If you follow the Walstad method, there shouldn't be very many tannins leaching from your soil/substrate. I have decided to go for a +- 3 cm layer of organic soil followed by 3 cm of organic gravel(2-3mm) and a small piece of driftwood. do guppies also live well with neontetras? New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the PlantedTank community. If you want the shrimp to breed, make sure there's a lot of cover for then, or the fish will pick off the babies. S repens will carpet slower than hairgrass in a no CO2, setup, my hairgrass is thickly carpeted only 2months in. Do I need to feed the snail or is he content with the algae and other subsrate nutrients? If something seems high change your water. Neocaradina shrimp are all the same species, just selectively bred for different colors, so any you get will happily interbreed. Mark Cruise, Sep 13, 2015 #1. keithgh Moderator Staff Member. Trying out some layouts before the lights come in and I can buy the plants for it and actually set it up. mini super red/ repens (left side)Bacopa Caroliniana (right side), Eleocharis Parvulus (Dwarf hairgrass)Staurogyne Repens ???? After that you can slow down to weekly water changes, and eventually you might be able to get away with less than that (though I don't recommend it, especially with fish). Depending on the size of your tank and number of shrimp, you might not have to feed on a schedule. removing harmful nitrogen from the tank). Still have questions? They're more sensitive to things like ammonia spikes than fish are, and they also need the right water hardness in addition to Ph to do well. Just a reminder, you should test water conditions frequently until them seem stable. Walstad Method is a kind of an aquarium setup made popular by Diana Walstad. While I don't believe adding fish on the first day is a good idea (as the plants may not be established), you can get away with a relatively short cycle if you plant very heavily. The Walstad Method involves raising rooted plants in a fish tank, and it is an increasingly popular way of creating a small ecosystem within the home aquarium. My comment was triggered by several years of reading forum posts about people who say they are using the Walstad method, but are clearly using a hybrid of several methods. I have decided to go for a +- 3 cm layer of organic soil followed by 3 cm of organic gravel(2-3mm) and a small piece of driftwood.After doing some research I have decided on the plants I am going to buy for my project: Ceratophyllum demersum (in the middle)Egeria Densa (left and right side)Rotala rotudifolia (middle left and right side) Sessilifloro Limnophila, Ludwigia sp. The water chem is supposed to be similar to blackwater. Just make sure its well researched and you're not adding in fresh untreated soil. On the subject of bacteria, cycling is important, but one of the advantages of a Walstad tank is that the plants will often do the job of bacteria (i.e. Anyone out there doing this? Come here to enjoy pictures, videos, articles and … “low light” plants are just plants that can grow in low light, they’ll grow faster in stronger light. The fish can eat the same food. And my last question is: Do you guys have any additional tips or knowlegde that will enlighten me? Maybe get a couple different food brands, though, to diversify their diet. Here are some of the things that have […] Oct 12, 2016 - Explore Robert Meyers's board "Walstad Method" on Pinterest. After the tank stabilizes a bit you can reduce the amount of surface cover. Just looking for someone else who has tried this out? It won’t hold animals other than snails. In my experience, dirted tanks initially have too many nutrients in the water column. I need help with 2 things. Coming from someone who has done many Walstad's of different sizes this is what I would do. Can I feed all the fish with the same trace elements?How often do I need to feed? And also its roots and leaves tend to break off and rot less than dwarf water lettuce. At a low population, they'll be fine just like the snail. The first mistake that I did was when I bought soil that are small and rounded and aren t you know, sand-like. Jan 14, 2011. Im starting with Eleocharis Acicularis right now. Aquarium plants.? This should reduce the tannins to an almost indistinguishable level if you bought good drift wood and have your filter running 24/7 (like you should in all aquariums). Gonna try the walstad method in this small vase. Also, I like that the roots are short, so the plant ends up covering only the top of the tank. There will be some upkeep but if you follow the basic instructions you can easily get good results. I’ve had 15 cherry shrimp in a 10 gallon/37liter for a month now, Ive only fed them twice with spinach, and they’re thriving.