Aquarium updates and intended fish.

My tube has just stopped working from old age. Will have to get a new one. It's a good thing I was already planning to. I could find some T8 tank lights in Malaysia, but the most annoying is that there's mostly 2ft size, so it's hard to find 3ft. Plus, just like you, everytime I search up 'aquarium light', there's always LED. I also had to buy 'shop fixtures'! But even that was hard to find because my tank size is 3ft, and shop fixtures are usually 2ft/4ft. And LOTS of T5's as well. But finally ordered Hitachi 28w T8 Daylight. Am waiting for it to arrive and using some LED in the meantime.

I have bladder snails in my aquarium. I'm thinking they're pretty helpful at this stage, creating ammonia for the plants to grow(will beneficial bacteria get a head start and grow too?) and cleaning up my aquarium. When I get my fish, I'll sell the snails and get my shrimp instead. I'm worried the snails will overpopulate. They're pretty cute(well cuter than ramshorn in my eyes).


Aquarium update(with hornwort and Amazon Sword)

A dual tube T8 in 24 inches will work over a 3-foot tank. I have this over my two 3-foot tanks when I used shop fixtures to fix them.

Snails, the small ones, won't produce much ammonia, and without fish you also don't have organics accumulating which is another source of ammonia (and CO2). Plants are faster at taking up the ammonia/ammonium so as long as they show growth its good.

Question: is it necessary to have moss in a shrimp tank or when breeding fish?

Animallover😍 said:

Question: is it necessary to have moss in a shrimp tank or when breeding fish?

Click to expand...

On breeding fish, not necessary, but it does often provide an ideal catchment for eggs of fish that scatter spawn (characins, cyprinids for example).

As for shrimp, I believe the shrimp enjoy picking the food particles off moss, but shrimp members can confirm or elaborate.

I have java moss in my shrimp tank. It's attached to a long thin piece of wood standing vertically so it looks almost like a miniature pine tree. My red cherry shrimps climb all over it and through the outer 'branches' of the moss. But they are also to be found on the sand and the other plants in the tank (anubias bonsai on another piece of wood, and Schismatoglottis preitoi)


Word of caution about plants and shrimps. Make sure the plants have not been treated with insecticide or snail killing chemicals as those will kill shrimps as well. I only buy plants from sellers who can guarantee them to be shrimp safe.

There are tons of snail eggs in my tank. Just gonna let them hatch and sell them later. I found out the problem was not my fluorescent light, but my starter(the original owner has had this tank and light for 20yrs anyway). I replaced it and works fine now. It's still too low watts so I got a Jiyin Blade LED light. Hope it comes soon!

Update: So since my tank is low light, I've chosen and ordered some low light plants.
Hygrophila Difformis
Limnophila Aquatica
Frogbit
Some more Ceratopteris Thalictorides
10x10cm packet of Java Moss

Update:
The light arrived yesterday, along with java moss, limnophila aquatica, and some water sprite! Today Egeria Densa and Water Wisteria arrived.
This is my 10g with Java Moss(attached with superglue) and water wisteria.

This is my 50g, with my Java moss, Limnophila Aquatica and the Water sprite at the top.

This is my 50g when the Water wisteria arrived.

A closer look at the Java moss...



Aquarium when Elodea arrived.

Getting another bunch of Elodea, also getting frogbit. Will it be 50%?