# Is the Walstad method scalable? Interested in a 75g Flowerhorn setup. Is this viable?



## thenacho1 (May 11, 2021)

Hi all, I'm new to the Walstad method and aquarium keeping as a whole. As such I would like to reassure that this question is strictly hypothetical for now. Would it be possible to do a fully planted Walstad tank for large fish such as Flowerhorns or Oscars? The vast majority of Walstad tanks I've seen online are 10 gallons or less. This makes me worried that the method is nonviable for larger setups. If the Walstad method alone would be insufficient, what modifications would need to be made for it to become viable? What tankmates would be recommended in such a scenario? Thank you.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

The big cichlids are diggers and plant destroyers. Definitely not good in a dirt tank. I’ve seen large dirt tanks in this forum. You can check them out.


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## thenacho1 (May 11, 2021)

I see. Are there any larger fish that would do well in a planted aquarium?


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## tiger15 (Apr 9, 2017)

mistergreen said:


> The big cichlids are diggers and plant destroyers. Definitely not good in a dirt tank. I’ve seen large dirt tanks in this forum. You can check them out.


Agree. Dirt tanks are not suitable for digging cichlid. Dirt tanks are fine for small community fish with minimal bioload.



thenacho1 said:


> I see. Are there any larger fish that would do well in a planted aquarium?


I keep many large cichlid with plants by being selective, retaining good behavior individuals and evicting troublemakers. Since cichlid dig, I do not have plants rooted in substrate, and grow only epiphytes and plants secured in pots.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Welcome to APC!

The Walstad method definitely works in large tanks, but the usual soil layer capped by gravel isn't suitable for large digging cichlids. As Tiger says, you can keep large cichlids with epiphyes and potted plants. Sometimes you need to be creative to prevent the fish from digging in the pots.

Any large fish that doesn't dig or eat plants can be kept in a Walstad tank. Just keep the bioload of fish low enough so that the plants can keep up with the ammonia.


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

You could do goldfish if you kept the substrate mostly sand


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Adult angelfish get pretty large. I'm a fan of congo tetra. Roseline barbs are pretty big. Rainbowfish are nice too.


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## GadgetGirl (Sep 25, 2013)

@tiger15 , your tank is gorgeous! Do you fertilize the water column for the epiphytes and what kind of pots, size, do you use use?


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## tiger15 (Apr 9, 2017)

GadgetGirl said:


> @tiger15 , your tank is gorgeous! Do you fertilize the water column for the epiphytes and what kind of pots, size, do you use use?


Yes, I dose dry fert after weekly water change and iron every other day. I use 3” net pots bought from hydroponic shop.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

I had mostly larger tanks (45-55 gal) with soil substrate for many years. For at least 4 years, I kept a colony of _Tropheus duboisi_ cichlids, which do dig somewhat. I kept stones around large Amazons planted in the soil-containing substrate or kept the Amazons in pots. The fish would sometimes "attack" one plant. Requires a little management, but it can be done. And there are many beautiful large fish (Rainbowfish, Discus, Angelfish) that would not dig in a planted tank. . 

If you want good plant growth and have never had a Walstad tank, I would advise starting with fish that *do not* eat plants. Only when I was very sure of my methods and had sturdy plants ready-to-go did I decide I would keep Tropheus. Below are photos from my book with a 29 gal for guppies and a 45 gal for the plant-digging _Tropheus_. Ironically, tanks with a soil underlayer are probably better suited for diggers, because the plants develop stronger root systems than if they're grown in gravel.


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## tiger15 (Apr 9, 2017)

The problem with dirt tank with digging cichlid is that it is dirty. Not only that they stir up dirt in digging, having to replant uprooted plants often will make the water constantly cloudy. From time to time, my excited cichlid will pick up mouthful of gravel and spray it over my plants. But it doesn’t make the water cloudy and all I have to do is to shake it off by lifting the plants or by hand waving.

What I found is that my cichlid don’t bother plants unless they are excited in breeding. So I avoid pairing cichlid and keep males only, except for dwarf cichlid that are too weak to do any damage. Even herbivores can be harmless if they are well fed. I had Mbuna and Severum, both herbivores in the wild, and they don’t bother my tough and unappetizing plants as long as I don’t allow them to breed. Tropheus is like Mubuna, probably lost the interest in eating tough plants, and won’t do any damage except in breeding mood.

Rosette plants such as sword have deep root system and can hold tight in dirt substrate, not so for weak root stem plants you will have to replant often to rejuvenate..


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