I purchased my tank today it is about 36'L x 18"W x 16" H. Its very big and i plan on getting some waltl next week or the following week, i was considering leaving it a bare bottom tank so it wont be as hard to clean, but i was concerned that this would conflict with having a tank with plants. I also plan on getting bamboo shrimp to help with cleaning because i cant find anyone with cherry shrimp. possibly putting large rocks in the tank too. any advice?
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40 gallon tank
- Thread starter Roney
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carsona246
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most plants will want somewhere to root in, but if your only putting in low light, easy to grow plants I don't think it would be a huge deal. You can always put in floating plants like water lettuce or duck weed, and there are plenty of plants that will survive without having an elaborate root system, like hornwort, water wisteria, and cabomba. Java fern would also be a plant that doesn't need to root and sinks.
Ltdanicecream
New member
Elodea works great and will multiply like crazy without beeing rooted. A light layer of sand won't be easier, it just gives you the worst of both worlds - the plants won't root well, and it's still a pain to clean. If anything, take a rock, and tie the roots of the plant around it. The rock keeps the plant down, so you won't need sand.
Ken Worthington
New member
Hi, Your waltl will love that nice big tank! :happy:
The plants I have in my own waltl tank are;
Amazon Frog-bit (Limnobium laevigatum) which is a floating plant that trails roots down beneath it. It reproduces fairly quickly (bonus)
Elodea canadensis, an all round winner that does very well without being planted.
Anubias barteri (var. nana) which are hardy and seem to do well (although are slow growers). Tie the rhizome to a rock or bogwood with cotton thread, and the roots will slowly anchor themselves as they grow.
The same can be said of Java fern (Microsorum pteropus).
Vallisneria spiralis (in a small pot, however)
Various clumps of Java moss (Versicularia dubyana?)
And the inevitable 'duckweed'. (Spoonfulls go into the compost on a regular basis, but it plays a part in the ecosystem of the tank)
I hope this is of some use, and I know without doubt that you'll really enjoy your new waltl family :happy:
The plants I have in my own waltl tank are;
Amazon Frog-bit (Limnobium laevigatum) which is a floating plant that trails roots down beneath it. It reproduces fairly quickly (bonus)
Elodea canadensis, an all round winner that does very well without being planted.
Anubias barteri (var. nana) which are hardy and seem to do well (although are slow growers). Tie the rhizome to a rock or bogwood with cotton thread, and the roots will slowly anchor themselves as they grow.
The same can be said of Java fern (Microsorum pteropus).
Vallisneria spiralis (in a small pot, however)
Various clumps of Java moss (Versicularia dubyana?)
And the inevitable 'duckweed'. (Spoonfulls go into the compost on a regular basis, but it plays a part in the ecosystem of the tank)
I hope this is of some use, and I know without doubt that you'll really enjoy your new waltl family :happy:
Ken Worthington
New member
The tank with my P waltl in has a sand substrate, although if I were to re-design the tank from scratch again I'd probably go for either bare-bottom or slate, and then have a range of plants in ceramic pots (using organic top-soil) in addition to the plants I mentioned before.
I have some Cynops orientalis in a heavily planted tank that has a bare-bottom.
This, although not as pleasing to the eye, really does make 'house-work' a lot easier.
Their 'poop' can be easily spotted and removed with a turkey baster, and a siphon around at water-change time keeps it nice and clean.
With no substrate, it makes the feeding with things like bloodworms so much easier.
Having said all that, (and not wishing to complicate things further!), I'm very interested in ; Walstad method - The Free Freshwater and Saltwater Aquarium Encyclopedia Anyone Can Edit - The Aquarium Wiki having read her book recently......but that'll have to wait until my funds/time allow!
You can't really go wrong with a bare-bottom tank, a few rocks and hides scattered about, and a good handful of healthy plants........sometimes simplicity is the key :happy:
I have some Cynops orientalis in a heavily planted tank that has a bare-bottom.
This, although not as pleasing to the eye, really does make 'house-work' a lot easier.
Their 'poop' can be easily spotted and removed with a turkey baster, and a siphon around at water-change time keeps it nice and clean.
With no substrate, it makes the feeding with things like bloodworms so much easier.
Having said all that, (and not wishing to complicate things further!), I'm very interested in ; Walstad method - The Free Freshwater and Saltwater Aquarium Encyclopedia Anyone Can Edit - The Aquarium Wiki having read her book recently......but that'll have to wait until my funds/time allow!
You can't really go wrong with a bare-bottom tank, a few rocks and hides scattered about, and a good handful of healthy plants........sometimes simplicity is the key :happy:
I looked at the walstad method(very interesting) I had thought about doing the bottom with aquatic plant substrate but wasn't sure if it was safe. The only reason i am thinking about barebottom is the tank is so big I want the easiest way to keep up maintenance.