A Kinda Big Walstad Tank

[Eliot J]

I’m going to be doing a daily journal of a tank that I’ve decided to experiment with. It’s a 44 Gallon bow front tank, and I think it’s perfect to test the Walstad Method on a larger scale. I will include: daily updates about the tank, plants, and stocking. I will be using 1.5” of additive-free topsoil, with a 1” gravel cap. 
 

This tank probably won’t be the prettiest. I have no intentions to scape it eloquently, however I will be planting it heavily with fast growing and floating plants. 
 

Once I get things up and running, I will be posting replies to this thread/topic daily so others can track progress, including my failures. I may also do updates on TikTok and YouTube under the name “edgeaquatics”.

Thanks for reading! 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Great project @Eliot J, welcome to the forum, looking forward to your posts!

[TheSwissAquarist]

Good luck!

[Eliot J]

10/7
 

After thinking at work today, I’ve decided that I’m also going to be purchasing as many of my materials from Home Depot or Lowe’s. I will include what products I use, the price, and images of the products. I will most likely be making a cinder-block and 2x4 stand. 

[Eliot J]

Okay, so the tank I was planning to use is officially decommissioned…. I’ve had it for a couple years and I bought it used, so that’s fine, but it does throw a wrench in the works of the experiment. For the sake of commitment to the at least 3 people who have interacted with my post, I have decided to tear down my 20gal High and do a Walstad tank with it. It will be a fish-in cycle, as it is already the home to my small group of variatus platies. 

[Eliot J]

10/9

Plant collecting is starting this week. I’d like to have my plants at least 75% converted to fully aquatic before they go in to the Walstad, that way they can be more efficient “filters” from the get-go. This will probably take about a month, but I’ll post pictures of the plants and where I get them. 
 

Also, I did some repairs to the original tank I planned to use and lo behold it holds water! Everything is back on track for now👍

[Eliot J]

10/14

Patrolling aquabid daily for plant deals. I’ve found some hornwort, and I’m planning on picking up a HUGE amount of stem plants from my LFS in a couple weeks. I will then convert them in my display tank downstairs before moving them upstairs.

let me know if you know of any good deals/methods for getting a large number of plants for a lower price, it will definitely help with this experiment. 

[Schuyler]

It sounds like you're more experienced than I am but I've gotten pretty lucky trading stuff for plants, asking in local Facebook groups, or looking on OfferUp.

I think I may have just gotten lucky or people were generous because I was a newbie.

I'm really interested in his this goes. You never really see this done on a larger tank very much. It's definitely something I want to try down the road just maybe not on that scale...

Edited October 15, 2022 by Schuyler

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 10/15/2022 at 2:49 AM, Eliot J said:

10/14

Patrolling aquabid daily for plant deals. I’ve found some hornwort, and I’m planning on picking up a HUGE amount of stem plants from my LFS in a couple weeks. I will then convert them in my display tank downstairs before moving them upstairs.

let me know if you know of any good deals/methods for getting a large number of plants for a lower price, it will definitely help with this experiment. 

‘Patrolling Aquabid’ 😂

[Eliot J]

Finally got some plants. I’m working on converting some bacopa and guppy grass is on the way!

I’m going to look into getting some carpeting plants next, maybe some hair grass or pearl weed. I’ve had good success with them in smaller scale Walstads, so I’m curious to see how they do in a bigger one. 

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 10/17/2022 at 10:27 AM, Eliot J said:

Finally got some plants. I’m working on converting some bacopa and guppy grass is on the way!

I’m going to look into getting some carpeting plants next, maybe some hair grass or pearl weed. I’ve had good success with them in smaller scale Walstads, so I’m curious to see how they do in a bigger one. 

Keep us posted on how it goes!

Cant wait to see the end result!

[Eliot J]

On 10/17/2022 at 5:46 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Keep us posted on how it goes!

Cant wait to see the end result!

Thanks! This project is the first that has made me excited about fish keeping in quite a while, and the fact that I get to share it is super cool!

Edited October 17, 2022 by Eliot J

[Eliot J]

10/20

Got the guppy grass! Currently propagating it so there’s more to toss in the Walstad when we get there!

I didn’t realize how much planning would go into this project, but I’ll continue to keep you updated while I get things set up!

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 10/21/2022 at 11:55 AM, Eliot J said:

10/20

Got the guppy grass! Currently propagating it so there’s more to toss in the Walstad when we get there!

I didn’t realize how much planning would go into this project, but I’ll continue to keep you updated while I get things set up!

Any pictures going?😉

[Eliot J]

On 10/21/2022 at 6:05 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Any pictures going?😉

Not yet! I’ll post a pic of the tank I’ll be using here soon though. Just want to get it painted and placed😁

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 10/21/2022 at 1:53 PM, Eliot J said:

Not yet! I’ll post a pic of the tank I’ll be using here soon though. Just want to get it painted and placed😁

Point taken, an empty tank doesn’t exactly look great in front of a camera 😅

[Eliot J]

10/29

Boy, work was rough this week. Lol. 
 

I went to my LFS yesterday with the intent on buying a couple plants. Then I saw the scarlet Badis, so there was an impulse buy and my budget for this week😅

While I’m super happy about my pair of Scarlet Badis, I fully intend on purchasing 1-2 plants weekly and getting them converted so that when we arrive at Walstad planting time, we can just go! 
 

Also, I’m having trouble deciding between a compost, topsoil, or earthworm castings. I want to stay as true to the method as possible, but I also want to test some stuff out. Because of this need to tinker, I may transform my current display tank into an earthworm casting Walstad tank, and compare the results to the larger  version. I have no doubt that both will be successful. 
 

Cleaning and placing the tank today, and hopefully painting it with some black acrylic paint later this week. I’ll post a picture of the final painted and placed tank!

Thanks for reading, I PROMISE this will be worth it in a couple weeks time:)

 

P.S. I added a pic of my male SB! Hope you like it😁

[TheSwissAquarist]

Are you feeding them the appropriate livefoods? I’ll tag @Guppysnail who currently has a tank of them going.

[Eliot J]

On 10/29/2022 at 3:42 PM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Are you feeding them the appropriate livefoods? I’ll tag @Guppysnail who currently has a tank of them going.

I’ve got a really good population of triops and other microscopic crustaceans. They also ate some of the flake I feed my other fish, which was a happy surprise. It was nice to know that I can supplement their diet with flake food for at least a couple days if they destroy my microscopic organisms. 

[Streetwise]

@Eliot J, nice project. I run organic soil, and I love Diana Walstad’s book.

Just remember that she never specifies a Walstad Method.

My current favorite recipe is 1.5” organic topsoil, capped with 1” medium gravel, heavily-planted, plus wood.

[Eliot J]

On 10/29/2022 at 6:47 PM, Streetwise said:

@Eliot J, nice project. I run organic soil, and I love Diana Walstad’s book.

Just remember that she never specifies a Walstad Method.

My current favorite recipe is 1.5” organic topsoil, capped with 1” medium gravel, heavily-planted, plus wood.

Thanks for the encouragement! I currently don’t have anything to sift my soil, so I’m thinking just earthworm castings or something similar. 

[Eliot J]

10/30

 

Ugh… trying to find a place for this tank has been a struggle, and actually has made my plans impossible. 
 

I have an older tank- I bought it used a few years ago and have done repairs on it twice, and so for me to feel comfortable filling it with water I need to ensure that its location is *perfectly* level. 

I live in a house that was built in 1920. The only place that is perfectly level is taken by my 20 gal display tank. 
 

As a result, I’m going to have to put this project off until I am living elsewhere. 
 

In the mean time, I’m going to go nuts planting my display tank until it can’t be planted anymore!

Thank you so much for your help, advice, and kind words in this forum! I’ll revisit this when I am able to get everything out together the way I want to!

[Eliot J]

11-26

Yesterday I went out and bought the supplies to build and level my very own stand. I have gotten things set up and now just need to finish filling the aquarium and purchase a heater. 
 

I will be stocking the aquarium with X. Hellerii ‘Wild Green’ and a few bristlenose, and will keep track of progress daily. I will enter the progress in weekly journal entries. When the tank is 100% and planted I will post pictures!

[Jungle Fan]

@Eliot J same thing happened to me, I bought a Marineland combo tank and had to toss out the pressed wood stand my wife hated anyway because it was uneven diagonally across and from side to side. Then I found out that the living room floor in my new house was uneven as well. So I went to the drawing board and had the stand manufactured locally to my design. White oak treated like a boat with polyurethane finish in mission style with slate inserts in doors (gotta keep my wife happy), doors can be opened to 170 degrees, or removed completely with two clicks each, built in metal square tubing frame rests on 8 adjustable feet which can hold 2,500 lbs. each (living room floor problem solved!) the back of the stand is open to reach the power strip I mounted on the wall for better access and to allow for drip loops, the CO2 cylinders (1 active, 1 spare) rest in a box which keeps them from falling over, the bottom wood plates can be removed to adjust the feet. I recently added rechargeable magnetic motion detector lights which I attached to the metal frame the tank rests on, so the lights come on when I open the doors.

[Streetwise]

@Eliot J, while I have sifters, a hand-sort should be fine to remove the largest pieces. I don’t mind wood in the substrate, and I count on wood in the aquarium to provide steady decomposition.