Walstad Eco tank

Was thinking of doing a ten gallon planted tank something exotic was reading the walstad Eco tank references an its a great read but does it really work ? Some shrimps neon tetra an the amphibian dog like creature Rama had in his nano tank on his counter a twenty gallon filter hob some black gravel pond certified wood from lowes for background hmmm it's a start

Cal... I did Walstead tanks back 40 years ago.. before Diane wrote her books... (I was cheap not scientific!).. They DO WORK... The biggest issue I experienced was re-arranging the tank/plants after the initial set-up... It will stir up the soil (covered by a 1/2" of PFS) once ya pull plants or try to add more.  About 3 years ago, I'd set up a 60G in the same manner, planted about 10 Amz Swords and 5 weeks later sold the tank... The root systems that developed in those Swords was incredible in those 5 weeks... At least 1 foot long, solid white firm and looked more like a turnip!  Hmmmmm... I might have to do another one in the idle 150.  Bill

Great tip bill was debating on capping with pea size of Pfs I'm not planning on moving plants just a nice mini Eco system for my fry to grow out or just for looks I'm still planing

Cal.. The method I used in setting up my dirt tanks:  
Buy the CHEAPEST soil from one of the big box stores.. (about 1 buck a bag)... Ensure there are no additives like you'll find in the more expensive bagged soils.
I then bake the soil on a cookie baking sheet at a temp of 130-135 degrees for 30 minutes.. This will kill off any plant/bugs... Any higher temps can be catastrophic to the tank as some stuff occurs that I'm now too lazy to research.  
I then cap the soil (about an inch and a half to two) with about a half inch of PFS.  and of course, slowly add water to the tank at a pace that won't disturb the cap.