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Transitioning Phase... (Unknown Weeks) Transitioning into a Journal

I've ordered the ultramax 1500, I will operate it at its lowest setting if it is too powerful. I've uploaded three types out of inlet and outlet pipes. The first being made of acrylic, second is made of glass and the third is stainless steel with a surface skimmer. Any advice on which type to go for? Are there any other types that you would recommend?
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I found that with a higher flow pump the surface skimmer bobs up and down and doesn't settle. Others have got this to work, however, I gave up!

Equally, if you want to have a colony of shrimp you will need a shrimp guard or use a coarse foam over the intake.

I have gone for a separate Ehime skimmer and used the 'shepherd's crook' plastic pipe that comes with the pump with a shrimp guard. It probably works out at a similar price to a glass intake.

Btw I noticed you are looking for shrimp. I can highly recommend @Steve Buce. The shrimp he sells are superb.
 
I use these glass ones from ebay. They usually ship from china and cost about £8 including postage. Excellent quality and very durable. I find the larger diameter intake helps flow rates and never blocks.
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Do the shrimp get pulled from lily pipe skimmer intake or the pipe intake? The inlet for the steel pipes are like the image below.
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I currently have cherry shrimp but I need to add more as the same colony has been interbreeding for nearly 2 and a half years. I've ordered 10 Green Babaulti Shrimp which will be arriving tomorrow.

Simon, do you have the same shrimp issue as mentioned Onoma1 with the inlet pipe that you have?
 
I've just checked my glass lily pipes and the gaps are equal for both the bulbous type and the regular. I don't have the steel ones. I don't check for baby shrimp in the filter because there are so many. But I never see them around the inlet. I think they prefer to stay lower in the tank.
 
I've ordered the steel set with adjustable inlet and outlet position. I feel that whilst the glass would look better, I would find it difficult to maintain and could potentially break it. Acrylic would be ideal however there was only one set available on Ebay.
 
My filter arrived. Its nearly double the size of the eheim. It's also much quiter, I couldn't tell that it was on. The supplied accessories aren't the best but will be useable until the steel pipes arrive. It was supplied with a silver packet (I assumed it would the bacteria stuff) which I pressed and white stuff came out. I have no idea what it was but I don't think it was supposed to go in the sponges. The 16/22mm pipes keep moving the filter outlet accessories position. They are very rigid, what's the best way to keep them in position?

Image of the filter for size reference:
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I wasted a maintenance item that I would need within the next year - _-

If only they labelled what it was within the manual.
 
The green babaulti arrived this morning. They are currently acclimatising. My Twinstar 600S should be delivered today as well.

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Twinstar the second arrived and I seem to have another problem with it (or I'm being stupid). The light fits on the tank this time which great however the power adapter I received doesn't fit into the pin of the light. I also didn't receive the black adapter (2 pin to 3 pin) that came with the first one.
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I've tried to force it on but that's as far as it went.
 
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It turns out that the old power pack was provided by Twinstar. The new power pack should be sent over on Tuesday. I hope I'll have no further issues.

I've taken a few one week in images with the colder chihiros A601. I feel that I need another piece of medium sized gnarled manzanita to fill the gap on the right hand side. I added in small pieces of dragon stone for further detail.
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The Green Babaulti change colour and blend in with their surroundings.
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I also purchased what was labelled as kitty tetra. It looks more like hyphessobrycon elachys. One of the ten that I bought lost an eye either during transport/acclimisation. Hopefully it will survive.
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One of the ten that I bought lost an eye either during transport/acclimisation. Hopefully it will survive.
The lost eye shouldn't trouble the fish too much in itself. The biggest danger is that the wound might get infected, but you can minimise the risk by keeping good water quality. Watch out for any fungus or similar so you can treat it as soon as it appears, but it probably won't happen.
 
The fish with the missing eye passed on yesterday. It was fight to remove the carcass from the tank as the amanos would snatch it out of the net and take it with them. Twinstar 600S the second is finally working and on the tank.

I'm also having noise issues with the Ultramax 1500 which will most likely be returned (I should have listen to Ian) for either a new one or a refund. If they do refund my money then I will need to look for a new filter. I'm currently looking at the following :
1. Eheim Classic 600 - I've read it's reliable and quite
2. Eheim Professional 4+ 350/600 - I've read its quite. User feedback would be appreciated
3. Eheim Professionel 4+ 350T - I've found a used filter for a decent price which puts it in this list.
4. Fluval 407 - I've read that the ribbed hoses are rubbish.

Are there any brands which state the flow of the filter with the media full?
 
The Ultramax sorted itself out. There's no more noise after running it for a week. I noticed some scratches on the glass of the tank. I'm not sure if it was caused by myself or the previous owner. I've only wiped the glass once and that was with Dennerle cleanator and a razor blade (most likely the blade or the previous owner). I will now only use my hands/cleanator :(

I added a few more plants into the tank. The tanks is now two weeks old. All that's left is for my steel pipes to arrive and the transitioning phase will be over.

Update images..
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After reading Sammy Islam's posts on GBR, I went and got myself one. I'm not sure if it's a male or female. The GBR is very timid and has no interest in the shrimp as of yet.
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