Diana Walstad Views

• Books

The Aquarium Plant book from Oriental Aquarium,Singapore was also available for sale along with Ms. Diana Walstad’s book “The Ecology of Planted Aquarium”. After spending quiet a bit of cash at the AGA table we moved on to the Invertz Factory stall. They had a bunch for rare Neritina sp. and Tylomelania sp. for sale.

In her book, Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise for the Home Aquarist, Diana Walstad says the goal is to set up an ecosystem where plants and fish balance each other's needs . In this type of tank, the plants are the water purifiers rather than the usual filters. Rather than converting ammonia to nitrAte, plants convert ammonia to plant mass, so there's no buildup of nitrate and pH doesn't drop over time. Plants also remove heavy metals from the water. Fish food, mulm and micronutrients from the soil feed the plants. Fish and bacteria produce carbon dioxide for the plants and the plants help produce oxygen for the fish. Only moderate lighting combined with sunlight is needed. A Walstad-type natural planted tank is low maintenance requiring only pruning of plants and infrequent partial water changes.

Add one inch of topsoil and amend with crushed shells, mix well and smooth. Add just enough water to wet the soil. Then add a layer of gravel around the edges of the tank. Set each plant and add gravel around it. After you have all the plants in, fill in with gravel until you have an one to 1.5 inches of gravel. Place a plate or shallow dish on the bottom of the aquarium and carefully add water. If the water is cloudy after you have three or four inches of water in the tank, syphon it out and refill. Diana usually adds fish immediately, but I like to wait and check the water parameters the next day to make sure the soil isn't releasing ammonia. Here is a step by step pictoral guide to setting up a Walstad-type natural planted tank.