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Roma 240 Planted Tank

Took some water in to my local Maidenhead today and tested all good to add shrimp/fish. Got advised to add some fish first rather than the shrimp and wait till the tank is a bit more established for the shrimp. What are people's thoughts on this and what have been their experiences?

Many thanks Blowfish
 
I generally add in shrimp first (I like to have them established before introducing fish) - just choose a less delicate shrimp, eg, amano, cherry shrimp (not the intensely bred color lines such as "black rose" etc), tiger shrimp ... you might check the Sponsor Forum for shrimp specialists.
Obviously it's easier if the shop has shrimp kept in similar water parameters as your own, so that is always a good starting question.
Healthy shrimp are not really that delicate, they should be active at the shop, working busily away cleaning & have a good food response.
As far as I can read, your tank has been up & running for several weeks & filter has cycled, so I'd add in a group of 10 -12 shrimp (like fish, shrimp do better in "shoals" ) & a few otocinclus, wait a few days to ensure that all is well, then add in additional groups/types of shrimp

You can always compromise by adding in otocinclus, then shrimp the following week.
 
alto said:
adding in otocinclus
Click to expand...
Make sure they have been in the shop a few weeks and eating well,. they can be emaciated from the transport, subsequently there survival rate drops like a brick. If they are fresh in the shop you should have some "mossed over"stones ready to give them something to eat on fast.
 
Thanks again guys, great help and advice. So we are saying definitely shrimp before fish then, if so would we go for Amano or Cherry? Could I eventually have both species or would this depend on the fish I wish to keep?
Am thinking of having a Barb themed tank - 10/12 shoal of Odessa and then a number of Green tiger, Neon rosy & Denison. Also like the look of the Shiner fish but will see on compatibility with this.

Many thanks Blowfish
 
My fishy thoughts :)

Tiger barbs get to a substantial size & I suspect they'd be quite interested in shrimp sampling ;) They really need to be kept in decent sized shoals so as to not harass other fish.

Odessa's can be lovely or they can be terrific gardeners - you likely won't appreciate their pruning attempts as much as they do

Rosy Barbs - these are such brilliant fish when kept in larger groups (at least 10 -12)
(I'd avoid long fin versions of most barbs as they often end up looking quite tattered)

Denisoni - they aren't nicknamed torpedo for nothing - I'd not recommend them for anything under 120cm (& after watching a shoal in a 180 ... stunning fish) & you'll need to be careful of CO2 levels (low to moderate at most); they really do better in larger groups of at least 6-8 rather than the 2 or 3 most people keep, they are quite interactive in a group. If you want to do these fish, I'd setup the tank around them.

A tiger barb only aquarium can also be very interesting as there are many different color forms.


Shrimp thoughts:
definitely get shrimp established before adding in the Barb Horde ;) settled adult shrimp can be quite ferocious - amanos & tigers mores so than cherries (though if cherries start breeding & you have some decent moss banks for shrimplets to hide in, they may surprise you with their numbers ... OTOH if they aren't out & about in the tank, not so effective as clean up crew)
If you can track down some of this type, like amanos they seem to be a larger shrimp that doesn't breed in freshwater (though they seem to ship as various species under 1 name, at least one of the species is claimed to be able to breed in freshwater ...) They are great algae eaters & fun to watch.

You can mix most shrimp species, though the various color forms of Cherries will cross & you'll eventually end up with more of a wild type coloring. In a small tank, I'd be concerned about mixing tigers & cherries ... my tigers always win the battles ... it's likely to work while numbers are small & there is sufficient territory.
 
Neil Blowfield said:
Thanks again guys, great help and advice. So we are saying definitely shrimp before fish then, if so would we go for Amano or Cherry? Could I eventually have both species or would this depend on the fish I wish to keep?
Am thinking of having a Barb themed tank - 10/12 shoal of Odessa and then a number of Green tiger, Neon rosy & Denison. Also like the look of the Shiner fish but will see on compatibility with this.

Many thanks Blowfish
Click to expand...

Hi,
I would definitely start with some amanos and some otos.
One advise for the fish: it's more impressive to have a good size shoal of one or two species than a few fish of many species.
Cheers, Manu.

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk
 
Wow, thanks Alto. A very detailed reply and very helpful also. Thanks Manu also, sounds like a great idea.
Will have a rethink about what will be best for the fish firstly and the tank. Love the Odessa and Denison but from what you say, these will cause most problems. Might go for the Denison with a big shoal of Rosy maybe, decisions decisions! Would also love a nice group of Cory's so think the Tigers would be out of the question if I want them. Anyone know much about the Shiner fish, they look amazing too!


Many thanks Blowfish
 
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Also got 12 x Amano shrimp in last night, seemed to settle in straight away and looked happy. Fingers crossed.

Many thanks Blowfish
 
You should try to make a tank work with fish that you love - just look at needs of the particular species vs what you want in a tank & see if there's a way to make it work

eg for denisonii
Choose your plant species wisely so that only low - moderate CO2 are needed (look at the plant profiles on Tropica ... & then buy Tropica plants in appreciation of all the research they've done & share so freely), keep water temperatures in the 22-23C range (or 20 - 22C etc) as this will improve oxygen levels (more gasses dissolved in water at lower temperatures), commit to weekly water changes (or even twice weekly, depending on stocking level etc - lower DOC usually means more oxygen available for fishes)

If possible deal with a shop that is happy to accept returns/trades on fish that don't work out longterm in client tanks (obviously helps if fish are in excellent condition - make sure you understand how to bag up fish for transport).

A shoal of denisonii & shoal of Odessa would look amazing :)

- again try to choose plants that are less palatable, feed a varied diet including spirulina/plant matter etc, feed regularly, if possible feed twice daily rather than just once - without overfeeding ;)
- include plants that are fast growing, be consistent with plant nutrition (light/CO2/macro/micro nutrients)
 
Thanks again Alto, very helpful. My plants are already in the tank (listed on my 2nd post) so will have to have a good look at this on suitability for the fish I want/would like. Water changes and varied diet are no problem at all, will happily do anything possible to help the fish have a great environment and happy time in the tank.

Many thanks Blowfish
 
Tank update: The Shrimp have been in nearly a week and are doing a great job already - did my weekly water change tonight and the stones/plants are noticeably much cleaner already. Well chuffed with my clean up crew!
Hopefully get some snails in over the weekend and maybe the first lot of fish depending on the water levels. Will update more and post some more photo's shortly.

Many thanks Blowfish
 
Tank update and a few photos showing the great work the shrimp have done, the progression of the plants and just a general tank photo.
Really pleased with the tank and how things are moving along, the shrimp have been in a couple of weeks and 6 x Neon Rosy Barbs nearly a week. These fish are a beautiful colour and have a lovely shimmer to them in the right light.

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Many thanks Blowfish
 
Really pleased to share with you guys my plant letter of the month in PFK last month, well chuffed and a nice prize.

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How do people find the TNC stuff? I am already dosing EI on my Roma, which seems to work very well but just wondered how good this stuff was and whether to use the liquid carbon as well as the diffuser I have on the tank.
I am going to plant up my Nano 55 litre also so can use one of the nutrients for this - one bottle will last 4 years!! Could also use the carbon on this if needed also.

Many thanks Blowfish
 
Update and question;
Shrimp and Barbs going well and seem very happy in the tank, the Dwarf hair grass is another matter though! Lol. The Barbs seem to love messing around in the substrate (Manado) & because the hair grass is not well enough established, it is just at the top of the tank every night! Instead of planting this back in the substrate every day I have moved this to my Nano tank to see if it fairs better. Any ideas for a better foreground plant that will be harder for the Barbs to uproot? Was thinking of some Dwarf Sagittaria or am I wasting trying for a carpet type look with these fish?

Many thanks Blowfish
 
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Can someone please help with what the attached is? Had some problems with my CO2 regulator recently so CO2 was an issue for a few weeks (was adding liquid co2 though) until it got sorted. Have cut the plants back quite a bit recently also to give it a refresh so this may have affected it.
Am also thinking I may need to update the T8 lighting as been on the tank for over a year now also.
Many thanks in advance.

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