Reddit reviews Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise for the Home Aquarist
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Ecology of the Planted Aquarium https://www.amazon.com/dp/0967377366/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_x2wsyb081KH3V
There really is only one book that is considered the bible of the craft, as far as I can tell: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0967377366 There's more than likely a copy of the book in your local library. In reality though, it's a wonderful read and something I like to go back to every few months as a refresher.
Otherwise, plenty of guides online that refer to these tank setups as 'dirt tanks'. http://www.plantedtank.net/ is an excellent resource. There's a million ways to set it up, but the idea is to get organic soil, free of any additives. The soil is then 'mineralized' (see one, two) put into the tank about 1-2" in depth. Lots of plants. Floating plants are important to outcompete algae too. Capped with gravel. The tank cycles incredibly fast because of the bacteria in the soil. I still waited a week before introducing fish, but that was about it. I don't have a recent pic of my tank, but you can get a feel for it with this video I recently took: http://youtu.be/CyeI08q8m2c
You can try this type of setup on a small scale to see how you like it. But it's really low maintenance and I haven't had the need to vacuum the gravel or do anything other than trim plants in the last year. No algal blooms, no disease. Plants love the soil substrate. Fish love the plants. It's a tiny healthy ecosystem.
You can run any size you like from a jar to a pond. Mine is a 20H. Bear in mind that you may need to reduce stocking levels somewhat below a "normal" tank to maintain equilibrium. A properly setup Walstad tank has 0/0/0 levels because the plants absorb the nitrogen as fast as the fish can make it.
She wrote a great book about it https://www.amazon.com/Ecology-Planted-Aquarium-Diana-Walstad/dp/0967377366
I would take a deep breath and do some research. This book helped me figure out how to keep a freshwater aquarium with less maintenance and more science.
I actually just set up a 29g tank recently. I did a bit of research, so there's a few things I would recommend. First and foremost, if you have time, get this book: Ecology of the Planted Aquarium. It goes over all the science, but in a way understandable to laymen, for everything you need to know about the tank: substrate, lighting, to CO2 or not CO2, what plants are best to start with to avoid algae problems, etc. Her methods have become known as the Walstad method.
For cycling, you can do fishless or fish-in. I did fishless, as the fish I wanted to stock my tank with aren't very hardy and wouldn't tolerate cycling. I didn't want to buy a hardy fish just to cycle the tank with. Here's a guide for fishless cycling: here. All you really need is bacteria from your LFS (most give it out for free), and some ammonia (any place that sells cleaning supplies will have it for ~1 dollar/jug). Most people recommend getting the API liquid testing master kit to measure ammonia/nitrates/nitrites. Don't get use strips.
In a planted tank, filter isn't too important. As long as it is rated for your tank size it should be fine. Plants eat up fish poop and left over food as macronutrients.
For substrate, there are several ways to do it. I can't remember exactly offhand, but I think what Walstad recommends is about 1'' of potting soil (organic i.e. no fertilizers in it) and around 0.5'' of sand on top, but not more as it the fine grain can choke off the O2 supply for the soil bacteria underneath.
For fish, it's up to personal preference. I used AqAdvisor. It's not perfect, but it helps tell you determine how many fish your tank can hold and whether there are glaring compatibility issues.
For bottom feeders...I think this is also personal preference. I have 3 otocinclus cats and maybe 7-8 cherry shrimp running around. Just make sure your tank is big enough.
For plants, try a bunch of different species and see what sticks. Fast growing plants like water sprites are good at sucking up nutrients and reducing algae growth. If you're going for a certain look, I would draw out a rough sketch of what type of plants you want where (i.e. foreground carpet, tall background plants, driftwood/rock placement) before you fill the tank up with anything. It's easier to place and plant these things before you fill the tank up with water.
Other things: If you get a lot of plants, you'll want good lighting. Lots of guides on that, lot of choices too. LEDs have gotten pretty good recently, but are pricey. But they need to be replaced less often. As for CO2, again, it depends on how many plants and how often. I know some people that get away with just daily dosing of fluorish excel (liquid carbon), but if you are really going the whole hog with plants, might want to look into DIY CO2, which is what I'm using for my 29g tank or even an expensive pressurized CO2 system.
Tl;dr - Buy/get your hands on Walstad's book before you make any big decisions so you understand why you're doing it, not just because some guy told you to do it. If you really don't want to pay, here's the super spark notes version: here.
This book spells it out.
http://www.amazon.com/Ecology-Planted-Aquarium-Diana-Walstad/dp/0967377366/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450627042&sr=8-1&keywords=walstad+aquarium
Ecology of the Planted Aquarium by Diana Walstad. It's a great low tech technique using real dirt in your aquarium.
Agreed, anyone who is interested in planted tanks should read Walstad's book at least once.
I am going to suggest a book for you. Most of the folks on here do something called a NPT (Naturally Planted Tank) or Walstad tank. Lots of plants and garden soil or organic potting soil as the substrate capped with Flourite substrate. That makes keeping plants much easier. I would recommend a book to you: Diana Walstad: The Ecology of the Planted Aquarium. That should help you out greatly when it comes to getting your tank up and running.
Some cavets. Even she has backed down on saying that you can immediately add in fish. Still wait for your tank to cycle and do a fishless cycle to get it started. You can put plants in right away and they will help complete the cycle quicker. Also, when they say heavily planted, they mean HEAVILY planted with very little space.
I do more of a true Walstad than most. 20G with 3" of substrate (1.5 of potting soil and 1.5 of flourite cap)and very thickly planted. A true Walstad wouldn't use a filter and would just use a pump, but I like having my Marineland 360 canister. I just have ceramic filters in there, no sponges or anything like that however. I HIGHLY recommend canister filters over HoB (Hang on Back) units. Totally silent and they provide great flow. I have a sprinkler bar so I get nice even flow around the tank. Water movement is very important.
You will want good lights. Don't cheap out and expect to pay something for them. I would say go LED as they are by far cheaper in the long run. T5 after that but remember you have to replace T5 bulbs.
Hope that helps. The sidebar is useful, as are sites like this. Try to ask specific questions and you will get better answers. You will need to get testing kits. The API ones are okay for a simple freshwater planted aquarium. Start with Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and PH. Test your tap water first to get base values. If you have Ammonia or Nitrate in your tap water, you will want to invest in a RODI system and additives to put minerals back in it. Ask your LFS about those.
I hope that helps!
For the fertilizer doses, I'm not really an expert, but you should get some good ideas from the Tom Barr website...his website is actually a lot more technically helpful than reddit on some of the more scientific aspects of planted tanks.
You can be much more precise measuring your fertilizers (and its cheaper) to buy dry ferts. I like to buy mine from greenleafaquariums.com
Your substrate choice will affect your experiment as far as fertilizing. Some, like organic potting soil, or aquasoil, will contain fertilizers. Some, like sand, are completely inert. It may make your life easier to measure the effects of fertilizer dosing with an inert substrate. Or have a sand as a control tank or something. Some of the special planted tank aquarium substrates don't contain nutrition themselves, (like fluorite, etc) but they bind them easily, and store them for plant use. Again, not sure if that would affect your experiment or not.
You'll need to make sure you take your lighting into account as well. That will affect your plant growth rate a lot.
Fast growing and minimal maintenance can include water sprite, water wisteria, amazon swords, dwarf lilly.
Edit: http://www.amazon.com/Ecology-Planted-Aquarium-Diana-Walstad/dp/0967377366/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422486719&sr=8-1&keywords=planted+aquarium+books&pebp=1422486721098&peasin=967377366
Amazing resource for you to cite for any paper you have to write.
I'm two weeks into my new Walstad. Some notes from my experience and reading the book recently.
Edit: Learn from my experience
When it comes time to plant. Put the dirt in, put about 6" of water in, put the plants in, then cap it with sand/2-4mm gravel. Then carefully put the rest of the water in. Capping it before you plant gets...messy.
Lighting: From the book. 1-3 Watts/gal for a CFL. Temperature between 5,000-7,000 K. Grab a lamp timer (plenty available now that Christmas is over in the US) and set it to a 5hr-4hr-5hr-10hr on/off/on/off cycle. The 14 hour day will promote significantly more plant growth than a 8-10 hour day. I googled 6500K CFL and Home Depot was one of the first hits. According to the note above, 60W should work great. If you have an LFS that has the same plants as you, I recommend talking to them and seeing how they light their plants. You can adjust the height of the lamp above the tank to adjust the intensity. Generally though, it's tough to do too much light without spending a lot of money.
Read up on the Walstad Method
If your serious about it I recommend picking up her book as well.
The basics would be:
Possibly "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium" by Diana Walstad?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0967377366/
Sorry to say, carbon isn't your answer. Here's a good article: https://m.liveaquaria.com/article/60/?aid=60
If you don't already have it, this book is the "bible" of planted aquariums and is worth purchasing. I've read it and can say no amount of internet research can substitute actually reading this book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0967377366/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_0ihFAb27M6F9Q
Thanks, I just ordered her book. It has a recommendation from Robert Wetzel, which is huge: he's probably the most famous limnologist (lake scientist) ever. He wrote the textbook Limnology, which is regarded by everybody in the field as the definitive work on the topic. He has no competition.
Buy [this book] (http://www.amazon.com/Ecology-Planted-Aquarium-Diana-Walstad/dp/0967377366/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367726741&sr=8-1&keywords=ecology+of+the+planted+aquarium). Read it, then read it again. I have two Walstad style/ultra low tech tanks - they do cycle themselves to some degree, but you still have to do regular water changes. As my tanks have matured I've had to do less and less frequent changes - down to about 3 times a year on my 60 gal (227 liters) and every 3 months or so on my 20 (75 liters). Smaller tanks require more water changes, especially one as small as 30 l. If you're looking for a low maintenance tank you might be disappointed - though you won't be changing the water as often as you might with a more traditional setup, you still need to test the water on a regular basis (ph, nitrate/nitrite, ammonia, gh/kh, etc). It also takes several months for the tank to really establish itself! (plants to get comfortable, bacteria to level out, new growth to start).
edit: ramshorn snails will eat your plants. Snails will probably crop up in your aquarium no matter what, but if you're dead set on purchasing some I recommend Nerites.
Diana Walstad's Ecology of the Planted Aquarium.
If you are new, co2 can be one more factor to have to control and adjust. You can have a beautiful tank without it, it will just limit you on what plants you can grow.
If you don’t plan on rearranging, a walstad tank is probably the easiest to start with and get good results. Plenty of online resources to explain it, but Her book is fantastic: https://www.amazon.com/Ecology-Planted-Aquarium-Diana-Walstad/dp/0967377366
/r/plantedtank would likely be the best place for this question because freshwater is a very different experience to saltwater. Since I come from a planted freshwater background, I would say that it probably wouldn't do well.
Certainly there are some freshwater creatures that would work in a refugium, but many of them are insect larva that would eventually become something that you probably wouldn't want flying around your house. See damselflies, mosquitos, dragonflies, various beetles, etc.
You might be able to keep a small population of something like freshwater copepods, but they need green water which any filtration at all would destroy.
California blackworms might be a possibility, but I would still prefer to culture them outside the tank to make it easy to get rid of waste water. They don't necessarily need a refugium as they'll happily dig into the substrate at the bottom of the tank and live there until a fish plucks them out and eats them. I drop a small handful in my planted tank every few weeks or so to replenish their numbers.
The biggest advantage that freshwater aquarists have is an amazing variety of beautiful plants to use to reduce nitrates, phosphates and pollutants. A well planted tank will also grow all kinds of things like planaria and snails which can help keep some fish fed and round out the diets of others.
This is pretty much the bible of a 'natural' freshwater aquarium keeper. http://www.amazon.com/Ecology-Planted-Aquarium-Diana-Walstad/dp/0967377366
Ecology of the Planted Aquarium:... https://www.amazon.com/dp/0967377366?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Best most accurate thing I've ever read about aquarium keeping.
X-post this to /r/PlantedTank, you'll find a bunch of people happy to show off their dirted tanks. The type of tank you are looking to set up is a Walstad method tank, and they can work incredibly well. If you are going to go this route, I strongly recommend picking up this book which will give you all the information you need to build and maintain the type of tank you are trying to create.
Test kits aren't a bad idea; but yeah. I can see how that might come across as preachy.
I wouldn't recommend CO2. CO2 is kind of fiddly; there's all kinds of fish-killing potential with a pressurized CO2 setup. If she's not up to using test kits then CO2 is probably not a good idea.
Have you considered books? I guess most people go online these days; but a book can actually be really nice to have. This one is neat; it's got colour photos and (really) short caresheets for most fish (and plants). This one is awesome if you want to learn how planted tanks work. These ones will make you feel completely inadequate about your fish tank (but are good inspiration for aspiring aquascapers).
You are welcome! I learned it from this.
I only started with my jar a few months ago, but here's what I've learnt. I knew going in that a jarrarium would be a bit of a challenge in some ways, but now I understand what makes it so. With such a tiny amount of water in the jar, any small change can lead to big changes in water chemistry. Most aquarium chemicals (should you need to use them) are made to dose larger tanks, and as such you basically have to measure out drops with an eyedropper / syringe to use them in a jar. You have to think a lot about your inputs into the jar in terms of light, temperature, nutrients, etc. because introducing something in excess might cause algae blooms, plant or fauna distress, etc. And it's very easy to do things in excess because, again, it's such a tiny jar.
That said, my jar seems to be going okay so far and I've learnt a lot about the chemical / biological processes in an aquarium that I think I might have missed if I was trying to set up a larger tank. Diana Walstad's book helped a lot too - the whole book, not just the PDF linked in this sidebar. If you are slightly obsesssive like me, don't mind having a jar that might have a bunch of weird things growing in it, and are happy to take things very slowly, a jarrarium is fun!
I'm confused. How do you define "dirt?" I call it a dirt tank, because I used a topsoil made up of decomposed organic matter that is specifically sold to grow plants; it definitely contains suitable amounts of nutrients to allow plants to grow and thrive. Peat is the primary ingredient in this topsoil because as it decomposes it does not produce nitrates and phosphates as fast as a guano based topsoil will. The "dirt" is under the sand cap preventing it from mucking up the water and intentionally preventing high amounts of water circulation through the substrate. This allows anaerobic bacteria colonies to grow that will break down the solid fish waste and other pollutants not broken down by the bacteria living in the filter. The shrimp and MTSnails help support the process by burrowing through the top layers of the substrate. The way I understand it, in a dirt tank the anaerobic bacteria, deep in the substrate, are as important as the aerobic bacteria that live in the filter media.
The intent is to create, as closely as I can, a self sustaining biotope as described in "The Ecology of the Planted Aquarium" by Diana Walstad. Because I want more than 2 fish and a few shrimp and snails I use the filter and perform regular small water changes to reduce the overall bioload. This is why I consider my tank a "modified Walstad."
Oh, I test my water parameters religiously. I'd not want to let this run weeks without testing or water changes. It is still very immature for a Walstad style tank.
I'm not sure how this sub feels about referral/affiliate links, but that one definitely has one. I see that there is mention of 'no url shorteners' in the sidebar rules. Here's the direct link
If you want to save money, Chihiros A-Series + the metal stand will work well. Otherwise, Finnex lights such as the 24/7+ are often recommended in this subreddit.
This article explains the basics of light in the planted aquarium well enough so that you can make your own judgement. If you have trouble understanding something, feel free to ask.
And just to complete your shopping tour, The Ecology Of The Planted Aquarium by Diana Walstad explain the biological processes inside an aquarium an great detail and is very useful for an in-depth understanding.
>You can get plant from that river what.
Technically yeah your brother is correct. Java fern originated from our own local rivers.
>Uncle: what fish you're rearing? None? What's the point?
Owhh boy, there are tons of beautiful fishes in the planted tank. Guppies and neon cardinal tetras. All of it suitable in our local climate, and if you hardworking enough at keeping the environment stable, guppies and neon tetras can breed more fishes.
I recommend this channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv3ih_zLt4Q
James Findley (refer to the guy in the video) usually use top of the line equipment from ADA (aqua design Amano). Expensive for beginner or someone that doesn't have a deep pocket. My suggestion is to cut some of the equipment to a more cheaper alternative. ADA tank is beautiful, but super duper expensive. My recommendation is, get a tank suitable for your budget per square cm. Which mean, get what is the biggest that you can afford, because of the bigger space, the lower the chance of mess up (like overdose fertilizer etc). For soil, ADA still the best for value. Get the Amazonian soil, and get the granular type, not powder as the granular type is less "cloudy" when pouring water.
For plants, get Monte Carlo for carpeting plant. Don't get hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba'. From my experience, monte carlo is more forgiving than HC. Monte Carlo can survive without CO2 injection. HC need cooler water and CO2 injection. It is doable for HC to survive in a hot climate like Malaysia, but need a CO2 injection. Monte Carlo is like a big version of HC. Usually, HC is for a nano tank. Owhh yeah, these kinds of plants usually float. So you will need to be careful to anchor them. For java fern, you can anchor to the rock. Java moss you can either glue (use waterproof glue) or better use rope. ADA has a biodegradable rope. I recommend using the rope rather than glue, and ADA rope is cheap IMO.
For CO2, depends on budget. You can DIY (not recommended because it fizzles out quickly in a few weeks), or get proper canister + regulator and solenoid. As I said before, you can get away from not using Co2, especially in Malaysia, as Malaysia has higher rate exchange of O2 and Co2 due to the temperature (don't quote on me, I forget the source). That's why our tropical rainforests are among some of the oldest in the world. As our climate suitable for plant growth (we don't have winter, and tons of perennial species). It translates also to underwater growth from seaweed and local flora. You can get away from Co2 by using some of the plants that are originated from our own backyard. But if you truly interested, I'm recommending this book: https://www.amazon.com/Ecology-Planted-Aquarium-Diana-Walstad/dp/0967377366. But a bit warning, without CO2, the growth rate is slower than using Co2 injection. So need to be patient, and cannot overdose on fertilizer. Need to keep that in mind. Fertilizer is like a vitamin. Better low dosage than overdose. I recommend Seachem Flourish. If you want to keep red plants, you must buy the iron supplement. But for a beginner, just get the balance (NPK is the exact ratio like 10:10:10 with trace elements). ADA also have their own fertilizer, but you will need to check their local price. I'm using DIY method because I've already had my own liquid fertilizer from Serbajadi. Serbajadi also has liquid fertilizer intended for a normal household plant, but the ratio of NPK is super duper high (21:21:21) with trace elements. This is too high for the aquarium and if you are not careful, algae will grow rapidly in this setup. I'm preferring this method as it is cheaper than buying top of the line aquarium fertilizer as I have my own plants (chilies, tomatoes). So usually I dilute the fertilizer and shower the plants and use the rest for the aquarium.
Buy also API freshwater masterkit. Expensive, but worth every ringgit. Why? You can test almost every metrics available, from PH to water hardiness. Our local tap water PH usually ranges from 7 to 8. A bit "hard". So keep that in mind to always check the source water. Not only that, you can use the kit for a nonspecific test that is not aquarium related. For example, testing local river water quality (for fishing).
Filtration. Get an Eheim filter if you can afford it. I'm dead serious. My Eheim filter still running for 2 years. Most of the cheap filter dead less than a year. Some anecdotal review stated Eheim filter can last up to 10 years. That's how quality it is. It is super duper quiet and you literally can sleep beside it and not hear a single decibel. If you prefer overhang type, get the Fluval. Cheaper and if you get the C4 version, it has tons of filtration. If you literally broke, just use cheap pump and overhang box. Or better still, DIY like this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL271pKi_qY
Don't sacrifice filter or not using a filter in the setup. As a good aquarium need a good filtration and water movement to facilitate bacteria growth and gas exchange/diffusion of Co2 and O2. Don't believe any videos that showcase aquarium without a filter. Also, the filter can act as a vacuum pump for mosquito larvae, a problem in Malaysia that Aedes mosquito like to breed in fresh, clear and clean water. A stagnating water is good breeding ground for mosquito. Keep that in mind.
For lighting, get an LED lamp. Cheaper actually using LED as it uses less watt and less heat issue. Get the full spectrum 6500K version for freshwater. DONT get the blue spectrum LED. That lamp usually for a saltwater tank. I believe in Mid Valley shopping mall, there is an aquarium shop on the top floor. And it has tons of aquarium light selection. You can buy online if you like. But a bit cautious buying lamp from China, please ensure you get proper voltage and proper ballast. If you too afraid to dive into thousands of LED selection, I'm suggesting for you to get an Ikea lamp desk that has an E26 socket. And use LED bulb 6500K from Phillips. Hang it over the tank. Same thing, and you can change the bulb whenever you like. Also get a timer. I'm suggesting about 4 to 6 hours daily light. Don't over 12 hours. Trust me. Algae can grow much quicker than plants. More exposure of light means more algae can outgrow the plants. Also, most of those videos don't tell you this, but for the first few weeks, you cannot put fishes or shrimp in the tanks. The filter and the biodiversity still cannot support the additional load of fish. This is called nitrogen cycle: http://freshwater-aquarium-passion.blogspot.com/2010/10/nitrogen-cycle-for-dummies.html
That's where the API master kit is useful. You can test the water parameter until it is stable. Usually, it takes one week. If you have any more questions, feel free to join on https://np.reddit.com/r/PlantedTank/. Good luck.
I find this guide by our fellow redditor useful as a foundation. After that you can just google or youtube for anything more specific.
Sorry missed the part about wanting a natural habitat. In which case i recommed diana walstad's book or google walstad tanks.