I watch you and Father Fish videos over and over. Learning the basic chemistry,biology,physics,botany, and ecology has inspired me to go back to school. Thank you
Great.. 8 years back you did video on walstad method and many thought you as lier... But in 2019 walstad method is so popular.. Its challenging multi million aquascape businesses and theories they created to sell their product.. Great
My 30 gallon is 4 years old now and I've not done a water change in 2 years. I top off evaporation. My water testing comes out perfect, except phosphates are a little high, tons of plants and fish are doing super. No filter, I do have a small airstone, it makes my corys happier.
Add a new fish and if it it survives then you can say everything's alright. Fish adapt to conditions of your tank over large expanses of time and everything can seem in perfect balance on the surface, but introduce a new fish and very often they die off very quickly because your system is actually far from healthy in reality, the fish you have have simply adapted to live in it
You are missing a big point here. The ENTIRE purpose of this intro is to demonstrate a successful approach to fish keeping, it is NOT an exhaustive chemistry lesson. Most people coming into the hobby barely understand cycling, forget about how much pH effects ammonia or how nitrates effects pH. And to be honest, it seems like a big deal in the beginning but after the years pass, its not as significant as you come to think. We like to think its complicated but its not. We make it that way.
I used this method in my 55 and it is awesome. The fish are healthy, the water parameters are perfect and I don't spend a ton on chemicals that non planted tanks use. also dont need to spend alot of money on high tech stuff for a planted tank.
I don't know if anyone else has tried this or mentioned it but this technique works with higher light setups as well. I use dirt, higher lighting NOTHING ELSE and it supports all sorts of colorful plants. thumbs up for the explanation!
Starting my first dirt tank tomorrow and while I feel pretty prepared your series just reinforced everything I've researched. Thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into this! It's a thorough and complete guide.
In addition, the surface area of the plants, gravel etc all act as media for bacteria, the fish tank itself is basically the filter. That's all a regular filter is in essence, surface area for bacteria to grow. Given the low stocking levels of a Walstad tank you don't need this extra area, since all the fish waste is either taken care of via bacteria within the tank or consumed directly as fertilisers by the plants.
I never read anything about the Walstad Method. But, I have a small 20 gal. tank that I keep a small filter running with no filter base in it. And it is my best tank I have running. I also had a 55 that I had with only guppies in it with a power head to keep the water moving. it ran for 3 years with 25% water changes every 30 days. and it was awesome. its now my south American cichlid tank. And its still doing fine after 6 years. This can and dose work.
I agree with you. People are so concerned with what the "right" Ph is for their fish. Captive bred fish probably have never even seen the "right" PH for themselves. My mains water is hard, with a ph 7.5, my planted tank is that as well. I add zero additives to my water, and the only variables I watch are that the PH is stable and nitrates are low. Give your fish a nice planted tank with stable water quality, they will thrive. I keep betta and Discus together, they're doing great.
Even with a gravel tank you can do this, as long as it's not overloaded and you have a ton of plants. And if you don't mess with the bacterial filtration on the filter too much. I've gone a month or two without changing the water, it's always clear, and there's a tad bit of algea growth on the glass, but otherwise the fish are healthy and eat.
The book came today.... It seems really good... and then I found this vid which is maybe the best I've found about planted tanks... Now I'm hoping I can find the rest of a series... Thanks
About to buy an 80 gallon tank and exploring possible ways to set it up. Always fun and this vid certainly was interesting. Low tech tank is what I need anyway with a busy job and not too much spare time. Thanks, very informative!
I agree with you 100% in regards to artificial water treatments. I use none, too. And, I work with sand not with gravel. I respect you and Diana and think that it's great for you to have found a way on which to keep aquaria with practically no maintenance. Because I'm in a wheelchair (brain-hemorage), I've found such a way too. It's a necessity for me if I want to keep aquaria. That's also the reason why the D. Walstad-method doesn't work for me. Because plants ask some maintenance...
i have two tanks set up this way and they are my favorite tanks. i change water once a month sometimes more and keep topping off with fresh water. i have a home made sponge filter and one flourescent tube on one tank and it rocks. nice channel i subbed
Hey! Newbie here. By happen chance, a really well informed associate at my local pet store referred me to the Walstad Method after I told him that I had taken a keen interest on aquascaping and was trying to figure out how to do it with no CO2, filters, et al. I really appreciate this video and will be following along your other parts to learn more. But this was really insightful and put me at ease with wanting to keep everything low tech.
Very true, in this case you could still use the walstad method if you ran a sump-style filtration system. You could have an overgrown forest of plants in your sump for nutrient export. This would decrease frequency/amount of water change needed. Because you have an automated system, this only changes the amount of water used, no real effort saved. BUT it keeps nitrates constantly low, your fish never have to sit in the building nitrates. This makes the tank more stable if overfeeding happens etc
I have a 20 gallon tank that has never had a problem with and never done a water change .I do have a small box filter so I have water movement in there. I started with 4 plants and now I'm taking plants out to start up other tanks. I have duck weed with 4 inches of roots
I honestly think that is a different kind of niche in the aquarium hobby for people to master. Some people like nanos, some people like to go big or go home... it's all about mastering what you find most appealing about the hobby. Finding a balance between fish and plants is just another art, another facet to explore about fishkeeping. For you, I'd say just having plants is a benefit by itself.. fish love plants, love to breed when plants are around.
Check out my latest video on how to clean out the tank. As to plants, the more the better but the key is to have some fast growing plants to help absorb the excess nutrients and out compete the algae. Eventually though, as in my 55, the slower growing plant mass becomes so large and the tank becomes so predictable, you dont need the fast growers. My 55 is almost all Anubius.
Hi what kind of power head do you have? And must I have filtration for the Walstad method? I have a 6gal tank and just planted it last week. It has a slight translucent film near the top.
Great tank, I love the 'natural', 'low tech', 'non carbon' method of keeping planted tanks. It seems counter intuitive to me to have 'natural' and 'nature' aquariums that entail pumping in gaseous CO2 (or liquid carbon supplementation), frequent (sometimes daily) fertilisation regimes and weekly water changes of ~50%. There's no denying some of these tanks look eye wateringly beautiful, but I have to question if the plants that absolutely require thse conditions to survivie are true aquatics? :)
I realize this is a 7 year old comment but I guess looking at it all now, both approaches, Walstad, or the technology heavy method, the aquatic environment can be semi recreated with either approach. Both work with the only real issue for most people being cost.
@@daicaghund3587 yeah cost is certainly a factor, maintenance time is another. I have two successful planted tanks currently - minimal algae, good plant growth. They're both non-CO2. 1 has a soil base and no filter, the other a filter and tropical substrate. It's a great hobby. Thanks for the delayed comment 🤣👍
@@davidclerkin1072 I kind of wonder though. Why wouldn't a person's native soil in their yard work for a planted tank? All the plants and trees here that are native are just fine. Certainly an Amazon sword planted in my yard wouldnt do well by itself in the summer. But one planted in native soil in a pond in my yard ? This is a question Im going to be trying to find a suitable answer to for a while. All plants while undoubtedly needing a range of nutrients, I would imagine, still need the same basic ingredients. I dont know enough about plant biology though it would seem....
I agree with all that you write. I even leave you the benefit of doubt in regards to your remarks 'a more stable water chemistry'. But, the question was: what do I gain by applying the Walstad-method? Apparently not very much (this is no effort to belittle you or D. Walstad). Plus there is the downside that it doesn't work with every fish. I keep big cichlids in big tanks (1000 - 2000 liter) and they will destroy all plant-life within one week. :(
Hi Joe, Lonesone Al here (or deltaboy38655 on FishtankTV). Going on only the above comments, I would agree with gloz2k and suggest a pouch (100 ml) of Purigen in your 55 gallon planted tank just for the aesthetic joy of water clarity. Is this compatible with the Walstead method? Well, it ain't carbon. Anyway, I am seriously enjoying your video series on the Walstead Method and continue watching.
Well, compared to a typical maintenance regime: water changes, gravel vacuuming and artificial water treatments for things like PH go out the window, and with high tech tanks additional worries around CO2 injection and ferts are also excluded so there is big difference in that respect. And you are correct in that it does impose some limitations as to the fish you keep. It requires you to "embrace" your tap water and work around it. Its just one way that works well.
One question for you: what will I gain by this Walstad-method in terms of maintenance of my aquaria? I keep aquaria 20 years and all I have to do is changing my water every week 50%. This happens fully automated, so I don't have to leave my seat for doing so. I don't use mechanical or canister filters. Algae are no problem (they only grow when there is food available). I don't vacuum my sand and it never rots. You make it sound as if aquaria are nothing but trouble, but the opposite is true.
@mbezik sometimes there is no substitute for high tech when it comes to certain plants or fish but it sounds like you got the idea, leverage what you can so that high-tech does not become such high maintenance.
Can i do this with lets say a ten gallon and twenty gallon tank and if so what would you recommend for me to do so? such as dirt, Plants, gravel, and whatever else u may think of. (will be using natural light through window)
Aquarium keeping is a hobby, I don't think its trouble at all. If you are successful in your approach then great. This is simply a more natural approach that looks to natures capabilities with plants and bacteria. I have no need to change the water, the plants filter it better than any mechanical filter you can buy in a store and I enjoy a more stable water chemistry for it.
I use this method. I used miracle grow potting soil and also placed a few pieces of dried red clay under each plant because the red an green plants love it for its high iron content...
I think D.W. mentions living in a hard water area herself. Following the ethos of the book, I think she'd say 'adapt' - 'live with it'. Keep fish that are happy in your water (she kept chiclids and rainbow fish) and she presents evidence that, although they can survive in soft water, many 'soft-water' plants do better in harder water ! The difficulty of the book has been exaggerated - it's detailed and evidence based but not 'hard'. Don't be put off - have a look at it, you might enjoy it.
In the beginning? about once a week to reduce the tannin staining since i was too lazy to boil my wood ahead of time. What type of clarity issues are you having? is it muddy? foggy/milky? it could be a bacteria bloom but some details would help.
Most fish like tannins. I understand not liking the look of it, but you may want to consider leaving it well enough alone. Bettas and gourami breeders pay money for things like indian almond leaves or alder cones in order to raise the tannin levels. With water changes the stain will fade... I think carbon works too, but I'm not the most fond of carbon. If you want to avoid adding them in the future, you can boil driftwood and such beforehand to get most of the tannins out.
nice vid, you covered the method pretty well and gave a nice summary. Though I have just one correction: base tastes bitter, not dull. As with acid, it depends on the level of it, but in general acidic = bitter, acidic = sour.
What is science, if you think about it. Its knowledge in the form of testable explanations. This book puts forth assertions and backs them with verified explanations. Sometime I think people think there should be chapters and homework at the end of the book for it to be a true science book.lol Cooking...well I would argue that cooking is the most common form of science there is. Some where between chemistry and even biology (if you are culturing yeast).
Well, whenever nature can help, I use it too. For instance: in my substrate are living snails (I don't know their name in English). The snails are nocturnal and during the day, they hide in the sand. At nighttime, they crawl out of the sand, all over my aquarium. And, it's this movement that keeps my sand healthy, year after year. So, I don't have any work, there. Since I don't use plants, I don't need natural light at all. I'm thinking to use LED-spots for my next aquarium. :)))
im up in palatka florida my water got great quality lil hard ph is at 7.2 iron is pretty low and calcium is high but easy to fix with peat. im a high tech guy but i've always liked the low tech but they don't grow lushly. have you tried cobomba or anubias ,Cryptocoryne or a Tiger Lotus?
very good vid! i use a similar method in my setup, maybe slightly more high tech but i use some of these principles, ill have to get a copy of that book
Hey Joe! i have a 30 gallons dirted aquarium but my led is gone and i want to put it in front of a window, i have a western window and a northern window. I live in Israel (climate kind of like Arizona, very hot and strong sunlight) in which window is it preferred to put the aquarium considering the heat and the light?
Evyatar Cohen the northern window would have mostly indirect light. If you have plants that do not require strong light, I'd start there. Remember that fast growing plants are key to avoiding algae taking over. They out compete algae for nutrients. With more light, you'll want to make sure you have enough plants of the right type. Be very careful of the heat, that's likely your biggest concern.
tiger lotus is a great plant i have 3 in my 30 gallon. with the tiger lotus you need a little more works every year the roots have to be trimmed maybe more. they grow so heavy they can blow out the tank belly. i've had great growth from 14W led in my 30. grows bigger under t-5 tho. led tends to make them lilly's. banana plants are fantastic under low and you can find them in any pond in florida.
Do you have to use dirt? Can you use alot of instead? The nutrients cant leach through the sand like they can in regulare fields or lakes. its not like the waste is going anywhere. as long as there are plenty of plants to clean the water whats the difference? I am just curious, would like some info. I am new to the aquarium hobby,but would love to do a few planted tanks. I cant do much with plants other than anubias or hard thick rubbery plant. i keep south and central american cichlids.
although i agree with what you said, the only problem i have with science textbooks usually have been reviewed by different scientists. That way, if you do find a mistake, they are often fairly minor. In her book, she has some major mistakes. If i recall correctly she states plants use ammonia, however it should be ammonium.
Hey joe. I've got a 90 gallon, formerly a reeftank with overflow and 30g sump. reef got too costly and Ive decided to try a planted tank in it. it's running empty for 3 days now, made sure to flush all the salt. I notice planted tank owner don't use the sump/overflow method.. is there a down side to putting a planted tank in this setup?
What kind of plants? If I have kept it, I will comment on it. The internet is full of generalized requirements like "high" and "low" which mean nothing. Watts per gallon is a vague baseline at best. Lumens is better but Par is the best measure. Bulb color is also a big factor as well. I did not really appreciate the details of lighting till I got into reefs.
I am in Miami , We have countless central and south American cichlids breeding in area freshwater canals and golf course ponds with 8.0 ph so you are correct. Either way what type/brand soil did you use for the bottom layer? I am interested in setting up such a tank as do not want co2 since plan on a shrimp only ,30 gallon tank. Thank you
I'm a bit confused. I thought a Walstad Aquarium needs a bit more light. I heard that even daylight is possible/necessary. However, I ordered the book and will read. RTFM, right? 😉
Burli's Aquarien there is a recommendation to position your tank at a window with southern exposure for long indirect light. Not everyone can do that so lights are the next best option in that respect. I tried an eastern exposure window and it did not work out, the light was too strong and algae began to take hold because of optimal conditions.
@@MrJoeGecko I positioned my aquarium on a South side window, but the back of the tank is covered with a frosted glass foil (or however it is called in English). And I can reduce the sunlight with a shutter. Don't know if it works. The aquarium is just one week old
Hi Joe! I have put dirt in my tank start my tank with dirt one month ago plants showing nice progress, I performing 20% water change every week from my 107 litters tank is it good? but, I lost one of my adult angel male... suggestions would be appreciated.
Its a common misconception that you need surface agitation at the levels you suggest. The exchange occurs regardless of agitation. Agitation simply increases the surface area of exposure, its not required. With smaller surface areas, it would be better. The real key is to have water movement to distribute the dissolved oxygen as it enters the water at the surface. It might not seem like much in the video but it is plenty. Too much will knock out CO2, so be careful with the balance.
plants should be giving off oxygen to some extent.. also those gouramis have a labyrinth organ and so can take air if they need to. Personally, I would have added an airstone just to be on the safe side. When no CO2 is added (via injection) the aeration actually helps get CO2 into the water too, which would help the plants.
Alot of sand instead I am sorry for the typo. I just bought my first amazon sword, it is a red melon sword. I also recently bought 3 mats of java ferns and attached them to my driftwoods. Is there anything else i can do? Thanks for the help, yeah i know i need to RTFM!!!
Also, I do try to be creative in applying the concept so to your point on the cichlids, they would tear up the plants BUT think about a planted refugium approach as a natural filter. What i like about Walstads method is that it does not have to be all or nothing. Only one of my tanks gets natural light but both grow very well. The tank with the natural light grows best though, sometime too well! lol At the core is the biological concepts and allowing nature to work for us when we can.
Thank you Sr, the tanning were coming from the substrate, I found out after almost a year of waiting for the substrate to settle that Caribbean sea planted substrate is not a good substrate for this method. I will give it another try with a smaller tank, what do you recommend ? can you please post another tutorial? Thank you and please pardon my poor English.
Nice tank Joe I'm only just looking at Dians method now I have planted tanks with a lot of filtration but I also have a lot of fish..looking forward 2 next video.
Tank looks great. It appears this low tech method works well and you get consistent good water readings. It proves only 1 filter can do the job keeping it quiet and balanced. What kind of light do you usually use? Does this have a night mode?
11 лет назад
What about new planted tanks - without fish? I'm starting new tank, got plants planted - how to maintain it so plants have everyhing they need?
Typical filtration methods are mechanical and use canister filters or "Hang on Back" filters with several types of media to help filter the water and remove particles. In a Walstad tank, there is less dependency on filtering of the water via mechanical means, the plants are the filter. The focus is on water movement for oxygen exchange and maybe a large mesh filter to keep large particles from going into the pump. Example, my 55 is run with a powerhead, nothing else. Thats low filtration.
Hi there, I have followed this method, or at least I tried but I cannot get rid of the dark stain (tannins maybe?) in the water, is there something that you recommend? any advice? thank you, your help is deeply appreciated.
@Jack Z, true enough, thanks. Maybe some day I should do an in-depth chemistry series on keeping a reef tank. That stuff make FW look like nap time in kindergarten. Especially if you are shooting for a Walstad like approach and end up focusing on dosing to maintain parameters like I am doing.
Hey neighbor! Yeah my water is pretty hard too, 7.9. I Have not tried cobomba, honestly just not liking the look. I have slowly taken out most of the fast growing plants as the tank matured and the slower growers have taken over. I've gone though the water wisteria, then went to narrow leaf ludwigia and now have val as the only fast grower. Now that the dwarf sag is covering the bottom of my 55 and the bronze crypts are growing. Tiger lotus IS on my list to try though.
Can you use alot of what? The point of the dirt is to support the plants. Nutrients will leach into the soil over the long term as they break down. This is why you use specific depths of soil and topping to ensure an Aerobic soil. As to plants, you have a ton of options for SA tanks: Amazon swords, Jungle val, crypts. The big key is to have some fast growing plants for rapid nutrient uptake. Anubias is a slow grower so you cant depend on it exclusively. Also, anubias is african not SA.
So just to clarify, those are Danios, not guppies and the angles are the tank bred variety NOT wild caught. The tank bred variety come from a lineage as far back as the 1930's and do well in higher PH. I'll add that they are currently still alive, very large and about as happy as you might be able to tell from a fish.
sorry hit enter to soon. when driftwood is new it will leach a di the natural color of black rivers. dark green and pink if you have a red'ish light. mine leached so much it turned my tank blood red! yes i have red in my light hue :P.
Thanks, I love high tech tanks but I can admit I don't have the time to dedicate. I tried to grow some "high tech" plants with no real success, ah well! :)
Do rotting plants creates ammonia or nitrates? i am planning to take out my plants because some leaves are turning into yellow and i the plant itself is dying.
@giloz2k Tannins can come from a few different sources but the dirt and wood are the primary culprits. Not knowing how your tank is set up I would guess you have some wood in there and that would be the primary source. Generally speaking, a well capped dirt substrate will leech VERY little BUT a new tank could do this, especially if dirt has settled on the gravel/sand cap. PM me with some more detail and I might be able to get a bit more specific.
