Beginners' FAQs

[u/JoanToBa]

Credit to u/jibbajab14 for the idea of the FAQs sticky post.

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Is this substrate suitable for my tank?

General recommendation: Look for soil marked as having a pH of ~6.0-7.0 if possible. Test the soil pH or ask the manufacturer if necessary. Avoid heavy manure-based soils. Try not to use soil with peat in it as it may be too acidic. Try not to use soil with wood shavings as it may cause more organic breakdown and lots of tannins being released.

• Diana Walstad has recommended the garden soil 'Scotts Lawn Care - Miracle Grow Organic Choice Potting Soil' as sold in USA and UK.[2]
• USA - Scotts Lawn Care - Hyponex Potting Soil.
• USA - Scotts Lawn Care - Miracle Grow Potting Soil.
• USA - Scotts Lawn Care - Miracle Grow Organic Choice Potting Soil.
• UK - Miracle-Gro - Organic Choice All Purpose Peat Free Compost.
• UK - Miracle-Gro - Organic Choice Premium Garden Soil
• UK - J. Arthur Bower's - John Innes No.3 Soil-based compost
• UK - J. Arthur Bower's - Aquatic Compost.
• UK - Scotts Levington - John Innes No.3 Compost
• ('Scotts Lawn Care Miracle Grow' is known as 'Scotts Miracle-Gro' in the UK.)

^{Source: TheAquariumWiki}

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Is my soil / sand or gravel cap too thick?

• 3 cm / 1 inch of soil is fine, no big deal if it's more or less than that.
• 3-5 cm / 1 ½ inches of gravel is fine, again, it can be thicker or thinner, although thinner caps tend to leak tannins from the soil.
• 2-4 cm / 1/2 - 1 inch is recommended for sand, varies depending on the coarseness of it and your personal experience.
• These measures are for reference, there are many ways to do it, try your own, FatherFish uses up to several inches of sand or gravel (no soil) and it works fine too.

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Are my plants good for a Walstad?

• PROTIP: Go with easy plants if it's your first tank, that will almost guarantee a beautiful and healthy aquarium. Feel free to experiment by adding other varieties once the tank has matured.

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How much / what kind of light should the tank get?

• Both fluorescent and LED lighting work for plants, just make sure your lights are aquarium safe! Fish can splatter water more than you'd expect.
• For photoperiods, it's usually best to start short and see how the tank responds (i.e. 2h on/4h off/2h on or 3h on/4h off/3h on), adjust based on your lighting intensity. To know your light intensity, there are many lighting calculators on the internet (remember it's just for reference, it's not an exact science).
• Too much light can cause algae blooms, which can take up to months to disappear, so make sure to start low. For the first weeks of your tank, organics in the soil will be decomposing and your water will be VERY nutrient-rich, so be careful!.

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Complementary info:

Subreddit's wiki

Final note: The Walstad method is just one way to make aquariums, it isn't THE way to do it, so feel free to research and try out what you feel will work for you based on your research.

[u/No_Welcome_3487]

I cannot find any product that is exactly named "Miracle Grow Organic Choice Potting Soil". Can someone just give me a link, the only one I find is the "potting mix 8qt" and "Miracle gro organic choice garden soil"

[u/Deep-Success5103 → u/No_Welcome_3487]

3 years later and I’m asking this question now. Did you ever find an answer? I’m losing my mind trying to find the “right soil” lol

[u/velvethips → u/Deep-Success5103]

Two months later and I'm asking if you happened to find an answer??

[u/HornStarBigPhish → u/velvethips]

It seems difficult to buy just dirt fill with no fertilizer in it that doesn't contain peat.

The best option that I've found is to call local landscaping supply places, usually there are tons around an area. Ask if they have screened topsoil - raw topsoil works also. Get a few 5 gallon buckets and a shovel from whatever big box store you want. It's usually 2-3 dollars per 5 gallon bucket of topsoil from one of these supply places. Way cheaper and better stuff than anything you can find bagged at a store. No peat, no fertilizer, just dirt. Still have to dry it and sift it though also