Walstad Method planted 1g bowl

[fishycat]

Update: 17 days in

Not sure I want to post pic updates, the bowl looks that bad. Lots of melt on my c. becketti, down to just 3 leaves. Lost a couple c. willisii leaves but have seen big growth there, too. No new leaves fir the becketti.

Naaasty snotty surface film, the likes of which I've never seen before. Sucked most out with my baster, also did 50% water change & tried to get out the crud. The curved sides of the bowl catch all of the debris that is kicked up while adding water.

Dwarf sag has thrown a few leaves, but nothing spectacular. Added a sprig of salvinia for kicks...

All in all I'm so glad I didn't add any shrimp! I see 3 ramshorn for sure, maybe 4. They're pretty active, I throw in a tidbit of food once a week-ish. Not sure if I should add more, or stop altogether since there's lots of dying plant matter :irked:. I think the halved calcium pill I threw in there contributed to the snot film, but that's just speculation.

I'll look at the pics I took when I get home & decide how badly I want to embarrass myself. The early pics look SO awesome compared to now.

The 5g has some major tannins, did a 50% water change & had some scary bubbles when I accidentally uprooted a rootless c. parva. I think I should've made the gravel layer thicker. *sigh* due to user error, my AT5-15 got nasty & I pulled it for cleaning. Decided I hated it, set up a Whisper30 (I think) that Leahk gave me and woo, lots of flow in there! My female betta Jupi seems fine with it, tho.

 

[Dr. Awkward]

I think you're problems may be connected to the use of Osmocote combined with no water movement. Walstad says not to use fertilizers in the soil at all because they will produce H2S. Water movement usually prevents the accumulation of H2S but that's not possible with this set up. Sulfur reducing bacteria produce a very slimy biofilm, which is probably what you're seeing on the surface of the bowl.

 

[fishycat]

I think you're problems may be connected to the use of Osmocote combined with no water movement. Walstad says not to use fertilizers in the soil at all because they will produce H2S. Water movement usually prevents the accumulation of H2S but that's not possible with this set up. Sulfur reducing bacteria produce a very slimy biofilm, which is probably what you're seeing on the surface of the bowl.

Ah, thank you. I confess I have not read her book, and readily absorbed info from the El Natural APC forum which obviously differed from Ms. Walstad's prescribed method.

I may add a clamped airstone to provide movement, which the snails should be fine with.

 

[Gypsy125]

Sorry to hear about your troubles.
I skimmed the film off of my nano with a metal tea strainer. I did not add any fertilizer, I figured the soil had enough nutrients so I'm not sure what fertz would do to the set-up. Hope it clears up!

 

[fishycat]

Ugh. May as well put these in... for the sake of documenting the project, or something. :yuck:

Sunday 9/12/10


Wednesday 9/15/10


Sunday 9/19/10


I know, it looks like :barf:

I'm losing another leaf today... hopefully I can set the airstone up tomorrow... I wonder if the nastiness would not have set in so badly if I'd done 1-2Xweekly water changes?

 

[fishorama]

Gee, I was expecting much worse, lol. I was going to ask about water changes...

 

[dundadundun]

still could be recovered...

the end doesn't even seem near....

 

[fishycat]

Thanks... I'm just so depressed! I guess I'm taking this harder than the plants...

I'd feel better about the crypt melt if the darned becketti would throw some new leaves! :huh: hopefully more water changes (counter-walstad) & a light bubble flow will help.

 

[fishycat]

So... Does cyano disappear once issues are resolved, or is manual removal also required?

...aw heck, I think I know the answer already. :silly: but the water's nice & clear finally, don't want to mess with it. All crypts have melted completely, possibly dead. Dwarf sag is still going, got a couple runner plants. Salvinia on the surface with a bit if duckweed, also got a clamped airstone bubbling thru a sponge that was previously on my ac70 intake (& assumedly has some bb attached). This broke up the lime jell-o cyano around the surface, but there are smatterings on the gravel which I hate.

I have thought about a reboot... Just too lazy/not enough "tank time" to get to it.

Pictures maybe later. Much worse than the last ones. The last ones look like a freakin' Amano artwork next to the current condition.

 

[happypoet]

keep on keepin' on!!! some things just don't go the way we plan!
(and show the pics. It's something of an experiment anyway, no?)