New Shrimp Keeper

[sdlTBfanUK]

I tested the tank yesterday and TDS 178, GH7, KH1, no ammonia or nitrite and nitrate 25 still (daily). I will keep doing the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate daily for now and I have got 8L (one third tank) of new water to replace on thursday, this in theory will get the TDS to about 125, GH about 5 so those should be about perfect for a start!

The Ph was 5 and this makes me a bit sceptical it was the 6 I got last week! 

I haven't had this nitrates problem (reading) before but I am hoping that may correct itself when the plants are a bit more settled. There also hasn't been any ammonia readings yet and I think I will just remove the cooked shrimps (it's growing fur) if there isn't any reading by tuesday???

Simon

Edited June 16, 2019 by sdlTBfanUK

[CurleyJones321]

9 hours ago, sdlTBfanUK said:

 

The Ph was 5 and this makes me a bit sceptical it was the 6 I got last week! 

I haven't had this nitrates problem (reading) before but I am hoping that may correct itself when the plants are a bit more settled. There also hasn't been any ammonia readings yet and I think I will just remove the cooked shrimps (it's growing fur) if there isn't any reading by tuesday???

i had a significant drop in PH as well, so i think thats accurate. I havent however checked my readings yet and will do that later today but i have NEVER had Amonia (NH4) readings in either of my tanks. my Prawn is also growing fur and my tank is growing a healthy layer of biofilm that i want to clean off but think is a bad idea? I think adding the items from the other tank have helped things along with regards to the Biofilm. I've just done my normal maintenance except on the large tank as the TDS kept creeping up to 265 so i did several extra water changes at 0TDS to get the tank down down to 230 and added BB.

[sdlTBfanUK]

Its good to hear that the fur growing on the shrimp is 'normal', I may leave them in until thursdays usual maintenance day then.

Todays readings are as before nitrate 25, ammonia and nitrite 0! I could get someone to get me some duckweek from the lake but I remember how hard it was to get rid of it before, so am a bit reluctant to go that route, but it should bring the nitrates down a bit???

You should leave the biofilm in the tank, the shrimps will thoroughly enjoy that when they get into that tank.

Simon

[jayc]

ph dropping is part of the nitrogen cycle. That means the bacteria is doing it's thing. A water change with higher pH water is necessary now to avoid the cycle stalling.

The prawn growing fur is also normal, as it is decomposing, and fungi are starting to break it down.

Let the biofilm grow as that will be part of the shrimp's diet once you add some in. If it's hindering your view, scrape it off the front glass only, but don't syphon it out. The dislodged biofilm from the front glass will settle somewhere else in the tank.

Edited June 17, 2019 by jayc

[CurleyJones321]

ok so i did an extra 0TDS 2 liter water change on the Large 42 liter tank just to get the TDS within range of the other Small 12 liter tank and here are my readings:-

Small (old) tank
TDS - 239
Temp - 23C
PH - 7.5
NH4 - Unreadable
N03 - 1PPM
N02 - 0.025PPM
P04 - 0.5PPM
dKH - 3
dGH - 7

Large (New) Tank
TDS - 232
Temp - 28C
PH - 6.5
NH4 - Unreadable
N03 - 1PPM
N02 - 0.025PPM
P04 - 0.5PPM
dKH - 1
dGH - 8

so other than PH i've gotten the tanks pretty much the same conditions. im thinking my tank is now cycled enough to take out the prawn & introduce Tyrone? oh and the tanks starting to grow algae on one of the plants im feeling the need to tackle before it gets too bad? but the plus note is the dwarf hair grass i got is already expanding.

[sdlTBfanUK]

Great news!

The temperature of the big tank will probably be  a bit too high for the shrimps but you may be alright with just the fish (I don't know about the fish you have requirements) so you can carry on at that for now. If you are certain the tank is cycled though I suppose it would be easier to reduce the temperature first then the fish can go straight from one tank to the other without having to float it in a tub to adjust him to the different temperature.

Go for it, it is a  big day when the occupants start going in........... 

Simon

[CurleyJones321]

ok so its been about a week and on Thursday I added Tyrone the 'sacrificial' fish and almost 2 shrimp that got cought in the net with him but fortunately they didn't fall in the tank. I did also i think squash a shrimp when i was moving the main plant in the old Small tank in order to retrieve him... accidents happen and i hope it wasn't pregnant... Other than looking a little lonely he has been doing fine if not relishing the extra space. The New large tank has got quite a biofilm build up now on the back and 1 side that is similar in establishment to the 2 sides i don't clean on the small tank.
readings as follows:-

Small (old) tank
TDS - 236
Temp - 26C
PH - 6.5
NH4 - Unreadable
N03 - 1PPM
N02 - 0.1PPM
P04 - 1PPM
dKH - 2
dGH - 6

Large (New) Tank
TDS - 224
Temp - 26C
PH - 6.5
NH4 - Unreadable
N03 - 1PPM
N02 - Unreadable
P04 - 1PPM
dKH - 1
dGH - 5

The temperature is a bit high but thats just because its quite warm in the UK at the moment. Other than that the small tank is obviously struggling and im going to do a 50TDS water change and add BB to both tanks. I'm thinking the large tank is now cycled and established and at least this weekend i can finish off transferring decor and add shrimp? it has been 3 weeks now at the weekend it will have been 4 since i established the tank.

[sdlTBfanUK]

Good to hear it is going well.

Both my tanks are 26 degrees also due to the warm/humid weather here in UK at present. Keep a close eye on the temperature of the small tank this week as a smaller tank will warm up quicker when the surrounding temperature warms and they are saying possibly 30+ later in the week in the UK.........

It is difficult to not disturb everything in a small tank when you do anything but that should soon be a thing of the past! You don't have to do everything in one day, for instance I would transfer a few fish each day from now so the cycle can adjust gradually to the increased load and then you will just have the plants and shrimps left in the old tank by the weekend?

I plan to do one more 8L water change on thursday (I have got the water ready already) then if the nitrates come down I will start thinking about getting some shrimps?

Simon

 

[CurleyJones321]

Right so i've left the tanks and inhabitants for well this long simply because i dont want things to die off if i can help it and people have said leave it a month after establishing a tank before adding shrimp. Other than doing normal maintenance and transferring the 2 liters of old water from the small tank to the large each time and the large tank then getting an extra 2 liters of mineralised new water. Friday i sorted out all the tank decor in both tanks and adjusted the tank TDS to within 5TDS of each other. mainly because i needed to cull the flaoting plants which in the large tank the frogbit has taken over and in the small tank the water lettuce had almost taken over. the Duckweed has all but died out in both tanks not that i have done anything to aid it. my tanks now look like the attached. i then took readings they are as follows:-

Small tank
TDS - 232
Temp - 23C
PH - 7
NH4 - Unreadable
N03 - 1PPM
N02 - 0.05PPM
P04 - 2PPM
dKH - 2
dGH - 6

Large Tank
TDS - 237
Temp - 24C
PH - 5.5
NH4 - Unreadable
N03 - Unreadable
N02 - Unreadable
P04 - 1PPM
dKH - 1
dGH - 5

So the Phosphate is up but thats because i was massively invasive in the tanks and churned up the fertaliser i have in the tank substrate. The PH is also what i would consider to be completely off

also as a side note its worth mentioning that stressing plays out seems to stimulate them to give birth, i now have an extra at least 3 fry appear in the tank just after the works when the mothers had seemed to have stopped giving birth.

i also got a new fish the in other breed of platy because the fish keeper at my LFS told me they could interbreed and it might make what im doing with the fish go faster, i got him today and named him Rodney and am about to add him to the Large Tank with Tyrone  before taking Tyrone out and putting more females in the tank with Rodney to let nature take its course. the Fish keeper did tell me to drip acclimate him however as the PH shock may be too much so that's what I'm currently doing and he's on his 2nd dip.

that does make me wonder however can i now add shrimp to the tank or is the PH going to be a massive problem. i estimate i have between 60 and 100 shrimp in the small tank and want to transfer over say 10?

Edited July 21, 2019 by CurleyJones321

[sdlTBfanUK]

Great to hear everything is going nicely and you feel ready to start transferring more to the new tank. You were always going to have the PH difference as you are using soil but my cherry shrimp I have in both tanks thrive ok, it just means that you should drip acclimate them probably most of the day to be on the safe side and it is easy enough with the dripper to just leave it going all day. I am not advocating doing this, but as I was putting the cull shrimps into the new betta tank which had a low PH due to new substrate I just dumped them straight in and they were fine and I didn't see a dead one ever (I saw 10 the other day which is about the number I DUMPED in there) - they are much hardier/adaptable than the bee shrimps. I would do as you want/propose and try 10 for the first transfer! I really don't think you will have a problem with the PH difference but would do a long acclimatising to be safe.

I have the same floating weed and mine grows really quickly but it is much easier to keep that under control than duckweed as when you get too many big ones you just remove a few. Incidentally when I do my weekly maintenance I trim off the longer bits of root to about 2 inches and it doesn't seem to harm them!

You should probably keep a close eye on the tanks this week as we are supposed to be over 30 degrees most of the week. The smaller tank will be the one most at risk of excessive heat?

I wish my reset shrimp tank was as lush and green as your new one - good job! I have added 17 shrimps so far and saw 8 yesterday?

Simon