Walstad-Inspired Scape

[Hobbit]

Beautiful tank!! I have the same color snails as you!! 😍 I got one on a pond plant from the garden store and the rest is history.

Unfortunately their shells seem to lose their gold sheen as they grow, and become more brown. Those adorable pink feet stay though! I had no idea they were rare or sought after. They’re definitely my favorite snail.

One note to keep an eye on—Walstad tanks tend to go through their potassium fairly quickly, since it’s not replenished very well by fish food or fish waste. Once that happens, you’ll see the stems start to weaken and melt on your stem plants. Then you have to decide if you want to supplement with fertilizers.

I also struggle keeping my nitrates up. 😄 I’m guessing the guppies will help you with that once they get breeding though! Just feed them pretty heavily, since ultimately, the amount you feed determines how much ammonia the fish release.

[Torrey]

I suspect that the plants already exhausted the K then, as I have been primarily losing the stem plants that were so vibrant on the right side of the tank originally. 

I'll start adding the Flourish I have, and order EZ Green from the Co-op

[Torrey]

Still figuring out how to keep the nitrates up, lol. I'm close to on track, the duckweed started multiplying like crazy (to the turtle's delight), and the stem plants are starting to pick up steam.

The reds are staying red! Especially directly under the light.

 

Enjoy the update pictures 💜

[Streetwise]

I love it!

[Guppysnail]

Very nice. Is that milfoil in the center?

[Torrey]

On 9/18/2021 at 6:36 PM, Guppysnail said:

Very nice. Is that milfoil in the center?

I believe so, it was in a grab tank of unlabeled stem plants at a new FW LFS.

[Guppysnail]

On 9/18/2021 at 8:39 PM, Torrey said:

I believe so, it was in a grab tank of unlabeled stem plants at a new FW LFS.

I really like it. Nice job on the ludwiga

[Torrey]

My internet is being glitchy, I have more photos to upload to show the red foliage... but it's going to have to wait. 😕

 

I've tried 3x, and the interwebs swallow my pictures🤷‍♂️

[Mark H.]

great topic, a video somewhere on the walstad method reinvigorated my hobby. After having a single tank for decades.

[Torrey]

On 9/15/2021 at 11:14 PM, Hobbit said:

Unfortunately their shells seem to lose their gold sheen as they grow, and become more brown. Those adorable pink feet stay though! I had no idea they were rare or sought after. They’re definitely my favorite snail.

Believe it or not, the shells are getting **more** color as they grow.

I'm wondering if water and food have anything to do with coloration?

I have noticed guppies I leave in the turtle pond stay a super pale/silver color. If I move them to the Walstad tank (mostly dark substrate) when they are young, they get **really** dark and blend in with the substrate. 

 

Similar problem with the ramshorn snails.

 

But if I wait until snails or guppies are larger, their color stays more true as they grow?

 

Anyone ever test this theory?

I don't know if it's a camouflage response due to originating in a predator tank?

[Guppysnail]

On 9/18/2021 at 8:50 PM, Torrey said:

Believe it or not, the shells are getting **more** color as they grow.

My gold bladder snails sometimes get a reddish tinted ring if I feed a lot of red bell peppers and vibra bites. 

[Hobbit]

Hmm I wonder what would happen if I fed my snails betta bio-gold! 😄 

[Torrey]

My picture does *not* do the colors justice. 

The larger snail, almost center of the back glass, is a large, getting redder by the day, ramshorn....

Plants are @Guppysnail's favorite milfoil.

Hope everyone has a great week!

[Torrey]

Here's my regular view from my bed

I talked with Diana, and I didn't use quite enough dirt for the amount of plants, and the dirt in the back right corner was deep enough to have a build up of hydrogen sulfate. 

That would be why those stem plants died.

So, I poked the right mound with a stick, releasing the gas buildup, and added 2 oz of black worms, then added a little more soil during a water change and so far, so good.

Every 3 days I poke the dirt hill again, until no more gas bubbles erupt, and then I can replant. Contrary to worst fear scenario, no snails, fish, or apparently blackworms, appear to have died from the toxic gas releases. The air [gas] bubbles race to the top of the tank, and offend me far more than they offend the tank inhabitants. 

 

In other words, Cory was right about "toxic gas buildup in deep substrate". It will be something that I need to be mindful of when I finally start putting water and substrate in the dining room tank.

I'll be sure to take better pictures and document each step once I commit to starting that project 😅

 

The milfoil is currently growing faster than the duckweed is multiplying. 

I need more brain cells to come back online so I can remember the *correct* names of plants.

I lost over 2/3 of the stem plants on the right. Larger leaves, softer stems, turn a beautiful pinkish fuscia red under high lights

I'm trying to save these 2, I stuck healthy stem through the canvas mesh and I am floating them at the top of the fry tank. The leaves are just barely submerged, as evidenced by the duckweed using the leaves as a life preserver 🙄

 

Definitely a completely different plant from the stems on the left.

The short stems that only add a pair of new leaves each month it seems, is the bacopa carolinia.

 

I love the ramshorns!

So that's how we are doing!

 

[Torrey]

 

I do love the Fluval AquaSky, for clearly telling me it's time to go to bed.

G'night everyone!

[KentFishFanUK]

On 9/26/2021 at 3:44 AM, Torrey said:

Here's my regular view from my bed

I talked with Diana, and I didn't use quite enough dirt for the amount of plants, and the dirt in the back right corner was deep enough to have a build up of hydrogen sulfate. 

That would be why those stem plants died.

So, I poked the right mound with a stick, releasing the gas buildup, and added 2 oz of black worms, then added a little more soil during a water change and so far, so good.

Every 3 days I poke the dirt hill again, until no more gas bubbles erupt, and then I can replant. Contrary to worst fear scenario, no snails, fish, or apparently blackworms, appear to have died from the toxic gas releases. The air [gas] bubbles race to the top of the tank, and offend me far more than they offend the tank inhabitants. 

 

In other words, Cory was right about "toxic gas buildup in deep substrate". It will be something that I need to be mindful of when I finally start putting water and substrate in the dining room tank.

I'll be sure to take better pictures and document each step once I commit to starting that project 😅

 

The milfoil is currently growing faster than the duckweed is multiplying. 

I need more brain cells to come back online so I can remember the *correct* names of plants.

I lost over 2/3 of the stem plants on the right. Larger leaves, softer stems, turn a beautiful pinkish fuscia red under high lights

I'm trying to save these 2, I stuck healthy stem through the canvas mesh and I am floating them at the top of the fry tank. The leaves are just barely submerged, as evidenced by the duckweed using the leaves as a life preserver 🙄

 

Definitely a completely different plant from the stems on the left.

The short stems that only add a pair of new leaves each month it seems, is the bacopa carolinia.

 

I love the ramshorns!

So that's how we are doing!

 

Wait you talked with Diana Walstad about your walstad tank?? That's awesome she's like a celebrity in our world haha I didn't know she gave personal advice on people's tanks. Got to love our hobby! 

Awesome pics by the way

[Torrey]

I will be trimming plants as soon as my hands make friends with the scissors again. 

Fine motor control is off today, and I would feel horrible if I accidentally nipped anyone in the tank.

Here's the Walstad today, this is the tank with the least amount of evaporation, due to the floating plant cover. Humidity in the apartment with 12 completely uncovered tanks isn't even 40% today when it was raining outside ⛈

No wonder my poor bettas kept having "undetermined health problems", I feel horrible that I never considered the humidity needs of their labyrinth organs😔

 

 

Ramshorns are GROWING, and so are the endlers.

Some of the amphopods are bigger than baby endlers🤣

On 9/26/2021 at 1:45 AM, KentFishFanUK said:

Wait you talked with Diana Walstad about your walstad tank?? That's awesome she's like a celebrity in our world haha I didn't know she gave personal advice on people's tanks. Got to love our hobby! 

Awesome pics by the way

She's friends with my BiL. I grew up in Raleigh 😅

[Torrey]

On 7/29/2021 at 10:18 PM, Torrey said:

Starting a new Walstad inspired scape tank:

@Atitagain comparing back in July to now

[Atitagain]

On 11/6/2021 at 1:30 AM, Torrey said:

@Atitagain comparing back in July to now

So inspirational, I don’t think I’ll ever get to this in my big tank but in the near future I want to set up a smaller one. I’m reading Walstad’s book and when I’m finished…

thank you 

[Torrey]

On 11/6/2021 at 4:24 AM, Atitagain said:

So inspirational, I don’t think I’ll ever get to this in my big tank but in the near future I want to set up a smaller one. I’m reading Walstad’s book and when I’m finished…

thank you 

We (spouse and I) have finally committed to a darkwater tank for the 4' dining room tank.

The 10 gallon helped me see the pros and cons of capping dirt with sand. Still playing with some hardscape elements before I commit to filling the tank, watching you struggle with your big tank I went ahead and bought 2 big mopani pieces to help get the water dark.

I like the redder water (reminiscent of my childhood growing up summers on Kerr Lake), and in the desert with our liquid rock, I'm never going to get soft, acidic water because an RO in the desert is irresponsible. 

So reddish, dark water and happy plants it is!

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

@Torreyjust caught up on your Walstad. Feels like you’ve made a lot of progress and had a lot of lessons learned. I totally see what occurred with one of The Sad Bowls incarnations based on what happened with that high right side of your substrate. I still think for larger tanks where aquasoil would be cost prohibitive dirted or Walstad style tanks are a good way to go. Did you end up getting anywhere with your 4 footer?

[Torrey]

On 11/25/2021 at 10:19 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

@Torreyjust caught up on your Walstad. Feels like you’ve made a lot of progress and had a lot of lessons learned. I totally see what occurred with one of The Sad Bowls incarnations based on what happened with that high right side of your substrate. I still think for larger tanks where aquasoil would be cost prohibitive dirted or Walstad style tanks are a good way to go. Did you end up getting anywhere with your 4 footer?

Yes, I am starting to put it together this weekend and filling it, so it can all be soaking while I recoup from surgery scheduled for Tuesday. 

The filter I have been waiting for so I can soak the wood in the tank (half filled) and get the moss started came in yesterday. So provided no crisis pop up, I am going to be fish tank busy this week end!

Also found my tripod, so I can film in 1 hour chunks😅

Will probably be starting another journal, and hopefully document more reliably.

[eatyourpeas]

On 11/26/2021 at 1:14 AM, Torrey said:

Yes, I am starting to put it together this weekend and filling it, so it can all be soaking while I recoup from surgery scheduled for Tuesday. 

I hope all goes well and you have a speedy recovery!🙂

[Guppysnail]

Sending you every ounce of positivity I have in hopes of a safe procedure and quick recovery 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

@Torreyheres to uneventful surgery and speedy recovery.