# Setup of a 5.5 Gal Walstad-style Tank



## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

This hobby is too freaking addictive! Well, my wife, as part of her wedding present to me (we just got married a week and a half ago) bought me some VERY nice and quite expensive bettas from bettatalk.com. So, of course, they need a home in which to breed so I figured the best thing to do would be to set up a tank in which to spawn them. Now, a 5.5 gal. is a little on the small side for spawning bettas, but it will do for now. Here's some pics of the set up process.

Now, I approached it a bit differently.... in a ways. You see, most people in these threads forget a crucial first step: a little glass of wine to help the process along....










Now, the next thing I did was measure 0.75" from the bottom of the tank and I tied and taped a piece of string (mason's twine, to be exact) at the height I wanted the soil to be, like so:










Then I filled with soil to the line:










I knew there would be a rock in the frontish left corner so I left an area w/out soil around where the rock would be:










Next, I measured another 0.75" and retaped the string at the new height. This is where I wanted the gravel layer to end. I used just cheap "fine" gravel I got at PetSmart.










I placed the rock in it's location and used a plastic lid to distribute the water as I slowly poured it in:










Then I filled the tank w/ a little over an inch of water and planted it:



















(Pictures get a little scarecer here as the wine begins to settle into my brain!) Anyway, then I filled the rest up with water, added the light and voila! Now, just have to wait for nitrites to subside (the soil I use contains a bit of manure so there's always a nitrite spike):










Another slice of heaven in my home! So that makes four "Walstad-style" setups in my home. I'll have to post updates on the others in the future. What's in this tank? Hmmm....

5.5 gal tank.
0.75" HD cheapo potting soil
0.75" PetSmart cheapo fine gravel
Coralife 18W compact flo. lighting

E. tenellus
C. balansae
C. wendtii (not sure here, could be some other red crypt)
V. spiralis (will be kept nice and trimmed b/c is gets HUGE in my NPT setups)
S. subulata
H. polysperma (had been growing emerged in my pond)
R. indica
H. difformis
C. caroliniana
W. globosa (I think this is the duckweed I have, really small...) and P. stratiotes as floaters.
Plus: an unidentified smal sword (Right front) and unidentified crypt behind it (C. lucens or affinis??) If anybody knows the names of those two, please let me know.

Well, I hope you all enjoy! I'll post pics of the bettas to be bred here soon...

-ricardo


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## alaskaRiver (Jan 12, 2006)

Really nice set up Ricardo, congratulations on the both the wedding and the tank. I really like the light color of the substrate, it makes the tank look really clean and bright, and seems to make the green of the plants stand out even more. 
I cannot wait to see it once the new inhabitants arrive and I hope the breeding project goes well for you. Have you bred betta's before? I look forward to seeing how this project turns out, good luck.


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## Astral (Sep 24, 2004)

Ricardo:

What wine do you recommend to accompany the set up of a Walstad tank?

Waiting with anticipation to see your Betta's


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Each time I see someone do this and post photos to go with it, the less scary it seems to be to put ordinary dirt into a tank. 

But you definitely need to know exactly what you are doing. 

I stopped by Wal*Mart tonight hoping to find one bag of Schultz's Aquatic Soil now that I know what section to look for it in. (in fall & winter??) Found Cactus, and Orchid. Oh, well. 

But this sounds easier than I thought. 

Now I need to review the plants to have when starting one of these. 

Flagg, congratulations! 

I look forward to seeing more of your photos posted of both the Breeding Bettas (is it easy?) and your wedding. hoto:


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## onemyndseye (May 12, 2006)

flagg -

Looking good bro  I didnt care for the rock until I saw it filled and planted... Looks great 

Jimbo -

No need to be scared  Find some regular old potting soil without all the added stuff and go to town .. Or safer and easier yet... go out into your yard and find a spot were grass is growing... the topsoil in this area will be pretty well leached out excess nutrients.... and dig up enough to do the job.

Then take what you dig up and sift it with an old window screen and you have your dirt  Easy as that.... it works - no question

If you want to go further - get an old mason jar and put 1 inch of your soil in the bottom covered by an inch of gravel and wait... test the water over a week or two. Then youll know exactly what to expect..

No hassels 

My mother has TERRIBLE soil at her house.... very low in nutrients.... very sandy.. faily acidic - hard to get much of anything besides grass to grow in it. But I just used some of her soil to setup a 20Gallon NPT for her and its acutally doing better than MY tanks  LOL

Take the leap!! you wont be sorry 



> What wine do you recommend to accompany the set up of a Walstad tank?


The only wine there is  RED!  Some of my favorites are Chateau Ste. Michelle Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon

Take Care,
-Justin
One Mynds Eye


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## fredyk (Jun 21, 2004)

Jimbo-re Shultz Aquatic Soil, Look in Home Depot. Spring is best.


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## FishyGirl20 (Jan 25, 2006)

The small unidentified sword looks like echinodorus parviflorus "tropica". I have a couple in my 10g and they stay really small.

Your tank is really nice! I'm also awaiting pictures of the bettas.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

Your tank looks great. I too am eagerly waiting to see your new bettas!


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

> Jimbo -
> 
> No need to be scared Find some regular old potting soil without all the added stuff and go to town .. Or safer and easier yet... go out into your yard and find a spot were grass is growing... the topsoil in this area will be pretty well leached out excess nutrients.... and dig up enough to do the job.
> 
> ...


 Ummm... Yeah. Sure. 
I believe you, I really do. I want to. This is kind of like swimming in the deep end. I finally learned how to do that in college from the first GOOD swimming instructor I ever had in my life. I will slowly try this by eventually adding one or two spoonfuls at a time to my 9 Cups Betta Vase @ Home. Experiments are fine, SO LONG AS THEY WORK. 
I really, really, really want to believe you. 
If if doesn't work, you'll come to Upstate NY from Louisiana to visit and help me fix it, right? (friendly smirk)



> Jimbo-re Shultz Aquatic Soil, Look in Home Depot. Spring is best.


 Fredyk, thank you.

Flagg, how many Baby Bettas are you and your wife expecting? 
What promotes spawning? Is at all similar to Mollies? Or are breeding Bettas very difficult and or different? 
I am excited for both of you!

Can we see photos of the Male and the Female?


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

Jimbo205 said:


> Ummm... Yeah. Sure.
> I believe you, I really do. I want to. This is kind of like swimming in the deep end. I finally learned how to do that in college from the first GOOD swimming instructor I ever had in my life. I will slowly try this by eventually adding one or two spoonfuls at a time to my 9 Cups Betta Vase @ Home. Experiments are fine, SO LONG AS THEY WORK.
> I really, really, really want to believe you.
> If if doesn't work, you'll come to Upstate NY from Louisiana to visit and help me fix it, right? (friendly smirk)


Jimbo, don't try to sneak up on using soil.  just find some cheap potting soil or topsoil and follow the steps everyone is posting. I would also stay away from any prepared aquatic soil like shultz. Just jump in the deep end and learn to swim.


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## SunnyBetta (Oct 18, 2006)

I love the transformation pics from bare tank to beautiful planted paradise. Your bettas will love it in there! Speaking of bettas let's see some pics! (as you can tell I'm a betta fan )

If you have questions, trouble with the breeding you can go check out UltimateBettas (Powered by Invision Power Board), I actually got referred to here from one of the members. 

I'm still in the process of setting up my planted tanks...and seeing step-by-step pictures makes it soooo much easier on my brain. Thanks for sharing!


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## onemyndseye (May 12, 2006)

".... you'll come to Upstate NY from Louisiana to visit and fix it ....."

That depends on whose buying the tickets  LOL

Sersiously though....

I'll make ya a deal - Try it... and it it doesnt work then I'll ship you enough of the soil mix that I use in my tanks completly free to start your next tank with (upto about 30gallons) along with some plant cuttings so you can give it another try  As well as step-by-step setup instructions.

Hows that for a deal?

Just for clarity - youll get the soil mix used in this tank shown here

Now, I've laid down my hand - Lets see yours 

Take care,
-Justin
One Mynds Eye


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

That little tank looks great so far. I'm thinking about trying a little one like that if my wife can be persuaded to let it be on the kitchen counter. But, do you get serious algae, like BBA and GDA, in this type of tank? Is it worth while to bake the soil first? I'm thinking of a single male betta if I do this - would he pine away from loneliness?


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## TAM (Aug 21, 2005)

onemyndseye said:


> Now, I've laid down my hand - Lets see yours


Hey Jimbo, I think Justin just _*"double dog dared ya!"*_ Take him up on it, and let us know how it goes. Then I'll jump on this band wagon too. 

Ricardo, implamention of your first step may encourage us doubters and chickens. And I second the many motions, how about pictures of the bettas?!

Tammy


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## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

Sorry for my delay in reply folks! School has kept me away from here, but now that the weekend's arrived.... For those who want to see the bettas right away, they're at the bottom of this reply. I'll answer some questions and stuff...

First off actually, I'd like to thank every one for your kind comments! Setting up this tank was quite fun and my first serious attempt at trying to create a visually pleasing setup...

onemyndseye: I wasn't sure how the rock was going to look either. I knew that I wanted it off to the side, but when I saw it in the tank I wasn't sure how it was going to look. I was hoping it'd cover up some of the "legginess" of the C. balansae and it kinda did that. I also like the effect with the tenellus in front. I too am happy with the result.

FishyGirl20: E. parviflorus "tropica"... that sounds right! Thanks!

Jimbo205: I've never spawned mollies, but being livebearers they're quite different than bettas. If you haven't bred egg layers yet, bettas are good enough to start with although others (cherry barbs, zebra danios) are easier egg layers to breed. If I set everything up correctly, I should be able to get 10 - 20 sellable pairs. At 50 - 100 a pair I'm looking at potentially over $1000 dollars! Others that don't cut the grade will be given away or traded in at my LFS. If you want information on breeding them check out breeding bettas. I bought the pair from Faith at betta talk. Here's the link to what the ideal Apache (specifically a red cambodian BF piebalds) looks like. Mine male is a double tail so that makes him extra special and the female is starting to BF so that makes her EXTRA nice too! Also, tell you what, I live in upstate NY. Well, not too upstate, depends who you ask... But I'll come help fix your tank if something goes wrong!

SunnyBetta: Yeah, I love bettas too and I'm thinking that when we buy a house, I'm pretty much going to stick to bettas. I envision a 10' x 5' wall of shelves with planted NPT tanks (from 2.5 gals (for raising the prime stock) to 30 gal grow out tank) in my fish room. Of course, there will also be a 90 gal NPT vivarium and a 250 gal NPT, but those are projects for a MUCH later future!

hoppycalif: The only tank I ever had BGA in was an overcrowded 30 gal in which I was raising tanganyikan cave dwelling dwarf cichlids (N. brichardis). The only algae problem I have is in the tanks that sit in front of windows. I get a bit of algae growth, but nothing I can't handle. I don't expect to get any algae at all in this setup. Baking the soil wouldn't be a good idea. You'd likely kill a lot of the beneficial bacteria that make this type of setup so successful. Just get some cheap potting soil (cactus soil is especially idea if you come from somewhere w/ soft water) with no ferts/manure and set up the tank. It's unbelievable how easy it is! And the fish especially seem to thrive in my NPTs.

Ok, I just set up the heater in the tank and I'm waiting for it to get nice and warm so the F isn't in that tank yet, but here are the pics of the bettas...

Male:



















Female:



















Enjoy!

-ricardo


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## schaadrak (Aug 18, 2006)

Wow, he is great looking. And 50-100 _dollars_ a pair, whew.


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## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

schaadrak said:


> Wow, he is great looking. And 50-100 _dollars_ a pair, whew.


Yeah, this pair was $80 and perfect ones sell for $120 on Faith's site.

Well, female's finally in her new tank, here're more pics...
































































-ricardo


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

Gorgeous bettas Ricardo! The fins on the male are unbelievable. Lovely female and I'd say she likes her new home. 

The tank itself is looking good. Now for the hard part, waiting for plants to grow and the female to get into spawing condition.


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## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

cs_gardener said:


> Gorgeous bettas Ricardo! The fins on the male are unbelievable. Lovely female and I'd say she likes her new home.
> 
> The tank itself is looking good. Now for the hard part, waiting for plants to grow and the female to get into spawing condition.


Thanks! They really are unbelievable fish! Finnage and color are both excellent w/ only minor (and fairly insignificant) imperfections...

Yes, I was thinking about spawning condition, but then realized that I don't have to wait. These bettas are only fed live and frozen food (they won't tank anything else, Faith at Bettatalk raises all her fish on frozen and live foods (although, I will say, these guys have tried daphnia and they might go for freeze dried blood worms)) so there's not you're typical "feed live and frozen foods for two weeks to get into breeding condition" time... they already are! So I was all set to breed them this weekend, but then realized that I won't be around  So, it'll have to wait until the following weekend.... I'll def. post pics of the process... Maybe even setup a separate thread on betta breeding in NPTs....

-ricardo


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## SunnyBetta (Oct 18, 2006)

Wow! Gorgeous fish! Are they both doubletail bettas? I'm pretty sure from the guy, but I can never tell with the females...
I just noticed the girl has red lipstick! Beyond cute! XD Her tank is pretty much betta paradise...what I'm trying to achieve for myfish...anytime now -_-

...and $50-$100 per pair is...OUCH. Mine are just petstore mutts for less than $2 each, $3 for crowntails...but then I'm not planning to breed these guys. Best of luck in your breeding endeavours! I was looking at the breeding bettas link and Whoo! that's a lot of work.

But well worth it for fabulous fish  Do keep us posted on how things turn out!


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## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

SunnyBetta said:


> Wow! Gorgeous fish! Are they both doubletail bettas? I'm pretty sure from the guy, but I can never tell with the females...
> I just noticed the girl has red lipstick! Beyond cute! XD Her tank is pretty much betta paradise...what I'm trying to achieve for myfish...anytime now -_-
> 
> ...and $50-$100 per pair is...OUCH. Mine are just petstore mutts for less than $2 each, $3 for crowntails...but then I'm not planning to breed these guys. Best of luck in your breeding endeavours! I was looking at the breeding bettas link and Whoo! that's a lot of work.
> ...


The male's a DT but not the F. F DTs would also have the split down the middle, just like a M. Yes, the red "lipstick" is cute, however, it actually decreases the value of the fish. As a piebald (cream/flesh colored face) which she carries the genotype for, she should ideally have a face with no color... Oh well, perhaps some of her offspring will (those, paired with ideal males are the ones that fetch over $100/pair.)

Breeding any egg-layer is a fair amount of work, so I have to wait until I have a long spread of time when I can take care of the fry. I def. plan setting up a new NPT betta breeding thread to keep ya'll posted....

-ricardo


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

> ".... you'll come to Upstate NY from Louisiana to visit and fix it ....."
> 
> That depends on whose buying the tickets LOL
> 
> ...


Wow!! Justin, you really are serious aren't you? No kidding? Umm okay.

And boy, did I feel stupid! I got to Home Depot during my lunch break and with the staff that was as lost as I was trying to find it - we found the Schultz's Aquatic Soil. I was estatic! I bought it just so I would have the bag so I could find it again later. I was thrilled. I rushed to the car in the rain and got in. Then I read the bag. IT IS THE SAME STUFF AS SOILMASTER SELECT!! Oh my gosh, it is not soil AT ALL! I was expecting something rich and dark and fine and the perfect mix just for aquatic plants. Oh, Nooooooooooo. I felt sooooo stupid. I mean it is good stuff, but now I get it. Now I know why you all keep saying dirt.

Thank goodness, I previously could NOT find this stuff. I previously purchased 4-5 bags of Shultz's Cactus Soil which is waiting in my son's closet along with a brand new 10 Gallon tank for me to know what I am doing with El Naturale Natural Planted Tanks. And from what I read in this thread, I am very happy to know that Cactus soil is very good. 4-5 bags good. 1 bag - good for top gravel.

Diana and you ladies and gentlemen must have the most patience with newbies to El Naturale! Dirt. Soil. Simple. Leap of faith.

I enjoyed hours last week re-reading Chapter VIII on Substrates and Soil.

Now what do I do with a bottle test? And what is turbidity? Do I test the water for something after a couple of days.

By the way Justin, you are the best. Thanks!


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

> I live in upstate NY. Well, not too upstate, depends who you ask... But I'll come help fix your tank if something goes wrong!


No way! The only person in my neck of the woods is Urkevitz and he is shy! Really shy! (Great looking tanks though.)

If I could find a BUNCH of members or hobbyists or even just one or two!!
Wow. That would be really, really nice!


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## onemyndseye (May 12, 2006)

"......Wow!! Justin, you really are serious aren't you? No kidding? Umm okay....."

Very Serious 


"......Now what do I do with a bottle test? And what is turbidity? Do I test the water for something after a couple of days......"

Turbidity is a cloudiness or haziness of water (or other fluid) caused by individual particles that are too small to be seen without magnification, thus being much like smoke in air. in this case sometimes caused by suspended soil or clay particles

Put a 1" layer of soil in a old jar with about 1" or gravel to cover it. And fill the jar SLOWLY with water. Just observe what happens - what the water looks like etc etc... Test the water in the jar several times over a week or two for nitrates, ammonia, PH etc ... all the normal tank tests. This will alert you to anything weird the soil might do during the break in period.


"....By the way Justin, you are the best. Thanks!....."

Your very welcome 


Take care,
-Justin
One Mynds Eye


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Just printed that out. 

I think I tried that test in the summer but I guess the I put too much SoilMaster Select Red on top. Either that or the plant I had.... oh, who knows. 

Hey, want to fly up to Albany for Thanksgiving? We might have snow by then. You don't have that in Central Louisiana do you?

Oh, and I don't test my water for anything anymore. I put in Seachem Prime to condition the tapwater and just add it to the tank. 

I never tested for nitrates or ammonia because the plants always gobbled it up. Why bother? 

And pH I stopped testing for once I finally learned that hard water is good for plants. 

And I stopped using Seachem Acid Buffer to create a perfect 7.0 pH when Seachem told me that hard water was good for plants. I still have a pH test kit. But that is about it. Well, I do have the Seachem Iron test kit. Stopped using that when I realized no matter how much iron I added, the plants would gobble it up, and when I would test the next day I would barely register anything because of the plants. 

So, I don't test anymore. 

Also why I don't use PPS. I know it sounds good. Just too much math. :happy:


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## onemyndseye (May 12, 2006)

Jimbo-

Once in a great while we'll get A LITTLE snow.. last I can remember was New Years eve of 2001. snowed just enough to have a snow ball fight 

If you dont have the test kits then dont worry about it  Besides you have the "it'll work or you next soil mix is free" guarantee  Just jump on in 

Yeah.... with EI and PPS its just way to much fiddling for me. I'm serious when I say I would not be keeping plants if the soil method didnt work. With all that fiddling you might as well keep a Reef Tank 

"....So, I dont test anymore...."
Join the club  I dont own even ONE test kit (I take that back - I have a digital PH meter....But the batteries are dead LOL). My plants and fish will tell me all I need to know. Again I say if this method didnt work so well and was a stable as it is.... I wouldnt be keeping plants. And now I'm basing a whole greenhouse on his method  (Thread with details to come)

Lets start a thread soon detailing your progress and I'll help steer you in the right direction (as will the other wonderful members here I'm sure )  Also feel free to shoot me a PM

flagg-

I must apologize for trampling all over your thread... I seem to have a bad habit of doing this to ya  sorry mate  Those are some outstanding looking fish!!! cant wait to see how your breeding setup turns out 


Take Care,
-Justin
One Mynds Eye


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

> plan setting up a new NPT betta breeding thread to keep ya'll posted....


 Ricardo, I look forward to it. Beautiful photographs so far, and I am learning so much from you all!


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## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

onemyndseye said:


> flagg-
> 
> I must apologize for trampling all over your thread... I seem to have a bad habit of doing this to ya  sorry mate  Those are some outstanding looking fish!!! cant wait to see how your breeding setup turns out
> 
> ...


No worries, Justin... we're all here to learn from one another...


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