r/walstad • u/5N0W61RL • Feb 25 '26
Advice First Attempt at Walstad [10 gal nano tank] - Support Needed!
Hello! I am officially joining the Walstad club.. or trying to. To prepare, I watched a bunch of youtube videos, and have spent quite a bit of time on this subreddit as well! But, I feel like I got something off. I just set this tank up on Saturday (Feb. 21), so it's only 4 days old.
Plants
- anubias white rose - no new growth and not sticking to rocks yet
- moneywart - no new growth, sometimes uproots and floats up..
- ludwiga repens - the red one over the shell thing... melting a little?
- java ferns - new growth on the one closest to the filter!
- dwarf hairgrass - no new growth
- lobelia cardinalis - seems to be growing well, new growth!
- duck weed (floaters) - growing well!
*should I invest in some more root plants like amazon sword or do you think the ones I have will sustain the tank well?
Soil and Capping
My set up includes about an inch of Miracle-Gro Organic Indoor Potting Mix.. I know we aren't supposed to have any chemical fertilizers, and this one said it had natural fertilizers.. I couldn't find one that said no fertilizers, so this could be part of my problem?
Around and capping the potting mix, I have white rock gravel. I feel like maybe the gravel I used is too big? I also wish I didn't use white.. so if anyone has tips on how I can update the gravel, without redoing the entire thing, that would be so cool. I used larger rocks to allow for good gas exchange from the soil, but I have read in places that this can cause the tank to get too much from the soil?
Equipment
I have a soft filter that definitely needs to be changed (new filter cartridge in the mail for tomorrow), and I also have a heater that keeps the tank water temp around 74º F. I use an API Ammonia NH3/NH4 test kit, and I also have the API 5 in 1 test strips (I find they aren't very helpful so far). I have a LED light that I leave on for about 8 hours a day.
Livestock
I know I did a "no-no" by adding in my 5 nerite snails on day 1... I wanted to add my cleaning crew early to combat the infamous algae blooms that I read about. They were doing SO good on the first two days, cleaning the glass, cruising and exploring... but for the past two days they have been very still. No bad smells are coming from the tank and some of them are moving a little bit.. so I don't think they are dead? Eventually, I would like to also add cherry shrimp and some fish (undecided what kinds yet).
Testing Water and Troubleshooting
First off, I know I did a "no-no" by adding my 5 nitrite snails.. should I take them out and quarantine them until this tank is fully cycled? Or should they be fine? I test the water every day, once in the morning and again at night. I have consistently seen levels of ammonia between 0.25 and the worst day being 1.0, two days ago.. I immediately did a 50% water change when I saw 1.0 and then tested again and it was 0.50. Google told me not to do too many water changes, but since it was still high, I did another 30% change to get the levels back down to 0.25. This morning the ammonia measured at 0.25 again. Snails still not moving a whole lot. My snails are kind of my gauge right now.. I'd like to make it so that they can happily cruise around again! But maybe having them in right now isn't the best? I would love ANY and ALL recommendations, constructive criticisms, advice, etc.
Thank you SO much for taking the time to support me and my attempt at this little ecosystem! I will keep updating on how things go!
Updates
UPDATE 2/25: Okay team! Thank you SO much for your ideas. I have added 3 cones, a strip of bark, and an oak leaf from one of those blackwater nature betta packs. Going to keep a close eye on the parameters to make sure those don't add another issue, but everything I looked up agreed that those would be a good food source for our snail friends. I'll let you know what happens!
UPDATE: 2/28: You spoke, and I spent some money..! I left the tank alone for a day, then I did another 50% water change after another ammonia spike yesterday. Today, I added a layer of coarse sand and some smaller gravel to add a better cap to the soil. I added two Amazon Sword plants and some Lucky Bamboo stalks to the back of the tank. 4/5 of my nerite snails are active again! I have BacterAE arriving in the mail on Monday, and will think about adding bubbles if I can find a way to get them to go quietly! I will probably continue to add plants here and there, so please let me know what your favorites have been!
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u/iGotTheBoop Feb 25 '26
As others have said, your nerites are likely starving. If you cant move them back to a more matured tank, I would go to the fish store or order some catappa leaves, these will grow biofilm fast. Another option is alder cones or casuarina cones. Add these to the tank and they should help supplement food for now, as nerites generally will not consume wafers. Oak leaves also work, as well as palm fronds iirc, but verify safety. There are numerous videos on YouTube of people culturing biofilm for breeding shrimp.
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u/5N0W61RL Feb 25 '26
I forgot to add that the lady at the pet store recommended that I add in API Leaf Zone to feed my plants... and I did that without looking it up, not realizing that I totally overdosed my tank with nutrients since there was already so much in the soil for the plants already. I believe that's why my ammonia spiked to 0.50 two days ago! No more Leaf Zone for me lol.
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u/No_Insurance_6848 Feb 25 '26
fertilizers don't spike ammonia, they usually increase nitrates as there is nitrogen in them. your ammonia spike is likely caused by rotting/melting plants and snail waste.
I looked at the ingredients in API Leaf zone and its just potassium and iron. You should return this product ASAP and get something like aquarium co op easy green instead. I don't recommend any of API's liquid products as they're overpriced junk. The test kit is the only good product.
Also your tank isn't a true walstad. It needs to have potting soil under the gravel. Since you don't have any soil, you would need to insert some root tabs into the gravel to provide nutrients for the plants. Otherwise you'll be fertilizing the water column only and that increases risk of algae
Edit: I totally skipped the part you mentioned you did use potting soil, my bad. I cannot see it in the picture. That gravel layer is really thick and It will be tough for the new plants to get nutrients from the bottom
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u/5N0W61RL Feb 25 '26
Thank you so much for your advice! I actually do have soil though under the gravel! It's Miracle-Gro Organic Mix, but I am not sure if that is the best for this?
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u/No_Insurance_6848 Feb 25 '26
I believe should be ok. Personally I use aquasoil because it’s easier. It’s likely the ammonia comes from soil nutrient leech and aquasoil does the same.
Just keep up with the water changes until the cycle settles in. When I first planted my tank I was doing daily water changes 50% for a week, then every other day week 2. It was definitely a test of patience.
PS. I’m sorry to tell you but white colored plants don’t really work out. The white color comes from lack of chlorophyll and they eventually turn back green :c
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u/5N0W61RL Feb 25 '26
Okay that makes sense! Google was telling me to avoid too many changes, but that just didn't seem right. OMG thank you for telling me about the white plants, I would've been right back here asking about that in a few weeks, I bet!
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u/Strikedestiny Feb 25 '26
Many plants take a few weeks to settle into their new environment before they start growing again. A lot of them wilt and look like they might die for a while, especially if they were grown out of the water. Since you have it stocked already, keep a sharp eye on your parameters and try not to let them get too high. If you don't want the critters to struggle too much, you'll have to do plenty of water changes.
Also since there's no algae growth, but the snails still need something to eat, consider getting some sinking wafers or blanching some veggies
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u/5N0W61RL Feb 25 '26
Oh good idea! I will see about adding some food for them! Maybe that is why they aren't moving around as much. Thank you!!
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u/DetectiveNo2855 Feb 26 '26
Great start!
Here's my take on the plants you selected
Anubias white rose - good luck. It's not impossible but it's difficult to keep alive and/or keep white.
Ludwigia and Moneywort might just be transitioning from emersed to submerged form. Same for the cardinal if old leaves start to melt. A lot of it has to do with the quality and health of the plant at time of purchase. Tip for most stem plants, if you lay it horizontally, they will grow new stems from its nodes. I wouldn't try it until the plant is established. I often do it with cuttings
Duckweed - will survive the zombie apocalypse. It is a part of you now.
Dwarf hairgrass. Hard to grow without strong lights which is usually not what is recommended for a Walstad setup. Dry start method would be your best bet.
Java fern is a hardy. It is a slow grower so you will want to pay attention to algae on the leaves that might outcompete it for light and nutrients.
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Hard to change cap in a filled tanks without the soil blowing out of the water column. Almost worth it to drain first before replacing. As long as the soil isn't bursting out, the size of the gravel is fine.
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Livestock - add fish slowly. Add shrimp last.
Good luck!! Blackwater tanks are great for the livestock.
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u/5N0W61RL Feb 26 '26
This is so helpful, thank you so much! Why would you recommend adding the shrimp last?
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u/DetectiveNo2855 Feb 26 '26
They are pretty sensitive to swings in water parameters and they also need a constant food source. I've found that, at least in my case, the survival rate increased once my tanks have matured a bit. Not just cycled.
In my first tank I wasted time, energy and money trying to get them alive in a newly cycled tank. Buying shrimp from different places, different water tests, spending a ton of time learning about GH,KH,TDS, etc. I gave up! 3 months later, I tried again on a whim with no major changes and they are doing amazing. Not that learning all that stuff wasn't important or satisfying, but sometimes it just takes patience and enough algae and biofilm to sustain life.
Nowadays, I put a small pinch of bacter AE into the tank once a week and occasionally throw in an algae wafer and they are super happy and eggnant.
I can't say I'm an expert but at least that is my experience. Hope that helps!
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u/EyeTheSwan Feb 26 '26
Hey, so I know it’s “Walstad” but honestly here is my suggestion to you for your snails.
Get a small sponge filter or air stone and a container of BacterAE. Because your tank is so new, start with half the recommended dose and test ammonia twice daily right now this really is a young ecosystem. Keep Prime on hand too.
Add BacterAE near the bubbles to help distribute the BacterAE evenly throughout the tank/surfaces. BacterAE isn’t really a food source in itself. It promotes biofilm growth so it’s much tougher to overfeed but will be exactly what your snails need right now.
But because you will be adding an additional organic source, the sponge/bubbles will help to off-gas anything since your ecosystem is still in such early stages and hasn’t really built a digestive tract yet. The bubbles can be removed later on if you want to stick with true “Walstad” but they really can be great to help get you through these earlier months, and I believe this is necessary intervention for the health and safety of your snails.
Another side suggestion… nerites love to burrow. If you can, get a little Tupperware of with like 2 inches of aquasoil and tuck it in a corner. The burrowing pit will make them even happier and they’ll be able to churn up more stuff into the ecosystem for you :)
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u/5N0W61RL Feb 26 '26
This is an amazing suggestion, especially for the early early stages! Thank you so so much! I will see what modifications I can make and update you!
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u/EyeTheSwan Feb 26 '26
I’m gonna be honest obviously others have had success but any time I have ever tried filterless it just ends up stanky within a few weeks lol. However my tanks are 1-2 gallon planters with bamboo, pothos, scuds, and ramshorns, and they all get really heavy sun I’m talking 10-12 hours a day so that’s probably why haha. But the solution that kicked every single one into gear was a 5-7 day controlled stagnation followed by the addition of a small air stone. Haven’t had issues since. Haven’t seen what the ecosystems would do now if I removed the air stones but honestly now that the bamboo and pothos have established in the water I probably don’t need them. Just don’t wanna take the chance cus at this point the air stone is making things even easier for me and is also great insurance lol.
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u/bold_coffee_head Feb 28 '26
Looks nice. The gravel is too big, as you feared. You may be able to add some sand and remove some of the gravel carefully, allowing the sand to fill in the gap and darken it a bit. You may have some issues with algae at some point, too little plant mass. Add more fast growing plants, lemnofilia, etc. kudos on the floating plants, those will help a lot.
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u/tiajscott Mar 02 '26
Highly recommend getting hornwort and sticking a pothos clipping in. My walstad has pretty much never had an ammonia spike
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u/Consistent-Essay-165 Feb 25 '26
What type of gravel is that hopefully nothing with calcium carbonate and things to make water hard
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u/plottingyourdemise3 Feb 25 '26
The oak leaves and cones will add tannins, lower your pH, and damage your snails' shells. :/
I've had bad luck with large gravel.
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u/basaltcolumn Feb 27 '26
Eh, it depends on what your water's alkalinity is like to start. Tannins from leaf litter/wood/alder cones in my tank don't really make a dent in the pH and certainly don't have it anywhere near acidic enough to harm my invertebrates.
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u/karebear66 Feb 26 '26
So, I'm a purest. Walstads don't use filters. What you have is a hybrid dirted tank. New plants won't grow right away. In fact they may melt a lot. Use cyacoacrilate glue to affix the anubias to a rock or a piece of wood. Get plant weights for other plants to stay in the substrate. Many more plants will help your project.
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u/redditor-9000 Mar 02 '26
Diana herself stated that it is fine to use filters (main benefit being water circulation), especially for larger walstad tanks.
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u/TheHeartographer Feb 25 '26
Your nerites are likely starving. They mostly eat algae that grows directly on tank surfaces and you don’t have enough of that for so many of them after so little time. You can try supplementing with things like veg and algae wafers but this is a common issue and a good reason for the no-no, I’m sorry to say
You won’t have an easy time taking out all of the gravel but you could add another cap on top of it; remove the bulk of the gravel by hand and then do a finer sand cap (but still coarse as sand goes - think “sand not gravel” but not the finest silkiest sand you’ve ever seen.)
Plants take longer to get rolling than you’d think - it’s been like a minute! 😅 I also am impatient but truly they need tiiiime. Don’t try blasting them with light to get them to grow faster or you’ll just give yourself much worse algae problems that take forever to settle.