It’s not that cacti and succulents don’t like water: Usually, they don’t like the low oxygen conditions that occur when waterlogged. We can fix this problem with an aerator and air stones.
Difficulty Level: Advanced
Reservoir: 100 gallons
Nurtient Mix: Added 0.9g/gal Calcium Booster. Added everything, except Calcium Nitrogen mix, at full strength – divided into 30 doses and added 3x per week for 10 weeks. Calcium Nitrogen mix was added at 1g/gallon. More Calcium Nitrogen mix was added when nitrate levels dropped below 5ppm. Nitrate levels were determined using API Nitrate Test Solution.
For and easier way, don’t keep fish in the garden. Just use full strength divided into 30 doses and dosed 3x per week over 10 weeks. Adding small doses over time is done to prevent excessive algae growth. Especially since so much of the water’s surface is exposed to light.
Fish: Goldfish – selected because they can tolerate the hard water produced when adding the nutrient mix.
pH: 6.5. The pH was kept higher than the usual 5.8-6.2 to keep the fish healthy. Quick Dissolve pH and Akalinity Up was used to add alkalinity.
Media: Cacti and succulents in calcined clay and rocks. Water Chesnuts and Mini Lotus are potted in sand and vermiculite. PVC was pushed into planters to direct feed the rootzone.
Comments: Not as very easy garden to manage but did better than expected. If I did try this again, I would probably use the same feed and management program as a planted aquarium.