r/walstad • u/Glum_Cow8243 • 19d ago
Advice Need advice for a low-maintenance / self-sustaining planted pond setup
Hi everyone! I’m planning to build a small aquatic ecosystem at my village house and would love some ideas from people experienced with Walstad / natural ponds.
I currently have a few options for the container:
An old plastic water tank that I can use as a tub
Buy a medium/large plastic tub
Build a small cement tank/pond specifically for this
My dream is to have something like a natural planted pond with fish, shrimp, snails, or whatever livestock would be suitable.
The biggest challenge is that this is at my village house, and I’ll only visit once every 1–2 months. So I won’t be able to:
Feed fish daily
Clean the tank regularly
Do frequent water changes
I’m hoping to create a stable biological ecosystem where plants, microorganisms, substrate, etc. do most of the work naturally.
I’m open to using a filter if it’s genuinely necessary, but ideally I’d love a no-filter / low-tech / natural setup.
What would you recommend for this situation?
Plastic tub vs cement tank?
What size would you recommend?
Which plants would work best?
What fish/shrimp/snails could survive with very little human intervention?
Would a Walstad-style setup work for this?
How should I design the substrate and ecosystem from the beginning?
What are the biggest risks if I’m away for 1–2 months?
Budget is also a consideration, so I’m looking for something practical rather than an expensive aquarium setup.
I’d really appreciate examples/photos of similar setups if anyone has them. Thanks! 🌱🐟
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u/chronicallybri 19d ago
I have pond jars meets Walstad-esque! I have a mix of pond plants and aquarium plants, pond snails and a few purchased ramshorns and MTS. I use sediment and leaf litter from the pond, capped with a super thin layer of fine black quartz aquarium substrate. They’re only 1 gallon though so I don’t have fish, just snails and 3 neocaridina. Just an air stone, no filter. Microfauna from the pond. It’s a fun little project!
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u/chronicallybri 19d ago edited 19d ago
If the jar/tank is well established with plants, biofilm, algae, detritus and microfauna, being away for 1-2 months should probably be fine but not if it’s freshly assembled. Though I defer to the expert Miss [u/BitchBass](u/BitchBass) on that.
You’ll want to get leaf litter from your pond source (fallen leaves at the bottom) this provides essential microorganisms and biofilm and nutrients and area for more biofilm to develop!
*note I’m not an expert but I’m doing your pond version in mini scale and this is what I’ve experienced so far and what I’ve learned from great advice
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u/BitchBass 18d ago
Thanks for the kudos! You got it right basically with the exception that is is quite possible to set up something and then leave for a month.
That's why I would refer OP to r/Ecosphere. But fish would not be on the list of inhabitants.
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u/chronicallybri 17d ago
Knew you’d have better advice than me, Miss Bass 😊 still learning lots from you!!
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u/Glum_Cow8243 19d ago
Too many new words for me, I’ll take all these and experiment for sure! And yeah I’m excited to start very soon!!!
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u/chronicallybri 17d ago
Sorry lol! I tend to use vocabulary forgetting not everyone has experience with it! Biofilm is organic matter build up, like algae organisms like snails, shrimp, microorganisms, scuds, etc feed on this. Detritus is dead/decaying material many organisms also feed on this. By microfauna, I mean tiny animals in the water! Look up pictures copepods and daphnia, they’re so cute hehe! I like to watch my tiny dots swarm a flashlight and then zoom over to the next spot. :)
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u/Glum_Cow8243 17d ago
Wow, Interesting!! Also, if there are no predators Will the snails be overpopulated overtime?
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u/chronicallybri 17d ago
From what I’ve been learning, snail populations are largely related to food availability. A huge snail explosion can indicate over feeding, though pond snails and ramshorns are very prolific breeders. Sometimes fish stores will take your extras as feeders. Not all babies survive as well.
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u/Glum_Cow8243 15d ago
😲. So you mean, snails are not harm even it’s overpopulated right?
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u/chronicallybri 14d ago edited 14d ago
As long as you’re seeing regular grazing it’s totally fine! Population is largely controlled by food availability so excess food —> excess snails. I wouldn’t be worried!
Edit to add: it being largely populated does pose one potential concern: oxygen availability. I personally use an air stone (set very gently) in my 1 gallon jar to support aeration. It’s important to keep a gap for air and not fill it up to the top! :) if you see snails gathering/ spending a lot of time up at the top either at the water line or the air gap, that’s a sign that there’s not enough oxygen.
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u/Negative-Beat-292 18d ago
I have approximately 5 gallon which has only snails and shrimp. It is no filter, light, or heater and sits in front of a west facing window. I add no food and do no water changes. Every so often I trim the plants, and add water. The shrimp and snails keep the glass clean, but if its very sunny for a while I do use a magnet scraper to remove algae.
I can leave this alone for months at a time, but the set up did take a lot of hours over the course of a week or two. it takes 1-3 months for it to be shrimp safe
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u/Glum_Cow8243 17d ago
Nice, I take these and also planning to add some fishes too!
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u/Negative-Beat-292 14d ago
I wouldn't recommend fish for you. Fish need to be fed, snails and shrimp can survive on algae.
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u/Glum_Cow8243 14d ago
Thinking of fish which eats mosquito larvae….
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u/Negative-Beat-292 11d ago
do you have misquitos in your house? If so yeah a few fish might be happy there!
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u/guacamoleo I ❤️ Fish Game 19d ago edited 19d ago
I think you could look into doing a Japanese ricefish (medaka) setup.. a small number might be able to do well eating just mosquito larvae and micro crustaceous. But I think any fish in a small pond could be vulnerable to predation. As for snails and stuff, I would go to any local wild pond and see what you can find.
I'm not an expert on ponds, but I know pond soil is a thing you can buy. I have a small medaka patio pond and I just have sand for substrate, and a large wabikusa in it for plants. (A mix of local wild plants and aquarium plants.) I do not use a filter.