10 Gallon Walstad Tank

[attibones]

It took me thirty minutes to decide between six beautiful boys (the runner-up was a gorgeous yellow/gold but he had curling fins and probably would just look washed out in my black water), and I finally found my new little man! I'll post some teaser pics now, but I'm giving him a few hours in the dark to explore his new place and settle in before I try to get some good pictures of him. I'm trying to think of a name for him. I've got a few in mind now.

Also, I installed the new lid and the new LED light system which is much brighter than what I was using. The light is just a smidge too big, which makes it difficult for me to lift up the front part of the lid. I'm thinking about removing the plastic guard thing that hangs off the back and just using some craft mesh to make a guard at the back. I can attach this to the underside of the hood so it won't interfere with lights. I'm also going to have to find a way to make the light sit properly on the hood with the filter.

Anyway, here are awful pictures of him! I had him in his cup first which had that blue junk in it, and then in one of my water scoops which I use to gently pour clean water back into my tanks.

 

[Mamashack]

Did you forget the pictures? lol
Can't wait to see your new little chap - what names have you got in mind?
I'm still trying to find a little LED for the 12L, but not sure what to get.
Which one have you got? Maybe they do a smaller version that would suit my little tank!

 

[attibones]

Eh, I fell asleep before I could post the picture. I'm going to get a real picture of him tonight after I offer him a bit of food.

I'm thinking about Tripoli, Rhett Butler, Ford, and California, as well as Henry.

The light is an Aqueon 20 inch LED unit with three LED bar things.

 

[Mamashack]

Can't wait to see him in all his glory!

 

[attibones]

The black water is really bringing out the red in his fins. His body is a lovely steel blue. He's really curious too. Today he is settling into his new home nicely and is checking everything out. I offered a few pellets and he was interested, but he decided not to eat them. He has two small splits in his tail, but his water is warm and clean so they should heal up soon. His fins have really nice and even edges. I think I'm going to introduce Tanner the bamboo shrimp to him today.
Mama, you could just get a regular table lamp. That's what I have for my similarly sized snail tank. It works really well but I don't know how it would do for plants.

 

[Mamashack]

Actually that's a good idea, atti! There's only a small java fern, moss ball and anubias in there - all slow-growing so not needing much light - I think that will be my next search.
He's a very handsome boy!! Have you picked a name yet?
How did you achieve the black-water? Have you used IAL?

 

[attibones]

I have three pieces of mopani driftwood in there, plus the potting mix seems to be letting out a bit of color. I don't have any IAP or oak leaves in there, but I might pick up some. I'm now thinking I might name him George because he's so curious. I really think I like George.

 

[Mamashack]

George is a lovely name! He's a lucky boy having that tank as his domain!

 

[attibones]

He is officially George. I think he ate a few pellets last night too. I got him three new plants, all amazon compacta, and one has a nice little sprout off of it. I'm not sure when I should take the sprout off, but I'm sure the planted forum will have answers.

So, I just wanted to take the time and do a quick run-down of the Walstad method, how I did it, and I how I will do it differently next time around.

The Walstad method is for small ecosystems and is not designed for a high-tech tank (however, I think it would be fairly simple to adjust to high-demand plants). It is supposed to be a simple solution, so heavy-duty lights, CO2 systems, and large filters are not necessary. One should get lights to suit the plants' needs, usually a power head or sponge filter for movement and mechanical filtration (I used my sponge filter and HOB because they were already running), and a heater. Fertilizers and CO2, as well as trace elements, are not needed in the properly set up Walstad method. The soil provides all of that.

These are the steps usually taken for the Walstad method:

1. Add soil
2. Add gravel
3. Add so many plants you can barely see the gravel
4. Condition and add water
5. Turn on heater and small power head
6. Buy and add fish
7. Test water every few hours for a few days until results read 0, 0, and almost 0

What I did:
1. Add soil
2. Add water
3. Panic
4. Add gravel
5. Add driftwood
6. Add plants
7. More gravel
8. Water change
9. More plants
10. More gravel
11. Water change
12. Turn on HOB, sponge filter, heater
13. Test water
14. Wait patiently
15. Water change
16. Change lights and hood
17. Add fish

I believe next time I will stay closer to the suggested method, except I will probably have to keep adding plants a bunch at a time. Plants can be expensive. I also plan not to add fish the same day. The ammonia and nitrite readings are incredibly high the first few days and I don't think that sensitive species would survive like that. I will do more reading, but I think I will always wait until my results have evened out before adding fish, just like I did with George.

My next updates should feature plant growth! I've got a few plants that seem to be trying to shoot up, so we shall seeee.

 

[attibones]

Okay, the black water is really reducing the light getting through the water, so I have to do a series of water changes for a while. George may not be blind after all, so no shrimp friends for him, I think. I am missing one bamboo shrimp, but maybe I'll pick up another today. They are excellent at camouflage, so maybe he won't be interested in battling a shrimp his size or be able to find him. My amazon compacta are not looking so swell right now, but I hope that with less tannin in the water, they'll perk up again. I wish I didn't have to work today. I want to stay home while it rains and watch my fish. I'm giving away five of my seven platies today though. I couldn't catch two last two.

 

[Mamashack]

Looking forward to some more pictures when you can see what you are snapping, atti!

 

[attibones]

I get off work in several hours and then I will be bushed, but I'm hoping that I can get some images in the morning. I got some cherry shrimp and new shrimp right before I had to go to work. I put them in a water change bucket with some extra water. I hope they'll be okay for six more hours. I didn't plan on getting them but it happened.