# Walstad style outdoor shrimp tank. Info?



## nanomania (Jul 19, 2011)

Hey guys i have a 4g putdoor tank since 6mnths, with only shrimps. I had vermicompost and mix peat at the bottom capped with pea gravels. Shrimps are breeding and plants are grwing well. No algae other than on the glass, which i scrape monthly and do 50% wc (sometimes more than a month. 

Now im planning on proper walstad style outdoor tank, the sunlight comes for 2 to 3hrs only directly rest of the time its indirect. Im plannin on 30x10x12" only for growing extra trimmed plants and breesing shrimps.

Im plamnin on only half inch of dirt in which ill add mix compost, mix peat and potting soil. Cappid with 1 to 1.5" of gravel. Will it be enough? Can i add plants on very first day? Also planning on growing frogbits.

In my old tank, i added plants after 1 week after doing 100% wc.

Is my method correct?


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## fishophile (Feb 6, 2012)

I dont know a lot about the walstad style, but if the compost has organic matter in it you will most definitely want to add some plants from the beginning to fight algea. 1.5 inches will do but if you plan on stem plants or deep rooters you'll want to have more.


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## Aplomado (Feb 20, 2013)

Sounds really cool! I've heard dragonfly larvae can be a problem outside.


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## jarvitron (Aug 6, 2012)

Yeah on non-fish tanks outdoors you're going to definitely get mosquito larvae and probably other critters. On one hand, free fish food. But you have to stay on top of it.

Edit - Oh and plus one on plants from day one. Think about something a bit obnoxious and floaty, at least at first. A single dwarf water lettuce for example. Anything that's getting exposure to direct sunlight without water in the way, to minimize the chances you'll just make algae soup.


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## nanomania (Jul 19, 2011)

Well here is how it looks










Have added more plants too, will send the pic with more plants tomorow. As for mosquitos, i have kept a transperent acrylic lid


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## nanomania (Jul 19, 2011)

Update


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## Thegreatandpowerfulr (Sep 7, 2015)

you might want to take the lid off or at least have vents so the plants at the top will be able to get co2 and the air will interchange gasses with the water


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## nanomania (Jul 19, 2011)

I do it 2 to 3times a week


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## Virc003 (Dec 3, 2011)

I would add a lot more dirt. Direct sunlight is 10 times what even our highest light setups can give. Par measurments for areas not as tropical as india are in the thousands! Your plants may quickly run out of nutrients. 

As for the vent, I've had an emersed tank which I had a problem with ants getting into it so I sealed it off with a glass top then taped it to be sure. No venting for months and still the same level of good growth. The plants are now flowering.


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## nanomania (Jul 19, 2011)

https://youtu.be/d5ls38XqFyg

https://youtu.be/-nvGX9yp_PA


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