20 replies to this topic

[dori]

Has anyone tried this before, i am thinking of giving it a shot.

[Brett]

I have dabbled with it for about 10 years, more out of laziness than a deliberate strategy.

Were there any particular aspects you had questions about?

Cheers
Brett

[dori]

hey brett thanks for the reply.

I have a few questions:
- So basically i just go to bunnings and buy compost or mulch, add it in my tank (5L nano tank), rinse the mulch/compost until the water is clear
then add gravel/rocks on top of it (1 inch of mulch to 1 inch of gravel/rocks) , also do i need to add anything else, like clay?
- Then once thats all done and the water is clear, i just chuck in some plants?
- Do i need to do water changes?
- Is diy co2 needed?
- will any type of plants be okay?
- obviously i will supply lighting but will a filter be needed?

basically what i want to do is turn my cookie jar i found into a heavily planted tank.

Thank you for your help

[Anka]

Hi Dori,

Do you have her book?

Send me your email address in a PM and I might be able to email you an illegal a copy.

[Bowdy]

Question. Wouldn't rinsing mulch till water runs clear east out any goodness in it. All your left with is wood chips and dirt. What's the benefit in that.

[Kleinz]

Still an organic matrix for the roots to develop in, and while the fines are washed out, it would not be worthless nutritionally.

[Brett]

So basically i just go to bunnings and buy compost or mulch

Don't put any compost or mulch in your tank. Walstad uses various soil mixtures. There is a BIG difference.

Do i need to do water changes?

Yes, depending on fish load. Generally water changes are less of an issue, but you will always need to do some.

Is diy co2 needed?

Depends what sort of plants you want to grow

will any type of plants be okay?

The plants you can grow depends on the lighting, fertiliser regime, water hardness, etc , etc. Not so much on the method used.

- obviously i will supply lighting but will a filter be needed?

Usually you will need some sort of water circulation

Walstad is not any easy care method for beginners, it requires careful balance of nutrients, plant volumes and inhabitants.

Good luck
Brett

[dori]

hey brett thanks for the reply, what type of soil do you use for the substrate? I'm reading her PDF file and she just says to use non-fertile based potting mix

[Anka]

Hi Dori,

I'll send you that document when I get home from work.

It should help

It's 17mb so I might have to chop it into pieces and send via several emails.

Cheers,

Andrew

[dori]

Thanks andrew, i just spent $15 on some soil substrates but now looking at it, and doing some extra research i dont think it was the best decision.
By the way have you heard of 'RichGro' aquatic planting mix? I think it's used for ponds, it's white and stoney, do you think this will work? i think its used for outside ponds

[Brett]

I'm reading her PDF file and she just says to use non-fertile based potting mix

I am not sure what she means by that. Some countries have soil based potting mixes, but in Perth you just get potting mixes with no soil at all in them.

'RichGro' aquatic planting mix

Most of these products contain fertilisers and are designed for growing water lilies. They produce large ammonia spikes in aquariums, which probably don't hurt the plants but will kill all other inhabitants. I have no experience with the Richgro brand, but would test it first.

what type of soil do you use for the substrate

Have dabbled with lots over the years. My base soil is the subsoil from the Gosnells area (it is a heavy red clay), I use this because it is where my parents live.
Any soil runs the risk of being contaminated, this is the main concern. I mix it with gravel, as time goes on I have tended to use less soil and more gravel, probably one part soil to 3 parts gravel. There is little or no nutrition in the soil, just the micronutrients.
This link is a relatively simple recipe and seems to work.

Having said all that, if you are just using a small quantity like in a nano, I would probably recommend using a proprietary aquarium substrate. It is a lot simpler.

Cheers
Brett

[dori]

Thanks for the reply brett, appreciate it.

for a plant-only aquarium do you think i can use potting mix ones that contain fertilizers in them? sorry for noobie question

[Anka]

Hi Dori,

Where do you live?

If you are close you can have some of my unused ADA New Amazonia soil. If you are only after a small amount I can give it to you for free.

It's usually $75 per 9 litres and is the best on the market (in many people's opinions).

Let me know.

Andrew

[Anka]

Also, to get you into the hobby I can give you my copy of Back to Nature: Guide to Nano Aquaria Click here for info.

I can also give you a couple dino dung pellets. Google aquagreen for details.

Edited by Anka, 03 January 2013 - 05:08 PM.

[Bowdy]

The soil substrate you just bought what is it ??

[dori]

potting mix (contains slow release fertilizers) and some Richgro aquaria potting mix

[Bowdy]

Why not just save all the hassle and buy some planted aquarium substrate. Put some dino dung in there and your good to go.

[dori]

I guess i am trying to make it cheap as possible for a low-tech tank, or am i over-doing it?

Edited by dori, 03 January 2013 - 07:32 PM.

[Brett]

My advice to people starting out in planted tanks, particularly nano's, is to use a planted aquarium substrate.
It takes all the guess work out of it and you are much less likely to fail.
Perhaps take Andrew up on his offer if you can not afford the small cost of that much substrate.
However, compared to the cost of the plants, lighting, tank, etc the substrate cost for a nano is not that great and you will be able to use it forever.

What I really hate to see is people new to the hobby failing and giving up.
It is not hard to have a beautiful planted tank, but you don't always get it right the first time. Using a planted aquarium substrate reduces the risk of ending up with an ugly algea garden (and we have all had that happen from time to time).

You can have terrific low tech, low maintenance planted tanks, but it requires careful plant selection and low stocking rates of critters.
I have a tank like this at work, people often ask me if the plants are real, do I spend a lot of time cleaning it (it always looks clean), where are the fish (because they are small and hide a lot). This tank has no ferts other than the fish food, I clean it once every three months when I change 20 % of the water, wipe the front glass and rinse out half the filter sponge. That's it , nothing else and it has been running for over 5 years now.

Hang on to the dream, just don't make it any harder than it has to be

Cheers
Brett

[dori]

Hey Brett thanks for the advice, maybe you are right, simple the better.

I do plan on getting a much larger aquarium in a couple of months and i want to make it a 'dirt tank', so initially i wanted to try and see if i could
do it on a nano sized tank and learn from the mistakes i make from there.

Also with your nano tank at work, is it possible to run it without a filter and heater and what type of plants do you have in them?

Have you ever used 'Mircale-Gro Organic Choice potting mix' before? just noticed they sell it at bunnings, its the one diana uses i think.

thanks for the help brett, appreciate it