Bad Plants For Walstad Method Tanks! (There's Better Options For Your Dirted Planted Tanks)

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Күн бұрын

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@erikm8372 4 ай бұрын

When I first started dirted tanks a little over ten years ago, I wanted to follow an example of someone else’s “experiments”, so I could have similar good results. Like, to have a template… so I just watched a ton of Dustin’s Fish Tank videos, and tried to emulate the things he did, and gradually find my own way. I wasn’t new to aquascaping or fishkeeping, but I was to dirt substrates, and everything went great! But Dustin always did mention how the first nutrient spike (at the beginning of setup) can be expedited by using floating plants, as they suck up so many nutrients. So I just used duckweed at first, for that reason… and tbh, by the time my tank was cycled, the duckweed had all but disappeared. I don’t know why, it just never exploded in growth for me. No fish were eating it. And I made sure not to vacuum it up. But by the time I wanted it gone, it was gone! 😆 A better alternative to frogbit or floaters, of course, is to have houseplants (like aroids, such as pothos, philodendron or _Tradescantia zebrina_ among others) hanging out the side. Now, disclaimer… houseplant roots in a tank can easily grow just as fast as frogbit roots, if not faster! And once they get into the substrate, they’re way thicker and more competitive than aquatic plant roots. If they get too established, one day, they could easily crack a tank like they do a pot outside. I didn’t even do anything to mine other than root prune it, and it was climbing all the way around my room. It stuck itself to the wall. So I made sure to always keep the roots trimmed. The fish seemed to like hiding in them, and the shrimp, but I also didn’t want a huge mass of roots either. If I had frogbit I’d be sure to prune the roots weekly.

@GlassBoxDiaries 4 ай бұрын

Great points mate, I want to try a setup with a ton of emergent plants in the future :)

@Wintersdark 4 ай бұрын

Strong recommendation: Giant Duckweed. Regular duckweed can be pretty problematic with its... Duckweedness. But giant duckweed is essentially identical in its nutrient uptake and reproductive speed, doesn't block much light (leaves are thin), but is salvinia sized so much easier to manage. Particularly in jurisdictions where salvinia is illegal. Also, if you have shrimp, dried and ground up duckweed makes a superfood.

@GlassBoxDiaries 4 ай бұрын

I have seen a few people selling it on eBay recently so I might order some :)

@DashDrones 4 ай бұрын

You're so right about frogbit. I absolutely love it although unless you have high nitrates it will root down to the substrate and take over in no time.. 👍

@GlassBoxDiaries 4 ай бұрын

Cheers mate :) Yea I totally agree, great plant and I will use it in some Walstad tanks again in the future :)

@Nutamago 21 күн бұрын

ludwigia are a fast grower, in my experience the mini sp red, arcuata, inclinata brown, brevipes are very viable for walstad tank on a side note; you need a medium/ full spectrum lighting. I battled algae with that lighting, but siesta method, regular maintenance, and tank maturity kills algae. so i'd say it's a medium tech tank, bcs you need to trim often after a month or two :D

@GlassBoxDiaries 21 күн бұрын

Good point mate, got some Ludwigia palustris green that's doing ok but the other varieties have been problematic for me.

@Wintersdark 4 ай бұрын

My Bacopi Monneri Compact grows extremely fast. Maybe its an issue of limiting factors? In my higher ph tanks with moderate to bright lighting (though short lighting time), the Monneri grows *extremely* fast - it grows about 6" per week. However, the Bacopa Monneri in my lower ph Betta cube grows a LOT slower, and only needs to be trimmed every two weeks. I suspect you're going to end up with lower light and lower ph in walstad tanks, so your advice is probably pretty accurate IMHO. Just wanted to point this out because Bacopa absolutely can be a very fast growing plant in a low tech (pergaps non-Walstad) tank. That said, strong agree across the board, and I'd even go further and say Java Fern is counterproductive as its not only very slow growing but its also very tempernental based on nutrient availability, and if it doesnt have everything it needs (particularly potassium) itll gonto seed and while new plants will grow from the dying leaves, it'll melt back at the same time creating more ammonia. Im so done with Java Fern :)

@GlassBoxDiaries 4 ай бұрын

Good points as always mate, I have only ever kept it in two tanks and its always grown slow for me, same as my friend. I like the look of the plant though so I will try it in more tanks in the future to see how it grows :)

@keith161 4 ай бұрын

@@GlassBoxDiaries , I've kept aquariums for almost 40 years. Bacopa caroliniana naturally grows more often in softer, more acidic water, whereas Bacopa monnieri naturally grows more often in harder, more alkaline water. Dr. Walstad comments on Ca as having a noticeable effect on B. caroliniana's and B. monnieri's growth in her book. What is your GH and KH of your tank?

@GlassBoxDiaries 4 ай бұрын

@@keith161 Thanks for the tips :) I have Caroliniana in hard and softwater tanks and its always grown slower for my, I only have monnieri in a softer water tank though.

@dumbfishtanks 4 ай бұрын

For some reason bacopa monneri is just insanely slow growing for me, even in hard or soft water. My rotala I'll trim once every two weeks or so, while I've had monneri in 3 different tanks for months now with hardly any growth

@ashenwalls3558 4 ай бұрын

This is really helpful!

@GlassBoxDiaries 4 ай бұрын

Cheers mate :)

@alexherrera3918 Ай бұрын

great video, it explain why i can not reduce nitrate with anubias and java fern in my tank. do you have a video of fast growing plants for reducing nitrates? tks

@GlassBoxDiaries Ай бұрын

Cheers mate, I do yea, this one is on the best plants for Walstad tanks and will deal with nitrates for you - kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHuac3d3gNCbiNU

@alexherrera3918 Ай бұрын

@@GlassBoxDiaries tks, found your video tks. i live in Houston TX, i am not sure where to buy some of the in my area . i will search. tks

@wan2shuffle 2 ай бұрын

Is there any negatives of amazon frog bit roots growing into the substrate? I think it would fit my tanks aesthetic.

@GlassBoxDiaries 2 ай бұрын

It can become difficult to remove it without pulling soil over the capping layer and the Frogbit will keep propagating over and over again making it difficult to remove the excess.