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Keeping it shrimple

hypnogogia

hypnogogia

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I'm planning on setting up a small shrimp tank over the Christmas holiday, a joint project for my daughter and myself, and will share updates here.

I bought a second hand DOOA and equipment from @Little. I have:
  • tank - 30 litres, All In One tank
  • ONF Flat nano+
  • Heater
  • small airpump and air stone.
  • various substrates: ADA power sand S, ADA Aqua soil V2, ADA Aquasoil Amazonia
  • Fine decorative gravel
  • Some manzanita wood
  • a decorative stone
Basically, I have everything that I need to get started.

My plan is to keep this low tech, so no CO2, with easy plants, - some small crypts, some floaters and some hydrocotyle leucocephala as it's fast growing for the start up phase.

Questions I have

  1. I'd like to use the pump and air stone in the in built sum with some K1 media, but not sure if I should go for the normal or micro variety, any thoughts?
  2. Also, regarding the ADA substrates that I have, will these be suitable for low tech? And which one am I best to use, and if using more than one, in which order to they go in? I'm unfamiliar with using active substrates like this.

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hypnogogia said:
I'm planning on setting up a small shrimp tank
  1. I'd like to use the pump and air stone in the in built sum with some K1 media, but not sure if I should go for the normal or micro variety, any thoughts?
Click to expand...
No complex filtration is necessary for shrimps. It doesn't matter which filter material you use. Use the one you like best. I would simply use a black 20 ppi sponge. The reason for this is that I always have it on hand. If I had the choice between the normal or micro, I would choose the micro version.
 
Have set this up between Christmas and the new year and introduced plants just over a week ago. A combination of plants form the big tank, as well as some new ones bought from AG.
Now down to water changes twice weekly.
Not having set up a low tech for many years (when planted tended to be bought already submerged) how will it take for emerge leaves to go and submerged leaves to grow? I have Helenthium Tenellum Green and C. Willisii.
 

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hypnogogia said:
how will it take for emerge leaves to go and submerged leaves to grow?
Click to expand...
I genuinely believe that water hardness plays a significant role here.

I have Cryptocoryne Willisii in a 49-day-old Walstad tank with a pH of 7.4 and a gH of 10. Its emergent leaves are still intact, and some submerged leaves have started growing in. I had a similar experience with Cryptocoryne Wendtii 'Tropica' last year, where most of the plants retained their emergent leaves even as their submerged leaves developed.

In contrast, I’ve kept the same species in softwater tanks, where all their leaves melted within a couple of weeks.

Both Cryptocoryne Willisii and Cryptocoryne Wendtii are endemic to Sri Lanka, and a quick search suggests that much of their natural habitat features hard water so I think that lays a role.
 
This has now been running for 4 weeks and diatoms have started developing, so still changing water up to 3 times per week to control those. Plants haven’t yet lost their emerse leaves or started to grow, so it’s slow going.

What I have noticed is that despite these regular water changes ages with hard tap water, the substrate (Amazonia 2) is still buffering the water down to 0 KH and 1 GH. How long would it typically continue to do this?

My plan is for RCS, so will need 6-8 GH.
 
hypnogogia said:
This has now been running for 4 weeks and diatoms have started developing, so still changing water up to 3 times per week to control those. Plants haven’t yet lost their emerse leaves or started to grow, so it’s slow going.

What I have noticed is that despite these regular water changes ages with hard tap water, the substrate (Amazonia 2) is still buffering the water down to 0 KH and 1 GH. How long would it typically continue to do this?

My plan is for RCS, so will need 6-8 GH.
Click to expand...
Not sure quite what you are asking, but the substrate will suck up lots at the beginning to sucking up none, how do you intend to keep your hard water at 6 -8 dGH thereafter?
 
A little update on this. The diatoms finally went away last week after a water change and the tank now seems settled. Yesterday I introduced 13 (only ordered 10, but received 13) Bloody Mary Shrimps. Stunning colour. In a few weeks I plan to introduce some more from a different breeder to introduce some genetic variability into the tank.
It's great seeing shrimp when there are no fish about, they are far more visible and active than in my other tank.

IMG_0712.jpg
 
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Very nice indeed. Where were the rcs purchased from? 🙂
Vibrant colours.
 
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