How to Maintain a Healthy Walstad Tank

Judging by its continuing popularity, the Walstad method isn’t some flash-in-the-pan trend that people tend to forget about after some time. It’s here to stay. 

Among its main attractions is its low-maintenance nature, making it ideal for busy hobbyists, beginners, and those who firmly believe in the balance of nature.

However, regular maintenance and monitoring is still essential for ensuring a thriving Walstad tank.

In this blog, we’ll show you how to stay on top of a few simple tasks to ensure your tank continues to be a vibrant and healthy aquarium. 

Essential Maintenance Tasks

After setting up your Walstad tank , there are a few key tasks you need to do to keep it thriving. Let's break down the most important ones:

Water Changes

Especially in the beginning, stick to a regular water change schedule, typically doing partial water changes every 2-4 weeks.

I suggest removing about 20-30% of the water using a clean bucket and a siphon. To make life easier, keep a dedicated 5-gallon bucket just for this task.

When refilling, match the new water temperature to the tank and treat it with a good dechlorinator. Pour it in slowly to avoid stirring up the substrate. This routine keeps your fish happy and helps get rid of excess nutrients.

Keep in mind, however, that water change frequency can vary according to tank size, stocking levels, and plant growth.

The goal of keeping a low- tech tank like the Walstad is that you'd be able to keep the tank overplanted enough to reduce (or even eliminate) water changes altogether.

Keep up with your weekly water tests, and you'll gradually see this happen.

Trimming Plants

In the beginning, plant trimming is crucial for maintaining balance. Check the plants weekly and prune as needed.

For stem plants, start by snipping about 2 inches from the substrate, encouraging bushy regrowth.

With rosette plants, remove older outer leaves.

It’s better to follow a loose pruning schedule, but be ready to trim if you notice large areas of dead/dying overgrowth. Remember, healthy plant growth is a key element of a Walstad tank.

Siphoning Gravel

While plants use a lot of waste, some debris still accumulates.

When you are first starting out, lightly vacuum the gravel surface during water changes, focusing on visible waste. Be careful not to disturb the substrate too much. That's where beneficial bacteria live.

For substrate cleaning, use a small siphon and work in sections. This method prevents a big stir-up and keeps the tank's balance intact.

It's a quick process that makes a big difference in water quality in the early stages when you are trying to get this Walstad tank seasoned properly.

Once you start to see that balancing out with parameters and great plant growth, you'll stop needing to do gravel vacs at all. 

Monitoring Water Parameters

Keeping an eye on water quality is important for a healthy Walstad tank. Regular testing can prevent many common issues.

Test the tank’s water weekly using liquid test kits. They're more accurate than strips. Here's what to check:

• Ammonia and nitrite: These should always be zero. Any reading means it's time to act fast with a water change. (and check for anything dead/dying that may have contributed)
• Nitrate: Aim for under 20 ppm. Higher levels can stress fish and fuel algae growth.
• pH: Most community fish are happy between 6.8 and 7.5. Stability matters more than hitting a specific number.
• Temperature: Anywhere between 68 to 79F is just fine. Work WITH your house temps, not against them.

When you see odd results, don't panic. Instead, retest and look for patterns. If something's off, consider the recent changes you might’ve made.

Did you overfeed? Add new plants? Understanding the cause helps you fix issues quickly and keep your tank thriving.

Preventing Algae Outbreaks

Algae can be a real pain, but there are ways to keep it in check. The key, as always, is balance.

Issues like green water, brown diatoms, and pesky hair algae often pop up when there's too much light or nutrients. To combat this, I recommend sticking to a 6-8 hour light schedule. Use a plug-in timer so you won’t forget.

Nutrients are tricky. Make sure your plants are thriving, as they're the best algae competitors. Dose fertilizers lightly, if at all. 

Ideally, you are working together in harmony with the existing fish/ invertebrates in your tank to provide all the nutrients your plants need. This is how it works in nature, and what you want to aim for.

For algae control, manual removal and water changes are excellent methods. In a Walstad- style tank, however, you always want to work with nature, and not against it.

Algae eaters like Nerite snails and Otocinclus catfish are reliable as your regular cleanup crew. 

If things get bad, do a 3-day blackout. Remove as much of the algae as you can, do a water change, then turn off the lights and wrap the whole tank in a lightproof blanket for 3-5 days. 

Plants and animals can survive a blackout just fine, but its pretty tough on algae. 

Remember, some algae is normal. The goal is balance, not sterility. With consistent care, algae can stay manageable in your Walstad tank.

Takeaway

Maintaining a Walstad tank is a rewarding journey that combines the facts of science and the art of nature. Your goal here is to create a thriving underwater ecosystem that's both beautiful and low-maintenance.

Establishing a Walstad tank takes time, so be patient. Try experimenting with different approaches to find out what works best for your tank.