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

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.

Czech Version of Ecology of the Planted Aquarium

Czech translation of ‘Ecology of the Planted Aquarium’

I am thrilled to announce a Czech translation of Ecology of the Planted Aquarium. It is a high-quality printed book now (2017) available for sale to the people of the Czech Republic. (This is the fourth published translation of my book. Others were German, Italian, and Polish.)