# My journey into Walstad-land.



## GadgetGirl

Here is my story!

Equipment:
36 gal bowfront
4 Zoo-Med clamp-on lights with 23 watt 6500K CFLs 
AquaClear HOB filter with mature media plus filter floss (soon to be replaced by Fluval 306 cannister )

Soil layer (1"):
Miracle - Gro Organic Choice soil
Oil-Dri clay absorbent (same as Safe T Sorb that I can't find)
Crushed oyster shell (I have VERY soft water, KH 0 and GH 1 from tap)

Cap layer (1"):
Sakrete Multi-Purpose sand

The aquarium is in front of large south-facing windows. Blinds can filter light if necessary. Lights are set to turn off from 1:00 to 5:00 during sunlight period.

Here is my selected location in the sun room surrounded by large plants (and a dog!) 









More to come!


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## GadgetGirl

OCT 3:

Here is the wet soil layer mixed with the OIL-DRI, and sprinkled with crushed oyster shell. Soil was soaked and rinsed 4 times and floating material removed.


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## GadgetGirl

OCT 5:

I guess you could say I mineralized the soil "in-situ". I live in a 3rd floor condo, so no way to spread outside on a tarp! So I hung a fan on the side of the aquarium and did 3 wet-dry cycles, fluffing the soil several times a day with a fork.


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## GadgetGirl

OCT 15:

Sakrete Multi-purpose sand cap. (Couldn't resist sticking in a few plants in the wet stand -a beach-collected Hydrocotyle and tiny Anubias while waiting for plants to arrive from Peabody's Paradise.)


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## GadgetGirl

Day 1 OCT 19 
The filling and planting!

Carefully and slowly filled using a plate. No disasters and just a little bit of turbidity. The plants from Peabody's were a bit of a disappointment. Some seemed damaged and in bad shape. The ones I bought from PetSmart actually looked better. 
In retrospect, I shouldn't have put the Sword in back left corner, but will wait to see how everything sorts out before I move it.


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## GadgetGirl

Day 2 OCT 20:

A bit more turbidity, added some floss to filter.


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## GadgetGirl

Day 3 OCT 21:

Turbidity gone! 
Added a few snails and my Assassin snails from my 20 gal.


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## GadgetGirl

Day 7 OCT 26:

Everything is settling in. No problems. The Assassins laid eggs within 4 days! Never had any in other aquarium. The Four Leaf Clover is transitioning from emerged to submersed. Leaves are dying back, but there are new shoots coming from sand. New roots on other plants. 
NH3: 0
NO2: 0
NO3: 5
Ph: 7.4 
GH: 3
KH: 4

Daytime (right before lights go off for the afternoon):









Right side:
If you look closely, you can see where Four Leaf Clover is transitioning. 









Left side: (Don't ask me why I used a blue rubber-band to secure Anubia!) 









Night time:









Will be adding my Tetras and Corys when I'm sure everything is stable and no ammonia or nitrite. 
I want a tall piece of driftwood that looks like roots!

Comments and suggestions welcome!


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## BruceF

Looks like things are going well. Great start!


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## GadgetGirl

BruceF said:


> Looks like things are going well. Great start!


Thanks, Bruce! Been fun so far!


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## GadgetGirl

Signs of new life.

Assassin snail eggs:









Four Leaf Clover transition:









Snails:


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## atc84

Wow, love those close ups. How long as it been set up? Pretty fast Growth


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## GadgetGirl

Thanks! 9 days! 
Pics were taken with cheap magnetic close-up lens on my Nexus phone.


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## atc84

thats from a phone!??!?!! wow, better than my sisters expensive nikon haha.

thats awesome that you're plants are growing/recovering so fast. you should put a camera on time lapse to get one of those cool videos of plants evolving!


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## GadgetGirl

LOL. They look good this small, but I'm betting I couldn't get a decent print bigger than 4x6. :sly:

Still holding my breath though. Aquatic plants are a new thing for me. (Other than a few hornwort bunches and some Anubias.)


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## atc84

well if you ever have too much 4 leaf clover send some over here  depending on the variety of light requirements you may move plants or not. All i can say is get used to doing trimming at least as often as water changes haha.


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## GadgetGirl

Will send you some, atc, if it takes off!


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## GadgetGirl

Well, it's been 9 days and no NH3 or NO2. NO3 has dropped from 10 to 0. (My tap water has 10.) Should I still wait a while to move my fish in?


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## atc84

try putting in some fish food. if ammonia spikes then i think it's not safe yet.


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## GadgetGirl

Funny thing. I just put some pellets in a few minutes ago!


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## Zapins

I'm enjoying this thread a lot! Great pictures, amazing they came from a phone. What lens are you using? Is there a name or website? I wonder if they make droid lenses for my phone...?


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## GadgetGirl

Thanks, Zapins! The lens are "Quad-G Professional Series 180° Fisheye Lens". Model no QFEA 22. They are advertised for i-phones, but seem to work just fine on Android phones. You fasten a self-adhesive metal ring around your lens and the lens itself is magnetic. They come with a fisheye lens and 2 sizes of macro. One of them screws apart to make two different lens. Highly recommend a Gorrilla-pod with a phone attachment when using the more extreme macro lens.
They were really cheap. Like about $20!


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## Zapins

Woahh that lens is much bigger than I thought it would be! How much did you pay for it and where did you buy it from? I'm not finding a lot of links selling it. The one I found was $200.


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## GadgetGirl

Zapins said:


> Woahh that lens is much bigger than I thought it would be! How much did you pay for it and where did you buy it from? I'm not finding a lot of links selling it. The one I found was $200.


I don't see that my lens set is available anymore. But I found some that are identical on Amazon. Search for "magnetic lens" in the "Cell Phone and Accessories" dept. They are tiny - not much bigger than a quarter. Here is an example: http://www.amazon.com/VicTsing-Magnetic-Detachable-Fish-Eye-Smartphones/dp/B00F5TC1QM/ref=sr_1_4?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1383058191&sr=1-4&keywords=magnetic+lens

$10.99!


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## atc84

wow thats awesome! surprised they arent more popular. Does it increase the zoom/clarity?


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## GadgetGirl

No zoom, just wide angle, fish-eye, and macro. No increase in clarity. They are cheap but you can get some interesting effects.

Check these photos out on my Web site:
Macro: http://karensphotos.com/pages/photo_pages/seashore1/20120928-07.htm

Wide angle: http://karensphotos.com/pages/photo_pages/seashore1/20121026-03.htm

http://karensphotos.com/pages/photo_pages/seashore1/20121026-01.htm


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## atc84

so does macro mean it can focus on a close up? because it seems like theres no way the regular camera can get a close up like those.


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## Zapins

Macro does mean close up. Most point and shoot cameras do have macro mode it is usually represented by green flower on the camera. Some have dials with that symbol others you have to set it in the menu options.


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## GadgetGirl

Week 2 Nov 2:
Plants doing pretty good. Have a small issue with a bacterial bloom, but not too bad. No algae except a few spots on glass. Still zero NH3, NO2, or NO3. Ph steady at 7.4. May move fish in next week. 
Here's a pic of bacteria:


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## Tattooedfool83

Looking good


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## atc84

i really like the negative area in the center (the dark area without plants), very impressive aquascape.


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## GadgetGirl

Thanks guys! 
Got my new Fluval 306 hooked up. (The bloom started before installed). Used the mature media in the AquaClear HOB. (That media has made the rounds!) Now if the plants would just grow tall enough to hide those ugly black hoses!


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## Catrea

Amazing growth!

Are you fishless cycling the tank then?
If so what ppm ammonia are you cycling with? What do you plan to keep in the tank?


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## GadgetGirl

Thanks! It has really taken off!
No need to add anything to a Walstad aquarium to make it cycle. The soil organisms take care of that. I also used mature filter media which I'm sure helped. I added all of my tetras and corys from my 20 gal last Thursday. All are doing well and seem thrilled with their new home! I still have zero ammonia and nitrites as of this evening. Nitrates are also zero. The bacterial bloom also disappeared. I admit I did cheat with a UV sterilizer. Crystal clear! I will post a 4 week pic this weekend.


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## Catrea

Surely it would be best to test it to make sure the plants are established enough to deal with the high levels of ammonia?
Also this would keep the bacteria in the filter fed?

What do you do if there was an ammonia or nitrite spike?


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## GadgetGirl

To the best of my knowledge, if you are going to get an ammonia spike, it happens pretty fast. The organic components start decomposing (and producing ammonia) as soon as the soil is flooded. Diana Walstad states in her book that the 3-4 week period is the most critical. I think by soaking and removing the floating mulch-like stuff, then mineralizing the soil to kick-start the decomposition process, I have gotten a huge head start. Also, by adding all of my mature media with established bacteria cultures to my canister filter, I have eliminated the ammonia, nitrite spikes. I also added OilDri to the soil to increase the ability of the soil to hold nutrients in the substrate instead of being released into the water column. I am still checking all parameters at least twice a week.

Unless the plants suddenly crash, they seem to have taken hold. I have already had to prune some. The Hornwort has had to be thinned out twice and the Water Wisteria tops are touching the roots of the Red Root Floaters. (17 in!) I even have Dwarf Hairgrass that has sent out a runner!

Just to be safe, I still have my 20 gal set up and running in case of an emergency! You never know!

Edit: I also have a ton of fast-growing floating plants which are nutrient sponges - Hornwort, Duckweed, and Red Root Floaters.


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## GadgetGirl

Week 3 1/2:










Edit: I probably have 2 tablespoons of hideous blue gravel in my old aquarium and it looks like half of it transported over with a piece of zucchini I was using to bait snails to move into the new aquarium! Lol! Must go!


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## atc84

Whats the stem plant in the back left? 

Awesome scape you have working out  Very fast growth.


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## GadgetGirl

The tall stems on the left are Water Wisterias. Any aquascaping is purely accidental! Lol! I put tall plants in the back and short ones in the front. I have to admit my main goal is just getting the plants to grow as this is my first real experience with aquatic plants.


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## atc84

oh haha, didn't recognize it. Dont worry, you wont recognize your tank after a couple months haha.


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## Michael

GadgetGirl, you are doing everything the right way! Every beginner to the Walstad method should read your explanation of how you avoided ammonia problems at the start-up.


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## Catrea

GadgetGirl said:


> To the best of my knowledge, if you are going to get an ammonia spike, it happens pretty fast. The organic components start decomposing (and producing ammonia) as soon as the soil is flooded. Diana Walstad states in her book that the 3-4 week period is the most critical. I think by soaking and removing the floating mulch-like stuff, then mineralizing the soil to kick-start the decomposition process, I have gotten a huge head start. Also, by adding all of my mature media with established bacteria cultures to my canister filter, I have eliminated the ammonia, nitrite spikes. I also added OilDri to the soil to increase the ability of the soil to hold nutrients in the substrate instead of being released into the water column. I am still checking all parameters at least twice a week.
> 
> Unless the plants suddenly crash, they seem to have taken hold. I have already had to prune some. The Hornwort has had to be thinned out twice and the Water Wisteria tops are touching the roots of the Red Root Floaters. (17 in!) I even have Dwarf Hairgrass that has sent out a runner!
> 
> Just to be safe, I still have my 20 gal set up and running in case of an emergency! You never know!
> 
> Edit: I also have a ton of fast-growing floating plants which are nutrient sponges - Hornwort, Duckweed, and Red Root Floaters.


Sounds like you know what you are doing! I'm new to el Natural and trying to learn how to do it.
I was more asking about how you know if the plants are capable of dealing with the amount of waste produced by the fish you add rather than the initial ammonia spike from the substrate. I was wondering because of this post:


GadgetGirl said:


> Well, it's been 9 days and no NH3 or NO2. NO3 has dropped from 10 to 0. (My tap water has 10.) Should I still wait a while to move my fish in?


I thought maybe at that stage you would add enough ammonia to have say 4ppm in the tank and then check how quick it is cycled.

I have one tank with peat and I really regret not reading more before adding it. I soaked for about a month to rid it of aerobic bacteria as I'd read to do that but that was all. The tank never showed any ammonia on testing but I worry I missed a spike at the time because I added fish and a mature filter and so I couldn't add ammonia to test if the cycled filter was enough for any possible substrate spikes.

I will do an El-natural properly next time following this forum's instructions!


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## GadgetGirl

Michael said:


> GadgetGirl, you are doing everything the right way! Every beginner to the Walstad method should read your explanation of how you avoided ammonia problems at the start-up.


I have to admit, I learned everything from you and your wonderful sticky on suitable soils. I think I've read that whole thread three times!


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## GadgetGirl

Catrea said:


> Sounds like you know what you are doing! I'm new to el Natural and trying to learn how to do it.
> I was more asking about how you know if the plants are capable of dealing with the amount of waste produced by the fish you add rather than the initial ammonia spike from the substrate. I was wondering because of this post:
> 
> I thought maybe at that stage you would add enough ammonia to have say 4ppm in the tank and then check how quick it is cycled.
> 
> I have one tank with peat and I really regret not reading more before adding it. I soaked for about a month to rid it of aerobic bacteria as I'd read to do that but that was all. The tank never showed any ammonia on testing but I worry I missed a spike at the time because I added fish and a mature filter and so I couldn't add ammonia to test if the cycled filter was enough for any possible substrate spikes.
> 
> I will do an El-natural properly next time following this forum's instructions!


Not sure I really know what I'm doing. Lol... I've just read and studied this forum extensively. And I've read Diana Walstad's book, "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium" a couple of times and still refer back to it frequently. If you haven't read it, I strongly recommend it. (It's available for the Kindle).She's the master!

I think at some point you just to have to take it on faith, and observation (and, of course, measurements) that the plants are capable of dealing with fish waste. After almost a month of no ammonia, I felt pretty confident.

Though I've heard of adding ammonia in the beginning to cycle a "regular" aquarium, I've never heard of adding it to test a cycle. I could be wrong though!

Mostly soaking just gets rid of big, light pieces that will float and that also contain tannins. It won't get rid of bacteria. And personally, I don't think you should. They are what makes your soil "alive". The good stuff is in the bottom of the bucket!


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## GadgetGirl

Dec 19: 2 month update

Its a jungle! Only problem is a bit of hair algae. Added 9 Amano shrimp a few weeks ago which seem totally disinterested in hair algae.




























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## Michael

Looks great!


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## tonnakpil

Beautiful tank, gadget girl.


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## Tugg

And this is why I want to dump my inert sub and EI garbage and go El Natural.


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## GadgetGirl

Thanks everyone! 

@Tugg....and so much easier!! 

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## atc84

One of my favorite planted tanks i've seen  So jealous of your plant growth!


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## GadgetGirl

Thank you, atc! 

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## Arendahl

I Like That.Super

Arendahl.


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## baldy1970

Wow very nice set up thank you for sharing 

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## GadgetGirl

Thanks!  

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## Spudgunman

Could you share your plant and fish list?


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## grin

And an update with pictures?


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## GadgetGirl

Here is a link to list of plants: http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/showthread.php?t=89786

Fish, etc are:
6 neon tetras
3 flame tetras
4 bloodfin tetras
6 peppered corys
2 nerite snails
9 Amano shrimp
Too many ramshorn and pond snails

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## GadgetGirl

I could update pictures but it looks pretty much the same as the last ones a few weeks ago. I keep it pruned. 

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## totziens

Just curious, why would you add snails and assassin snails? It seems like a contradiction to me. It gives me the impression that you're trying to keep snails but eliminating them with assassin snails at the same time. 

In my country, we normally keep assassin snails to get rid of unwanted snails that multiply very fast such as MTS, pond snails & ramshorn snails.


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## GadgetGirl

The assassins just keep the ramshorns in check. They don't eliminate them by any means. Just part of the predator/prey balance. 

I guess I have lazy assassins.😉

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## Michael

Assassin snails seem to exist in a stable balance with the prey snails in my tanks.


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## GadgetGirl

4 month update: After the heat from the clamp-on CFL'S cracked 2 Aqueon glass canopies (!) , I changed the lights to a Finnex Fugeray Planted Plus led which I really like better. I couldn't keep the clamp-on lights from sitting right on top the glass. 

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## LAKA

Tank looks great.
Do you do water changes? Frequency and amount?

LAKA


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## GadgetGirl

Thanks! Yes, I change 6 gallons (20%) every 3 weeks or so. 

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## Speed

Water is so clear!!!! Looks great!


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## arul

What cap do you use for your tank substrate? Your tank is lovely, by the way!


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## GadgetGirl

It is Sakrete Multi-purpose sand. 

Thank you! 

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## Rusalka

This tank looks great! Good on you for taking advantage of all the good advice on this forum. I used the same soil process and was also able to completely avoid the 3-4 week algae bloom. Your aquascape is lovely. 

I'm glad you are liking the Finnex Fugeray Planted Plus. I recently switched to the Current USA Satellite Plus and am having good success with it. The Finnex Fugeray was on my short list for sure. I have my satellite plus on a colour setting that is very similar to yours.


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## GadgetGirl

Rusalka said:


> This tank looks great! Good on you for taking advantage of all the good advice on this forum. I used the same soil process and was also able to completely avoid the 3-4 week algae bloom. Your aquascape is lovely.
> 
> I'm glad you are liking the Finnex Fugeray Planted Plus. I recently switched to the Current USA Satellite Plus and am having good success with it. The Finnex Fugeray was on my short list for sure. I have my satellite plus on a colour setting that is very similar to yours.


I think if everyone took the time to read the stickies and do everything as suggested, they would have far fewer problems. Yes, soaking and mineralizing the soil is a lot of work, but the payoff makes it so worth the effort. (no ammonia, no tannins, no bubbling, no floaters) I will be moving in a few years and I'm already planning how to manage this as I won't have the luxury of being able to wait to put the fish in. I intend on going through this exact process again as it worked so well. (Soaking and mineralizing the soil, and mature filter media).

Yes, I love the Planted Plus light! It has such a low profile on top my glass canopy. I just wish the blue leds could be on a separate cord so I could put them on a different timer. I love moonlights and had to purchase a separate strip.

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## Wy Renegade

Very nice looking tank, thanks for sharing. Haven't read the book yet, although I own it and it is on my too do list. I'll have to check out the stickies here as well. I'm looking forward to trying this out in one of my paludarium style tanks.


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## Angie

How about some new pictures? Please?


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## GadgetGirl

I took out most of the water wisterias. They were taking over! You can actually see my sword now! 









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## Angie

Love it. Thank you for sharing.


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## Zapins

Your tank looks fantastic! Lots of really nice growth. Have you had to trim the plants yet?


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## Michael

GadgetGirl said:


> I think if everyone took the time to read the stickies and do everything as suggested, they would have far fewer problems. Yes, soaking and mineralizing the soil is a lot of work, but the payoff makes it so worth the effort. (no ammonia, no tannins, no bubbling, no floaters) I will be moving in a few years and I'm already planning how to manage this as I won't have the luxury of being able to wait to put the fish in. I intend on going through this exact process again as it worked so well. (Soaking and mineralizing the soil, and mature filter media).


These words should be carved in stone!


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## GadgetGirl

@Zapins....I have trimmed several times. The ludwigia has grown to the top at least three times. The water wisteria stems had gotten so thick and fibrous that I was having to cut them all the way back to the substrate level and replant the tops! 

@Michael...... Amen!  

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## GadgetGirl

The only real problem I'm having is cladophora algae. I'm managing it but I hate it! Suggestions welcome! 

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## Rusty

Wow, thats a beautiful tank. Well done!


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## GadgetGirl

Thank you! 

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## GadgetGirl

Well, we just moved and relocating the aquarium was time-consuming but all went well. I rehoused the fish, snails and shrimp in a 20 gal tank. I carefully matched the chemistry parameters and used the same filter.

I discarded all of the old substrate and started with new material. I decided to use Scott's Premium Topsoil capped with Fluorite Black Sand. I rinsed and drained the soil 4 times, but didn't mineralize this time. Checking the parameters daily. Haven't put fish in yet as I am taking my time. I also painted the back of the tank black. Looks really nice with the black sand! These are the same plants as was in the original. The growth on that sword has been phenomenal!! 

Here is a pic on Day 3:

Edit: That's not the filter showing on the back of the tank. It's a reflection of my kitchen cabinets! I like the way the black hides the filter and cords.


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## TheArcticManatee

How did you decide on that soil when you made the switch? Did you have any problems with your previous soil and cap?


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## GadgetGirl

TheArcticManatee said:


> How did you decide on that soil when you made the switch? Did you have any problems with your previous soil and cap?


No reason really to switch. Just wanted to try something different. Wanted to go the "cheap topsoil" route as you read so much that it really is the best way. I had seen the Scott's mentioned and I know Zapins uses it without problems. And I have been wanting to try black sand.

I didn't have any problems at all with the Miracle Grow and Multi-Purpose sand. I rinsed the Miracle Grow several times and mineralized it. I have used mature filter media throughout.


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## pandragon

Using mature filter media probably saved you from a lot of hassle, as you already had established colonies of bacteria to deal with the nitrogen the plants couldn't process fast enough. The mineralization breaks down a lot of the nitrogen as well. I am glad you like the walstad method! I may never do a plain inert substrate with root tabs or water ferts now that I tried dirt tanks. Dirt is awesome!


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## Fish bone

What a beautiful set-up/location.
Keep the photos coming.
Thanks


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## GadgetGirl

Yes, I definitely think the mature filter media is the secret to continued success. I've gotten a lot of mileage out of this media! I tested last night (Day 5) and still no ammonia, nitrites or appreciable nitrates.

I use Seachem Equilibrium to adjust the GH. Staying stable also.

I will definitely keep updating with pictures as I use this thread as my journal. 

This has probably been asked before, but how long is it before you see ammonia spikes in a freshly submerged soil? Let's say I _wasn't _using mature media. It's cut 50/50 with Oil-Dri (Saf-T-Sorb equivalent).


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## aquariumlover10

Tank looks AWESOME!!!!!!!!! When you say four leaf clover, do you mean a aquatic plant, or did you acclimate terrestrial to aquatic?


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## pandragon

The four leaf clover is an aquatic plant. Here is a link from the plant finder page about it.

I saw an ammonia spike within 24 hours after using mineralized top soil layered on top of the safe t sorb/ expanded clay product I used. It took a month to cycle or more as well since it was my first tank therefore no mature media was used.


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## aquariumlover10

Oh ok, thanks , I am trying to find some terrestrialnplants I can acclimate.


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## pandragon

Most terrestrial plants will drown and rot away. Some are semi aquatic growing submersed part of the year and emerged during the dry season. Most aquarium plants can be grown out of water or completely covered in water. Marsh grasses usually don't do well completely under water. If you can find a local moss growing in a waterfall or other fairly wet environment, you might have better luck getting it to grow completely submersed rather than just splashed/sprayed with water like most terrestrial mosses.


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## aquariumlover10

I have tried carpet moss(worked no die off, and marsh pennywort,semi aquatic(sme die off but grows great after, I am trying to do experiments and such, I'm a tween so can't get a job, so i have almost no money, so cant buy a lot of plants and such, I have set up a outside 2litre bottlepaludarium for my friend, usingthe moss and pennywort, both are outgrowing the tank  and I used some in a pond at my church, all doing well and growing well there.
Do you know any other common plants/weeds that like moist soil?


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## pandragon

"Common" variies greatly by location. I would look in the plant finder to start, see if you recognize any of those plants from around where you live. Local streams, rivers, even ditches can house aquatic or semi aquatic plants. I found some elodea that is native to norther usa/canada area in a shallow cove area of a local river that is starting to overtake my tank. Most plants, except dessert plants, like moist soil to some degree, some can be grown with there roots in water (hydroponically grown veggies for example). If I were you, I would look around and see If anything is growing in the more wet areas.


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## aquariumlover10

Ok, thanms for the help  I am moving in a few months, right now I am in a rental, in a HOA neiborhoood, so I don't have any ditches, yeah theydont have ditches, the only area that is wet is where the condensation from a ac drips out a pipe, which is poisonous because it kills moss within a day.


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## pandragon

Maybe you can ask you parents/guardians for a grab bag of plants from someone on here for christmas then  That is, if any plants will survive the trip to your place with a heat pack.


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## aquariumlover10

Haha, I am getting some gift cards and I am setting a 2.5g rcs tank with plants and such.
And I'm in south florida I would probaly need a cold pack


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## pandragon

A lot of aquarium plants come from florida, so maybe you could find some local if you can get near the swampy areas or go to some state parks.  Good luck!


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## aquariumlover10

Yup, I have been begging my parents to take me to a state park to go fishing for months, at this point it will get too cold if they put it off another one, I am also trying to get some swamp darters.


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## GadgetGirl

pandragon said:


> The four leaf clover is an aquatic plant. Here is a link from the plant finder page about it.
> 
> I saw an ammonia spike within 24 hours after using mineralized top soil layered on top of the safe t sorb/ expanded clay product I used. It took a month to cycle or more as well since it was my first tank therefore no mature media was used.


Pandragon is correct. It is MARSILEA SPP. It resembles a clover when grown emersed, but soon transitions to nothing resembling a 4-leaf clover after it has been submersed. I am finding the submersed form extremely difficult to transplant into the new set-up as they grow as delicate runners. I'm not sure how well its going to do in this tank as I have no window light this time. It never grew as a thick carpet, but it was still pretty! Same situation as my dwarf hair grass. We'll see.

I's Day 7. Still no ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate is 5.

Edit: I love the idea of collecting local plants! I collected some years ago from a pond in a park.


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## aquariumlover10

Ok, thanks 
Yeah I have collected different fish and such before, and once I move to so I can get another tank I am trying a florida native tank  everything will be collected, fish, plants, driftwood, rocks, and some substrate,  wish me luck, in 6 months.


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## GadgetGirl

aquariumlover10 said:


> Ok, thanks
> Yeah I have collected different fish and such before, and once I move to so I can get another tank I am trying a florida native tank  everything will be collected, fish, plants, driftwood, rocks, and some substrate,  wish me luck, in 6 months.


Wishing you lots of luck! That sounds like fun! Be sure and post your project. Would love to see the progress!


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## aquariumlover10

Haha, thanks, I will, but it will be forof 7-8 months, because I have bba in my current tank and that's what I wi be using for native, so I will need to strip it and clean/dry everything and then cycle and such.


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## GadgetGirl

Fish added back at Day 7. Ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 10.

Here is a pic at Day 21. Still no ammonia or nitrites.


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## Michael

Looks great!


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## GadgetGirl

Thanks, Michael! Starting over after moving wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. 

I know the sword takes up too much room, but I'm so pleased with how it has grown, I can't bear to take it out! 

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## Michael

GadgetGirl said:


> I know the sword takes up too much room, but I'm so pleased with how it has grown, I can't bear to take it out! Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk


Says who? It is your tank, if it makes you happy that is reason enough to keep the sword.


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## jrIL

+1 on the sword. Just cut the leaves that get too big. It will grow new ones. That's what I have done for years.


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## GadgetGirl

Michael said:


> Says who? It is your tank, if it makes you happy that is reason enough to keep the sword.


I kinda feel that way too! ☺


jrIL said:


> +1 on the sword. Just cut the leaves that get too big. It will grow new ones. That's what I have done for years.


Yeah, that's what I've been doing. Seems like more I cut out the more it spreads out! 

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## pandragon

Wow! your swords must be doing awesome. I have a couple swords, ozelot I think (they are spotted) that have been growing fro months and still haven't grown much, just barely got rid of all the old emersed growth from the pet store.


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## smmcgill

So nice, GadgetGirl! This thread and your tank were/are my inspiration for getting into this hobby!


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## GadgetGirl

pandragon said:


> Wow! your swords must be doing awesome. I have a couple swords, ozelot I think (they are spotted) that have been growing fro months and still haven't grown much, just barely got rid of all the old emersed growth from the pet store.


The sword was tiny when I bought it from Peabody's Paradise a year ago. It grew to its current size in Miracle Grow Organic Choice soil with supplemental window light in its former location. I hope it does as well in its new situation!

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## GadgetGirl

smmcgill said:


> So nice, GadgetGirl! This thread and your tank were/are my inspiration for getting into this hobby!


Wow! That's a very nice compliment! Thank you! 

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## aquatic tuna

I just tore down and sold my "el natural" 180 gal the other day...plants grew like weeds all the way through the time I had it set up....lasted a long time...


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## GadgetGirl

Why did you tear it down? It must have been awesome! 

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## batkidiii

Gadget girl,
How much Oil-Dry did you use? Also, did you wash it before you put it in the tank? Thanks for your help.


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## GadgetGirl

I rinsed the Oil-Dri a few times before mixing it into the soil. The mixture is aprox 25-30% Oil-Dri. 

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## batkidiii

Awesome. Thanks. I might get the soil going next week.


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## smmcgill

How's the algae battle going, GadgetGirl?


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## GadgetGirl

smmcgill said:


> How's the algae battle going, GadgetGirl?


Are you referring to my Cladophora battle that started last spring? That was a nightmare! When I tore the tank down to move this fall, all the plants were dipped in a 1:20 bleach solution for about a minute. That seemed to be the end of it. Haven't seen it since!

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## smmcgill

Yes, although I didn't notice that it was that long ago, haha. I have some green stuff starting on the glass here and there...


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## Khan

I'm surprised that's all the algae you got, even though you kept the tank in direct sunlight! How are your plants?


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## GadgetGirl

I kept the blinds closed or partially opened. It never got direct sunlight. I did have an outbreak of hair algae in the beginning which I sprayed with H2O2. It never came back.


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## yunney

Nice tank +1


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## GadgetGirl

Thank you!


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