One month ago I set up my first Walstad aquarium, and my first aquarium in over 30 years. About two years ago, a friend told me about the work of Takashi Amano and I looked him up on the internet. What I saw amazed and delighted me, then the description of how this beauty was created and maintained amazed and appalled me. I forgot about planted aquaria for another year and a half.
Then somehow while browsing the web, I came across a description of Diana Walstad's method of creating planted aquaria and immediately thought, "I can do this." I bought a copy of her book, and started reading everything on the web I could find. This aquarium was set up using her method with very few deviations.
We'll start with the tank: a used 20 gallon tall with a damaged rim. The rim was so bad that I had to remove it. The clamp lights are temporary.
Inspired by emersed driftwood designs, I used mazanita and crape myrtle. The mazanita is in the back, actually three separate pieces held together with stainless steel screws.
Originally I intended to fill the tank only about 2/3 full, but that changed later.
Then somehow while browsing the web, I came across a description of Diana Walstad's method of creating planted aquaria and immediately thought, "I can do this." I bought a copy of her book, and started reading everything on the web I could find. This aquarium was set up using her method with very few deviations.
We'll start with the tank: a used 20 gallon tall with a damaged rim. The rim was so bad that I had to remove it. The clamp lights are temporary.
Inspired by emersed driftwood designs, I used mazanita and crape myrtle. The mazanita is in the back, actually three separate pieces held together with stainless steel screws.
Originally I intended to fill the tank only about 2/3 full, but that changed later.