[TheOldSalt]

After 3 years and one month of near-ZERO maintenance, my Walstad style planted tank has finally crashed.

No water changes.
No mineral supplements.
No detritus removal.
no.. anything.

The only thing I ever did for this tank was add some water every now and then when too much had evaporated.

Well, this time I let it get too far down, and when I filled it back up the emersed leaves all started to rot, and there were a LOT of 'em. For the first time since setup, this tank looks and smells bad enough to need attention. Up until now I've enjoyed crystal-clear water and stable parameters across the board. The plant growth has always been very good as well.

Well, if such a tank can do so well with NO maintenance for this long, then I guess it'll just do that much better next time when I do give it some regular attention. I guess I'll rebuild it again and let you know in three years.

Anyway, if you've ever wondered if Walstad type low-tech plant tanks can really work and are worth setting up, then the answer is a big fat yes.