages about my plants and thinking about CO2 and the expenses involved as well as teh maintenance, since im moving the tank will have to come down so if i re-set it up like this if at all possible

now Im trying to lean more about the Walstad Method, I know there is a book, but I just need it explaining a little really from people with experience

from what I understand you use a non fert based soil from the base, then add 1" of gravel over the top - can you put some mesh inbetween the layers so that the roots can still go down into the soil? or is tehre any point in that? i just dont want my fish to mix it all up lol, so can anyone from teh uk recommend a type of soil?

the use of filters? it will be a 125L tank using a U3, is that okay? im not sure of teh importance of filtration in this method but id rather keep it

is the plant growth good? mine are pitiful right now or would it actually be better to add some sort of co2?

any tips would be great, i dont wanna mess it up lol

 

[MewMew42]

aww its been moved i got no replies here!

 

[Truck]

Ive been faffing arounf for ages about my plants and thinking about CO2 and the expenses involved as well as teh maintenance, since im moving the tank will have to come down so if i re-set it up like this if at all possible

now Im trying to lean more about the Walstad Method, I know there is a book, but I just need it explaining a little really from people with experience

from what I understand you use a non fert based soil from the base, then add 1" of gravel over the top - can you put some mesh inbetween the layers so that the roots can still go down into the soil? or is tehre any point in that? i just dont want my fish to mix it all up lol, so can anyone from teh uk recommend a type of soil?

the use of filters? it will be a 125L tank using a U3, is that okay? im not sure of teh importance of filtration in this method but id rather keep it

is the plant growth good? mine are pitiful right now or would it actually be better to add some sort of co2?

any tips would be great, i dont wanna mess it up lol

What you need is some compost, aquatic compost would be the safest bet, covered by a few cm of sand or gravel. A U3 should be fine, should you find it a bit weedy you can always add a powerhead later on. Plant growth is slow, but good, the plants use the nutrients from the fish so no ferts or CO2 are required.

It's rather basic, the plants will use the ammonium for food, and other nutrients released from the soil, because the lighting is low, the growth is slow, so nitrogen and phosphorous etc come from the fish waste, water changes aren't really needed because the plants deal with any nitrate. No CO2 is required, just lots of plants and patience.

 

[MewMew42]

that seems rather simple thanks =]

the plant growth has gotta be better than it is now :\

would this do the job? link

 

[Truck]

Yeah, that will be fine.

 

[lljdma06]

Yeah, that will be fine.

I've split the uneccesary posts from this thread before things got too out of hand. In this section, we talk about plants, planted tanks, and algae, not spelling and grammar.

llj

 

[Jenste]

I am also very interested in the Walstad Method - - you seem to have broken it down quite nicely Truck! Thanks!

MewMew, let me know if you try it - - I am hoping to upgrade one of my tanks for my birthday, if I do I may try my hand at Walstad's method

 

[MewMew42]

Yeah, that will be fine.

I've split the uneccesary posts from this thread before things got too out of hand. In this section, we talk about plants, planted tanks, and algae, not spelling and grammar.

llj

what happened here?


just a mini update, im ordering an arcadia arc tank to try this with so it should be up and running soon =]

 

[loraxchick]

i had a Walstad tank with no compost, only gravel. worked out great! plants and fish healthy as can be. you need to select plants that can thrive in such conditions tho. no "specialized" plants (high co2 or certain trace ferts...red plants did NOT do well fyi). a great system. very very little maintenance. basically just a top off as needed.
cheers

 

[ian]

Mewmew, make sure you start a journal in the other section, it will be an interesting one to follow.