# walstad question



## shinycard255 (Sep 15, 2011)

Don't worry about PH so much. Don't try to alter your PH as that can bring on algae.

I have a 1G bowl that has MG capped with PFS. I let the bowl sit for a good 4 weeks before putting any living creatures in. Ever since it's been up and running, I've done minimal water changes on it and only top off as needed.

Just let the tank sit and everything will be fine in the long run


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## Qwedfg (Mar 7, 2012)

Thanks for the reply

I was not planning on adding anything for another week or two. My stocking plans for this tank are a neocardina species to be named later (tough decision). I have never kept freshwater shrimp before so I am a little apprehensive about making sure I get it right.

Does anyone have any experience or know a good thread about someone growing HC in a walstad bowl. I have seen a page in which Diania Walstad tries it out and has success as well as a bowl on here that seemed to have some surviving at least. I have had some HC growing in an emersed setup for a while now and would like to put it to some use. If this is possible I was wondering what type of lighting you would recommend. Right now I am just using the stock lamp that came with the evolve 2 gallon for moss and duckweed but its pretty wimpy.

edit

Seems people are successfully growing HC in NPT..found this http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/el-natural/48757-walstad-nano-iwagumi.html


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

I think I too read the article about the emersed start HC for the shrimp. She is getting her CO2 via the decomp of the soil, and I think was still using moderate light. The trick was the floating plants, I think. 

And ya, don't worry so much about the pH. Eventually it'll settle where it settles, and especially with such a small volume of water actually trying to manage it is self defeating.


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## Qwedfg (Mar 7, 2012)

So I went ahead and planted some hc, DHG and microsword as well as upgraded my lighting to a 15w CFL about 4 inches above the waterline. I have been dosing 6 drops of excel per day and 1 or 2 drops of flourish comp every other day. Too soon to tell whether its going to work or not. I do think the duckweed is going to be key. In my high tech tank my nitrates are always zero (was starting to think test was broken...) so when I tested this one and saw orange for the first time I went ahead and added some more duckweed  . Hopefully there will be no algae, I got a 10w light as well in case 15 is too much.

I will also wait out the pH and not worry about it so much. I have read people keeping RCS in pretty high pH so Im not that worried. I think I might give the tank more time than I expected so the HC can root and to see where the pH goes. I did some reading and it seems that I was correct in my assumption that the pH will go down as the soil starts to kick in. From what Ive read this can take a couple weeks.


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