So I had the opportunity Friday to setup some new 30cm cubes, which will be used for guppies (maybe shrimp later on!)

I then decided it would be great to run a side by side comparison of the lights we sell online.

All tanks have same heaters, filters and substrate (shirakura red bee sand).

Left to Right:

Aqualighter Nano

Aqualighter Pico

Up Aqua Y series 18cm

ATLEDTiS E6

Left to Right:

Flexi Mini

Aqualighter Nano

Up Aqua Y series 18cm

ATLEDTiS E6

Left to Right:

Flexi Mini

Up Aqua ProZ 30cm

Up Aqua Y series 18cm

Up Aqua Y seties 25cm

Left to Right:

Flexi Mini

Up Aqua ProZ 30cm

Aqualighter Nano

ATLEDTiS E6

Very surprised by the blue content in the Y series lights, though these still work well wih mosses and low light plants.

Really Pleased with the ATLEDTiS E6 as it probably hd the most natural colour.

I knew the Flexi minis were bright, and this is the original version, but when directly compared it outshines all.

The ProZ has a nice even white colour to it as expected. 

Not a very scientific study, but amazing to see the side by side comparison.

Hope it helps with any future plans for smaller tank setups. Will definitely give me a better base for recommendations in the future. 

Also have planted some tissue culture plants in each tank, again same plants across all tanks, so will be fun to watch the growth rates of each. As all other factors are the same, light will be the ultimate factor to growth. 

The best method I have found for cleaning any marks off my tank glass exterior: I use a very fluffy 100 percent cotton tea towel that I slightly wet with a very small amount of boiling water out of a kettle. The hot water evaporates as soon as it hits the glass and no white mineral deposits or fingerprints remain after a good once over. Spotless, and at no cost.

I saw API Safe & Easy and I thought: Aha! A type of super-safe Windex for aquariums. At $9.95, I had to have it.

The Pros:

• It is fish safe 
• nice little trigger bottle of a good size

The Cons:

• It leaves streaks all over the glass, seriously, after thinking I did a lazy job, I tried again. It leaves streaks with the best of cloths. Then you have a hazy look about your tank. This I attribute to the layer they claim it leaves behind to to prevent future mineral deposits.
• There is not enough surfactant in the product to wash ornaments, rocks, heaters etc. to actually qualify as clean.

For a cleaning agent that leaves marks, streaks and a dull coating on glass and does not have the surfactants I expect of a cleaning agent, this product gets rated ?/5 Shrimp Tails. The one tail was awarded for it being a safe and non-toxic product, although completely ineffective.

I want my $9.95 back...

My shrimp like black worms more than blood worm or tubifex, but the annoying thing is that the dried worms float. I have recently bought Australian Black worm Sinking Pellets. I use this as a meaty protein supplement and have rated it as such. It is not a complete holistic shrimp food and it isn't marketed as such either.

Highlights:

• sinks immediately
• relatively unadulterated product
• shrimp love them and feed on it immediately ( I am assuming that they love the taste as they eat at it for a while and they do not lose interest or    toss it away). Shrimp taste- test panel: Tiger, CRS, TB, Natives, various Neos. 
• the pellets are the perfect size for shrimp: a young adult shrimp is capable of holding a pellet. Low wastage.
• it is extremely affordable

I cannot fault this product at all.

Rating as a protein/meaty supplement: ?????/5 Shrimp Tails

Dennerle states that they do not put any cheap fillers in their shrimp food and that they also believe in full disclosure of ingredients so that you know exactly what you are putting in your shrimp tank. The products are Made in Germany according to their rigorous quality standards that Germany prides itself on.

I have bought quite a few varieties and there is one common thing that stands out: all the food smells fresh. Even the Mineral food that is packed with Green lip mussel, smells like fresh seafood, unlike most other food brands that smell as though they were made with rotten fish and  animal byproducts. I understand that a fermented food will smell fermented, but for other brand shrimp foods to smell rotten when it is not a fermented food, and for the Dennerle food to smell this fresh and pleasant, it really makes me think...

The food is very interestingly shaped: small rings instead of the usual food pads. This is a good design as shrimp can eat at the edges without wasting the centre. Yellow rings are the peas, green ones are the leafy ones. Dennerle recommends one loop per 15 shrimp. This is the most entertainment I have had during feeding in a long time: the larger shrimp are strong enough to just lift the loops and try to scamper away with them. The easiest way to hold it for them is to hold it like a wheel, so very entertaining seeing a couple of adult shrimp on unicycles moving about!? I have noticed that the shrimp fight over the green leaf loops more than the yellow pea ones.

Ingredients: yellow peas 44%, mulberry leaves 33%, walnut leaves 11%, wheat protein, Rosemary.

The Pros:

• The shrimp like it a lot: TB, Tiger, Neo and Natives are drawn to it straight away
• Holds shape well. In reasonable form the next day in the tank- the yellow pea ones go a bit more squishy
• Available in Australia on ebay at a competitive price
• Minimally altered ingredients
• fresh, sweet smell
• packet is packed very full
• minimal wastage
• the quality is superb and almost all the loops are intact, very few broken ones

The Cons:

• Due to the loop shape, some loops don't sink immediately as an air bubble gets caught in the middle and then float on top. I have a way around this: I throw the loops into the tank at great speed after taking aim...?

I will post the reviews of other Dennerle products in the next few months. I am hooked on the quality. After working my way through my mountain of shrimp foods I already have, this brand is the only one that I will buy from now on as the quality is exceptional, and so is the freshness. And it does not cost more than the other popular trusted brands I have been buying.

Shrimp King Pea & Leaf loops get ???? and a half/ 5 shrimp tails. This is as fresh as a dried food will ever get.