Walstad Tank

I've been doing a little research on Walstad tanks. They look pretty easy to set up, so I am thinking about making the switch. I have a 35 hex with the following fish: red shiners(6), darters(5), southern red bellied dace(1), common shiner(1), brook sticklebacks(2). To do this I would need to temporarily transplant the fish to a bucket with an air stone for a while. I have an established sponge filter in the tank, so I am not too worried about a nitrite spike during the changeover.

Wise idea? Ok idea? Run away fast?

The next aquarium I plan to put together will be Walstad style. If you're serious, I highly recommend buying a copy of her book Ecology of the Natural Aquarium. It is technical and kind of a dry read, but it explains the how's and why's of keeping an aquarium using her method and how little maintenance they can be. If you look around Amazon or ABEBooks.com, you can find a copy for something like $35 delivered. Also...if you want to converse with Diane, she sometimes visits the Aquatic Plant Central El Natural forum.

Therefore no, I don't think its a terrible idea.

I have two Walstad tanks sitting right next to me and one set up at home waiting for the summer. It's really a great, natural-looking, stable way to keep fish, and I think it's especially fitting for NA natives because it can look so organic (though you can do some impressive things in the way of aquascaping if you work at it).

Do you have any nitrate problems with these? I tried this setup once in a 50 gallon and I couldn't keep the nitrates down. My nitrate test kit showed colors no where near anything on the chart even after water changes and chemicals. After two months my fish ended up getting velvet and a bad case of scratching and labored breathing and all perished. If that wasn't bad, the cleanup was a nightmare - my room smelled like I was hip deep in creek muck for days.
I would like to try it again but I'm not sure what I did wrong the first time.

Do you have any nitrate problems with these? I tried this setup once in a 75 gallon and I couldn't keep the nitrates down. My nitrate test kit showed colors no where near anything on the chart even after water changes and chemicals. After two months my fish ended up getting velvet and a bad case of scratching and labored breathing and all perished. If that wasn't bad, the cleanup was a nightmare - my room smelled like I was hip deep in creek muck for days.
I would like to try it again but I'm not sure what I did wrong the first time.

Well the issue is that nitrates actually aren't nearly as toxic as nitrites or ammonia, so I've never even deliberately tested for them. For these tanks it seems like you really have to put faith in the soil. I don't do water changes and the only chemicals I have used are a dechlorinator and a parasite medication (1 dose). Many medications contain heavy metals, which are actually toxic to fish (though it's often only invertebrates that they will kill) and are the elements which you are trying to eliminate through plant growth. One important thing (as far as I can tell) that can be the difference between a smelly, mucky tank and a relatively clear one is the depth of the soil and gravel. Too deep and the anaerobic reactions at the bottom produce all sorts of weird gases and odd looking growths take root in your gravel. If you haven't read Ecology of the Planted Aquarium I second the recommendation. I thought that even the dry parts about water chemistry were pretty interesting.

Do you have any nitrate problems with these? I tried this setup once in a 75 gallon and I couldn't keep the nitrates down. My nitrate test kit showed colors no where near anything on the chart even after water changes and chemicals. After two months my fish ended up getting velvet and a bad case of scratching and labored breathing and all perished. If that wasn't bad, the cleanup was a nightmare - my room smelled like I was hip deep in creek muck for days.
I would like to try it again but I'm not sure what I did wrong the first time.

did you have good plant growth?

I would think that with proper lighting, plant growth should be only slightly less than with a hight tech, co2 inj tank

I would love to know how many watts/gal you had in light, and also how heavily planted was the tank?

That was my first time ever seeing more than 50 ppm and it kinda scared me so I scurried out and bought some amquel.
I had an inch of soil in the back 3/4 of the tank covered with sand then gravel. I was kind of leaning towards something in the soil. It was some off brand soil I wasn't familiar with, with a lot of woody debris n such...it was the only thing I could find in the dead of winter.
Funny you mentioned that book cause that's where I got the idea.

did you have good plant growth?

I would think that with proper lighting, plant growth should be only slightly less than with a hight tech, co2 inj tank

I would love to know how many watts/gal you had in light, and also how heavily planted was the tank?

Here's the exact setup now turned into a tropical without the soil after thinning out the val. That's about what it looked like when first set up Walstad style with exception to the anubias and java fern which has filled out a bit.
It's got a fixture with 2 40watt compact fluorescent bulbs.

wow that looks great

The problem is in the val. I doesn't want to grow that whole 3 feet unless I add some ferts but when I do, even a wee bit I get spirogira all over the top 4 inches of val and it bugs me to death. The original plan was to grow a jungle and use the soil as the main fertilizer to keep it out of the water column and compliment it with added ferts if needed.

That tank DOES look nice. It certainly looks a lot better than my own Walstad tank. Mine is certainly low-maintenance, in that all I ever do is add water to replace what evaporates. That's probably a big part of my problem, eh? Anyway, my tank isn't a pretty garden like yours, but a thick aquatic jungle of mostly amazon swords and javamoss. The plants are doing fine, and there isn't the first hint of algae to be found. I do have too many snails, and their shells are too soft since the water is too soft for them, but otherwise this is a perfect Elassoma tank if ever there was one. The tiny live foods population is very abundant, so the fish are swimming in a buffet while simultaneously enjoying crystal clear water. All in all, I can only recommend that everyone give this type of tank a try sometime. ( just don't be as lazy with it as I am )

I have had tropical freshwater and marine tanks. I got to the point where I could not put the time, money needed into the hobby so I went with a Walstad set up using only locally collected plants and fish. Only the tank/stand, lights, and filter are store bought. The collecting trips make for a great family outing and my kids have a ball. The tank has been up for almost a year and is the most successful aquarium I have ever had with very little work involved. I have not lost any fish so far and the plants are doing great. The only algae is a very light coating on the glass that I wipe away every week or two. There is almost no algae growing on the plants, wood, rocks. A while back the plants were not growing well and I started getting some algae growth so I went against all conventional wisdom and increased the food I put into the tank, Conditions in the tank actually quickly improved. I change about 25% of the water every 3 months or so. Mostly out of guilt. I probably don't need to. The main chores are feeding and watching. If you are looking for a very low maintenace aquarium, in my opinion this is a perfect set up. At the beginning it is hard to break old maintenance habits, but things will go much better if just left alone.

I packed in non-fertilized soil, some gravel on that, lots of plants and two compact fluorescent lights in my 20L. I've had the tank for maybe 10 months or so and haven't done one water change and I don't use salt or chemicals at all (I replace evaporated water when needed). I have no ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates no matter how much food or fish I put in there. I am a believer for sure.

I ordered Diana Walstads book tonight. Should be here in about a week. Can't wait to get it, read it, find someone to translate all the scietific stuff, and switch my tank over.

So, nobody is doing Amano tanks?

Keep in mind that if you like a pristine tank and enjoy the tinkering this may not be for you. The filter is used mainly to provide circulation and heavy mechanical filter media is not recommended. Only clean when things are clogging. Carbon use is not recommended. The plants use up ammonia so biological filtration such as bio wheels, etc. should not be used. The waste products provide the plant fertilizer and slower growth is prefered (no CO2 injecters, added ferts). The tank will be more like a natural lake setting so crystal clear water may not be the case. But, if you are looking for a tank you can set up, sit back and enjoy this really works great. This is letting nature take care of itself.

So, nobody is doing Amano tanks?

Nah, they're a pain in the butt. All that work and they really are only sustainable for a couple of months, tops. Lovely, but I like to spend my time watching the fish, not obsessing over the plants.

Keep in mind that if you like a pristine tank and enjoy the tinkering this may not be for you. The filter is used mainly to provide circulation and heavy mechanical filter media is not recommended. Only clean when things are clogging. Carbon use is not recommended. The plants use up ammonia so biological filtration such as bio wheels, etc. should not be used. The waste products provide the plant fertilizer and slower growth is prefered (no CO2 injecters, added ferts). The tank will be more like a natural lake setting so crystal clear water may not be the case. But, if you are looking for a tank you can set up, sit back and enjoy this really works great. This is letting nature take care of itself.

I have enough tanks that i have to keep pristine with 40% water changes twice a week. I keep African Cichlids which require perfect water for spawning. Just sand and rocks in the tanks. This will be a great change of pace for a tank for me.

Anyone have some pics of theirs to share?

My book was delivered today. Are there any cliffs notes?

Very interesting, but it has been 20 years since high school biology and chemistry. Avoided both subjects in college. I'm on chapter 4 and will have it finished by the end of the week. So far a lot of great info on chemical and biological processes, but I'm still waiting for the real good stuff.......how to set up the tank.