[johnwesley0]

As long as the principles of aquatic ecology laid out in her book are thoughtfully considered and incorporated into the aquarium, if not to a T, there’s no reason it can’t be successful.

Nothing wrong with that. But I've never read anything written by her suggesting you can control ammonia by increasing the thickness of the gravel cap. I could be wrong. It isn't consistent with other things she's written, including the passage I quoted from her book. It just stands to reason that anything thick enough to slow down ammonia is also thick enough to slow down the exchange of other gases - like O2 and CO2.

 

[sn0wlvlan]

Thanks for the kind suggestions and advice everyone. Appreciate it!

 

[maico996]

I should have specified “excessive” nutrient leaching. Respectfully, a 2 inch sand layer isn’t going to create a hermetically sealed environment. It will simply slow the rate of NH3 diffusion into the water column. I don’t see why this approach can’t be used in conjunction with water changes and adding more plants, other than “Diana says so”.

It is also going to slow the rate at which oxygen reaches the soil, which will have a greater negative impact than anything else. The substrate "recipe" has been around for a long time, but feel free to experiment as you see fit and keep posting your results. As is often the case, what works for some doesn't always work for everyone.

 

[sn0wlvlan]

Day 11 Update:

Alright, understood that the current observation was no-go already, but at the same time many sources saying to just wait it out, and so I did just to experiment and learn.

Day 11 (Some stems mostly ludwigia at the middle, java moss on driftwood & frogbit floaters added at day 6):

Expected melting and growth can be both observed (most of these pics were also taken when the lights are usually off, hence the closing appearance):

I've also noticed organisms (please advise if this is normal, I would like to believe it is as soil is used, with decomposition etc. & I've yet to introduce any fish/shrimps - not sure if these worms/organisms are the standard normal ones):

On my melting monte Carlo and numerous around:

On glass, tons of these, with quite a few bladder snails:

 

[sn0wlvlan]

BUT AS EXPECTED, HIGH AMMONIA, NITRATES ARE STILL PRESENT. Nitrites are normally 0 now.

Until Day 9, maintenance as usual 30-50% WC

Day 10 I thought of skipping a day and monitor. Then Day 11 below:

The highest amm spike yet. Frm observation, the after wc will inc back to 2ppm.

So bottomline is,

1. Should I just scrape this. As advised, reduced hardscape (use smaller if insist and to the bottom of tank, on glass to prevent more anaerobic soil, prolly change soil substrate, be more patient with 'poking' rinsing, etc.) - most likely doing this
2. Patience. Just continue and wait it out.
3. Enlighten and teach me with some other advice!

Thanks in advance for the kind opinions and guides

 

[johnwesley0]

Yeah, it just sounds like you have too much soil in relation to the number of plants in the tank. You have to move the hardscape and remove what's underneath it. If you're not going to use it, lose it. EDIT: Mind you, it took my apistogramma tank about a month before things settled down and the soil stopped pumping out ammonia after repeated water changes. But eventually your unused, compacted soil is going to be a chronic problem until it is addressed. This thread starter had a set up similar to yours. It didn't go well:
Nano Low Tech Starter | Aquatic Plant Forum (aquaticplantcentral.com)

 

[atxrj123]

Like Ms. Walstad said, her method us not really a good option if you're trying to aquascape. The el natural method lets plants fight it out for dominance with little intervention (ie - trimming for looks or replanting). Otherwise it gets very messy.
Try an aquasoil if you have the funds. Otherwise go with a cheap inert substrate and just add an
osmocoate ball or two near each of the plant roots. They'll leach enough into the water for epiphytes, even when buried. Also, adding ferts after a water change is not expensive if you roll your own but you have to be comfortable with the chemistry.