Small Planted Setup

I have tried to add shrimp to my community tanks. I haven't had much luck. I've done pretty well with bamboo shrimp, but I wish I could get some nice colored ones to thrive. I spent some time this evening looking at shrimp and trying to convince myself to try it again. Gonna wait for now...

While the shrimps where tempering. I made a big pre-filter and installed it on my filter input. Then introduced the Squad to their new mission.

This Morning... The invaders where looking like at home...



Already working on it... Some tried all the buffet could offer...


Right in the centre of the Tank.


They must never feed them.

I also have a beautiful deep blue one, cannot photo now, it's swimming like it was total freedom. Lolll.

They are disrupting everything, I can now see all the micro critters there was in there... I identified, Parameciums, Limpets, Detritus worms and Another ??? crustacean that are able to swim pretty fast that have a pretty important population. all the little white spots you see on the wood are now all over the place.

The shrimps are trowing them and a lot of worms in the current all around the tank... Loll.

But the cleanup they are doing is incredible, There's always crap swirling around since they're in.

I will have to use just a little amount of KH booster, but the other water params are spot on. I also found a couple other small goodies they will love...

There's not much anything I can put in there now... Except snails I think...

Ok I never thought this would be so much fun. I introduced another squad and 4 snails today...

I have a little collection of orange ones that love the middle of the thank and conquered the piece of wood and hangs on the Anubias, another little bunch of stripped red that loves tall plants leaves. and are always swirling in the java ferns. A couple of little tiger like jerks hanging on the substrate, who chase every one that comes for their food. Two super red ones that seems to have chosen the top and the Downoi Plants... With two blue ones that love the dark... They start to be the most active when moonlight comes...

Yeah, I enabled 100% moonlight for one hour at the end of the day... I can already promote algae a little. But without that, I would have never seen how the blue ones are doing... Loll

I Also got some deluxe shrimp food.

Sad morning, one of the Orange shrimp died during the night I hope I'm not killing them allllll.... I was still able to count nearly the total before the light goes off yesterday, no sign of stress of any kind. There was a little food left, I siphoned it out at the same time I remove that poor inert little corpse.

Water tested all 0 on the nitrogen side, GH 100, KH 40, PH 7.2

The other inhabitants looks great, Nearly all the shrimps I can find are taking a sunbath with a little poop string trailing behind them The Nerite Snails ate so much oak leaves that they are completely sleeping on the job. One of them was lying on his back holding a small 2 inches leaf and only left it's veins when done. I thought he was dead because he didn't move for 5 days after that... Loll. The poor guy had to suffer a sniff test a day during all that time.

I was about to restart adding 1/4 dose of plant fertilizer a week, But I think I'm going to put that on hold for a little more. I added fresh carbon to the filter to be on the safe side. And I'm going to wait and see if more shrimps gets in trouble.

A couple shots from their last lunch.

Finally after 2 weeks of tribulation the tank is re-cycled... And all nitrogen levels are maintaining 0 at the moment...

I preemptively used that problem to slowly raise my GH a little more. Holding 140 ppm, I now have a diligent recipe that works with my tap water.

For those who want a part of the whole story

I thought that the large water changes could be detrimental or at least dangerous. But there where no more losses at least 4 molts succeeded and now can count 9 babies that are starting to play in the big league...

They nearly have eaten all the almond leaf in there. I got a hold on a tablet cutter so I can cut their pellets in small pieces and dispose them around the tank.

Considering my vast experience with Shwimps (3 weeks), I think... It's not so bad,

New babies joined the rank.

Wow ! Look at ‘em all ! Shrimp up the wazoo !

I received a berried lady and my colony has already 200% growth

All nitrogen are at bay and water is sparkling.

As an emotionally attached to these shrimp member of this forum.

I am pleased to announce that I have at least 12 juveniles that are roaming around the adults all the time and a bunch of tiny little ones appeared. I see they are struggling for food. There is not enough bio-film at the moment and they are not ready for adult food. I ordered some Bacter AE a while ago to help things out. But it's slow on delivery.

With experiment I found out that it is better to feed them all the time. Open buffet. It requires places that are not getting washed by water current. And keeping them always fuelled with tiny amounts of food as soon as it wears out.

I could see adults going to the "spot" back and forth couple times a day to eat. While juveniles are right there all day no more than a quarter inch away and most of the time the face in it.

With the near daily Nerite cleaning up the place. I'm trying this for a while.

I must look like a twit in front of my tank with my magnifier looking inside.

But for the value of 3 months of videotron subscription on this. It's is a lot more fun.

MaloK said:

All nitrogen are at bay and water is sparkling.

As an emotionally attached to these shrimp member of this forum.

I am pleased to announce that I have at least 12 juveniles that are roaming around the adults all the time and a bunch of tiny little ones appeared. I see they are struggling for food. There is not enough bio-film at the moment and they are not ready for adult food. I ordered some Bacter AE a while ago to help things out. But it's slow on delivery.

With experiment I found out that it is better to feed them all the time. Open buffet. It requires places that are not getting washed by water current. And keeping them always fuelled with tiny amounts of food as soon as it wears out.

I could see adults going to the "spot" back and forth couple times a day to eat. While juveniles are right there all day no more than a quarter inch away and most of the time the face in it.

With the near daily Nerite cleaning up the place. I'm trying this for a while.

I must look like a twit in front of my tank with my magnifier looking inside.

But for the value of 3 months of videotron subscription on this. It's is a lot more fun.

Click to expand...

oooh magnifying glass- good idea!

Ok I haven't fed mine for like 4 days because I think I was overfeeding the heck out of them, but I just did a small water change and vacuumed "the spot" so I think I'm going to drop a few grains of Shrimp Cuisine in there

I'm glad to hear you're seeing little ones swimming around! I've been hoping for that, but have yet to see it. On the 10th, I'm hoping to pick up some more from a guy at the aquarium club- 40 juvenilles for 20 bucks- can't beat it!

I have 3 spots and at the moment... Some Aqueon Shrimp disks, Nutrafin Spirulina and Sera Viformo.

I use a tablet cutter to divide them in the smallest pieces possible and put one of each in every spots. Even 2-3 days later the shrimps are still finding something to eat there. If no snail stole the whole thing, I siphon the rest and replenish right away. They are perfectly able to manage their feeding and if they are not hungry they vacate to their occupations and looks like they are happy.

Get a big size rectangle 2x-3x magnifier, they have a good field of view and you can focus easily all around the place.

At the moment I'm not able to sex the young. but I have no adult males left for sure. Next week. I think I'm going to add another 6 pack and ask for at least 4 males.

This morning all the shrimps where swimming around frantically foraging like bees all over the place...

That's the sign that food supply is running low. I was about to add some pellets I have, When. Surprise, a notification popped on my phone: Bacter AE is in my mailbox.

Alright !!!

Quickly read the dosing instruction. And this stuff is potent. I dissolved 0.041 gram in tank water. mixed it thoroughly with a dropper, stopped the filter and sprinkled the stuff all over the good place. and wait for it to settle a bit before restarting the filter, It looks like there's snow everywhere.

All the shrimps stopped swimming instantly and are grazing at large all over the place.

There is another cause of shrimps swimming frantically all over the tank as well. When a female shrimp is ready to breed, she emits a pheromone and the males swim around frantically trying to find her.


Bacter AE is supposed to stimulate the growth of the biofilm rather than feed the fish directly though it sounds as though your shrimps were eating it.

Everybody was swimming around males and females. The colony is so small I could name them at the moment.

It's true that Bacter AE is supposed to grow biofilm, but I think it is also readily usable for larger shrimps too.

They jumped on it like it was the best thing they ever tasted.

I think I will have to put regular small amounts to give it some chances to work.

Nitrogen are 0 all the way. Minerals levels are spot on.

More babies at lunch time.

Monday there where 9. Today, How many can you find ?