Ecology of the Planted Aquarium – Diana Walstad's Books and Articles

One Month after Tank Setups

The two tanks I set up a month ago for the big Expo on May 2 are ready for their road trip to Charlotte, NC to be displayed and then auctioned off. Pictures show tanks at setup and after one month. Plant growth is good. Readers please note that there are no filters or aerators. Do not need them in these tanks with their shallow depth, lots of good-growing plants, and a soil underlayer. Plants grow better without filters and aerators that just remove the ammonia and CO₂ that plants like.

**Photo Taken 3/29/2026.** Tank (left) for breeding fish set up 2 days ago; ‘Walstad Method’ tank (right) set up just hours ago.

**Photo Taken 4/29/2026.** The first month is always a race against time. Rooted plants need to take hold quickly to counteract “soil chaos” and outcompete algae. Looks like they have succeeded!

Tank on left (setup for fish breeding): I easily caught the 40 juvenile guppies that I was raising in it temporarily by removing all the little plastic pots with their plants. Plant growth in the bone-meal fertilized garden soil is good; I have had to trim the Vallisneria heavily and remove excess floating plants. Otherwise, they would take over the tank.

Tank on the Right (typical “Walstad” tank with soil underlayer): Plants and the ~15 Blue Dream Shrimp I added 3 weeks ago are doing quite well. (Will sell them with the tank.) I think that the substrate fertilization (See previous post) helped. (The potting soil I chose as the soil underlayer was perhaps a bit too infertile; its NPK was only 0.08/0.03/0.06.)

BIG Expo Event Coming Up

Sustainable Reefs and I decided on my setting up two 10-gal tanks for their big event in Charlotte, NC on May 2, 2026. One tank shows the standard ‘Walstad Method’ with a soil underlayer as described in my Ecology of the Planted Aquarium. The other is described in my article ‘Potted Plants for Breeding Fish,’ which is freely available here on my website. Hopefully, the plants will get somewhat established to withstand the car ride to Charlotte. Photos show the progression so far. Work in progress… I am awaiting on my local glass cutters to provide the glass lids.

The Expo organizers are wonderfully dedicated to hobbyist education via their major events, which are attended by 1,000s of people with free tickets provided to schools, universities, home-school organizations, etc. Events feature both the marine world of beautiful, cultured corals and the freshwater world of fish, shrimp, and plants. Vendors of all kinds including me and a fish veterinarian! I will have—as I did last year in Raleigh—a table for selling my books. Only this time I will also have the two tanks and can talk about their setup, plants, and their cost. Tanks will be auctioned off at the event.

**March 29, 2026. Tank (left) for breeding fish set up 2 days ago; ‘Walstad Method’ tank (right) set up just hours ago.**

April 4, 2026. Fish breeder tank (left) now contains a few guppies; other tank some Neocaridina shrimp. All plants taken from my other tanks, so they are in the desired submerged form. Counting on them to grow fast!

Indexing Scientific Papers

Without my ‘Aquatic Ecology Subject Index’ (175 pages, available here), I never could have written Ecology of the Planted Aquarium. From the 1990s onward, I subject-indexed every scientific paper I read. Eventually, the index provided a framework for my book. I enjoy reading scientific papers. Many contain interesting experiments and inspiring ideas. Admittedly, the scientific jargon, conflicting nomenclature, and statistics can be daunting. But these barriers can be breached by further investigation and being organized. To be a scientist, you do not have to have a Ph.D., but you do need a love of science.

Me and Scientific Papers--all subject indexed. — **Diana Walstad at the Filing Cabinet. All Papers are Subject-indexed for Easy Retrieval.**

NEW 4th EDITION has gone GLOBAL!

‘Ecology of the Planted Aquarium’ (4th Edition, 2023) is now available as an affordable paperback to hobbyists overseas (Britain, Italy, Japan, etc.), not just to those in the U.S. While there is a different–and maybe prettier– cover for Amazon-printed books, all BTPS-printed books, eBooks, and Amazon Kindles contain the same material. This is a long-awaited improvement, because shipping a printed book overseas is prohibitively expensive.

Amazon-Printed Paperback for 4th Edition (2023) of 'Ecology of the Planted Aquarium' — **Amazon’s Cover for Fourth Edition** (April, 2023)

New Fourth Edition (2023)

I am thrilled to announce launch of the 4th edition (2023) of ‘Ecology of the Planted Aquarium’. Print version (paperback, 228 pages) and eBook versions are now available from my distributors (BTPS) or this website’s shop page. Amazon is carrying the Kindle version, and as of 5/16/2023, the paperback is available on all Amazon websites, both in the USA and overseas. (Note: Amazon-printed book has a different cover, but material inside is the same!) New edition has the same low-tech, low-maintenance approach of previous editions, plus new material based on science, experience, and hobbyist input.