#walstad

[phthalodreams]

Got a few good photos of my one neocaridina shrimp 🦐

Setup info under the cut :)

Setup: 2gal bowl, Walstad method, with a gravel cap instead of sand, ramshorn snails to manage algae. This tank has been running for 6 months as of this post. Feeding once per week to supplement existing biofilm.

[glassboxdiaries]

Here’s a quick 5-month update on my self-cleaning planted aquarium! 🌿🐟 This tank has become one of the lowest-maintenance setups I’ve ever run. The plants, shrimp, snails, and natural microorganisms all work together to handle the majority of the maintenance tasks for me. That’s the beauty of a well-balanced, semi-Walstad-style system—nature really does the heavy lifting when you set things up right.

My Celestial Pearl Danios are thriving, and they’re definitely breeding because I keep spotting juveniles that I never added! It’s always exciting seeing a tank become self-sustaining like this. I’ve been debating adding more fish soon, but I still can’t settle on a species. Maybe another schooling fish, or something unique that fits the vibe of this setup.

The Helanthium tenellum carpet is growing a lot slower than I expected, mostly because my floating plants have been blocking out a ton of light. I’ll be removing most of the floaters soon so the carpet can finally fill in. My Ludwigia has been dropping some lower leaves, but that’s normal for this plant, especially in lower-light spots. I’ll be trimming and replanting the healthy tops this month to keep it looking full and vibrant.

I also added several houseplants—Peace Lily, Fittonia, Monstera, Arrowhead, and Polka Dot Plant—to grow aquaponically along the rim. Their roots hang into the water and help absorb nutrients, giving the tank an extra natural filtration boost. The shrimp colony is thriving too, though I need to track down some male orange neocaridina because I’m pretty sure my entire colony is female and I’d love to get them breeding.

The hair algae bloom is finally under control after lowering the light and letting the floaters soak up excess nutrients. Water parameters are perfect as well: 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and very low nitrate. This tank is truly settling into a stable, self-sustaining ecosystem. 🌱✨

[beetleiuice]

gulpin tomato and new tattoo

[vapor-wife]

"renovated" my vase aquarium. it was a welcome gift from my roommate when I moved in, it housed some ramshorn snails and a pothos (which you can still kinda see)

it was not initially planted, so i got all the water out and cleaned it up (god it was so smelly 😭 im sorry snails im sorry daphnia) and put in the (admittedly, very thick) dirt layer and capped it with some aquarium gravel i had hanging around. Put the old water back in and added some RO water i got from a local coffee shop, since i was worried i messed w the original substrate too much and fucked w the levels

it's now home to some water milfoil and something else of which i forget the name. i'm looking forward to seeing how this one develops 🥰

[ghostfanclub7]

Updates!

The 20 gallon is doing great, just did a trim because…..I set up a lil filterless shrimp bowl! Set ups like that need a ton of fast growing plants, so I added 50+ stems plus floaters.

[thenarrativefoil]

i siliconed the aquarium (ﾉ*0*)ﾉ(☆▽☆).... the dirt is rinsing clear.... THIS TIME TOMORROW I CAN FILL IT WITH WATER AND DIRT AND ADD PLANTS TO BEGIN CYCLING!!!

[iliker3dpandas]

second day of walstad tank with plates and xray tetras.

[emlikesbugs]

Ok! Nano aquarium time.

Old and current photos respectively. This is also a walstad, but I didn't do proper setup for it so I just tossed some bladder snails and ramshorn snails in, to make a breeding colony. Currently it has Süsswassertang, duck weed and willow moss. One day I'd like to add a small shrimp colony but I think I'd completely restart it to make sure it was safe.