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Soil question for the Walstad tank

7252 Views 135 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  Oslo, 
O
Soil consisting of 60% peat moss, 40% composed bark fines and iron sulfate (50g/m3) additive, would it be ok for a Walstad tank even if it has a pH of 4? Or would it be beneficial to have a soil exclusively consisting of either peat moss or compressed bark fines?

Cheers,
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M
Aren't you overthinking it a little? :) I would take the most "simple" soil I could find - ordinary potting mix with no wetting additives and call it a day. You could also do an experiment with a couple of bigger jars (~5-10l) and use different soil in each to see how they behave.. :)

I am a little puzzled by your question "Do you think aragonite sand mixed with lava stones would be sufficient as an ammonia removal system in a low tech tank without plants?". Are you planning a planted tank, or a tank without plants?
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Oslo said:
I am a little puzzled by your question "Do you think aragonite sand mixed with lava stones would be sufficient as an ammonia removal system in a low tech tank without plants?". Are you planning a planted tank, or a tank without plants?

Maybe both, I am curious of nature and would be interested in finding the golden balance between fish load and a low tech ammonia system without using a filter. E.g. would it be possible to keep ammonia levels under control in a fish tank without plants and filter by using only an airstone/power head combined with suitable gravel/stones that contain bacteria for converting ammonia to nitrate (denitrification). If yes, where would that line go? 2 guppies, 5 guppies, 10 guppies, 50 guppies? This would be highly dependent upon feeding protocol and water changes.
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Ammonia or nitrite won't be a problem, cichlid tanks run without any plants just fine. Nitrates have to be removed by water changes. Soil substrate in such case doesn't make much sense. I would expect that bare tank without a filter will take longer to "cycle", so I would start slow with a few fish specimen (whose health might get impacted negatively by initially elevated ammonia/nitrites, so don't get too attached to them🙂).
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Oslo said:
So, soil substrates like aragonite and lava stones will not be able to remove much ammonia from fish waste and food? Even if I have good water circulation and oxygen rich water?
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Once you have big enough colony of beneficial bacteria, ammonia and nitrite surely gets converted to nitrate. Nitrate must be removed either by plants, water changes or special filter media (ion exchange resins).
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Oslo said:
Should I buy this lamp? Chihiros WRGB II LED..
www.chihirosaquaticstudio.com

Chihiros WRGB II LED (Built-in Bluetooth) Mobile app

Perfect choice for high-tech aquariums, even with the most demanding plants. With the help of the built-in Bluetooth controller and - chihiros aquatic studio
www.chihirosaquaticstudio.com www.chihirosaquaticstudio.com
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Have a look on C-series lamps - Chihiros C361 LED light with dimmer (18 W, 1850 lm) - chihiros aquatic studio - I have the slightly shorter version for a couple of years on my similar cube aquarium (half the water volume) and it is great. Works with cheap generic automatic sunrise/sunset dimmers, provides plenty of light (I am running it about 80% max) and is water resistant (unlike other Chihiros lights). Just be aware that it heats a lot (like many LED lights though), so don't use it in confined spaces with lack of air/heat exchange.
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Oslo said:
What about heaters, should I invest in some? I have only 20C in my flat. Whats the optimal temperature for a walstad tank?
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You might get away without one. Water will get heated by water pumps, LED lights and if it doesn't sit in a draft, its temperature will be probably up to 4C above the ambient temperature. Just get a good thermometer (I prefer simple glass ones as they tend to show the same temperature across different manufacturers and models) and if it gets too chilly, buy a small heater (here again I have better experience with those using a simple analogue knob).
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Oslo said:
Yes, maybe that lamp will fit my cubic tank better (30x30x35cm) and give light to all areas of the tank? So, these chihiros lamps gives a lot of heat? The one I have now does not, but it is only 3,6W.
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I would say that majority (if not all) of higher powered LED lamps produce a lot of heat, but they should be constructed to handle this. Users just have to be aware not to cover them (so the heat doesn't accumulate) and that they need to be handled carefully when switched on.

I have similar low powered LED lamp too (came with the tank) and I used it for artemia hatching or mushrooms growing, for anything else it was just too weak (IMHO). :)
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To speed up removal of Nitrates, you can use ion exchange resin with strong affinity to Nitrates. I have used is successfully when I experienced Nitrate respiration in one of my tanks.

There are more sophisticated aquaristic products (Szat clear water is the most famous in Eastern Europe), but for your purpose almost any drinking water cleaning resin will work (as long as it has good affinity to NO3). They are regenerated by pure salt (dishwasher) and can be used for many years.
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