# Beaslbob vs Walstad Methods



## falcooo (Sep 4, 2011)

Beaslbob Method: Layer of peat moss, thin layer of sand, layer of clay safe-t-sorb

Walstad Method: Layer of scoots miracle grow potting soil, layer of gravel

I am planning out my first planted aquarium in a 55 gallon tank and have been doing a lot of research on various methods and approaches. Does anyone have thoughts on which of the two methods above is best? I like them both over the idea of buying plant specific substrate from the local store because of the simple factor of how much less expensive they would be. Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?

Thanks.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

I have tried both and in my experience,beasls is better,I think because the sand but not sure.

I do find both to be messy and I play in my tanks way too much for either to work out well in the end.


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## falcooo (Sep 4, 2011)

too messy? please explain.....

what would you suggest for a successful planted tank?


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## Pigeonfish (Jun 23, 2011)

Would there be anything other than the peat moss and miracle grow to put below the sand so it isn't messy?

I know some people put some slow releasing dry ferts beneath sand, but I'm not sure if theres something else involved.


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## Chillwill007 (Aug 20, 2010)

By messy she means if u go to add more plants down the road or rearrange what u have u will no dout have peat moss or soil floating around and clouding up. I would deffinatly go with the middle layer of sand to help cut down on the cloudyness. I didnt which I regreat some what. Just make sure u put the moss or soil in a bucket with some water 1st and kinda get it a slightly moist muddy consistancy then lay that down. If u check out my build thread in my sig I didnt do it that way and had to deal with alot of floaties. But either way is the way to go if ur planting.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

falcooo said:


> too messy? please explain.....
> 
> what would you suggest for a successful planted tank?



By messy,when I was trying to remove my amazon swords,the roots pulled up some of the peat moss,which left a hole and more of the peat moss floated up.I had to redo the whole setup as my root cluster was massive.

I personally like eco complete,it works great and is less messy.Others use just sand or just gravel.for a setup with primarily stems the layers work well,as they dont have such huge root clusters spanning the entirety of the bottom.Basically I feel that if you want to scape it more often then not,the layers are a pain.

a ton


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Gee

I might find this thread interesting.


and I do appreciate all comments.

my .02


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## Peterjay (Feb 15, 2011)

My experience is with the Walstad method, but after reading of the success others have had using Bob's method, I wouldn't hesitate to use it as well. It's not a question of which method is better. Both obviously work very well. 

BTW - I don't know where the idea came from that MG potting soil is necessary for a Walstad tank, but it certainly isn't. I use El Cheapo stuff that I got for $1 per bag, and lots of folks use plain old dirt from the back yard. I believe Ms. Walstad now uses a thin layer of sand for a cap rather than gravel. (which is what I also use) The only thing to watch out for is contamination in the dirt (or peat, for that matter) from fertilizers, chemicals, etc. 

A Walstad substrate can get a bit messy if you do a lot of digging around, but with a thin sand cap layer, you can always scatter a little more sand around to cover any of the bottom layer that becomes exposed. I usually just leave it as is, because I like the natural look, and I think most stream beds and lake beds look a little messy in the wild. The fish certainly don't give a hoot, and the vegetation hides most of it anyway. 

After seeing what a multi-layered substrate can do for plant growth and general tank health with minimal maintenance, I wouldn't go back to any of the traditional methods for love nor money.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

However, single-layered with a quality substrate requires just as little maintenance. The big difference there is the cost....if you use the bagged stuff available. You can just use a single layer of soil and that be it. It is not the substrate that causes more or less maintenance, it is the method by which the plants are grown - not the medium they are grown in. The methods mentioned express less water changes (the biggest difference) and filtration requirements, thus the lower maintenance.


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## falcooo (Sep 4, 2011)

Thanks guys, I appreciate everyones comments and experiences....however I am still curious to hear more. So people contribute your .02 please.

I am still two months away from actually making the tank transition, so i look at it like i have two months to research and learn as much as i can. How much of each substrate in the beaslbob method do i need for a 55gallon tank; ie. how much peat moss, sand, and safe-t-sorb?


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## falcooo (Sep 4, 2011)

Oh just a little FYI, incase you guys don't already know....I came across this site, aquabid.com. Its like ebay of aquarium stuff, cheap driftwood plants and moss. I didn't look too much into the fish or other stuff yet.


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

falcooo said:


> Thanks guys, I appreciate everyones comments and experiences....however I am still curious to hear more. So people contribute your .02 please.
> 
> I am still two months away from actually making the tank transition, so i look at it like i have two months to research and learn as much as i can. How much of each substrate in the beaslbob method do i need for a 55gallon tank; ie. how much peat moss, sand, and safe-t-sorb?


funny you should ask. 

I just started a 55g beaslbob build. *old dude

From lowes I used a single ~1'x1'x2' (very very approximate) "bale" of canadian sphagnum peat moss ($10.30 on line price)

Shop Fafard 3.0 Cu. Ft. Majestic Earth Peat Moss at Lowes.com

1 50 pound bag of play sand (~$3) (or perhaps 2 can't remember)

and about 1/2 bag of pc select ($8.00)

Pro's Choice Products

If you have a couple of months I would contact them:

Contact Pro's Choice

and ask about a local supplier. that's what I did and the local supplier had to order like a pallet which I bought 4 bags of. It is a nice red baked clay and looks very nice.

If I didn't have those bags perhaps other top layers would do fine including just plane old gravel as well.

The above is more then enough for a 55g. I used the left over peat moss in the yard for instance.

1" peat moss, 1"play sand, 1" pc select from bottom to top. wet each layer, level clean tank then add next layer.

for plants I used 10-20 bunches of anacharis. 20 or so vals, 20 small potted types (crypts, small swords) and an amazon sword.

I plant the plants after the last layer and then fill the tank with water poured over a dish.

The wait one week.

then add a small amount of fish. like 4-5 male platys, or 5 neon tetras, or a single goldfish. Then wait a week and not add any food.

then stock up the tank more fully and start feeding very very lightly like 1 flake per day per fish.

my .02


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

The problem with the mg potting mix is the added urea in it for some of the ferts. Tanks useing this will need to run a few weeks till the ammonia drops to zero before putting in fish.

Both methods work the same and both can be modified to suit yourself. I just use peat and sand on top. With tanks like this you want to make sure you have it planted the way you want it and just leave it and keep plants trimmed. Removing heavy root plants will make a big mess and really it can be messy no matter what substrate you use especially with swords as their roots can cover the entire tank or at least half of a large tank.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

How-To: Mineralized Soil Substrate, by Aaron Talbot - Library - Aquatic Plant Central

I want to use this method in place of the Walstad method, because I've got a friend here in SLC who tried the Walstad method but the fertilizer was too potent and wiped out everything (including plants) in his 55. He used Miracle Gro.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Not getting how miracle-grow will wipe out the plants? What about adequate lighting?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I would try going to the planted sites and check out their NPT forums. There are a lot of things out there that people are doing and having excellent results with just soil and a little under layer of clay.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

From what I can piece together, massive spikes of all three - ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, were what did my friend's tank in.

I'll have to become an Aquarium Forum traitor like you Ben  (Not that I wasn't already...)


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I've seen you on other sites!!


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

jrman83 said:


> I've seen you on other sites!!


Emphasis on (Not that I wasn't already...)


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

I think we all visit other forums  I go to about 23 of them myself.

On the miracle grow, what happens is there is a high concentrate of ferts in it. When using it, you must let the tank run for about 6 to 8 weeks to cycle it. No different than doing a fishless cycle. Best method to do this is just fill half way and let the ammonia and such go down a little then plant and fill. You will still get high readings for awhile but it won't burn the plants.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Guilty of treachery here too.


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## Pigeonfish (Jun 23, 2011)

Pigeonfish said:


> Would there be anything other than the peat moss and miracle grow to put below the sand so it isn't messy?
> 
> I know some people put some slow releasing dry ferts beneath sand, but I'm not sure if theres something else involved.


Reading on other forums (mainly nano tank forums) I don't post, but I peek... (semi traitor) lol

I know a good amount of people put Osmocote, and sand. As well as Osmocote, Flourite and sand.

They would sprinkle Osmocote to cover most of the bottom of the tank (but leaving spaces inbetween the pellets) and then cover it with a layer of sand of a layer of flourite and then a layer of sand.

I have never tried it myself but it seems to work since plant growth looks optimal.


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## Russell (Jun 20, 2011)

I believe Walstead mentions Miracle-gro ORGANIC potting soil in her book and specifically cautions against using any potting soil that has had fertilizer added to it during manufacture because the high nitrate content from the fertilizer will cause the undesired effects mentioned.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Miracle grow has added ferts to it, unless you get the mg topsoil.


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## dirtydutch4x (Jun 16, 2009)

Hi all, been a while for me on the forum but checked in today and read through this post and thought I'd share. I have a 20gal long set up with low light running with a small hob mostly for water stimulation. I set this up for my dwarf puffers. This tank has been running since March, I seeded the tank with gravel and 50% water from my 55. For substrate I went with MG Organic, play sand and gravel. No cycle, and no wait period for levels. I planted kinda heavy and just ran it for 24 hrs to clear then added fish. Here we are in Sept and my Puffers have been thriving and even bred twice for me(no survivors*td). Im actually in the process of setting up one of 55's the same way over the next couple of weeks, would also like to thank you all I really have gotten so much from this community than any other and thanks to BeaslBob for the original inspiration for this idea(at least for me).


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

dirtydutch4x said:


> Hi all, been a while for me on the forum but checked in today and read through this post and thought I'd share. I have a 20gal long set up with low light running with a small hob mostly for water stimulation. I set this up for my dwarf puffers. This tank has been running since March, I seeded the tank with gravel and 50% water from my 55. For substrate I went with MG Organic, play sand and gravel. No cycle, and no wait period for levels. I planted kinda heavy and just ran it for 24 hrs to clear then added fish. Here we are in Sept and my Puffers have been thriving and even bred twice for me(no survivors*td). Im actually in the process of setting up one of 55's the same way over the next couple of weeks, would also like to thank you all I really have gotten so much from this community than any other and thanks to BeaslBob for the original inspiration for this idea(at least for me).


welcome

awww gosh, shuckie dern, farm out. *old dude*r2

Glad it is working and thanks for feedback.


Which is worth much more then the usual

.02


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