5 gallon Fluval Spec V

BluewaterBoof said:

Tank looks good! Keep it up!

I would imagine the duckweed is helping in reducing the ammonia. Fast-growing plants are great for nutrient control but keep an eye on how much you are feeding the fish. For a fish-in cycle I suggest minimal feedings to keep the ammonia low.

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Tacocat said:

I've been doing 1 feeding a day, and letting them fast on Sundays because they're religious(joke). Yesterday my brother forgot they were not supposed to be fed and he fed them, so I guess it's Mondays now.

Also, how do I feed the shrimp blanched carrots? I tried yesterday night, but only the guppies touched them, and that was only when they were falling. Should I keep a large chunk or do I rip it apart?

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BluewaterBoof said:

Some folks have an easy time getting their animals to eat prepared veggies but it’s hit-or-miss for me. From my own experience I’ve had to kind of train the animals and just keep offering the food until they learn it is something to eat but even then I never see a ton of animals going for the veggies.

@Slaphppy7 might be able to give you some pointers here. He’s a pro at feeding his shrimperdoodles all sorts of veggies.

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Tacocat said:

I've been doing 1 feeding a day, and letting them fast on Sundays because they're religious(joke). Yesterday my brother forgot they were not supposed to be fed and he fed them, so I guess it's Mondays now.

Also, how do I feed the shrimp blanched carrots? I tried yesterday night, but only the guppies touched them, and that was only when they were falling. Should I keep a large chunk or do I rip it apart?

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BluewaterBoof said:

Assassin snails are a good way to keep pest snail populations under control and look really cool. I can usually find some at local shops in town. You can also starve the snails out by feeding just enough for your fish and shrimp to consume, but with your sibling’s affinity for overfeeding this may be difficult

Your pH isn’t bad. If you want to add some botanicals to the tank to give it a more natural feel then Indian almond leaves and alder cones work well. They tend to stain the water with tannins, which is good for the critters in the tank, but not everyone likes the dark and mysterious look of a blackwater tank.

Unless you are aiming to have very sensitive animals in the tank that absolutely require soft and acidic water then I wouldn’t worry about it.

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BluewaterBoof said:

Oh yes, cherry shrimp are fairly hardy creatures and can handle a wide range of parameters (temp, pH, hardness, etc.). I had a fairly large breeding colony in the past when I had water with an ugly pH of 8.2 so I think your critters should be fine in terms of water conditions.

The biggest threat to your shrimperdoodles are the fish, which will snack on the babies if given the opportunity. Your cholla wood and moss will help provide a safe haven for the babies but there are bound to be some stragglers that get picked off every now and then. It's not ideal, but that's part of the risk of keeping fish and shrimp together, especially in a small tank. Adding more plants will increase protection against the fish. The Spec V light is fairly robust and is capable of growing a decent variety of plants. Crypts are really good options for folks who are newer to the planted tank game as they are quite difficult to kill and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. You could do something like crypt wendtii for the background and crypt parva for the front/middle of the tank. The parva would be especially helpful for the shrimp because it can form a dense low covering across the substrate that would help keep the fish at distance.

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Tacocat said:

I was checking out the aquarium and looking at the fish when I was this. What's the whitish film clinging to the wood? Is that mold? I've noticed it on the java moss as well where the cholla wood touches the glass.

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