[Bored_Conscious]

Hello all! First time poster here.

I'm entirely new to the aquarium hobby and so I've been spending a considerable amount of time trying to learn the basics.
I have some questions regarding water parameters and so I'll start off by listing some basics off.

Tank first set-up: 3/4/2022
14 Gallon Cube
76 Degrees Fahrenheit
1 inch of soil
1.5 inch of gravel cap
No filter or anything at the moment. Literally, just dirt, gravel, plants, minimal hardscape, and water.

Plants: Anubias minima, Rotalla rotundifolia red, hornwort, frogbit, dwarf grass, and two other species that I don't remember the name of. Plant coverage is around 70%

I didn't grab any water parameters until yesterday.
3/6/2022: Ammonia: 0.5 ppm Nitrites: 0 ppm Nitrates: 0 ppm
3/7/2022: Ammonia: 1 ppm Nitrites: 0 ppm Nitrates: 0 ppm

As of today, I haven't seen too much growth yet. I have been taking pictures as the days been going along and I can see that the hornworts at least are starting to look less limpy and are "standing taller". I can also see the frogbit are also starting to produce new shoots. Other than that, things are pretty slow.

I'm having some difficulties understanding the cycling process for a Walstad tank. Currently, I have some ammonia and everything else is zero. Are the plants supposed to be taking in the ammonia at some point or is that something bacteria in the water do? My plants don't really look like they're growing at the moment. Once they start growing more visibly, I assume at that point the ammonia levels should start creeping down? From what I've gathered, it appears that I shouldn't anticipate any spikes in nitrites or nitrates if my plants are doing their job?

I think in a typical aquarium you see an ammonia spike, then nitrite spike, and then a nitrate spike. I assume I won't be seeing that here? I just have to wait until the ammonia levels fall down to 0 ppm and as long as the nitrites and nitrates are also 0 ppm then I'm good to go to add some livestock?

Other than that, I can see some biofilm growing at the surface of my tank. I can also seem some white, fuzzy algae growing along a wood hardscape I have in the tank.
The water is slightly cloudy, but not terribly so. I can tell it has cleared a bit since yesterday based on my picture comparison, but I'm curious if I should do a big water change at the moment or leave things the way they are.

Thanks!

 

[Bored_Conscious]

I've added a picture of the tank and the white algae looking thing growing on the log. It is also present on some of my plants as well.

 

[maico996]

Welcome to the forum! Have you read Ecology of the Planted Aquarium?

 

[Bored_Conscious]

Welcome to the forum! Have you read Ecology of the Planted Aquarium?

Admittedly, no I have not. I have the book and read some of it last year, however, medical school started and I haven't had the chance to get around to finishing it.
I've seen quite a lot of videos and what not on the general principles and thought it would be a relatively low-investment (money and time) so I decided to give it a go.

I do have plans on giving it a read once summer break comes around, but I decided why not dip my toes in right now and just give it a whirl.

 

[maico996]

To quote Yoda..."In the book, the answers are." 😂

 

[maico996]

You don't need to read EPA cover to cover just yet, but you should at least read the sections on substrate and plant selection. Summer is a long way off and you'll need to address some things beforehand. You're missing rooted plants in your setup and your gravel cap is a little thick. For gravel, one inch is the max recommended. Also, hardscape on top of your substrate will usually result in anaerobic soil conditions underneath. Hornwort doesn't need to be anchored and can be used as a "floating" plant. It will do a great job of absorbing excess nutrients in your water until your soil settles down. Biofilm is a typical part of the initial process and can be removed with a paper towel laid on the water surface. Don't expect your plants to have a growth explosion in the first few days. They need time to adjust to their new surroundings. Some won't survive and some will thrive. Unfortunately you won't figure this out until the plants do and there's no way to predict success or failure. You just have to let time do its thing and then continue with the plants that do well in the world you've made.
The one thing you didn't mention is your lighting...

 

[Bored_Conscious]

You don't need to read EPA cover to cover just yet, but you should at least read the sections on substrate and plant selection. Summer is a long way off and you'll need to address some things beforehand. You're missing rooted plants in your setup and your gravel cap is a little thick. For gravel, one inch is the max recommended. Also, hardscape on top of your substrate will usually result in anaerobic soil conditions underneath. Hornwort doesn't need to be anchored and can be used as a "floating" plant. It will do a great job of absorbing excess nutrients in your water until your soil settles down. Biofilm is a typical part of the initial process and can be removed with a paper towel laid on the water surface. Don't expect your plants to have a growth explosion in the first few days. They need time to adjust to their new surroundings. Some won't survive and some will thrive. Unfortunately you won't figure this out until the plants do and there's no way to predict success or failure. You just have to let time do its thing and then continue with the plants that do well in the world you've made.
The one thing you didn't mention is your lighting...

I'll give that section a read. I have the hardscape sitting on the glass below, so hopefully that will help prevent some of the anaerobic soil conditions.
For lighting, I am using these vivarium LEDs that I bought. I bought two, but found that one was more than sufficient for my 20 gallon vivarium. I attached a picture of the light I am using.

Do you have any good rooted plant recommendations? I'll go pick some up today. I assume you plant those deep into the substrate into the dirt itself?

 

[maico996]

Hardscape on the glass bottom is perfect. Make sure you read about the lighting siesta as well. It can help keep algae away and give your plants the best opportunity for growth.
Regarding rooted plants, I've had good luck with dwarf sag, vals, and swords. Stem plants will get most of what they need from the water so when you cut them back replant the trimmings and you'll keep getting free plants.
What kind of animals are you thinking of adding?

 

[Bored_Conscious]

Hardscape on the glass bottom is perfect. Make sure you read about the lighting siesta as well. It can help keep algae away and give your plants the best opportunity for growth.
Regarding rooted plants, I've had good luck with dwarf sag, vals, and swords. Stem plants will get most of what they need from the water so when you cut them back replant the trimmings and you'll keep getting free plants.
What kind of animals are you thinking of adding?

Not planning on adding any animals until the tank parameters stabilizes and I see good plant growth. Most likely shrimps and snails initially (2 weeks from now hopefully?) and then fishes in a month or so.

I was thinking of 4 cherries, 2 amano shrimps, and a couple of snails at first. For fishes, I'm not entirely sure what is out there. I definitely want fishes on the smaller side. I think schooling fishes look cool, but not sure how realistic it is to get a schooling species with a tank my size. If I could, I'd do one species of schooling fish (small tetrads? of maybe 6 to 8) I am always open to suggestions though.

You have been amazing help so far! I was wondering, regarding the rooted plants, are they important to aerate the soil substrate and taking nutrients out from the soil below? I guess I'll figure that out if I read the chapters you suggested. Is it recommended to have large, medium, and small rooted plants so I can fill out the back, middle, and foreground of the tank or is it fine to just have mostly background rooted plants?

Lastly, I assume my lighting is okay?

 

[Bored_Conscious]

Hardscape on the glass bottom is perfect. Make sure you read about the lighting siesta as well. It can help keep algae away and give your plants the best opportunity for growth.
Regarding rooted plants, I've had good luck with dwarf sag, vals, and swords. Stem plants will get most of what they need from the water so when you cut them back replant the trimmings and you'll keep getting free plants.
What kind of animals are you thinking of adding?

I remembered the name of one of the plants I have. It is a vallisneria. I also realized the rotalla is not a rotalla. It is actually a Ludwigia Broad Leaf. (Still don't remember the name of the other plant
It looks like Vals (actually one of the rooters you recommended) and Ludwigia are both rooted plants. Will those be sufficient, or should I just go ahead and pick up a sword?

 

[maico996]

A shrimp and a snail would be good "aquanauts" for your tank. The thing to keep in mind is that you don't necessarily have to wait because your tank doesn't cycle like a non-NPT. You don't need to wait for bacteria to establish as the plants are effectively your filter. That's why you need to plant heavy from the beginning. As your soil decomposes it will release lots of CO2 and your plants will use that for growth. While you're in the initial phase you should be poking your soil to keep it aerated. You can use a chopstick, or unwind a wire coat hanger and use that. Poke once or twice a day all around the tank. For a while you should see some bubbles released everywhere you poke. As the soil cools down the bubbles will eventually stop.
Yes, rooted plants help aerate the soil and absorb nutrients. You'll wanted rooted plants to be taking up most of the real estate in your tank so yes, you can go with fore, mid and background plants.
Regarding your lighting, the photo period is most important. EAP explains why the siesta method is beneficial and gives examples of how long it should be. You need your plants growing to outcompete algae and benefit your eventual inhabitants, and one of the keys to that is the right amount of light.

 

[Bored_Conscious]

A shrimp and a snail would be good "aquanauts" for your tank. The thing to keep in mind is that you don't necessarily have to wait because your tank doesn't cycle like a non-NPT. You don't need to wait for bacteria to establish as the plants are effectively your filter. That's why you need to plant heavy from the beginning. As your soil decomposes it will release lots of CO2 and your plants will use that for growth. While you're in the initial phase you should be poking your soil to keep it aerated. You can use a chopstick, or unwind a wire coat hanger and use that. Poke once or twice a day all around the tank. For a while you should see some bubbles released everywhere you poke. As the soil cools down the bubbles will eventually stop.
Yes, rooted plants help aerate the soil and absorb nutrients. You'll wanted rooted plants to be taking up most of the real estate in your tank so yes, you can go with fore, mid and background plants.
Regarding your lighting, the photo period is most important. EAP explains why the siesta method is beneficial and gives examples of how long it should be. You need your plants growing to outcompete algae and benefit your eventual inhabitants, and one of the keys to that is the right amount of light.

Shouldn't I wait on the shrimps and snails until my ammonia drops to 0 though?

 

[dwalstad]

Decent start and good advice from others. I would let the Hornwort "float". Make sure that the red stem plant (Ludwigia?) in front of the driftwood is getting enough light. If it's in the shadow of the driftwood I would move it. Could be very pretty in this tank climbing to the surface as most stem plants do.

Would be nice to have a grove of Val at the back. Val spiralis--if happy-- is a terrific root grower. Sagittaria subulata towards the front. Swordplant may be too big for this tank.

You can wait off on animals until tank stabilizes. Once plants get growing, ammonia will go. You may need to do a couple water changes first couple weeks.

I would scoop up some of that gravel. Can use a soup spoon. 1.5 inches is too deep for a tank with no water movement. I recommend no more than 1 inch for the gravel layer. Considering that you have no water movement, getting enough O2 to the soil layer will be problematic. Thus, I would consider a shallower gravel layer, getting root-oxygenation plants, and poking substrate.

 

[maico996]

Shouldn't I wait on the shrimps and snails until my ammonia drops to 0 though?

Yes. I should've been more specific. What I meant was you don't need to wait as long as you do with a non-NPT filtered aquarium...that usually takes something like a month or so? Once ammonia drops then it should be safe for your first "canaries in the coal mine." As Diana has said, water changes will help with the ammonia until plants take over.

 

[Bored_Conscious]

Decent start and good advice from others. I would let the Hornwort "float". Make sure that the red stem plant (Ludwigia?) in front of the driftwood is getting enough light. If it's in the shadow of the driftwood I would move it. Could be very pretty in this tank climbing to the surface as most stem plants do.

Would be nice to have a grove of Val at the back. Val spiralis--if happy-- is a terrific root grower. Sagittaria subulata towards the front. Swordplant may be too big for this tank.

You can wait off on animals until tank stabilizes. Once plants get growing, ammonia will go. You may need to do a couple water changes first couple weeks.

I would scoop up some of that gravel. Can use a soup spoon. 1.5 inches is too deep for a tank with no water movement. I recommend no more than 1 inch for the gravel layer. Considering that you have no water movement, getting enough O2 to the soil layer will be problematic. Thus, I would consider a shallower gravel layer, getting root-oxygenation plants, and poking substrate.

Hi Ms. Walstad! I appreciate you popping in. I went ahead and did a 50% water change along with some gravel removal, substrate poking, and added some additional Vals.
I plan on doing 50% water changes a couple of times a week (3x/week is the current plan), but I was wondering what is an acceptable ammonia level in the tank as it gets cycled? Should I make sure it never goes above 1 ppm? 2ppm?

 

[Jorge Soirse]

Most plants will do fine in regular ammonia levels. EPA says some particularly sensitive ones are harmed by less than 1 ppm, but many will do fine in grossly higher levels and even benefit from them.

 

[Bored_Conscious]

Update: I've been doing 50% water changes the past two days in order to bring ammonia levels down from 1-2 ppm to around 0.5 ppm.

When should I start seeing some plant growth? I can't say I'm too interested in doing 50% water changes every single day to keep ammonia at an acceptable level. 😅

Also, I've added in some siesta hours (4 hours on, 3 hours off, and 4 hours on, then off until the following morning). I've also added a small 5w pump that is providing some slight ripples at the top of my tank. Is that okay to do? From what I've read, it appears CO2 is a relatively precious resource in a walstad tank and I don't want to be blowing off too much CO2 with the added ripples. However, I've also read that adding ripples might actually be adding CO2 to my tank, which is good I presume? I believe it just has to do with the concentration of CO2 in the water versus in the atmosphere and at which point it reaches equilibrium? How do I know if I'm pushing off CO2 or adding it into my system?

The filter is there mostly for aesthetic purposes to prevent biofilm and I like the disco effect of the light piercing through the ripples.

 

[maico996]

Per your first post your tank has only been up and running for five days, right? You'll start seeing some growth soon...just be patient. 😉 Have you added any more rooted plants?
I'd increase your lights-on period by one hour each so you have a total of 10 hours of lights on. Eight hours might not be enough. Regarding your pump I think you're fine with the surface just rippling. It's when the surface is broken that a lot of gas exchange happens.
As the organic material in your soil decomposes CO2 will be abundant in your tank. Once it settles down, that's when it becomes more important to retain as much as possible. It will take a long time for your soil to break down to that point. But as you add food and your inhabitants poop, your soil will be receiving the things it needs to keep your plants happy. It all becomes one big cycle: Feed your residents, they poop, mulm gets down into your soil, plants keep growing (and filtering). One thing Diana recommends is overfeeding. The uneaten food will help replenish your soil. I feed twice a day and more than my fish can eat.
I don't think you need to do a water change every day. Maybe three times a week?

 

[Bored_Conscious]

Patience is not my strongest attribute, but I guess I'll take this opportunity to work on it .
I did add a few more rooted plants into the tank and I'll up the photoperiod to a total of 10 hours.

Appreciate the feedback as always!

 

[Gooblikon]

Patience is not my strongest attribute, but I guess I'll take this opportunity to work on it .
I did add a few more rooted plants into the tank and I'll up the photoperiod to a total of 10 hours.

Appreciate the feedback as always!

Basic substrate levels of ammonia are good for plants and if you have some plants hanging on the side, or use that lovely piece of wood and mount an epiphytic plant) with exposed roots they'll soak up even more of it helping with ammonia levels. With my 10 gallon I just let evaporation do my water changes and ammonia was 0 after at least the first week, albeit 75% of my plants were large previously established epiphytic plants and had no problems slurping up all the resources. Even the most healthy plants will have a transition period, especially if they're shipped, and it can take quite some time for plants to recover as they need to acclimate to the different water and substrate they're in. If you have any experience with terrestrial plants it is very much the same but add about 50 more variables on top of that for aquatic plants. I wouldn't even worry about testing parameters until about 2 weeks after establishing the tank. And as others have said the upper is thick and is also one of the reasons for slow plant growth, they need to push their roots all the way down into the substrate before they can start growing!

Monitoring tips:
Look for new root growth not necessarily new foliage as the roots need to find their resources before being able to make new leaves.
Don't think the plant is dead because all the leaves are gone and roots are "rotting," many times plants are shedding leaves and-or roots in order to transition to their new environment. Many plants are actually grown and farmed in highly humid environments and not aquatic ones which is another reason for this transitional period.
Probably stop looking at it, especially if you keep obsessing over it and trying to rush. Just walk away, it will take care of itself and one day you'll notice a big change--then it's time to fiddle!