A Quick Update On One Of My Filtered Walstad Method Planted Tanks!

Here's a quick update on my 375-day-old Walstad method Medaka aquarium! The full one-year update will be coming to YouTube soon, but I wanted to give you a look at how the tank is progressing after more than a year of running with a low-maintenance approach. This is a 25-litre (6.6 US gallon) planted aquarium running a Nicrew Slim hang-on-back filter, an Eheim Jager heater, and a Seaoura SR616 LED light. Sadly, I recently lost one of my oldest Platinum Medaka, but at around two years old, I believe it was simply old age rather than illness. The remaining Medaka are doing well, and I've been seeing the females laying eggs on the plants over the last month. No fry have appeared yet, but hopefully it's only a matter of time. One of my mixed-breed "mutt" Medaka has developed some spinal deformities, although none of the Platinum Medaka show the same issue, so it looks more like a genetic problem than a disease. The tank is also home to a Skittles colony of Neocaridina shrimp. Interestingly, only the red shrimp have consistently held their colour, while the orange, yellow, and blue shrimp have gradually reverted back towards the wild type. I recently moved a large number into my 70-litre aquarium, but the warmer summer temperatures have triggered another breeding boom, so this tank is quickly filling up again. Plant growth has been excellent. I replaced the Rotala Blood Red varieties with Pogostemon quadrifolius because it's much easier to maintain in a Walstad aquarium, and the new cuttings are already starting to establish. The Helanthium tenellum 'Green' carpet is also coming along nicely despite using an entry-level light. With a stronger light or more plants at the start, it probably would have filled in much sooner. Overall, I'm really happy with how this aquarium has developed. It's another great example of what a mature, heavily planted low-tech aquarium can become with a bit of patience. Follow along for the full one-year update, more Walstad aquariums, planted tank tips, Medaka breeding, shrimp keeping, and low-tech aquarium content. #aquarium #fishtank #fishkeeping #walstad #walstadmethod #plantedtank #plantedaquarium