Search results for query: *

Agree with that.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/s54w3cbvbasb1r4/2014-03-15 14.26.53.jpg Some of the shrimp getting stuck in to a mullberry leaf.

Thanks Graham:)I am very pleased with everything up till now,all the shrimp are looking healthy and behaving normaly.A lot better than my first attempt at a RCS tank was thanks to good advice from guys on here:)And good shrimp from a honest supplier.Cheers Mark

I bought 12.Did not know but the guy sent me 6 red hybrids and 6 black hybrids which is quite nice.All of them are pretty young shrimp which he said would be easier to aclimatise,which makes sense.He breed them himself so he gave me some infomation about how he kept them which helps too:)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qj5xjukqy6ea2du/2014-03-06%2021.28.47.jpg One my favourite red hybrids:)

I would prefer the ebi black substrate myself.I found it difficult to get hold of in Italy so i used Shirakura red bee sand instead.But i know most of the members on our forum plump fo the ebi substrate.Cheers Mark.

Thanks a lot they have settled in very well i am very pleased with the quality for what i paid for them:)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7zekls83yyqkbg9/2014-03-07%2019.53.00.jpg A few of my new shrimp:)

Hi Vic i think someone mentioned Basil as regards getting Taiwan F1 in another thread,that's a good idea.There are also other members keeping Taiwan bees as well that might have some surplus.I would not be of much help as i live in Italy and had a hell of a job getting hold of any.I have now...

I agree with Alastair they really love Mullberry,in my main tank where i have just Amano shrimp it is incredible they rip it to bits like piranha!

Did a water change today and the tank is now PH 6.3ish GH 6 TDS 148 so i think that is hopefully a good starting point.:cool:I hope!Cheers Mark

I think it is.From what i have heard it's to not let it drop below 5.

Hi Lindy,is that your normal parameters in your tank(GH 5 TDS 110)? I allways thought GH5 was the lowest you should have the GH or there would be moulting problems.I am probably wrong,it is intresting though to see how people can succesfully keep(and breed)TB's at different parameters. Can't...

Hi Graham i was not intending to raise the TDS but was intrested to know what people think a reading of 350/380 microsimens could relate to as an aproximate TDS.Tomorow i will do a small WC and bit of filter maintenance without cleaning the media.I have decided to leave both filters running when...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sykv3m90972ny7j/2014-02-28 23.31.00.jpg Here is a photo with both small internal filters going one spray bar just above the surface and lots of micro bubbles.

Thanks for comments Dane.I think i am going to leave the 2nd internal running it gives better tank turnover and with 1 spray bar above the surface the tank is full of tiny bubbles.Can't be a bad thing can it?Cheers Mark

I currently have 2 mini Dennerle internals running in the tank(in the photo there is only one).One with spraybar above the surface cascading into the tank from 2cm aprox.Good or bad?Should i run them both or just one when the shrimp come?Cheers Mark

Good eyes Dane:clap:

Thanks very much Dane for the advice:-)The guy who is sending me the TB hybrids says he keeps them at about 350/380 microsimens.Not to sure as to what this means at a TDS measurement,did read that 1ppm TDS = 1.56 not too sure if it's reliable.Current is 148 TDS in the tank i see you recommended...

Wednesday my shrimp will come!Fingers crossed:-)

Dropbox - 2014-02-18 23.25.24.jpg

Regarding testing TDS or GH,i test both.But i test TDS far more often than GH. If i were setting up a new tank i would constantly monitor TDS(daily) and monitor GH before water change and a few days after. I would allways measure both when seeing livestock behaving oddly. Cheers Mark

Who said you have to go and buy it every 2 weeks?Good idea get some and test it over a longer period(TDS,PH,GH),say after 3/4 weeks.Then you compare the results to what the readings were when you bought it.If the readings are still ok then there is your answer:-) When i get RO from LFS i stick...

All the active substrates have a limited life it just depends how much you make them work as Dane said.The same was true about your old fluval substrate that also reduces parameters for a period of time( according to a lot of users very short time with hard tap water). Looking at the post 37...

With the amount of RO water you need just buy 5 liters or so a fortnight.Cheers Mark

Not sure about your tank specs mate!I used 3.75 liters of substrate in a 25cmx25cm tank (20L) giving aprox 5 to 6 cm covering!Note substrate compacts very slightly.So a 5 liter bag should have been on the nail for your tank depending on dimensions obviously:confused:

I gave it a go unfortunately the temp dropped to 18degreesC.So will be getting a small adjustable heater 25watt,found one for a good price it will arrive with the shrimp next week(hopefully).So i can keep the temperature at 22ish:-)

Actually did a water change earlier and the GH is now 6 TDS 140ish

It's only 20L Alastair problem is I live in Italy.Very kind offer though thanks.Cheers Mark

Good idea Ollie,i unplugged it about an hour ago and will have a look at what happens with the temperature.Problem is it's my daughter's bedroom so the window gets opened in the morning for a bit.But for the moment it's off there is nothing in the tank apart from moss and java fern so no...

Thanks Iain!I will try and get hold of an adjustable heater,the one i have is a fixed temperature Dennerle nano which seems to run at 24 allways.Cheers Mark.

Hi guys,I have my tank set up almost 5 weeks now and was wanting to introduce some Taiwan bee F1.Water parameters are PH 6.5 GH 7 KH 0 TDS 150,Temperature is 24 degreesC.What do these values look like?Cheers Mark

Have never used it with Caridina only with Neocaradinia.Which is now going ok now I have the parameters stable.Have to say though the colour of Manando(never used Sansibar) does not really compliment the colour of my red Sakura very well.If you have good tap water or are using RO remineralised...

When you put your new substrate in the tank it will be very important to monitor parameters of the water to see how it adjusts your tap water PH and GH.Just to be carefull these levels don't drop too much.You don't want GH going below 5.As Lindy mentioned getting a build up of micro organisms in...

Good advice from Lindy:-)Drip aclimatise the shrimp is a much better and safer way of introducing them to the tank.If you just float the bag and release them after a bit you could lose shrimp quickly or after a few days due to stress and damage.I usually drip my neocaradinia(red cherry/Sakura...

Having not used Fluval Shrimp Stratum I did a bit of research.Fluval say not to mix Fluval Shrimp Stratum with any other substrate or gravel.It will drop the PH of the water slightly.If using tap water with a relatively high PH this effect will not last long causing the PH to go up again in the...

I think that's a pretty good move.

Is a good idea when initially introducing them.They might be getting slowly acclimatised,how were they behaving today?Cheers Mark

You would be better off with black it would be better for viewing for sure!I was looking on the site from one of our sponsers Freshwatershrimp and they only have Ebi Gold in black(I think).Maybe they do it in brown but black would make a red colouring stand out much better!Cheers Mark

Good luck,I think it is a good choice going for the Ebi gold substrate it gives you a bit more control on your PH.Let us know when you get it.Important to keep an eye on PH and GH to see what it does with your tap water.Important to try and not let GH get below 5 as could affect moulting.Cheers Mark

I would say 1 bag of 5 kg would do it mate!I just used about or just under 4Kg to do a 20L cube but with 5cm depth.So I guess you just put the whole bag in and you will probably find a nice 4ish cm covering should be pretty good for buffering the water.Cheers Mark

Ebi gold should drop the PH to around 6.5 and GH 4/5.Don't worry about the KH too much.

Agree with Lindy just be carefull it does not drop too much.

I would say that there is a good reason for not having berried shrimp.The water parameters not being correct for breeding due to the water being too hard.In my opinion around 6.8 to 7.2 would be my idea of ideal PH for RCS.Some people will probably disagree but I would be happy with around 7 PH...

Just looking back at your previous posts there is one other thing that maybe could be a factor,that is the PH.You posted your PH at 8 which is what I have seen written as max PH for RCS.I personally would not feel comfortable keeping them in a tank with such hard water.How long have you been...

No I can understand that you wanted to start with a basic shrimp set up.I would like to know what is responsible for the TDS drop.Maybe someone will come along with an answer.In my Sakura nano after W/C I have a TDS of about 180 after a week it is about 195-200.It is by know means perfect but...

Usually over the course of the week the TDS will increase in a tank due to feeding,ferts,waste and supplements added to the tank.But in yours it decreases.Is there anything in the tank making this happen?Shrimp do not like to much change(temp,ph,TDS etc).They do like it stable.Cheers Mark

If your tap water is giving you such a big increase in TDS you want to be thinking about using RO water(remineralised).That way you will have more chance keeping things stable.Cheers Mark.

Good chance it is CO2 related.

Yes Graham,I'm happy with the parameters.I think fairly soon i will introduce some shrimp.Probably a few Red Sakura just for a bit of a test run before going with a caradina species.F1's definately looking favourite as my prefered choice:-)Cheers Mark.

Yes i am happy to have found somewhere that gives a bit of choice and a reasonable price it's not easy in Italy!I have not got any bebi but have been adding Shirakura Chi Ebi to try and get some micro organisms in the substrate and Seachem Stabilty for the filter sponges.Cheers Mark

New tank!Those are 2 fantastic words that I hope I will be saying this year! Hope someone with more knowledge will give you a better idea about when you can introduce shrimp to the tank.You should have a bit of time if you have just noticed it berried.Cheers Mark

Congratulations!I think Iain introduced his Taiwan bees after 3 weeks using Ebi substrate.But maybe because you have given the micro organisms a head start you could do it earlier.I suppose if the water parameters are fine and there are bacteria in the filter and micro organisms in the substrate...

Nice one exactly as i thought but allways good to hear it from someone else:-) Tank has been running about 3 weeks now but will give it a bit longer.The parameters are looking good might put a few red cherry/Sakura in next week for a few days just to be extra sure there are no nasties in...

Thanks Graham thats a wait off my mind while for me it is much easier just to get the R/o water add bee shrimp GH+ test the TDS is correct and water is sorted!Also people have said not to use water softners ie.guava,cattapa,banana leaves....which i would like to add with red bee sand.I am going...

Almost had the tank going for 3 weeks with the Shirakura Red bee sand in.I was waiting to do the the water change with R/O water remineralising with bee shrimp GH+.Would this cause damage to the buffering capacity of the substrate?Cheers Mark

Dropbox - 2014-01-20 21.38.07.jpg A few of the tank residents!Cheers Mark

Any update on how it's going?Cheers Mark

Thank alot Ali:-) that gives me a bit of idea.I suppose like you said if the tank i slightly stocked lower dose and when you get the invasion of little nippers(hopefully!)you increase the dose.Cheers Mark

Thanks Ali for the info:-) Can i ask how many liters your tank is?Cheers Mark.

Hi guys,i know there are a few people using Genchem Biozyme in their shrimp tanks.I was wondering if anyone could advise on how much to dose,dosing frequency and do you just sprinkle it on the surface of the water?Cheers Mark

Not as good as most as you guys but here is my red cherry/sakura 20L nano.Cheers Mark :-)

I am definately putting the sand in from the start.Will also add some Chi Ebi to get some micro organisms into the substrate.

Thanks for your good advice Graham.Did a few quick tests on tap water TDS 310,PH 8ish,KH 13,GH 18.Looks pretty good for Lake Malawi!!Pretty hard water.Reading a bit that I found on this substrate they say to use at least 20% tap and never straight RO as this could damage the substrate.The...

Hi guys my Shiakura Red Bee Sand should arrive soon.I was wondering when cycling the tank for a few weeks with plants only should I fill with a RO/Tap mix or just tap water?Is it necessary to remineralise the water during cycling process?Add mineral stone during cycling process or not?Any advice...

Sorry guys it was Paolo's 12L opti white nano's journal!

I asked this question a while back,answer was the same.All anyone has to do is look at Paolo's(London Dragon) shrimp tank journal -thriving Sakura tank full of Anubias.Cheers Mark.

No your dead right Ian the colour of the shrimp does not stand out very well.It served me well for learning a bit and it was cheap so i can't knock it.I have it in my hi tech 450L tank no problems,plants all grow well.I was a bit worried about it raising TDS and it is a bit magnetic,which im not...

Will have a look and see if i can source it where i live.Cheers Mark

I was going to use Genchem Biozynme,Beta-G and Polytase as well as Shirakura Mineral Stone.Is that enough or is something vital missing?RO water mineralised with Salty Shrimp Bee Shrimp Mineral GH+ or Dennerle Crusta Mineral as have done in the past on my Sakura nano.Cheers Mark

Thanks Graham i think i will get hold of some red bee sand then.It comes in a 4kg bag so should be plenty left over for rescapes:-) Is there anything in particular to take care of with this substrate?Should anything be added to the substrate or use it on it's own(no substrate planting will be...

Would i be able to keep Neocaradinia with the red bee sand or is it only for Caradina?Cheers Mark

I have been keeping Red Sakura in one 20 liter nano now i have another 20 liter almost empty just a few Rilli shrimp in there,and am thinking about what to put in there.With a decent substrate obviously you have an advantage.

I could get hold of Shirakura Red Bee Sand or Dennerle Shrimp Substrate should be better than Manando in a shrimp nano.I could not source anything else where i live in Italy at the moment.What do you guys think?Cheers Mark

Thanks Kirk and Graham,there will be no rooted plants in the set up,just moss and Java fern.I have some Manando lying around thats all but if it is going to cause problems i would rather look around for something more suitable.Maybe Manando could be ok for Neocaradinia but i would not think for...

Thanks for your reply Kirk.Only thought i had was the Manando effect on TDS and that it seems to have magnetic properties.Would this be a problem?Cheers Mark.

Hi guys,i was wondering if JBL Manando would be a suitable substrate for a shrimp tank?Or should i try and get hold of specialised shrimp substrate?Any advice most welcome,cheers Mark.

Thanks Henry,allways good a bit more help :-) I hardly feed the shrimp(they allways have Cattapa leaves in the tank)and there is hardly any algae in the tank at the moment.Light is on for 6 hours in the 2 tanks with small fert dosing for moss and Java ferns.So i was going to go with twice a week...

Thanks a lot Darren and Tim.Im allways carefull about temp and just got myself a new TDS pen.Strange i was away so no LC was added for 2 weeks and 3 red Sakura look like they are berried in one tank!So looks like bang the LC on the head is a good idea :-) Oh by the way i light these tanks 6...

Hello guys,would like some advice as to how much water to change a week?I previously was changing about 4 liters a week,which was probably too much and have started to change just 2 liters a week.Is that better?The two 20 liter tanks i have are shrimp only(one housing 9 shrimp the other...

Yes James,i have around 40 in my tank and some are massive(had them about 2 years)and quiet frequently visible greyish eggs/lavare under the back legs.As you stated it is a very tricky process to breed them(nice read in the inverts section of someone who has been succesfull!).So i would say...

Thanks Lindy,I was thinking about something like Genchem Biozyme or similar.Should be a help to the shrimps health i guess. Cheers Mark.

Thanks Rolymo for your reply.Looking at the shrimps they looked fine last night.i have thought that before and have in the past then seen day by day dead ones in the tank.I suppose you could say I'm a bit nervous about what has happened in the past. Yes i am using RO water which i add Dennerle...

Hi guys,i would welcome some advice on water change and filter cleaning on my 20l shrimp tank.I am currently changing about 4 liters a week and cleaning the filter weekly. Ph is just over 7 and gh is 5 i think i should try and lower these slightly.TDS is 180.In the tank are 6 Rilli and 4...

Some people say do not use LC with shrimp.I have used it in a shrimp tank with no problems it was Easycarbo,stick to the recomended dose(don't double dose!).Be carefull LC will damage Vallis more than shrimps!Cheers mark

Hi Mike yes you can keep them together they will not interbreed.Sakura shrimp are easier to keep the CRS prefer lower TDS.Good article to read about CRS in the invert section.Cheers mark

Were talking about 5/6 leaves,is this safe to do at the same time?Plants are Anubias and Crytocoryne.Cheers mark

Would like to trim some old leaves off my Anubias nana and Crytocoryne undulatus now a bit worried leave and you have an old decaying leaf ruining water quality cut and you could have a toxin coming from the plant!Be nice to hear some more from others and maybe our two great shrimp related...

Good idea i would like to know.They certainly like the mulberry leaf where did you get it from?And in your opinion what is the best leaf for shrimps?Cheers mark

Whilst looking at our new sponsers Sharnbrook Shrimp nice website i noticed that they advise you not to keep shrimp in tanks with Anubias or crypt's.Should i remove them from my shrimp tank?Cheers mark

No fish in this nano shrimp only so tomorow will be everything off then back to normal next day as i will be at home when co2 and lights come on.Im not going to feed them at the moment as there will only be 15 shrimp in the tank full of plants and moss a bit of hair algae on the moss plus have...

Have read of plenty of people on the forum keeping shrimp and also breeding them with co2 for sure the shrimp have to get used to the conditions and it's a case of slowly adjusting to not stress them out and then monitor the situation.Tomorow the gas will be off next day back on but i will lower...

Could be the leaves they had a feed on was emersed growth.Cheers mark

Have read some negative reports of use of co2 and shrimp in this nano i do have it on for 6 hours pretty low rate not excessive in tank reading according to DC and check regularly.Cheers mark

That looks like the plan then mate nice one,will still see the odd one with the room light on anyway.Need to take it slow with the drip probably as the lfs TDS is about 400 mine 230ish.Cheers mark

This is about what i have done in the past mate thanks for reinforcing what i thought.Although when i will be doing the drip the co2 will be off in the tank as it comes on at 17.00 and i will be starting up the drip at 13.00ish still a bit undecided.Cheers mark

Very strange is it possible the plant was not doing well i have seen amano shrimp feeding on dying/suffering leaves of plants before.Cheers mark

Tomorow i am picking up some red fire cherry shrimp that have been waiting for what seems like ages!And i wanted to introduce them correctly.I was going to use the drip method for at least 4 hours,introduce them to tank with the lights off and only turn them on after they had been in there for a...

Good infomation thanks it just goes to show that they can adapt to different conditions if given time and the changes are Made slowly.Cheers mark

Thats good news mate!Lets hope the other two make an apearance soon.Cheers mark