Fluval Ebi Nano Shrimp Tank

[CrazyAirborne]

This is going to be a little photo journal as my new Ebi matures into what I hope is a very neat little shrimp-topia.

I have a "first look" thread here in the hardware section. Check it out here.

So Ive used the Fluval Stratum substrate, its like a clay aggregate type stuff. It fouled up my water something serious for a solid 48 hours. quite frusterating.

then I purchased a redmoor root, took some java moss and java fern and planted her up for now.

the front moss portion is like a moss wall, just laying down, i superglued moss onto a mesh, then slightly buried it in the substrate.

so far im really liking this tank, and i will be getting some more plants soon.

Im not quite set on the layout of the rocks and wood hardscape. any thoughts ? I want to use the nice slate since it offsets the colors of the substrate so much.

ill be posting better pics tonight when the lighting is ideal and ill bust out the DSLR.

 

[-FighterFishh]

Lovely set up! Maybe spread the slate around a bit, though?

 

[Wills]

Yeah it does look nice Once it fills in it will look brilliant - I would smash up a small amount of slate and scatter it around your current bits to make it look more natural

Wills

 

[SchottayB]

Love these little tanks! I agree with Will, smash some slate up so you have a few smaller bits round the bigger bits

 

[CrazyAirborne]

smashing up some slate sounds brilliant. im going to try that out, i think itll mesh it all together nicely.

 

[DrRob]

This is looking great. I've got my Ebi standing ready but don't want to set it up when I'm about to go away for a couple of weeks. When I get back though it'll be getting set up.

The filter however, is merrily maturing in another occupied tank.

 

[CrazyAirborne]

ok i got a couple more pics. showing a with added rocks, and without. im thinking the extra slate I added is too much, too cluttered looking. What can I do?

Without extra slate.

With extra slate.

Without extra slate.

With extra slate.

Without extra slate.

With extra slate.

i still like the idea of the extra slate pieces, maybe i just need to rework them.

 

[The.FL.Keys]

Beautifully done, great detail! I'm excited to see the completed aquascape!

 

[betaphish]

Very nice tank. Looks a lot better than mine. Mine looks way to boring with wall color, gravel color and fish color all matching (was not intentional).
Doesn't ebi mean shrimp in Japanese?

 

[CrazyAirborne]

ok guys, i need your opinions! i added a poll

 

[L_Plates]

Less is more as they say, i think the original was great but with the smaller pieces its to busy.

LP

 

[ZoddyZod]

that looks really nice.

Maybe a marimo ball would be a good addition. The shrimps will love it when they finally arrive.

 

[Wills]

I know its a tiny thing lol the arangement of fragments of rock but they look too placed if you know what I mean? Try just getting them in your hand and just dropping them around the larger rocks - try to think how they would be if they were in a flowing river, they would be mainly in and around anywhere they could get stuck (the bigger rocks) not just coming out of the substrate.

Wills

 

[coldcazzie]

I know its a tiny thing lol the arangement of fragments of rock but they look too placed if you know what I mean? Try just getting them in your hand and just dropping them around the larger rocks - try to think how they would be if they were in a flowing river, they would be mainly in and around anywhere they could get stuck (the bigger rocks) not just coming out of the substrate.

Wills

Agreed.

If you're wanting it to look natural you need to drop/scatter them, not place them. Place the big ones but then just drop the smaller ones in around them. Without meaning to sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet, like the rocks I have in my biotope - they much less "placed". It's in the planted journal section if you've not seen it already, or there;s a link in my sig

 

[CrazyAirborne]

I know its a tiny thing lol the arangement of fragments of rock but they look too placed if you know what I mean? Try just getting them in your hand and just dropping them around the larger rocks - try to think how they would be if they were in a flowing river, they would be mainly in and around anywhere they could get stuck (the bigger rocks) not just coming out of the substrate.

Wills

I know its a tiny thing lol the arangement of fragments of rock but they look too placed if you know what I mean? Try just getting them in your hand and just dropping them around the larger rocks - try to think how they would be if they were in a flowing river, they would be mainly in and around anywhere they could get stuck (the bigger rocks) not just coming out of the substrate.

Wills

Agreed.

If you're wanting it to look natural you need to drop/scatter them, not place them. Place the big ones but then just drop the smaller ones in around them. Without meaning to sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet, like the rocks I have in my biotope - they much less "placed". It's in the planted journal section if you've not seen it already, or there;s a link in my sig

thanks everyone for your thoughts!
this is exactly what i feel, they look too "placed", and actually, i was noticing this as I placed them in. but the slate is thin and light, so when i drop them in, they flutter all around and land all crazy, they dont really just fall straight down. idk. ill definitely be messing around with it more.

and yes I think I could try a moss ball in this tank, ive never had one!