Small Planted Setup

[MaloK]

After a couple more weeks, the results are really positive, My 3 mods on the Aquaclear really brought the game up. The new intake sponges are doing very well by not clogging and preventing the flow to slow down. Since, my Bio-media in the 2 first stages of the filter cleaned itself alone. I made a new sponge for mechanical filtration that doesn't need to be weighted down too, and rise it every 2 days.

I did the first maintenance on the sponge filter. I like these Hygger Riser like Sponges Filters. They start to whistle when it's time to clean them up. It was indeed time.

The colony is doing very well, while the rhythm is fast and the number of atrocities per weeks that happens is delirious. The tank is completely filled with shrimps to the square inch and they come out in masses at feeding time.

With such a playful manner and some kind of grace... It's magic to see them, they look healthy and strong. With beautiful formed shells and colors.

So I decided That I could give a try to monetize that. I bagged around a hundred juvenile shrimps went to my closest LFS and put the bag in the hands of the manager of the department, gave him my number and told him to call me if he wanted more.

3 weeks later... I'm in business. I got called back, He told me that he would give me 300$ for the previous shrimps batch and bring more.

That already pays for all the food I have bought in the last year.

Now I only have to get all the houses in my city having a shrimp tank, and I can finally retire

 

[MattW]

That's amazing that you now have too many shrimp The bounce-back of the shrimp is incredible

 

[MaloK]

The plant cover is thick enough that, experienced adults are nearly or never seen... That's crazy.

All I see is a constant flow of babies and juveniles swimming all around.

But when I stir up things, They come out and I was really surprised, Big ones that I have never seen... Even once.

It's like a candy store

 

[Marc Pozz]

Hello Fish Forums !!!

I'm an old school Freshwater Aquarium keeper that been on vacation too long... A couple weeks ago when doing storage cleanup, I found one of my first tank I ever bought. It was a Hagen Aquarium Junior Startup Kit from the '90s... I don't have much place where I live now, but I have some time. So I thought I could fire this kit up once more

So on with the project... First I needed a cheap stand, I found a couple pieces of unplanned 2x10 spruce beams laying around my property... And two hours later, I have a very nice looking aquarium stand for the price of a fistful of screws.

View attachment 331047

Then I looked around what was available as for "Lightning" possibilities... And I was Literally blown away by the evolution in that field... Wow ! I could now try to retrofit a full spectrum light in that vintage canopy... After some more research, I bought an AQQA AQ037 and after a bit of fiddling. It's a perfect fit ! NOW ! succeeding with plants becomes a reachable goal. I had great success with fishes in that tank. Not so much for plants.

I used the Aquaclear Mini that came with the kit and a Tronic Gold 50 watt Heater that I bought when I took the kit (Provided heater was awful).

This is the current hardware, settings and stock installed.

Hardware:
Hagen 4.77g (18.05L) Semi-Braced Glass Aquarium, 16"L, 8"W, 8.5"H
Tronic Gold 50w Water Heater
AquaClear Mini Filter, 100gph
AQQA AQ037 12w Full spectrum Led Light
Marina A50 Air Pump + small air stone

Settings:
Light: 60%, Day starts at 8:30 Night starts at 16:30, full spectrum on, all colour led on, moonlight off
Filtration: 100% 24/7
Air Stone: 10% 24/7
Temp: 77°stable 24/7

Plants:
Back:
2x Pogostemon Erectus (Downoi Plant), Center
3x Microsorum Pteropus (Java Fern), Corners

Middle:
1x Anubias Barteri Nana (Dwarf Anubias), wood, centre
1x Anubias Barteri (Broadleaf Anubias), wood, both ends

The Tank is now two weeks old. I will give a good two months for the plants to settle. I know from experience that the two Pogostemon will nearly completely melt away before doing a crazy recovery. I pruned a part of them and the new stems seems going really good, I fear they will overcome everything like they did before... loll. I have to study more plant maintenance and pruning.

View attachment 331048


Attempted close-ups:
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I have a couple questions:

I can see the Anubias are having a slight growth of blackbeard / Brown algae and some leaves are also showing some deficiency...

I already cut back from the original Light strip schedule and raised the power the power 10%, now running 60%.

Should I completely turn off the coloured lights and run only the white an full spectrum ones ? Or only turn off the Blue ones, and leave the rest on ? The strip has 6 blue, 2 red, 2 green chips + 26 white and 12 full spectrum.

Do you think I could raise the power more without affecting the Java Ferns ? they are all going to spew a ton of babies already.

Any suggestions on the Lightning period and strength are more than welcome.

The tank does not show any sign of ammonia at the moment, I will start a fishless cycle if any arise during this period. But hopefully I would love to let the plants get established before doing so.

I'm still thinking about the fishes stocking... but I have some crazy ideas... something like...

1x Trichogaster Lalius (Dwarf Gourami)
12x Danio Rerio (Zebra Danio)

1x one these
L-136 Plecostomus (Gold Spotted)
L-66 Plecostomus (Gypsy King Tiger)
L-001 Plecostomus (Spotted Sailfin)

12x Corydoras Pygmaeus (Pygmy Corydoras)

What do you think ? That should be about right for a high maintenance tank ?

The air stone zip tie anchor did it for me. Nice mate

 

[MaloK]

The last two weeks went very well.

The filtration system is coping beautifully. The Bio-filtration media is remaining clean and the Mechanical part work wonders.

Water chemistry is maintaining itself without much intervention. I top with pure RO/DI and add edible calcium carbonate supplements, plant fertilizer and also a cuttle bone.

I bagged another hundred shrimps and dropped them at my LFS, collected 600$ CAD , the guy was really happy to see the number of berried shrimps that where in the bag, loll. The ratio is insane, 20% of the shrimps are always berried. And he told me that the jade ones where awesome and my pumpkins are beautiful. I replied, that if the tendency maintains, I would be able to deliver one batch per month of mixed shrimps... Looks like we have a deal. Marvelous, only 1km from home, no shipping and handling, fresh healthy shrimps.

I tried to take pics, but, they are not there... Or it's too difficult to get something clean, loll.

I'll take a video next time I give them a lolly and the party rages on.

 

[MaloK]

Finally, I think I got it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I found the primary water parameter that controls the speed of metabolism of the colony. Testing with 3 tanks with different parameters for the last months. I was able to bring the shrimps to a much more relaxed behaviors in my main tank. At the same time I brought my second testing tank to a complete panic mode and crazy breeding.

It's difficult to explain. While the colony is more active than ever and the tank is crowded, the multiplication rate has lowered... The sense of panic, hyperactivity, crazy breeding and sudden deaths that was prevalent in the first year has dissipated.

Also the molding rate reduced and the shrimps are looking deeper in colors and shell thickness look more consistent.

And they are all chilling and playfully foraging in happiness.

At last... They are growing into adults