A Quick Update On My Walstad Method Planted Endler Guppy Tank!

My 455-day-old Walstad aquarium has had a few changes recently, including plenty of baby tiger Endler guppies! This 25 litre (6.6 US gallon) planted tank uses capped dirt, a Seaoura SR616 light, an Eheim heater, and a Nicrew Slim hang-on-back filter. Although the plants allow me to run this tank filterless, I’m currently keeping the filter running. Tiger Endlers are now the main fish, although one adult Medaka is still waiting to be caught and moved to another tank. The Endlers have been breeding like crazy, and I can already see at least three generations of fry swimming around. They’ll be going to a friend who breeds fish soon, because a small aquarium can quickly fill up when livebearers keep reproducing. There’s also a skittles Neocaridina shrimp colony that originally started with red, orange, yellow, and blue shrimp. After the colour lines crossed, most of the colony now consists of wild-type and red shrimp. Unfortunately, the female Endlers have been eating some of the smaller shrimp, so this hasn’t been a completely shrimp-safe setup. The shrimp population had become pretty large, and I’m treating the losses as population control for now, but it’s something to consider if breeding shrimp is your priority. The plants are doing really well with my fish-poop fertilisation method, without injected CO₂ or liquid fertilisers. I leave fish waste to break down and contribute nutrients, alongside the dirt beneath the substrate cap. The Helanthium tenellum ‘Green’ carpet is filling in nicely under the affordable Seaoura light, which I’m pleased with in this low-tech planted aquarium. My Pogostemon quadrifolius definitely needs a trim, but I’m leaving the extra growth for now to give the baby Endlers more hiding places if the adults try to eat them. At 455 days old, this dirted aquarium is still changing, and I’m excited to see how the plants, fish, and shrimp develop from here. #aquarium #fishtank #fishkeeping #plantedtank #plantedaquarium #walstad #guppy #guppytank