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Frank, or anyone with the knowledge, I have a question.

If you'll remember I decided to set up a Walstad tank. I have readw and read and read for a couple months now regarding the plante tank theme and I want to go with a Walstad tank.

She recommends going with a first layer of potting soil. Doing some research here in Costa Rica, I have come across (finally) a bag of potting soil, in this case, it is one manufactured by Flora Gard, a company out of Germany. Please bear in mind that things here are not as readily available as they are in other places, thus, sending me to ask for something very specific at any kind of store will result in nothing.

I thus bought this substrate by Flora Gard and i would like to know if you have anything to say regarding this soil. It reads potting soil, universal substrate among other things on the bag. If it serves any purpose I'll type anything else that I can read on the bag.

This is the substrate in question:

http://www.floragard.de/international/14/index.php

Hi,
Its been a while since I read the book but the only
warnings I seem to recall are that you don't want the
potting soil that contains little Styrofoam beads. They
will drive you insane trying to get rid of them as they
work their way up to the soil surface and then float to
the top.
I also seem to recall something about getting a potting
soil without additives. Some of the additives can
adversely affect the tank as they "drench" the tank with
nutrients.

This particular potting may/may not, be OK. With the
hype about the additives and the "extra" stuff, I honestly
don't know.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Hey Frank, thanks for the time and interest.

I just got home and read on the back of the bag, the following:

Declaration:

Peatmoss product.

For plants with low and medium nutrient requirements. For planting and potting. Basic material: mixture of slightly and fully decomposed raised bog peat (H2-H8) clay and sand.

Salt content: 0,8 - 2,0 g/l
ph value 5-6,5
Nutrients available for plants: 80-300 mg/l Nitrogen
80 -300 mg/l phosphate, 100-420 mg/l potassium

If any of this sheds any light on whether this substrate is appropriate or not, Id appreciate any further info you may provide.

if i remeber properly after reading of people who suceeded with these tanks, they recommend not using peat soils as they foul the water as they decompose.

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

I am re reading the substrate chapter in Diana Walstads book, it reads "I would probably not mix peat moss because of its strong acidity - with soil (the acidity may bring toxic levels of heavy metals into the soil solution).

Does this mean that this peatmoss solution is definitely not to be used for this type of tank? I really appreciate your opinions and information you provide, Im going crazy here trying to come up with answers to my questions so I can set up the tank. Its planning has gone on for weeks now and I'd love to get the thing started.

Quite frankly, I am not worried about the peatmoss but the addition of Guano which is mentioned in the first link you provide. I am concerned that this additive might drench the tank but I do not have any experience with it myself.

Hi,
I went back and reread the chapters on Substrate and on
Practical Aquarium Setup and Maintenance.
Diana advises the use of either unsterilized garden soil
or "ordinary potting soil" for her aquariums. I find no
references to using peat moss as the substrate.

Peat moss is acidic, and when submerged by itself, or
mixed with soil can cause the pH to drop into the 5's
killing off fish and plants.
I would not mix soil and peat moss to form the first
layer.

With the potting soil, and soft, acidic water, she
recommends the addition of carbonates such as dolomite
or oyster shells to provide a better environment for
the plants because they add Ca, Mg, K, and bicarbonates
to the soil and they eventually leech into the water.

Also, note that if you live in coastal areas you should not
use local soil due to the possibility of it being an acid
sulfate (contains large amounts of Iron Pyrite (FeS2)).
(Don't know where in CR you live.)

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Hey guys, yeah, looks like this soil is not exactly good for this purpose. Too bad I bought the biggest sack they had, 70 L worth, lol.

Frank, nope I live in the central valley, which is surrounded my mountains,no coast two hours (by car) from here.

I went to the shop today and asked the guy in charge if they can get me another substrate made by Flora Gard, called Teicherde, its on their website and it is made for ponds..... the guy said he'd get back to me in a few days....

Hi,
Can't you walk into any garden store and pick up a bag
of potting soil without the styrofoam beads or vermiculite?
That's what Diana is recommending.
Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

and without the Guano as a goodie ...

As in walking in and asking for a bag of soil, no brand no nothing, just ordinary potting soil? Basically dirt in a bag?

Yep - as long as it doesn't have perlite (the "styrofoam" bits) or high nutrient additives, you're ok; that's exactly what to do.

One thing from the Walstad book you will want to keep in mind is that the soil should be submerged for a while before using it in your tank. I didn't do that with my paludarium, I think I should have been more patient.

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Hi,
Sup... Where in the books are you drawing that
conclusion from?
On page 130 of Volume I, Chapter Chaos in Freshly
Submerged Terrestrial Soils, she says "No advantage
was gained by soaking the soil for less than 6 weeks"
This would seem to indicate that one should soak the
soil for 6 weeks and then drain off the "soup" and
refill the tank.

Later, on page 138 "2" Setting up Tanks with Soils,
she says to set up the tank with the substrate, fill
with water to the top of the cap layer, plant the
plants and drain off any cloudy water then fill the tank
and then let run overnight with heater, lights, and filter
hooked up. Then depending upon the tank appearance,
add fish the next day, sometimes even that night.

In the last chapter, Chapter XI, Practical
Aquarium Setup and Maintenance, section "B" Setting up
a Basic, 'Low Tech' Aquarium, she instructs one to
place the tank, fill the tank with substrate and water and
plants and fish.

El... You don't want any perlite or
vermiculite in it, nor any "special" nutrients, you want
"just plain" potting soil.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Ecology of the Planted Aquarium, Second Edition... page 130-131. Freshly submerged soils flood the water with various cations from the soil particles, and bacteria decompose parts of the soil, releasing ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and organic acids (this makes it especially dangerous for any fish). Plants also grow better in soil submerged for at least 6 weeks.

><>

Hi Sup,
You were posting as I was editing.
What I may have missed is her recomendation based
upon what you and I both see and are concerned about,
is her comment somewhere to use "presoaked" soil
in the later directions and comments.

I would agree (based on personal experiance) that
one should presoak the soil for at least 6 weeks,
but I just don't see where she says that in later
comments or instructions.

Does she say that in Vol II?

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

I don't see anything specifically in the instruction section, but from the substrate section I gathered that it would be safer to be patient and submerge the soil first (not necessarily in the aquarium, although I suppose you could do that). I assume that there is a possibility you could have soil from an aquatic situation to start with, which would not require soaking, so that was not mentioned in the instructions.

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