# First Walstad tank. 3 gallon



## Briz (Apr 25, 2013)

Yes, it is possible. People do it with Tetra's 1.5 gallon cubes! You will need to get a plant-capable light. The 3i filter is basically a sponge filter as the design doesn't allow for a *ton* of mechanical filtration, so you may consider getting a different filter. An AquaClear 20 HOB would be good. With planted tanks you can get a lot of debris from plant matter.


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## chunkychun (Apr 6, 2012)

Also since you just bought the tank, it is not cycled, you have to really be careful with your betta. I would go and read up on cycling a tank ASAP something like: http://www.rexgrigg.com/cycle.htm

I would plant heavily right now(anacharis is good and can just float). Also you want to consider substrate for walstad tanks which most like to have some nutrients like mircale grow organic potting soil.
http://plantedspace.com/howto/set-up-design/item/5-low-maintenance-aquatic-vase-or-bowl

I would worry about the filter later. Most heavily planted Walsad tanks don't need filters b/c plants do the work.

Good luck and post some pics!


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## Kosan (Aug 20, 2013)

Briz said:


> Yes, it is possible. People do it with Tetra's 1.5 gallon cubes! You will need to get a plant-capable light. The 3i filter is basically a sponge filter as the design doesn't allow for a *ton* of mechanical filtration, so you may consider getting a different filter. An AquaClear 20 HOB would be good. With planted tanks you can get a lot of debris from plant matter.



I was thinking about getting a desktop lamp. The ones with adjustable necks. Do you think that'd work out? I also just realized you can get a full blown power filter for such a small tank so I will definitely get one of those ASAP. What kind of plants would you recommend? I read an article that said low-moderate light plants work best but there are SO many types. I'm overwhelmed with choices so I want to try and keep this tank simple. My wife says if I can make this work out she'll be convinced enough to let me splurge on a 30 gal tank for my man cave so I can do it there too


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## Kosan (Aug 20, 2013)

chunkychun said:


> Also since you just bought the tank, it is not cycled, you have to really be careful with your betta. I would go and read up on cycling a tank ASAP something like: http://www.rexgrigg.com/cycle.htm
> 
> I would plant heavily right now(anacharis is good and can just float). Also you want to consider substrate for walstad tanks which most like to have some nutrients like mircale grow organic potting soil.
> http://plantedspace.com/howto/set-up-design/item/5-low-maintenance-aquatic-vase-or-bowl
> ...


I've been making sure to change 30-50% of Mario's water every two days to keep ammonia down. I haven't gotten around to getting a ph kit because of work but i've been trying to keep a close eye on him until I can. He's doing great as far as I can tell, he's very active and very brightly colored. I read that an easy way to tell if betta's aren't doing too hot is that they'll start to fade. Does your 3 gallon tank have any clouding issues? I was thinking about getting a filter just to keep the water clear but if i won't need it i can hold off. I have a few ideas for plants i want but i don't know how many of each to get. I like Java Ferns and I was thinking maybe some dwarf hairgrass for the foreground but I don't know what kind of stem plants to put in the background...


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## chunkychun (Apr 6, 2012)

No clouding issues on my 3gal. It has a sponge filter now but even before when it didn't have a filter, it was crystal clear. The plants do a great job! 

My 3 gal tank is using a 13watt cfl on a random desk lamp and it has worked great!

Try "easy" plants first like wisteria, anacharis water sprite or ludwigia repens. these will grow faster and suck up more ammonia

I used ADA aquasoil but it will leach off ammonia at the beginning so it may not be a good idea for you since you have fish in already.


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## Kosan (Aug 20, 2013)

chunkychun said:


> No clouding issues on my 3gal. It has a sponge filter now but even before when it didn't have a filter, it was crystal clear. The plants do a great job!
> 
> My 3 gal tank is using a 13watt cfl on a random desk lamp and it has worked great!
> 
> ...


So how many plants should i put in the tank? is there any danger of overcrowding or should i just load as many as i can get? I also am curious if my betta will produce enough waste and CO2 to feed the plants. I'm sorry if i'm bothering you.


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## Briz (Apr 25, 2013)

There's not really a thing as too many plants, unless there is _no_ room for the fish to move! Plants will grow, but you may find some of them fail to get established in your tank, so having the extra numbers isn't a bad thing.

For the light, make sure the Kelvin range is at least 5000K, although higher would be even better (Like 6500K!) Most "daylight" bulbs are within the 5000K range, but avoid incandescent bulbs.

The Betta will provide a small amount, but certainly not enough to consider it the same as a tank that is being injected with CO2. Your plants will appreciate his addition to the water, but you should look in to liquid or powder fertilizers. Root tabs will also be beneficial if you have strong rooting plants like amazon swords. Just make sure the root tabs are completely buried in the soil/substrate or else they can spike the ammonia.

My very first attempt at a planted tank yielded thick, soupy, cloudy, stinky water. I did not have a filter or airstone going at the time. Most of my plants had melted from initial planting, which added a ton of gunk to the system. I had also been overdosing on liquid ferts. I have found that having a sponge filter, which essentially doubles as an airstone, greatly improved the quality of water during my second attempt. The first tank's problem was that it had no water flow and that it had an inexperienced keeper. Don't be discouraged if your very first attempt doesn't turn out the way you envisioned. It is good to start with something small now so you can learn.


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## Kosan (Aug 20, 2013)

So say I wanted to add more fish, snails, shrimp, etc. should i proceed using the usual 1 in. per gallon rule or can I be a little more lax on that? Based on what I read so far i'm probably going to need some type of bottom feeder and algae eaters but I've seen that some snails can make quite a bit of waste. Any particular tank mates that you guys would recommend for my betta?


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## chunkychun (Apr 6, 2012)

Agree with Briz you can't have too many plants! but i think if you can cover most of the substrate with plants then you have enough. 

Your betta and the exchange of co2 with the air should provide enough co2 for your plants but that is if you pick easy plants. Carpeting plants like HC will be more difficult without injecting co2. 

have you picked a substrate yet?


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## zoragen (Nov 3, 2009)

Betta's don't usually like tank mates. 

It depends on the personality (& betta's have an amazing amount of personality!)

They tend to pick on other critters & will happily eat anything small enough to get their mouths on.

The best option would be a snail - nerites are great.


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## Kosan (Aug 20, 2013)

chunkychun said:


> Agree with Briz you can't have too many plants! but i think if you can cover most of the substrate with plants then you have enough.
> 
> Your betta and the exchange of co2 with the air should provide enough co2 for your plants but that is if you pick easy plants. Carpeting plants like HC will be more difficult without injecting co2.
> 
> have you picked a substrate yet?


Yea I think i'm going to go with the miracle grow organic soil with natural colored river bed gravel to cap it off. I'm really scared to deviate from the basic recommendations since this is my first attempt. I'm going to use Water Sprite and Wisteria in the back i think. I'll find a small piece of driftwood and put some Java Ferns on it and probably either dwarf hairgrass or dwarf baby tears in the foreground. How does all that sound?


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## chunkychun (Apr 6, 2012)

Sounds great! I wouldn't use dwarf baby tears (HC) b/c it may be hard to grow without CO2 injection. Hair grass will be easier.

agree zoragen, bettas will tend to attack other tank mates but personalities vary. The betta I have in my 3 gal at home is housed with otto, snail and least killifish and chili rasboras. so far so good but i'm a little worried about the least killi fish and chilis but they are way faster then the betta.


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## Briz (Apr 25, 2013)

I'd also try to get some moss to stick on the driftwood as well. Moss is pretty easy! I agree on skipping the dwarf baby tears. Hairgrass can be hit or miss from what I've heard.


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## Kosan (Aug 20, 2013)

Thanks for all the info everyone! I'm going to take a few weeks to get all the materials and get my tank fully cycled before I get started. I'll be sure to post plenty of pictures when I do though. Thanks again!


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## Ibisae (Aug 22, 2013)

I have had dwarf hairgrass in my 10 g planted tank for a couple months now, and slowly took my time spreading it throughout the tank during water changes (I also stopped doing water changes/gravel cleaning, and only add water when it needs). With dwarf hairgrass, I saw it appreciates CO2 very much. To get it to carpet quicker, I suggest trimming the grass to promote more spreading. 

A DIY co2 is definitely not a hard thing to do if you really want that hairgrass to flourish.

Also, my tank has a betta and in it I have a nerite snail whom he does not really bother, only checks him out from time to time. I also have 2 otos that the betta also interacts with but does no harm to. He's a very active betta.

Best of luck!!


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## Beer (Feb 1, 2012)

I'd strongly recommend against the Aquaclear 20 on such a small tank, especially with a Betta. Even on the lowest setting, that would be too much flow for most fish in a tank that size, never mind a Betta with their massive fin to body ratio. The only way to make it acceptable would be to pack the media tray densely with filter floss, but at that point, you may as well go with something smaller. Something like the Azoo Palm or the Deep Blue Professional Bio Maxx nano would provide sufficient flow. Still might need to be slowed down with some filter floss for a Betta, which has the benefit of extra space for benificial bacteria.
If you go with a snail, nerite is a good choice. Keep it to one though. Typically they won't lay eggs if they are a lone snail (unless perhaps they got it on recently before purchasing them). The eggs won't hatch in fresh water, but they are far more difficult to remove than most snail eggs and can be a bit unsightly.

With such a small tank, if you do go with the miricle grow sill, I'd say extra fertilizers wouldn't be necessary for quite some time. That soil would leach a decent amount of nutrients into the water column. Unless you have some very heavy water column feeding plants (and a lot of them) you probably wouldn't see a need for water column dosing for a while. That soil would also negate the need for root tabs for some time as well. A basic top soil wouldn't even need root tabs or water column dosing (maybe partial strength as a preventative measure) for a while (judge by long term plant health). It is easy to over do it on nutrients with low tech tanks. Slightly lean on nutrients with heavy planting and stabil parameters is far better than heavy handed dosing. Small tanks will respond rapidly to small fluctuations.

The desk lamp will be good as long as it has a fluorescent bulb. Just make sure you can get a bulb in the 5,000k-6,700k range as the others said. I picked up a lamp that has a limited range of bulbs. It grows plants even though it is on the lower end of the spectrum, but I didn't have algae when I had a 6,700k bulb over the same tank with a longer lighting schedule.

Bettas can be very territorial, if he has been in there first, it may be more difficult to introduce other tank mates.

As far as the plants go, as long as you don't pick plants labeled as high maintenance, don't plant stem plants so closely together that you shade out the lower leaves (you'll loose the lower leaves. Just space them so leaves don't overlap), and leave plenty of room for the fish to swim, you should be okay.


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## Kosan (Aug 20, 2013)

Beer said:


> I'd strongly recommend against the Aquaclear 20 on such a small tank, especially with a Betta. Even on the lowest setting, that would be too much flow for most fish in a tank that size, never mind a Betta with their massive fin to body ratio. The only way to make it acceptable would be to pack the media tray densely with filter floss, but at that point, you may as well go with something smaller. Something like the Azoo Palm or the Deep Blue Professional Bio Maxx nano would provide sufficient flow. Still might need to be slowed down with some filter floss for a Betta, which has the benefit of extra space for benificial bacteria.
> If you go with a snail, nerite is a good choice. Keep it to one though. Typically they won't lay eggs if they are a lone snail (unless perhaps they got it on recently before purchasing them). The eggs won't hatch in fresh water, but they are far more difficult to remove than most snail eggs and can be a bit unsightly.
> 
> With such a small tank, if you do go with the miricle grow sill, I'd say extra fertilizers wouldn't be necessary for quite some time. That soil would leach a decent amount of nutrients into the water column. Unless you have some very heavy water column feeding plants (and a lot of them) you probably wouldn't see a need for water column dosing for a while. That soil would also negate the need for root tabs for some time as well. A basic top soil wouldn't even need root tabs or water column dosing (maybe partial strength as a preventative measure) for a while (judge by long term plant health). It is easy to over do it on nutrients with low tech tanks. Slightly lean on nutrients with heavy planting and stabil parameters is far better than heavy handed dosing. Small tanks will respond rapidly to small fluctuations.
> ...


Thanks for letting me know that about the fertilizer. It's been almost a week since I got Mario and I can tell he is VERY aggressive lol. He flares up at his reflection and bites at the jar that I use to drain his tank for water changes. I decided that snails will definitely be best and I think I'll go 1 nerite and 1 mystery. I read that nerites are great for algae control but not so much on other waste so I'm hoping the mystery can make up for that. I also ordered an Azoo Mignon 60 to hang on back of the tank. I plan to cut a sponge and put some aquaclear 20 biomass in the back. I just hope the flow isn't too strong. I'll start planting once the tank is fully cycled. I just don't know how many plants I should order.


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## Neatfish (Jun 22, 2012)

Here is what my 3g picotope use to look like. I had it planted with dwarf sag and a betta bulb plant. The light was just a desk lamp with a mini plant bulb. Going to try to get the picotope looking nice again. This is what it was looking like before but now it's empty.


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## Neatfish (Jun 22, 2012)

This was it when I had it a nano reef.


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## Kosan (Aug 20, 2013)

So going on your pics I'd assume I don't have to plant a ton of plants. Your picotopes looked great btw. What substrate did you use with the dwarf sag and betta bulbs?


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## Neatfish (Jun 22, 2012)

Thank you it was ecocomplete and trimmings from my 29g.


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## Kosan (Aug 20, 2013)

So my tank is located on a countertop in my kitchen and I was wondering if you guys think this would be a good light to mount on the underside of the cabinet the tank sits under. GE 10167 Slimline Fluorescent Under Cabinet Light Fixture, 8-Inch:Amazon:Home Improvement 
I wasn't sure if it'd work out well enough since it doesn't have reflectors but it is the right amount of watts for my tank though


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## tattooedfool83 (Mar 15, 2013)

My understanding is at least 2w per gallon for a walstad method. Can this light produce that?


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## Kosan (Aug 20, 2013)

tattooedfool83 said:


> My understanding is at least 2w per gallon for a walstad method. Can this light produce that?


Yep it's 8 watt so itd be a little over 2.5w per gallon. My only concern was about the lack of reflectors. Does it matter?


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## tattooedfool83 (Mar 15, 2013)

I'd think the reflectors direct the light downwards towards the tank and without them the light would go every which way.


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## chunkychun (Apr 6, 2012)

I doubt that light will be good enough. Try CFL or LED.


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## tattooedfool83 (Mar 15, 2013)

I'm setting up a 10 gallon walstad, I was gonna use a floodlight led. 6500k, but that would be overkill for a 3 gallon


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