# To Ms. Walstad - Important



## Aquatica (Jun 1, 2006)

Dear Ms. Walstad:

I have read your book about the ecology of a planted aquarium and I am planning to set up a 75 gallon heavily planted tank following your steps. I must say, the book is truly wonderful and informative. I'd like to thank you for writing it.

If you'd have the time to answer a few of my questions, I'd be very grateful. I feel getting the answers from you personally would somehow reassure me, since I trust your book greatly. My tank will have 1.7 watts per gallon of lighting. It will not stand in front of a window as my room setup will not allow for such placement of the tank. Will this amount of lighting be sufficient at 10-12 hours a day?

The initial plants in the setup will be various vallisneria and sword species in the background, various anubias and java ferns in the midground, and some grass-like plants in the foreground. There will also be two pieces of drtiftwood covered with java moss. Will such mix of plants be OK? (They're all low- to medium-light plants.)

Lastly, my concern is with the soil. I do not trust my backyard soil as I live in a large polluted city (New York City) and this soil is most likely polluted. I found an alternative soil to buy: "Aquatic Plant Soil" by Schultz. The information states that it:
-Will not float or foul pond water 
-Plants can be rooted directly into this product 
-Does not break down 
-100% natural mineral blend
-Holds plants firmly anchored in place all season. Retains oxygen and nutrients. Non-toxic. Neutral pH.

Will such soil be OK to use in my planted tank? My tap water's pH is also neutral. Or will I need to supplement the soil with powdered dolomite?

Thank you for your time,
Aquatica from New York.

P.S. If anyone else knows the answers to my questions the way Ms. Walstad would most likely reply, please let me know. Thank you up front.


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## DataGuru (Mar 11, 2005)

Will it be getting any sunlight?


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## Aquatica (Jun 1, 2006)

As I have said, I cannot put the tank next to a window. The room has sunlight but the tank will not be in direct sunlight. Therefore, should I increase light output perhaps? (My current plan is to have 1.7 wpg at 10-12 hours a day).

Also, which commercial soil should I use? (I am not experienced with gardening and know nothing about soils.) Brand names and product types would be very helpful.

Would it be safe to top the soil with Seachem's Fluorite gravel or Eco-Complete gravel?

Thanks.


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## DataGuru (Mar 11, 2005)

Here's a summary of Diana's method and a step by step how-to article. I'd strongly recommend getting a copy of her book.

The lighting is in line with her recommendations. have 2 wpg over most of my NPTs, plus either direct or indirect sunlight, so I usually go a bit higher than Diana recommends.

I would use small gravel as the overlayer. Some of the high tech substrates may result in too much iron in the water column.

Yes, I would amend your soil with crushed oyster shell or pelleted dolomite lime or cruster oyster shell. some aragonite sand mixed in should also work.

Yes. swords and vals should be very happy. The swords have good root systems. The amazon sword in my 125 is taking up a third of the tank. I had better luck with e tenllus than hairgrass. Java moss should do fine. Crypts have good root systems and should also be happy in that tank. You'll also want to add some fast growing floaters (e.g. hornwort, najas grass, duckweed, frogbit, water lettuce, etc) to suck up excess nutrients at first while the rooted plants get established.

As far as soil brand, I'd go with a cheap topsoil. Do a bottle test--add soil, and a layer of gravel and water in a jar and let it sit and test it occasionally to see how it's going to act submerged and to see how much it's going to yellow the water. Some soils do better than others. You can do a search in this forum to see what others have used.


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## Aquatica (Jun 1, 2006)

Thank you for your reply.

I have already read her book and its copy is already on my bookshelf. This is why I am asking all of these questions. I am asking also because I am no gardener and have absolutely no experience with soils. So I just wanted to know which commercial soils are nutrient-rich, chemical-free, and fish-safe.

Adding all of these substances to the soil sounds complicated. I don't even know where to get them or what they are (except dolomite that Ms. Walstad mentioned in her book).

If I don't find the right soil, I'll have to go with Seachem or Eco-Complete only and with commercial fertilizers. I can't just scoop soil from my backyard as it probably is polluted (I live in NYC).


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## czado (May 26, 2005)

> So I just wanted to know which commercial soils are nutrient-rich, chemical-free, and fish-safe.


 Schultz isn't nutrient-rich (it is inert) but does hold nutrients very well (high CEC). It would be good as a cap/top layer. Otherwise you could add organics to it, but...



> Adding all of these substances to the soil sounds complicated. I don't even know where to get them or what they are (except dolomite that Ms. Walstad mentioned in her book).





original post said:


> Lastly, my concern is with the soil. I do not trust my backyard soil as I live in a large polluted city (New York City) and this soil is most likely polluted.


Could still use topsoil from a gardening store instead.

FWIW, I am a big Walstad fan as well, and to attempt her method I used Schultz with a bottom layer of peat and many root tabs. Now, a year later, it is loaded with organics and I am happy with it. The tank is no longer "Natural" though, because I like CO2 too much. Just a personal experience.

Hope this helps.


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## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

In choosing a soil, just look at the composition of the soil. Any regular topsoil or potting soil will work as long as you stay away from soils that use fertilizer and that have any manure compost. There's no hard and fast rule for soils, except for the no fertlizers/manure. Just pick up a bag and do a bottle test and see what happens. That's really the only way to know for sure what's going to work best. Most people just buy generic soil. I wouldn't overly worry about the brand of soil you use, it doesn't really make a difference. Oh, I'd also avoid soil with w/ vermiculite and other "aerators" as these can escape into the water and float around making a mess. Another good suggestion might be to try potting soil for cacti. Find one with some form of added calcium (usually bone meal or something) then you can forgo the oyster grit or even reduce it. Top it off with plain gravel which would be cheaper than shultz. 

As for additives, there's nothing to it. Add your soil, then your additive then gravel. Or additives first, whatever you prefer. You can get oyster grit at at any landscaping store. You can also use cuttlebone which you can get at any petstore that sells bird supplies. Break the cuttlebone into small pieces and add it to the soil before capping it off with gravel.


-ricardo


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Hello Aquatica,

Many of the other hobbyists have given valid points. It's hard to take the plunge with soil. Its always a risk.

I think that you're better off looking for a potting soil or a topsoil sold at a hardware store than going with a commercial aquarium product. Many of these products are designed for tanks with CO2 injection. They don't have any organic matter, and therefore, won't provide CO2 to the plants. Any inexpensive potting soil (the cheaper the better) should work fine. Do bottle test first if you're concerned about turbidity. 

Also, before you worry about whether to use lime or not, I'd find out first whether you actually need it. How hard is NYC water?


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## Aquatica (Jun 1, 2006)

Thank you Ms. Walstad, and all of you, for your replies and suggestions. It seems regular soil from a regular store will suffice. I will keep in mind your tips.

New York City water in the area where I live has the following properties (according to NY Department of Environmental Protection):

Ca: 29.9
Mg: 14
Bicarb: 88.694
Sulfate: 36.4
Na: 29
Cl: 45
Hardness: 133
Alkalinity: 72.2
RA: 43.0914
pH: 7.4
Fe: 300

(I don't know in which units the above measurements are, but Ms. Walstad will surely know.)


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Aquatica said:


> Thank you Ms. Walstad, and all of you, for your replies and suggestions. It seems regular soil from a regular store will suffice. I will keep in mind your tips.
> 
> New York City water in the area where I live has the following properties (according to NY Department of Environmental Protection):
> 
> ...


Dear Aquatica,

Your New York city water looks lovely. Calcium and magnesium are 30 and 14 ppm (mg/l), which are plenty of these important hardwater nutrients for plants. That means that you don't need to worry about adding lime to substrate.

The hardness is 133 ppm of CaCO3 which borders on soft/medium hard (see table on page 185 of my book). My own well water looks very similar.

I have heard that New York city water is better tasting and purer than some expensive brands of bottled water. Thanks for providing the numbers.


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## heidisue (May 3, 2006)

dwalstad said:


> I have heard that New York city water is better tasting and purer than some expensive brands of bottled water.


It's so true. It's downright yummy.


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## Aquatica (Jun 1, 2006)

Ms. Walstad,

I am very glad to hear that my water is very good for my planted tank. Thank you very much for answering my questions  Hearing a confirmation from you personally reassures me that I am on the right track as I do value your judgement (coming from an appreciation for your book). I believe this book is among the best ones on natural planted aquariums. I don't think any other book provides so much solid evidence and scientific information, which are necessary in order to understand at least the basics of the planted aquarium's ecology. I am no scientist but I was able to grasp the most important concepts of the book and found it overall very helpful. So once again, thank you Ms. Walstad.

Heidisue,

Yes, NYC water does not taste bad at all, but I still rarely drink it. The idea of drinking chlorine doesn't sound very appealing to me, lol. Thus I buy bottled water for drinking. But, yes, NYC water is indeed "drinkable" taste-wise


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Aquatica,

Thanks for your kind words about my book.


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