# Going Walstad again



## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

This week I'm setting up a 10 gallon in my room. I don't know what kind of fish I want yet, but it'll be something I've never yet tried, probably one of the newly discovered so-called "nano-fishes."

Anyway, this one is going to be another Walstad type tank, with a real dirt substrate and gobs of live plants. A thin layer of sand coats the dirt to keep it in place.
I had crappy "dirt" last time that was really wood mulch, and I hated the results. This time I have much better dirt that is really dirt, so I expect much better results this time. The time before the wood mulch I used real dirt and the tank worked great for three years.

The tank currently has 1.5 inches of wet soggy dirt in it, and I ordered the plants yesterday, enough to fill it slam-full. Next week they'll get here, and the fun can begin.
I'll hold off posting any pics until it's up and running.

In other news, I have seven big tanks set up and running in my shop now, and 23 more to come. I must be crazy, but it looks like I'm resurrecting my old fish store this year, despite having sworn I'd never make that mistake again.
Hi my name is TOS, and I'm a fishaholic...


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

Sounds fun!



TheOldSalt said:


> Hi my name is TOS, and I'm a fishaholic...


HI TOS!


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Well, the plants I ordered took a wrong turn somewhere and wound up in Indianapolis for a couple of days before finally making their way down here to me in Alabama, but they finally arrived and are in okay shape.
Today i planted the tank. I had to add more dirt because it wasn't deep enough, and then the top coat of sand is also a full inch deep. This dirt is much soggier than the stuff I used last time, so it absorbed the sand as fast as I could add it for quite a while. anyway, while know I'm gonna have problems with H2S buildup someday, for now things look pretty good.
The back and ends of the tank are densely planted, while the from is clear. The fishies should be able to find a good spot to feel comfy in this tank. The water is still very cloudy, but I added two sponge filters, so in a few days things should be clear. I'll hold of on pics until then. I might wind up having to replant some things in better spots, though; I don't think I really like how it turned out now that it has water in it.

I still don't know what fish I'll get. I'll get the tank stabilized and ready and let it's final water chemistry decide for me.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Well, after letting it settle and filter for awhile, I finally made a massive 70% water change. finally the tank is clean and clear, and it looks pretty good. The bioslime covering the sand has finally grown enough to keep the water insulated from it and thusly clear. Until that happens, having a dirt floor in a tank can be a murky proposition.

Some of the plants didn't make it, but others did, and I added some more from another source as well.
After letting it run a week like this, today I added 8 Vietnam Whiteclouds, Tanichthys micagemmae. They aren't going to remain in this tank, though.
Plants can carry ick quite easily, you see, and since I knew nothing about the tanks from which these plants came, I have to assume that ick may be in the tank. I know full well that my whiteclouds are spotless, so I dumped them in the tank to see if they get infected. If they remain just fine for a couple of weeks, then I'll declare the tank safe and finally order the fish I really want... whatever they turn out to be.

I would really like some Neolebias ansorgei, or some weitzmani tetras, but I'd settle just as quick for some Ruby tetras, Drapefin barbs, some Sawbwa resplendens, or a few Microrasboras. Heck, I might even go with some Aphyosemion type killies. I dunno. The tank's pH is in flux, so I'll have to let the final outcome of that be the deciding factor.


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## Mikaila31 (Nov 29, 2009)

sounds like its progressing nicely. I agree with the wetizmani tetras, I think they are cool. Unfortunately I don't think they would like my water I'm a fan of micro rasboras, but all I have are 3 sparrow rasboras.


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## Corwin (May 23, 2010)

sounds like its progressing well  im intrigued and want to see what fish this tank ends with


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

Plants can carry Ich, but how long will the parasite remain viable w/out a host? 
Won't the pH tend to go acidic over time? I've never done a Walstad setup, but I don't imagine it would be immune to old tank syndrome, particularly since you won't be siphoning the substrate to remove organic debris from the sand layer.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

That's the thing about a Walstad vs a regular planted tank. If done right, a Walstad will not experience the pH drop you'd expect. The plants and their roots will be able to keep everything supplied with enough oxygen to keep the ORP/REDOX of the tank stable, and they absorb the nitrogen compounds which lower the pH. The catch is that you need a lot of plant mass, so it can't look like a pretty Amano-style garden. The plants themselves are used to bind excess nutrients, and they are pruned regularly for the export of those.

As for the ick, they can survive without a host for quite an annoyingly long time. Two entire months isn't unheard-of. Adding these fish should force them to reveal themselves a lot faster than that, though, especially since they got the quick grab-n-plop method of introduction without acclimation and should thusly be as susceptible as possible.

The last one of these I did, with good dirt, lasted three years before starting to get old-tank. I'd expect similar results again.


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