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Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise for the Home Aquarist?
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Buy this book. And the answer is yes, but it will take time.
Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise for the Home Aquarist
Since you have a love of plants, you might enjoy a low-tech, natural planted aquarium. Diana Walstad’s book <em>Ecology of the Planted Aquarium</em> is what got me into the hobby. This method appeals to me because it attempts to replicate the plants’ natural environment and avoids extra equipment, additives, and maintenance. It’s basically potted plants under water. In fact, she keeps some aquariums with plants in terracotta pots.
There’s definitely tradeoffs which Walstad points out in the book. Natural tanks aren’t going to look like pristine, untouched islands. There’s soil and decomposition involved but I think that’s it’s own kind of beauty.
One aspect of planted aquariums I find fascinating is how to deal with algae. Walstad details how to find plants to complement the ones you already have to create a balanced ecosystem that out-competes algae for the limited resources that all plants need. It gets quite nerdy if you want to go deeper. Most of the science and chemistry sections go over my head but it’s fascinating nonetheless. At it’s core, the book is full of practical, specific advice written for people who want to keep aquatic plants successfully.
Good luck! This is a fun hobby. 😄
Beautiful! I hope you get it sorted out haha, I love blue dream shrimp. Also, I’ve found this book pretty helpful in dealing with my tiny 3 gallon planted tank, if you’re interested.
Good luck!
The Walstead method is what you're trying to do. There are websites that describe it but you can get a kindle version of the book.
There is a book called “ecology of the planted aquarium” by Diana Walstad. It goes over the “Walstad Method” of using a dirted tank to grow plants with fish. Although I haven’t read the book, I have used the Walstad method and have seen numerous guides online. There’s even r/walstad
Here is a link to her book on Amazon.
> ...cycling a Walstad takes ~6-8 weeks
This is absolutely incorrect (or at least very misleading). Provided you use the correct kind of soil, an adequate gravel layer, and enough plants, a Walstad can be ready for livestock in as few as a week or less. I usually wait a couple weeks to let the plants get rooted and do 1-2 90% ish water changes in that time to get rid of excess nutrients suspended in the water column. If you reading NH3 after a couple weeks in a Walstad, then the likely culprit is an inadequate gravel layer that is letting soil/nutrients into the water column, a soil that has added fertilizers or other additives, or not enough plants to uptake the NH3 (floaters are the best for this, especially early on).
Sure, you can definitely wait 6-8 weeks for it to cycle and that is totally fine. All I am saying is that a "by the book" Walstad can be ready for livestock within a week or two.
Basically, hard water is good for plants. Soft water plants can do well in hard water but hard water plants do not survive in soft water. I highly recommend Diana Walstad's book 'Ecology of the Planted Aquarium' for detailed information on that and many other areas of the Walstad method.
https://www.amazon.com/Ecology-Planted-Aquarium-Diana-Walstad/dp/0967377366/
When looking at my other tanks, I only get algea blooms when I've either overfed, over-fertilized, or forgot to turn the light off for 24+ hours. I read somewhere (can't seem to find the article again) that the added co2 speeds up the growth of plants, but actually shortens their lives. The plants live hard and fast like addicts.
I have pretty neutral ph in this tank, so any decaying plants also add co2 naturally. The filter sucks up and houses a ton of plant bits decaying all the time. I do not gravel vac when I water change. The copepods, detritus worms and other critters aerate the soil, so I let it collect nutrients naturally.
I'm not an expert, but learned what I can about balancing the eco system from The Ecology of the Planted Aquarium by Diana Walstad
If you’re wanting to do a Walstad Method tank like this I highly suggest checking out this book:
Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise for the Home Aquarist https://www.amazon.com/dp/0967377366/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_NKlJFb92PNKNB
Have you kept fish before?
I've been reading this book: Ecology of the Planted Aquarium by Diana Walstad
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0967377366/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_fg4lFb5H58E0X
If every parameter is set correctly, it could be the natural toxins your existing plants are producing to ensure their survival over others.
Check out walstad tanks!
r/walstad is a sub that exists, I also recommend checking out Foo the Flowerhorn on youtube.
Since the method is actually from a book, it wouldn't hurt to give the book a read too. I only linked to the amazon available one, but you should also be able to find it as an e-book and probably as a free PDF if you do enough searching.
https://www.amazon.com/Ecology-Planted-Aquarium-Diana-Walstad/dp/0967377366
Yes. It reads like a college text book. The author is who the style is named after. It is kind of like using no safety equipment during sports. If things go wrong, no safety net to save the day.
I only started with my jar a few months ago, but here's what I've learnt. I knew going in that a jarrarium would be a bit of a challenge in some ways, but now I understand what makes it so. With such a tiny amount of water in the jar, any small change can lead to big changes in water chemistry. Most aquarium chemicals (should you need to use them) are made to dose larger tanks, and as such you basically have to measure out drops with an eyedropper / syringe to use them in a jar. You have to think a lot about your inputs into the jar in terms of light, temperature, nutrients, etc. because introducing something in excess might cause algae blooms, plant or fauna distress, etc. And it's very easy to do things in excess because, again, it's such a tiny jar.
That said, my jar seems to be going okay so far and I've learnt a lot about the chemical / biological processes in an aquarium that I think I might have missed if I was trying to set up a larger tank. Diana Walstad's book helped a lot too - the whole book, not just the PDF linked in this sidebar. If you are slightly obsesssive like me, don't mind having a jar that might have a bunch of weird things growing in it, and are happy to take things very slowly, a jarrarium is fun!
That sounds awesome. I would really like to keep more bettas, but my wallet and available space are nearly depleted. I have an idea to go around to all the petcos and save the half dead ones and try to rehome them, but I think my efforts would be futile.
You have me very intrigued. This makes me wonder if I could build a maintenance-free shrimp tank. Maybe even make it so they wouldnt never have to be fed and would feed off the growing vegetation in the tank.... hmm. Is this the book? http://www.amazon.com/Ecology-Planted-Aquarium-Diana-Walstad/dp/0967377366
I'm confused. How do you define "dirt?" I call it a dirt tank, because I used a topsoil made up of decomposed organic matter that is specifically sold to grow plants; it definitely contains suitable amounts of nutrients to allow plants to grow and thrive. Peat is the primary ingredient in this topsoil because as it decomposes it does not produce nitrates and phosphates as fast as a guano based topsoil will. The "dirt" is under the sand cap preventing it from mucking up the water and intentionally preventing high amounts of water circulation through the substrate. This allows anaerobic bacteria colonies to grow that will break down the solid fish waste and other pollutants not broken down by the bacteria living in the filter. The shrimp and MTSnails help support the process by burrowing through the top layers of the substrate. The way I understand it, in a dirt tank the anaerobic bacteria, deep in the substrate, are as important as the aerobic bacteria that live in the filter media.
The intent is to create, as closely as I can, a self sustaining biotope as described in "The Ecology of the Planted Aquarium" by Diana Walstad. Because I want more than 2 fish and a few shrimp and snails I use the filter and perform regular small water changes to reduce the overall bioload. This is why I consider my tank a "modified Walstad."
Oh, I test my water parameters religiously. I'd not want to let this run weeks without testing or water changes. It is still very immature for a Walstad style tank.
That would be a cool Walstad setup.
Are you experienced with Aquariums in general?
And what the heck is that lady's name that wrote the book decades ago about this? Dang, if I figure it out I will post back.
EDIT: Found it... https://www.amazon.com/Ecology-Planted-Aquarium-Diana-Walstad/dp/0967377366
Try your local library to see if they can locate a copy for you to borrow to see if it is something you would want to buy as a reference moving forward.
This book isn’t nano specific, but I keep a 3 gallons and a 10 gallon tank, and this book has been super helpful
I also really like the aquarium co-op website blog. I linked a specific article here about 5 gallon stocking ideas, but they pretty much always give solid advice about everything.
The links in the reddit sidebar and Advancedplantedtank are free resources.
Diana Walstad's <em>Ecology of the Planted Aquarium</em> can be bought on amazon and is more textbook like.
I'm a biologist/ecologist and have experience creating open and enclosed ecosystems. Algae prefer good water and act as filters, stabilizing the water and any live plants in the aquarium. Copepods are sensitive to water parameters and like clean, stable water. Copepods show up weeks after establishing a tank, from my experience. I recommend taking a gander at Diana Walstad's Book "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: a Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise." It's not an easy read at first, but it is pretty eye-opening. I also recommend checking out "Father Fish" on youtube; before modern filters and heaters, people kept their fish alive more naturally, which is arguably better.
I'd recommend reading Walstad's book. And not limit yourself just to the Walstad method. There are plenty of other ways to go about a dirted tank. However, no matter the method, you have to understand what goes on in your tank first and foremost.
For example, you have to understand the nitrogen cycle, and know why this is important. Research what goes on in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Why anaerobic conditions aren't always bad. Why aerobic conditions don't necessarily mean things will not go bad. Water chemistry, pH, GH, KH, etc. What is algae and how to troubleshoot it. How to properly quarantine plants. What is emersed and submersed growth. How to properly prepare plants. Photoperiod.
There's so much that you can get into IMHO before you ought to go about your own way of doing things. I had Walstad tanks, lowtech dirted tanks, aquasoil tanks, container ponds, etc. BEFORE trying to do a self-sustaining tank without technology. And before I made my first tank, I did a lot of research first just to make sure I know what to do in case something went wrong and to make sure I did it right the first time around. And when I thought I knew enough, I learned more, and more, and more. Be patient and curious, don't give in to instant gratification. Keeping aquariums, pets, gardening, etc. these hobbies require a lot of patience, research, and work to get right. There are no shortcuts.
So hopefully, you give up on that idea of a betta jar. It's not a good plan.
Some good things to watch and read:
- Walstad's book
- Father Fish
- Aquarium Co-Op
- LRB Aquatics
- Blake's Aquatics
- Rachel O'Leary
- Flip Aquatics
- Green Aqua
- Serpa Design
- MJ Aquascaping
- George Farmer
- The 2Hr Aquarist
- Ocean Aquarium, San Francisco, CA
- Girl Talks Fish
- Keeping Fish Simple
- Ryo Watanabe
- MD Fish Tanks
There's going to be some "conflicting information" on how each of them will do things, as they go about it their own way. But the constant is, most of them have mastered the basics like nitrogen cycle, aerobic and anaerobic conditions, planting heavily, stocking, etc. Once you are comfortable with the basics, you should always learn more and keep learning as you make your journey in this hobby. Trust me, it gets easier and you get to enjoy your tanks more, but it takes a lot of learning, time, and energy. Fortunately these things are free. If you make a tank that fails, kill your livestock and plants, make a tank that doesn't thrive, etc.--those things not only cost money, but time and energy as well.
Reading this will help you https://www.amazon.com/Ecology-Planted-Aquarium-Diana-Walstad/dp/0967377366
If you want to skimp on the reading you can just search online for the "The Walstad Method". This should help you in achieving a self sustaining aquatic ecosystem.
Honestly, that isn't moderately planted, I would consider that quite lightly planted. The most common issue I see with first-time planted tanks is that there just isn't enough plants. The more you have, the better. It will help make the water quality more stable, and the fish more comfortable.
What kind of substrate do you plan on having? I would recommend a couple options for you. If you choose to go with just a basic sand or gravel substrate, then you should plan on adding nutrients for the plants, like Seachem's Flourish products and maybe some root tabs for your rooted plants.
Alternately, for the ultimate low tech tank, you could go with a dirted tank, aka a Walstad tank aka a Natural Planted Tank. This involves using about 0.5"-1" of organic potting soil, like Miracle Gro Organic Potting Mix, and 1"-1.5" of sand or gravel on top of the dirt. The dirt provides all the nutrients for the plants. You plant heavy, like a jungle if you can, and fill it with water. Once the plants are settled in, and the tank is cycled, it will be rock solid. Mine requires minimal oversight. I do a water change every week, just because it is good practice, but realistically I could skip the water changes for a month or more with no effect. This is because the plants are so healthy and plentiful, they completely process all the nitrates produced by the biofilter. My tank never shows any ammonia/nitrites/nitrates. 0.
If you want to learn more about dirted tanks, take a look at this forum, especially its stickys: http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/el-natural/
Also, a great Youtube channel is Dustin's Fishtanks: https://www.youtube.com/user/Dustinsfishtanks. All of his tanks are dirted, and he talks quite a bit about his tank setups and the advantages of dirted tanks.
And speaking of Dustin, he also sells plants on his website AquaticJungles.com. I bought a bunch of plants from him last summer, including a beautiful Red Tiger Lotus that is now trying to take over my tank, plus some crazy bushy Amazon Swords and a red Indian Sword. I highly recommend his plants and customer service. He called me up after I received my shipment to see if everything was good and if I had any questions. Very nice guy. He also has a guide to dirted tanks for sale on his website, which is 50% off right now.
Speaking of which, if you are interested in going with dirted tanks, the classic reference on them is Diane Walstad's book, Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: http://www.amazon.com/Ecology-Planted-Aquarium-Diana-Walstad/dp/0967377366. It gets quite technical at times, but it is the authoritative reference to what works and why. Diane is also why we call these dirted low-tech tanks, Walstad tanks.
Also, google for any local planted aquarium clubs in your area. If you do have one, that is one of the very best ways to get plants for your tank. Those of us with established tanks are constantly trimming our plants, and these clubs are great ways to share clippings. My club has everyone auction off the stuff they bring in, and the money goes into a pool for cool raffle items given away twice a year. At my first meeting, I picked up a ton of plants to fill in my 37gal tank, all for about $30.
Your plant selection is fine for low light. You might also consider getting some floating plants, like Frogbit or water lettuce. They are fantastic for cleaning the water, and the fish love the cover. Here is a forum post listing a bunch of excellent low light plants: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=56042.
First things first: buy a copy of Diana Walstad's book and study it front to back. This is not a process you just throw together on a whim. You can't just slap down some dirt, throw in the plants and expect it to work. How I know you didn't read the book is I'm looking at your plant selection. Looks like you have dwarf hairgrass, parrots-feather, some ludwigia, a type of hygrophilia, and maybe some scarlet temple? These require moderate to high lighting (the myrio especially). Judging by the very vibrant blue hue of the tank, I would wager you've got lighting that is great for the plants you selected, but not the tank method. So what probably has occurred is your lights mixed with the high concentration of nutrients in the water column from the soil, and it make algae soup very rapidly. This inhibited the plant growth to the point they started rotting and caused an outbreak of cyano. The cyano drowned out the plants even more, the algae kept going, and ta-da, you have swamp.
Start from scratch. Get a ton of easy, rapid-growing plants.
Your best plant in there is the wisteria. Once that gets settled and some solid roots, it will overrun everything in your tank. Which is great for the Walstad method, because it eats up the nutrients in the soil and out-competes your algae.
Take the amount of wisteria you started with it, then multiply that by 5-10 stems. I would get some easy species of rotala, an amazon sword and a bunch of crypts (heavy root feeders, they love the dirt), some lilaeopsis and/or sagittaria if you want the carpet effect, and fill about 80% of the tank with these plants. Save the remaining 20% of space for some slower growing species that you can add after the original plants are established and growing quick. Why this? Because you start with the lights low and for a short photo-period. Start at 6 hours a day for a few weeks, then slowly increase it depending on the plant growth. It's always easier to add lighting when your plants show symptoms than it is to decrease your lighting after the algae has established a foothold.
Have patience with the process. My Walstad was the easiest tank to maintain that I ever had, but it was also once of the most difficult to get started.
I find this guide by our fellow redditor useful as a foundation. After that you can just google or youtube for anything more specific.
Sorry missed the part about wanting a natural habitat. In which case i recommed diana walstad's book or google walstad tanks.
>You can get plant from that river what.
Technically yeah your brother is correct. Java fern originated from our own local rivers.
>Uncle: what fish you're rearing? None? What's the point?
Owhh boy, there are tons of beautiful fishes in the planted tank. Guppies and neon cardinal tetras. All of it suitable in our local climate, and if you hardworking enough at keeping the environment stable, guppies and neon tetras can breed more fishes.
I recommend this channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv3ih_zLt4Q
James Findley (refer to the guy in the video) usually use top of the line equipment from ADA (aqua design Amano). Expensive for beginner or someone that doesn't have a deep pocket. My suggestion is to cut some of the equipment to a more cheaper alternative. ADA tank is beautiful, but super duper expensive. My recommendation is, get a tank suitable for your budget per square cm. Which mean, get what is the biggest that you can afford, because of the bigger space, the lower the chance of mess up (like overdose fertilizer etc). For soil, ADA still the best for value. Get the Amazonian soil, and get the granular type, not powder as the granular type is less "cloudy" when pouring water.
For plants, get Monte Carlo for carpeting plant. Don't get hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba'. From my experience, monte carlo is more forgiving than HC. Monte Carlo can survive without CO2 injection. HC need cooler water and CO2 injection. It is doable for HC to survive in a hot climate like Malaysia, but need a CO2 injection. Monte Carlo is like a big version of HC. Usually, HC is for a nano tank. Owhh yeah, these kinds of plants usually float. So you will need to be careful to anchor them. For java fern, you can anchor to the rock. Java moss you can either glue (use waterproof glue) or better use rope. ADA has a biodegradable rope. I recommend using the rope rather than glue, and ADA rope is cheap IMO.
For CO2, depends on budget. You can DIY (not recommended because it fizzles out quickly in a few weeks), or get proper canister + regulator and solenoid. As I said before, you can get away from not using Co2, especially in Malaysia, as Malaysia has higher rate exchange of O2 and Co2 due to the temperature (don't quote on me, I forget the source). That's why our tropical rainforests are among some of the oldest in the world. As our climate suitable for plant growth (we don't have winter, and tons of perennial species). It translates also to underwater growth from seaweed and local flora. You can get away from Co2 by using some of the plants that are originated from our own backyard. But if you truly interested, I'm recommending this book: https://www.amazon.com/Ecology-Planted-Aquarium-Diana-Walstad/dp/0967377366. But a bit warning, without CO2, the growth rate is slower than using Co2 injection. So need to be patient, and cannot overdose on fertilizer. Need to keep that in mind. Fertilizer is like a vitamin. Better low dosage than overdose. I recommend Seachem Flourish. If you want to keep red plants, you must buy the iron supplement. But for a beginner, just get the balance (NPK is the exact ratio like 10:10:10 with trace elements). ADA also have their own fertilizer, but you will need to check their local price. I'm using DIY method because I've already had my own liquid fertilizer from Serbajadi. Serbajadi also has liquid fertilizer intended for a normal household plant, but the ratio of NPK is super duper high (21:21:21) with trace elements. This is too high for the aquarium and if you are not careful, algae will grow rapidly in this setup. I'm preferring this method as it is cheaper than buying top of the line aquarium fertilizer as I have my own plants (chilies, tomatoes). So usually I dilute the fertilizer and shower the plants and use the rest for the aquarium.
Buy also API freshwater masterkit. Expensive, but worth every ringgit. Why? You can test almost every metrics available, from PH to water hardiness. Our local tap water PH usually ranges from 7 to 8. A bit "hard". So keep that in mind to always check the source water. Not only that, you can use the kit for a nonspecific test that is not aquarium related. For example, testing local river water quality (for fishing).
Filtration. Get an Eheim filter if you can afford it. I'm dead serious. My Eheim filter still running for 2 years. Most of the cheap filter dead less than a year. Some anecdotal review stated Eheim filter can last up to 10 years. That's how quality it is. It is super duper quiet and you literally can sleep beside it and not hear a single decibel. If you prefer overhang type, get the Fluval. Cheaper and if you get the C4 version, it has tons of filtration. If you literally broke, just use cheap pump and overhang box. Or better still, DIY like this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL271pKi_qY
Don't sacrifice filter or not using a filter in the setup. As a good aquarium need a good filtration and water movement to facilitate bacteria growth and gas exchange/diffusion of Co2 and O2. Don't believe any videos that showcase aquarium without a filter. Also, the filter can act as a vacuum pump for mosquito larvae, a problem in Malaysia that Aedes mosquito like to breed in fresh, clear and clean water. A stagnating water is good breeding ground for mosquito. Keep that in mind.
For lighting, get an LED lamp. Cheaper actually using LED as it uses less watt and less heat issue. Get the full spectrum 6500K version for freshwater. DONT get the blue spectrum LED. That lamp usually for a saltwater tank. I believe in Mid Valley shopping mall, there is an aquarium shop on the top floor. And it has tons of aquarium light selection. You can buy online if you like. But a bit cautious buying lamp from China, please ensure you get proper voltage and proper ballast. If you too afraid to dive into thousands of LED selection, I'm suggesting for you to get an Ikea lamp desk that has an E26 socket. And use LED bulb 6500K from Phillips. Hang it over the tank. Same thing, and you can change the bulb whenever you like. Also get a timer. I'm suggesting about 4 to 6 hours daily light. Don't over 12 hours. Trust me. Algae can grow much quicker than plants. More exposure of light means more algae can outgrow the plants. Also, most of those videos don't tell you this, but for the first few weeks, you cannot put fishes or shrimp in the tanks. The filter and the biodiversity still cannot support the additional load of fish. This is called nitrogen cycle: http://freshwater-aquarium-passion.blogspot.com/2010/10/nitrogen-cycle-for-dummies.html
That's where the API master kit is useful. You can test the water parameter until it is stable. Usually, it takes one week. If you have any more questions, feel free to join on https://np.reddit.com/r/PlantedTank/. Good luck.
This gives a pretty good break down. Here is the book written by the person the method is named after, Diana Walstad. I haven't read it and I heard there is a lot of in-depth science that's tough to read through.
Edit: Just realized my first link is also by Diana Walstad, lol.
You are welcome! I learned it from this.
Read Ecology of the Planted Aquarium to learn the science behind aquatic plant biology, the "why" behind people's recommendations. Then read Nature Aquarium: Complete Works 1985-2009 for design and aquascape inspiration. Then head over to The Barr Report and the Planted Tank. Read every sticky and learn from it. Apply the techniques to your tanks, take notes about what you experience with your tanks. Take people's advice with a grain of salt, this is a niche hobby and there is not a ton of scientific tests done about planted tanks. people are going to give you recommendations from their experience and although they mean the best for you, it might not necessarily be correct. That's why I recommend you follow the works of Walstad and Tom Barr, they are scientists that have written countless of articles on this hobby, they are credible. People and folks on forums such as these are awesome for giving purchasing and equipment advice. But I doubt many of them have actually done scientific/lab grade tests on their methods. Follow this, be patient and persistent and I promise you in a year you will be amazed at what your tanks look like.
That's also very open ended. Very doable though; with a bit of research.
Check out Tropica's website; it's got a pretty good catalog that sorts plants by difficulty, and also a bit of a care guide and a bunch of demo photos for inspiration.
Here's an article that goes over the basics of aquascaping. The guy who wrote that also has a bunch of other articles demoing different styles.
If you want to learn the science behind planted tanks, find a copy of Diana Walstad's 'Ecology of the Planted Aquarium'. She's got a method for doing low maintenance planted tanks that's quite popular.
I was like you once. Killed everything green I touched. It's a matter of practice, along with a bit of understanding about what plants need. There are some resources around. I really like this book, myself. r/PlantedTank is another spot you could try looking though. Lots of other aquascaping and planted tank communities around too.
If you want to try planted tanks it's not a bad idea to start with the easy stuff. I like this website. Really nice catalog with basic care info and different difficulty categories.
That being said, there are a few options for the plant-adverse.
Fake plants. Some are more realistic than others, and they provide some of the physical benefits of real ones.
No plants. This doesn't have to involve multicoloured neon gravel, fake castles or bubbling divers. You can always try to emulate a habitat without aquatic plants. I have some tanks that make liberal use of natural, non-living materials. Rocks, wood, leaves, sand, etc. are all good options that can look very interesting if combined in the right way. It often helps to go out and look at actual rivers and lakes to see how they work (and incorporate some of what you see to make it look less artificial).
Some plants. You can do any mix of the above. Use a lot of hardscape, then sprinkle the odd, unkillable (java fern works well for this) plant around to liven things up a bit. Another good option are floating plants; which are often easier to work with.
Read "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium" by Diana Walstad and there you will find all the tips you need as scientific facts with their respected studies to back it up. You will also be able to give tips after reading with confidence and truly help others in the hobby. Ecology of the Planted Aquarium https://www.amazon.com/dp/0967377366/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_W2Iuvb0T4XQ1A https://www.amazon.com/dp/0967377366/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_W2Iuvb0T4XQ1A
Just curious, were you given a Walstad or did you make it, and if so, where are you getting your info? I only ask because using plants as the filter/oxygen supply is kinda the main point. I highly recommend grabbing a copy of Diane Walstad's book, cheaper PDF also available. It's 180 pages of wonderful content from lighting to water and soil chemistry and even chemical reactions between different plants (allelopathy). She gives you simple recommendations of how to start off, lighting, plant types, soil, etc, all the way to the detailed chemical reactions going on. All of your basic questions will be answered straight from the source.
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