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

 

[MaloK]

Another 2 weeks gone by...

Since I think I have the basic water chemistry right, I'm trying to maintain carbonates and fertilizer equalized with a just apparent nitrate reading and sustain a good plant growth, But they are munched to the fiber.

GH has not moved a micron in 6 months at 100-120, thanks to pure RO/DI to top off the tank 2 inches per week. And I have finally a completely inert decor. and substrate.

Feeding at the moment is more than twice what it was at the last report, maybe more, But I still try to have nitrate naturally dealt with and no water changes required, I don't want to know the PH in there.

But They are there, the big ones, You need to be sumptuous when feeding, to see them.

And at some point if you're not sumptuous enough, they never show back again.

So ATM I'm able to feed enough to have lots of big ones showing up and hundreds of kids behind them with an army of juveniles swirling around.

As far as water quality is concerned, It needs calcium carbonates on weekly basis and enough fertilizer to prevent algae growth (that has recessed with a light lowering) but the dreaded black beard lost again in my hands (for the moment) The increase in food supply might change that soon, or maybe not.

I'm sticking to 1 week per month fresh carbon cycle and strong mechanical filtration in between, with the largest bio filtration I never offered in a 5 gallons, ever.

See how it goes... They poop more than guppies and process food faster, for the size.

 

[MaloK]

Another 2 weeks more.

Still the same thing, the tank is filled with babies and still the ones that gets bigger and beautiful vanishes in haze to never be seen again.

The shrimps I sold are doing better in the LFS tank than mine, lolll they are growing and breeding.

So in another attempt to understand what is going on. I slowly teared apart the tank in hope of finding any clue. The tank decor doesn't seems to cause problems even to Nerites circulating without problems and the states of their shells tells that they are not rubbing on anything gritty or damaging.

Then I dismantled the Aquaclear and cleaned it a little, Nothing besides mulm in there. So I cleaned up my stuff and went for the same job on the sponge filter. And surprise, surprise... What does come out of there.

A big mix of half eaten dead and live shrimps, I removed all the dead ones and returned the rest to the tank. With closer inspection of the remains, it looks like the bigger shrimps going down the rabbit hole where unable to turn around once reaching the collector. and the shrimps stuck in there where cannibalizing the dead one.

It's the second time I do maintenance on that filter and it was properly assembled, But the first time there was no shrimps stuck in there.

I installed a piece of stainless mesh at the water output to prevent it from happening again, it's a little more noisy but the flow is good. I might change that for a piece of super coarse sponge right under the air output in the tube next time. It should be better for the water flow and still prevent the adventurous from reaching the point of no return.

I have multiple instance of that filter running and will do the same mod to them. The next weeks will tell if it helps...

 

[MaloK]

It's probably only positive thinking...

But in a week... Could that make such a difference. There has been no known disappearance of any of the easy to recognize individual. If it's the case. These sponge filters are evil death trap... and Cherry Shrimps are simply too curious for their own good.

I looked at it 1 hour this morning and the density of shrimps is growing, party is going on. And they are growing for real this time.

And I found another place on my modded input cover sponge for my Aquaclear, where some shrimps climb out of the water and get themselves between the tree and the bark. loll... With a flashlight I can see tiny shrimplets hanging in there. Another thing to fix... Btw, the new input cover lasts a good 3 month between maintenance and wasn't touched since installation in October, compared to 2-3 days for the original one, and they love feeding on it. It sure paying back the time to MacGyver it.

This is where the shrimps where getting trapped and the path they where taking to get in.
Passed the reducer indicated by an arrow the tube shrinks to a little more than a 1/4" outside.
Any shrimps of a certain size entering there where unable to turn around and get out.

So... This filter is considered shrimp safe blah blah... But in practice...

It's a next generation Shriminator

 

[MaloK]

Today they are having fun with filter output, using it to propel them. Loll. (top right)

 

[MaloK]

It's the fourth or fifth times that behavior occur in the colony, it last for 3-5 days, and during this time they are swirling all around the tank racing in the current and completely fooling around like kids, from 10:30 to late in the evening... Some even persist until sunset.

Sometimes a couple adults will join the ranks and play a little. But most of them are hiding and are tired of this crazy merry go round after 2 days, loll... But still everyone participates, I can see berried shrimps taking part... But the majority of the "dedicated" ones are all juveniles. They really look like they are enjoying the place.

Also during this period, giving food is waste, a very low number of shrimps barely stop to feed. Food habitually eaten in an hour stays there for days.

It's one of the coolest time to see how "nuts" and funny these things are.

 

[MuddyWaters]

That's amazing- I have never seen mine do that!

 

[MaloK]

Maybe because, I have no fish, and they are blatantly confident that any predators was ever in their sight. There is 0 fear communication.

I think... Largely... because real information of the "real" natural habitat of cherry shrimps seems to be kept secret, or something...

But I tend toward some kind of migration they have to do during seasons ( or water levels ) as adventurous as they are, if the water rise they are on the border of exploration.

I call that "Internal Migration"... I had something like that with crayfish too. It's like programmed in their gene.

 

[MuddyWaters]

That's interesting. I have a little 3 gallon with some tangerine tiger caridina in it. I'll have to keep an eye out for that kind of behavior. I would guess they are similar to neos with stuff like that. I have 2 tanks with cherry shrimp. They're not afraid to fly around the tank, but they don't do it en masse, especially for multiple days- that is so cool! Is there a pattern to how often they do it?

 

[MaloK]

The tank got it's first anniversary of the shrimps introduction on 29-dec-23 and was cycled like a snail 8 months before, with plants and only minimal ammonia. Since I wasn't still sure what to do with it.
If I refer to the thread, It's around 2 months between episodes, whatever happened in between, and there's a lot.

But it always comes back. like a general euphoria that persist for a while.

Some babies are trying to get in, but they go back hiding very soon.

There's also a some relation with the water flow that has to be considered, maybe... I have a betta tank abandoned and left to shrimps and while they experience the same tendency to be more agitated at the same periods. They are still a lot more relax and are not as aggressive at feeding time.

And I have another tank with only "one" cherry shrimp as some kind of witness subject... And it doesn't do anything but chilling. There is no external input that makes him change any daily habits.

I thought of hormonal release that cause the event, But it overwhelms basic known "things" to a broader communication range.

But also a stronger concentration of a specific hormone can have a drastic influence on a mini aquarium like I have.