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Hi Andy Thanks for the ideas. No I did get rid of the old bulbs. I might be my imagination but the new bulbs do seem brighter. But then it might be the different colour bulb. Cheers for confirmation of the x10 flow. Seems mad that I would need a top of the range eheim to get the right flow. But...

Have two incidents to report. One amusing one slightly less so. This first one is related to the iPhone case I tested in the fish tank. I promptly took it on holiday put the phone in it and had been using it for 3 days into the holiday. Until one night after requesting my phone to be unplugged...

Also just bought an Otterbox preserver case for my phone in prep for holiday by the beach and recording the girls body boarding in the sea. Thought I would test it out. First video was little shaky. I attached the phone to my daughters ruler with an elastic band and then lowered the phone into...

Sorry for not posting in a while. Have been changing jobs and houses and concentrating on keeping the family together. But I thought I would post today a quick post as over the last 12 months I learnt some more stuff again using my eyes. So I, as I imagine many let the tank go. I watched over...

Clearly everything has grown. Some of it has taken over and thinned out the grass carpet. There is now huge amounts of places for the fish to hide. The wood still wants to float after nearly a year submerged. Going strong as is the fish tank. I have learnt a lot over the months. In leaving...

Hi Tim. I shall post tomorrow.

Thanks Andy. All learnt from this great information rich forum.

Thank you sir. Although it's not quite the designer aquascape I see from most people on the forum it has been fun to experiment with the plants, their growth rates and styles. Also seeing how the fish take to the new hidey holes. Especially interested seeing how the little cutting of...

Cheers Guys for the input. I have reduced the time down to 8hrs to see if that reduces the problem The tank has been moved to the living room now and sits on the same unit but is now oposite the fish tank. So the shrimp can now wave at the fish. Incidentally I took a trip to the lfs at the...

Happy New Year to all on UKAPS. Hope you had a lovely relaxing Christmas break and NYE celebrations. I know this year I hardly had to entertain instead being invited to everyone else's houses which has not been conducive of posting on the forum. I have been lurking on the forum but I thought I...

New phone, new pictures. All shrimp seem to be healthy. R

Ahhh Ok That is a big help. Thanks Darrel

Darrel Awesome lesson. Thank you. I will add some Frogbit back from my main fish tank. It sounds like at the end of the day this was a case of test kit accuracy issue. With a false initial reading and me over reacting on that one. Also liked your comments on the clarifying why I had Frogbit in...

To further the above post. I checked the TDS which has been as low as 130 and high as 190 over the past 2 weeks. I was 183. Which I thought was odd. I then pulled out the much ignored APS test kit and tested for Ammonia as the Algae guides clearly give this as one reason. The colour match was...

Ok. Going to remove the frogbit now for a few days and observe. However I have just spotted my first issue of real concern in the tank. Hair Algae. Gaaaaaaaah!!!!!! WTF!!!!!! :mad: Oh well. I shall do a trim of plants so I can get a better flow. Will use the toothbrush to get rid of the hair...

Thanks nayr88 Appreciate your comments. R

Ok limited scientific experiment. New frogbit went in shrimp calmed down. A few days on I did a bit of peering into the books and crannies and spotted a moult. I dont actually prep the alder cones. I just plop then. Shake them about to release the air bubbles that make them float, but...

Another interesting observation, and it is difficult to know what caused it. Last night I removed the old alder cones (a few months old) and added a couple more. This morning I removed the Frogbit as some of it was a bit patchy. From this morning, the shrimps are loving the tank. I mean...

Eeeeek Have been monitoring TDS each day and the reading has been 130ppm. Not sure that is ideal, but it is fine. I did a water change yesterday with some new RO water after the jerry can had last 4 weeks and tested the TDS and saw it shot up to 170ppm. Now admittedly when I got the RO...

I removed the Amano before introducing the CRS. But this was for aesthetics.

Hi Steveno I had the same problem. It did not seem to effect the Amano. If you have kids, try using the syringe that comes with a bottle of Neurofen or Calpol to suck off the slime.

Love that tank, the position and the flight of fancy that one day you might mistakenly connect a bottle of whiskey to the tank giving the shrimp a once in a lifetime treat.

Thanks mate. I have no idea on colours. But I agree these do look striking.

Good Question Otto72 Nope. Not yet. I guess the real test would be 2 tanks and one gets the bee speed and the other does not. But, that is not going to happen anytime soon. It has only been a matter of 2 weeks with the Bee Speed and I am not used to how they develop over time so it is hard to...

Thanks Ottos72. Glad they mean something to someone!!

How do you propose to get the conductivity up?

Yep will do. I have the girls all weekend as my wife has gone to a black tie affair in Cambridge somewhere. So I am corralling my 2 spirited girls. However it will involve a quick trip to the LFS to get some RO water. The shrimp all seem to growing nicely, all with lovely colours. I seem to...

That looks amazing. Really top work mate. Love it.

Hi otto72 Thank you kindly. This is my first foray into these type of specialist shrimp and a number of other methods too. So far everything has been, dare I say it....... easy. But as I mentioned I think earlier on in the journal, it may all be because I have it fully planted, using the...

LOL - I did wonder Lindy. :crazy: What occurred was that I ordered, in preparation (probably a bit prematurely as we are coming into winter), some Benibachi baby food. However the online shop had run out (as have most) and thus sent me through a natural baby food, plus the Benibachi Bee...

Ah. I have to say the online shimp shops are really good. Really pleased with the service from them all to date. Received some leaves, baby food, Bee strong and Bee speed through the post, promptly and with a nice explanation as to why the extra stuff. Which for me the shrimp Noob is great...

Understood. Wow. How do you get the water going into the tank to be the same as the tank water as surely the tank water will change and the TDS will increase due to bio waste, ferts, etc. Hope it all balances out Murray. Good Thread.

Lindy - Different websites say different tolerances on the conductivity which does not help matters. Freshwater shrimp say a TDS of 100-500, other website state differently but still a high tollerance. But as Clive has said it the past, we tend to get hung up on TDS without knowing what is...

Little and large face off.

Lindy isn't the Mosura BT-9 he is adding doing that? Is there an added benefit over and above the BT-9 or in my case the BeeMax of adding in Genchem Biozyme? R

Hey Murray That is a bit sad to hear. Have you any indication if the water quality is ok, i.e. nitrate, nitrites spikes etc which I am no expert on, nor do I get the impression the test kits should be trusted. But wondered if this was an issue. How long after adding the shrimp were the 4 dead...

Thanks Lindy. Mature is one word for it. It certainly has a mind of its own in what grows etc. But after all it was for me an experiment to see if I could create a planted tank, actually grow some plants, see which ones grew and and at what rates. For example my early attempts at HC were good...

Thought I would post an update on this journal as I have been focusing on the shrimp one for the past few weeks. The fish tank has been operating pretty much perfectly. I do feel that the Hydor power head is a bit powerful as the plant at the back is clearly growing to the right as the...

Have noticed that now some of the shrimp are larger that some have red legs, namely the last lot that came from freshwatershrimp. Hmmm interesting. What will happen when they breed I wonder?

Like it.

Iain Thank for the pointers. Great info. Thanks. Sorry if I bombarded you with questions. Cheers Roly

John S. Having a journal is priceless I have found. Thanks for the comment.

Lindy I plopped just one of the catalysts in as my tank is 20-25ltr, not sure what the effects are of lots of oxygen.

Hi Iain. I can only go by the manufacturers website and what was on Hobby Shrimp and thought I would give it try. I ordered the mini version which came with 2 bottles of the solution and I bought another one for less than £2. As Lindy says on her Journal it might work out more expensive than...

Hmmm. A quick look on the Benibachi USA website has this on the description for Beemax "Use 1 spoon for a 20G tank after weekly water changes (mixed well in a cup of tank water) or use 20g for a 20G tank during tank setup." But UK Benibachi and hobbyshrimp websites have a different description...

I not sure I want to sniff the BeeMax. ;) I have neighbours who are in the police, I might get wrongfully busted. Already concerned about the Ferts for the plants I have might be misconstrued for another usage!! In the end it smelt slightly musty/perfumed smell. Was shocked at the size and that...

Woot my Oxygenator came in the post along with the Benibachi BeeMax.

Aliclarke86 that is amazing. I don't have and Galaxy S4 but that does look great. Nathaniel that Olloclip looks amazing. I have never seen one. Do you know if it is any good? R

Yes its nice when a supplier goes the extra mile, includes something extra or upgrades you. I only found out after the order and dropped him an email saying the shrimp looked fantastic and thank you. Great service. So the next time I wanted something I went in personally to get some stuff. Its...

Yes Ed said that too.

Nathaniel. They are all from one of the sponsors freshwatershrimp The majority are CRS SS however Ed did say that there would be no golden or white ofspring. So does that make them PRL? The colours in my limited experience of shrimp do appear to be lovely. The reds are a good deep red and the...

Wow. Nine tanks. Would you put in each?

mini FEEEEDING FREEEEENNNNNZZZZZYYYYY

Errr where will you put a shrimp rack? How many tanks?

Cool. Nice one on the oxydator. As for the snails It's just that there is loads of Pink Ramshorn in my tank. In the fish tank I originally put them in there to help, and never saw a population explosion like the one I am seeing in the shrimp tank. Watched a nice video linked from hobbyshrimp...

Just chucked away some more money. Ordered a Mini oxydator. So will see if that keeps the campers happy in the tank. Will let you know how it goes Lindy, as I am guess you want the larger one? I feel like I need to keep a watch on the snails now, to stop them shagging all the time. I have two...

Thanks Fishy Did. Very kind. I just checked my freezer and I think my missus has thrown out my nettles. Goddamit. ;-) Tubular Bells might work too. Or some JMJ

Steveno. It was Iain Sutherland who comments in this thread, a couple of posts after you comment, he mentions that he did not get HC growing even in DSM. Worth a chat to him a reckon. I have the mandatory moss ball in mine, but not let it carpet at this point. Interesting cool look though. R

I swear I read on this forum recently that they were unsuccessful in growing HC in a low tech with no CO2. But I am no expert.

Steveno I used one of those cheap plastic large round basket things with 2 handles from B&Q to submerge the wood in boiling water. To force it down I rested something heavy on top. For me it was a spare plank of wood which lent against the wall. Every morning I would fill it up with boiling and...

Today was tank maintenance day. On the shrimp tank I took my trusty toothbrush and brushed the inside of the tank. Using an airline I syphoned off some water and at the same time sucked up detritus and surface scum. Trimmed the plants where needed. Pulled out a limp banana leaf. Changed and...

Really cool looking tank Iain. Blown away. It looks awesome with all the shrimp hanging around. I too second the shrimp Dir. I am finding it frustrating trying to understand what strains and why, and thus what justifies the cost on the shrimp. Can you import shrimp from other countries...

Oh I have not had a chance to look at the leg colour yet!

It's the one on the left. Got them from Freshwatershrimp. Went in personally (as I work 2-3 times in London), which is dangerous :) Because of all the stuff that you can buy. I was in there when another couple were buying a load of Panda's and king kongs. They looked really cool. Was very...

Yay Shrimp Sorry have just come back from the pub after a few pints of beer. Goodnight all. R

Thanks Iain for the good intel. Especially confirmation on the water parameters. Also interesting on the HC. Will look at your suggested alternative. Was also interesting to see George's PRL get snapped up in one minute flat. Just shows the interest in shrimp is thriving. From my limited...

Hi steveno Thanks for reading. Lo tech is all new to me. And I am still not sure completely about the science behind it as I learnt with the hi tech fish tank that light, co2 and circulation were king. Followed fast by plant food. Low tech no added co2, no plant food. Hmmm I purposely did...

Lindy - Ah. Understood on the water front. Nightmare! Interesting thought on the active carbon. Might try sneaking some into my filter at some point to see if it triggers the same. Managed to nip into London yesterday to purchase some shrimp and the what was more amazing that I was able to...

Lindy I'm hoping that is the case, that I started out correctly. But at the same time I cannot believe you went into the hobby with your eyes shut. What minerals did you use before the Mosura stuff? R

One week on and still all the shrimp are alive (assuming they are as I can see 7-8 and am guessing the other 2 are hiding somewhere). I have switched to a regular 20% weekly water change. Which seems fine. I have playing with the concept of raising the nano filter so the outlet is out of the...

Thanks Dan and Lauris I will endeavour to update the journal this week. Regards Roland.

Hi josh Another wow what an amazing scape. Keep up the excellent work My question is where did you get your inspiration from? Where there scenes/pictures that you used to recreate the scape? Cheers Roly

Hi Lindy Thanks for coming to the rescue again. Much appreciated. Thank goodness. I am always worried about the parasites. I have noticed there is quite a few snails now. Both the type I want and the ones I dont want. In the fish tank I just dont overfeed and the buggers die off. In the shrimp...

Phew!!! I could not remember. I thought it might have been a plant food deficiency and was dreading it might be CO2 deficiency. Update from yesterday. With lots of plant growth in the tank, it is becoming more challenging to count 10 shrimp. This became evident when I stupidly unplugged the...

Can someone remind me what the issue and resolution to this plant issue is. I have a feeling it might be lack of nutrients. And some other photos. Oh and I forgot to add I found a moulted skin. So very pleased with the shrimp, and I must admit they are a great colour even as they get...

More of an observational week this week as I have been away for a few days and nights. I noticed the Frogbit roots grow very quickly in my tank, thus the roots drag onto some of the other foliage and slow down its circuits around the tank. The snails like the frog bit roots. They take turns on...

First eeeeek moment in the shrimp tank. :eek: Been away for 2 days. No problems. Family have been dutifully turning on and off the lights. Today sitting WFH I have been admiring the tank. Every so often wandering over tending to bits of it. Added some new catappa leaves. Then noticed behind...

I noticed from my stats on my last post that I did not have a PH reading. I did whip out the API test kit and tried to see what the PH is, but concluded it the colour chart could be between 6.8 to 7.2!!!!!????? so I wondered having seen the recent posting about PH pens whether I should get one...

After playing cat and mouse with the last Amano shrimp for 2 days, I decided to risk it and pull out the wood it was hiding under. I feverishly checked the wood to make sure there was no CRS stowaways onboard and put it to one side. Amano shrimp you are mine. There it was in the open. Net in...

Nice tips Iain. Thank you. I too am pleased with the colours. They exceeded expectations to what I was expecting. I wonder what the. PRL's would be like? I had sneaked the RO gerry can in from the shed to the airing cupboard as it was 18 degrees versus 22 in the tank. Hopefully the small...

Another one to research. I took out the tab after 30mins anyway. I have also taken out the banana leaves, although I thought they were more for helping promote health in the shrimp. R

Decided to try and give the SS Shrimp team a treat tonight. I cracked open a sample sachet of Dennerle Shrimp King Complete and took one tab out and plopped into the tank. Eventually 1 shimp found it and then another, and then 4 more. But then after 20mins its was Meh!! They all buggered off to...

Back to work at home today. Which gave me the chance to fish out the Amano shrimp and drip acclimatise them to the fish tank and release them there. Which I did for 2 as I could not get the last one. So have decided to give it rest and start over this afternoon. Did a 50% water change with the...

Hey Murray Any update on how the tank is doing? For some reason the photos did not look good on my iPad when commuting into London so its taken until now for me to view on the laptop. Wow that sure is some set up you have there for the shrimp. Plus having to sort out the worm stuff at an early...

Hi Lindy Thanks for the info. Hmmm my corner dennerle nano filter appeared to be missing the spray bar bit that it was supposed to come with (second hand). So currently the outlet is points from the back right to the front left. Visible rippling, but no splashing. Spoke to LFS who reckons no...

Thanks Ady and Lindy I am super nervous about these guys. I tried the stinging nettles today. But the Amano went straight for it like it was catnip. I raised the filter up a bit to create more surface movement to oxygenate the water as I don't have any other air input products and I get the...

Really? Wow. Ok Well I shall take them out in the next few weeks as they get older. I got them in there to be part of the clean up crew (Amano and snails). However they are completely oversized compared to the CRS. Cheers R

Thanks Murray. Let the challenge begin. Must keep them alive and get them to reproduce. It appears I got spread of SS grades. Some No entry ones, some hinomari ones and some others that look like half moon. Mix of male and female too. So I am hoping that when they get older we might get some...

Oooooooh Oooooooh oooooooo I just took delivery, drip acclimatised and added 10 CRS SS Grade shrimp to my nano tank. Blown away. These little critters are awesome!!! I am sooooo excited. I am sitting in the kitchen where I tend to work, when at home and no kids and I can see the shrimp...

Hi Lindy. Great idea. Mentioned it to the girls and their eyes lit up with excitement as to the danger of sourcing stinging nettles. I assume gloves are a must. Cut and drop into a plastic bag and bring home to boil. Your drying technique is this after the boiling or before? I guess you cant...

Yay My order came through from the shrimp supplier. Plopped some alder cones in. and put in a spinach pellet for a treat. Go away for a meeting. Come back and the water is brown. Hmmm I am guessing it is just the tannins from the Alder cones and nothing to worry about and not harmful to the 3...

Hmmm sounds like the birds and bees talk is going to be accelerated with my two girls. Eeeek

Ah ok! Cheers AshRolls I can just imagine the look of frustration as they completely ignore them. Roly

Ok. I could not resist. Today I nipped out to the LFS and got a 25ltr can of RO water with a small dose of their minerals. Have done a water change subsequently after removing the 3 Amano shrimp into a bag (drip acclimatised them). The tank now has majority RO water in and Amano shrimp added...

I am still stunned that plant growth is all good and algae is non existent in my low tech nano shrimp tank. For all the trials and tribulations of managing my larger hi tech fish tank, plant and algae management appears to be a breeze (false sense of security I know). I moved over a Crypt from...

Side on view of tank. Really like the wood from LAC.

Lindy Lol. The daft thing is another one started to do it whilst hanging on a plant. Hopefully they are going for the film on the water surface.

WTH is it doing?