• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

RolyMo

Member
Joined
19 Jun 2012
Messages
430
Location
Fareham, UK
When I think back a year ago when I first purchased my first ever tank, a Juwel Rio 180, the assistant in the fish shop said about shrimp and that he bet (cheekily) that I would get into it as it was the new thing. At the time, I thought he was mad and I nodded with a smile and moved back to the conversation of getting the basics for the tank.

Just over 1 year and a lot of learning on the planted fish tank side and keeping some easy shrimp I venture into a new tank dedicated to shrimp.

One of the reasons is that my shrimp in my fish tank tend to hide a lot, which does add to the mystic, but also frustrates me because both I and my two girls want to see more of these funny little creatures.

My aim like thousands of others is to:-
  1. Keep some of the more sensitive fashionable shrimp
  2. Hopefully manage to breed those same shrimp
  3. Understand more about the breeding, genetics and the various parameters that cause certain traits.
  4. Successfully keep and expand some of the more rarer breeds
I see it is a challenge as well as learning curve and this time I am hoping to slow down the excitement as to not make too many expensive mistakes. I also see it as a challenge that it is a way smaller tank than the 180l (just over 20l) and so things can go wrong and go wrong rapidly. I have no buffer.

I hope to take what I have learnt over the year and from the many very helpful and kind members on this forum and be successful.

Scene setting over. What have I got so far

1 x Do!Aqua 36 x 22 x 26cm (I did not realise it was a lower class ADA tank until after I bought it)
1 x Dennearle Corner Nano filter
1 x Fluval 11w clip on light
1 x Fluval heater
1 x Huge bag of ADA Amazonia ;)
1 x A Small piece of Redmoor wood.
1 x Moss ball
Some transplanted Elocharis sp "Mini"
1 x Java fern narrow
1 x Tropica 1-2 Christmas moss
Using tap water during the cycling period and then will switch to RO before introducing any shrimp..
EI dosing
Have yet to work out the lighting period
I have CO2 injection on standby, still fathoming out if I need this one. Even for just the initial cycling period.

Last night I poured in the substrate and this time ramped it up to the back and also made a hill on the left hand side.

Damped the substrate, and then planted some of the transplanted Elocharis sp mini.
Laid down a freezer bag and then filled up the tank.

In the absence of the dennearle cartridge at the LFS I purchase a large sheet of wool and cut to size and put into the corner filter. Positioned this on the RHS.

Added a glass orb of magic with some indicator fluid. Whooop.

Soaked my redmoor overnight and tied some Christmas moss to it this morning and left it floating in the tank, hoping it might sink some time soon.

So the tank has been initiated.

Must admit lots of detritus is floating around, hopefully might get filtered out over the next day or so. still a little murky in there.

Annoyingly the filter was missing a spraybar (was second-hand) so trying to work out how much of a problem that is going to be.

Will also debate with myself whether to take some filter material (which bit I dont know) from my internal Juwel filter and add to the wool in the nano filter for a week and see if that helps cycle.

Need to buy a TDS meter and the appropriote shrimp minierals. But first its all about getting the plants growing with minimal light and CO2 (ideally) leaving lots of viewing areas of shrimp against the black ADA substrate. And of course getting the water column optimal.

Phew. Back to work.
Roly
 
Hi Lindy
Its a bit ADA Amazonia murky and plant sparse at the moment.
I am also feeling guilty that I have not put many plants in there for setup (conflict of "plants = Need for CO2", but need plants to cycle tank). My semi local fish shop gets its Tropica deliver on Thursdays so I might dash down there on Friday unless there is a good shop in Bristol tomorrow where I appear to be heading to.
Will post photos ASAP.
Roly
 
You need to change the mantra to 'low light = no need for pressurised co2' I've taken the co2 off my 54l nook and have only had a tiny bit of bba. Have raised the light a bit and removed bba. I have a tmc 400 tile over the other shrimp tank but I'm regretting getting it as I'm having to raise it so high. At the mo its 30cm above tank and I'm waiting for some of that frosted backing vinyl to put on the lid to block out more. I had an 11watt fluval light on the tank first and it was fine :banghead:

You are less likely to get algae if you start out with a high plant mass. BUY SOME PLANTS!
 
Point taken.
I will haul ass down to LFS to get some on Friday.

Meanwhile help me out. I am at a loss as to what to put in that will survive no CO2, is a good starting plant but also creates a playground for shrimp that allows me to seen them.

Plant suggestions and position?
eja6adym.jpg


Yes that is wood floating with me hoping it might sink sometime soon.
R
 
In my tanks I have hydrocotyle sp 'japan', Hygrophilia pinnatifida is beautiful and is growing well, Round pelia ,coral pelia, fissidens fontanus. Don't get caught up with 'I've got to see them' because they will come out! I'd leave a clearing at the front where you can feed them.
If it was my tank I'd tie the wood to a bit of roof slate and bury it in the mound facing towards the right/front corner, but that's me lol, it's your tank!
I also have mini twisted vallis and saggitaria platyphila(sp?) no co2
 
ymezy5at.jpg


Took advice and nipped down to the LFS and got some more plants and some slate to weigh the wood down.

Water had gone murky and wood was covered in an opaque white slime. Pulled it out scrubbed with sponge and poured boiling water on it. Did a 80% water change. Planted new plants.
Oh boy how difficult is it to plant in Amazonia without power sand. Jeez.

Oh let's see what happens now.
 
Looks good Roly :)

About time you and me both got our tanks set up lol

Redmoor leaches a harmful white mould/tannis as it soaks its fine and nowt to worry about.

I hope the filter wool on the filter works out - We may try that for our two filters instead of Amazon.de :)

Best of luck!

Murray
 
I am not sure what is in the Dennearle cartridges. But from a picture it only looks like wool. It does not appear to have other sponges for removal or toxins or bacteria to live on which I am not sure about. The LFS said they run those filters with just cut up wool. So I will see what happens.
Cheers Murray.
R
 
On ebay you can buy sheets of aquarium filter foam in a multitude of different grades. I haven't bought brand name sponges for a long time now, just cut what I need.
 
Did my weekly maintenance on the main tank, took the filters out of the bio flow internal filter and took out the bottom filter and cut a quarter section from it.

I then added that piece to the dennearle nano corner filter wool and plopped back into my nano shrimp tank.

Water had gone a little murky white again, not sure if that is the wood or an algae bloom from a new tank syndrome. Hopefully the bacteria from the transplanted sponge might help.

R
 
Thanks MirandaB. I might have to invest in a real Dennerle filter just to see what it consists of.
By way of other updates, I have pulled out the small bit of Redmoor as for the second time it appears to have leached this white transluent jelly like slime that is coating the wood and also making the water slightly cloudy.
So out it came this morning and was dunked into boiling water and I will have it submerged for a week or 2 to see if that stops it.
I did a large water change to get rid of the murkiness.

Thank tank now has a piece a slat with the java ferm tied onto it, and all the other plants that were planted on Friday. NO CO2. I am resisting.
Pink Ramshorn snail I put in last week appears to still be alive and sliding around the tank!!
 
Hi roly heres a picture of the foam and a picture of where it goes in the standard filter

Mark

ooZ4KWw.jpg


qmZ9WM5.png
 
Ahhhhh
Ok thank you so much Mark.
I am no expert in coloured filter sponges, however the black sponge in my Juwel filter is an active Carbon one. Do you know if that what is an active carbon one too?

I was thinking about creating a mini purigen section too using the ladies tights substitute for the seachem bag.
Cheers
R
 
No its just plain coarse sponge, purigen section could work well, if your just stocking shrimp id be tempted to get rid of the floss and just use 2 sponge triangles one at the top and one at the bottom then purigen in the middle,this way you could wash / clean one sponge one week and then vice versa thos way youve got no worries about bacteria

Mark
 
Back
Top