Jump to content

Help please


Able

Recommended Posts

14 minutes ago, Crabby said:

I use a website/app called ‘AquaticLog’ to keep track of everything. Really well designed and helpful.

Downloaded. Dope app. Appreciate it!

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Update...

cardinia tank now has blue shadow and assorted tigers and crs-cbs

maintaining 120 tds

temp 70-72

neo tanks have had a couple dropped berried females now raising 50 or so shrimplets in the mesh breeder 

Question though...

how high should the tds be over the norm before doing a water change?

i Mara a mistake when adding 25 shrimplets to my nursery tank from the mesh breeder tank without drip acclimating them and lost all of them overnight.!

i guess the water parameters weren’t close enough. What a bad mistake that was but lesson learned 

 

 

  • Like 1
  • Confused 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, Able said:

Seams like they are Amano 

Yes, they could be amano. Did you have any amano in your tank?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The 2 on the right of the picture you can see the amano spots as the side view so they are almost certainly amanos!

Simon

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/26/2020 at 4:15 AM, Able said:

Update...

cardinia tank now has blue shadow and assorted tigers and crs-cbs

maintaining 120 tds

temp 70-72

neo tanks have had a couple dropped berried females now raising 50 or so shrimplets in the mesh breeder 

Question though...

how high should the tds be over the norm before doing a water change?

i Mara a mistake when adding 25 shrimplets to my nursery tank from the mesh breeder tank without drip acclimating them and lost all of them overnight.!

i guess the water parameters weren’t close enough. What a bad mistake that was but lesson learned 

 

 

If you want to put the babies in a breeder net you should keep them in the same tank as the adults and where they will stay. You don't actually need to keep them in a breeder net though but if that is what you want to do get one for breeder net for each tank you want to do it, or move the net between tanks if the timing allows. Sorry you lost the shrimplets!

If you are plannig to do water changes based on TDS then a difference of about 10 above your ideal number should be ok, dripping in new water, and of course you need to work out what TDS the new water needs to be to get you back to the desired figure? I prefer a more regular maintenance regime and do about 10% once a week.

Simon

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For the cardinia tank I’m keeping one gallon water jugs pre mixed with salty shrimp gh to 110 tds starting with rodi water of o

then doing 10 percent water changes as needed to keep water in that tank to 110-120 tds.

 

same with the neo tanks with tds at 220.

Using salty shrimp gh-kh 

No I didn’t have any amanos but my daughter wanted clear shrimp to add to the collection 

I have a nursery tank I raise the baby shrimp once they seam to be large enough to stay with the baby guppies in the nursery tank...

it’s a different tank then where the mesh breeder is in.

thw mesh breeder is in the tank from the neo parents 

  • Confused 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you don't have any fish in with the shrimps then you don't need the breeder net but can just let the babies grow in their tank? If you have fish in the tank and need to use a breeder net for the shrimp then that net should be in the same tank as they will normally be kept. The caridina babies shouldn't be transferred to the neo tank/water to grow and then transferred back to their tank - if I have read it correctly?

But basically, without fish you can do away with the breeder net (for the shrimps) and just leave the babies to grow in their tank, if their are only srimps in a tank they will grow happily enough in the tank. If there are fish in the tank then you can use the breeder net in that tank with the fish to keep the shrimp safe. You shouldn't be moving shrimps between tanks, especially if those tanks have different water parameters?

Simon

Edited by sdlTBfanUK
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry for the confusion 

to clarify 

the cardinia tank is shrimp only no berries yet or baby’s 

I have 2 neo tanks woth guppies and a separate nursery tank with baby shrimp and guppies 

the net breeder is in one of the neo tanks with guppies which is why I have it.

when the baby shrimp grow large enough that I think they won’t get eaten by the baby guppies I transfer them over to the nursery tank woth the baby guppies.

side question:

is Seachem flourish shrimp safe? I used to use it weakly for the plant’s but stopped when o got shrimp..

ED19469A-6BB7-4704-BD6B-F6B196F8A3D3.jpeg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Able said:

is Seachem flourish shrimp safe?

yes it's safe to use in a tank with shrimps, but Flourish is not required for use very often. It's only micro nutrients, so plants don't need much of it to stay healthy. Plants need macro nutrients more than micro nutrients to stay healthy. However Macro nutrients are not entirely shrimp safe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
6 hours ago, Able said:

Is fluval stratum a good substrate for neos and cardinia as well?

Fluval stratum is fine for Cardina shrimp. Neos don't really need it, but can live in a tank with this substrate after a small acclimation.

Are you intending on keeping Neos and Caridina together?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No I was looking for a nicer substrate for my neo tank instead of the brown pea gravel 

How should I remove the existing gravel with shrimp n guppies in it and install The new fluval substrate? 

Without causing too much chaos 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've had to do it before, and it really is a million times easier to just remove decor and livestock, then drain the tank and switch substrates, and fill it back up, adding livestock and decor back in. I didn't suffer a single loss from the process, and it gave the tank time to settle with the new substrate. I'm not sure if fluval stratum does this, but some substrates require a period of time to sit in the tank without livestock - they release ammonia when first added, so it is unsafe for fish or shrimp to be living in the tank during that time. I suggest you research this, and decide whether it is the right substrate for you. You could just as easily go for an inert gravel or sand, and that will be pretty much as good for the neos as stratum. It's meant specifically for well planted/aquascaped tanks and caridinas, and in my opinion is not worth the price. 

 

If you were to go with that substrate, and not remove any livestock, I would personally set about it by removing the substrate either by hand or with a small aquarium net. Be extremely careful of the shrimp, as shrimp can sometimes be a bit dumb... usually not, but it's better safe than sorry. Once all your substrate is removed, wash your new substrate very well, and slowly add it in with a cup or something. Don't pour from the bag - again, crushed shrimpies are not happy shrimpies. 

 

Good luck!

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I mean it wouldn't be 'toxic' as such, but substrates like that often release ammonia when first added. I would suggest doing some research into it in addition to asking the forum.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any substrate for plants will release a certain amount of nitrogen (ammonia). 

Ammonia is harmful to fish and shrimps. So, yes, they all contain some form of toxin. 

You don't want the livestock in the tank when new substrate is added. It's advisable to move them out to a temporary tank or container while you change the substrate and let it sit in the tank with a mature filter for a few days before reintroducing the livestock.

As Crabby mentioned the best way to do it above. Catch all the livestock and rebuild the whole tank at once. Keep your filter running in the temporary tank/box.

Just get a cheap plastic box if you don't have another spare tank.

RS PRO 50L Transparent Polymer Storage Box, 230mm x 450mm x 700mm ...

 

This box can always be used for other storage items, or as an emergency hospital tank after you finish with this project.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As stated byothers, there really isn't any short cuts that really are 'short cuts' in the end,, best to just empty and refill, a friend of mine did his 160L this weekend and it took about 4 hours doing as recommended above. He was replacing gravel with soil substrate as he wants to have a go at keeping more plants. He has a lot of my cull red cherry (browns) and fish so wasn't wanting/needing a buffer substrate so he is using this;

https://www.tetra.net/en-gb/products/tetra-activesubstrate

He also used the 'complete substrate' underneath which is probably more important with plants, as that has the minerals etc. but if you just like/want the look of the soil and to grow a few easy plants maybe you could just use the active substrate on its own. I know my friend won't have kept the fish separate from the tank once he put the new substrate in, so they will have gone back the same or next day so will be interesting to see how it works longer term, but he is using the 2 substrates which may/probably get either an ammonia spike or build up of minerals just like all the other substrates due to the Tetra complete substrate being used as well? If you can keep the fish in a different container as JayC recommends, even for just a week to let the new tank settle and test Nitrate/nitrite/ammonia over that time would be safer than just putting the fish/shrimp straight back once the new substrate is in place, also as JayC states.

Having read up on this there also appears to be Seachem Flourite and I believe these 2 products are inert from the research I did. I would be interested to hear if anyone knows as that should mean they would be ideal for neocaridina shrimps if you want the soil type look???

I am assuming these products are available in USA.

I had thought I would use the 'Tetra active substrate', on its own if I reset my oldest tank that has tetras and RCS but even after 5+ years the plants grow so ridiculously well, there is no point changing it, I don't use any fertiizers either.

I haven't used the Fluval substrate so am not familiar with that!

Simon

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

^ agree to all of that ?

Tub method is the way I went, worked a charm. Now I use the tub as a fish-storage container. Took me most of the day to get through the whole process with a slightly overstocked 29 gallon tank - hence way more gravel. I think yours is only a 10 or something?

If you switch the heater and filter to the tub, it can hold the fish and shrimp for a week or so with no problems, so you are able to take the safe approach - leaving the livestock out of the tank for a few days to let the tank settle. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So I just opened the bag of fluval stratum and the pellets Can easily be crushed by my fingers making a black powdery soil is this normal?

If this is normal do the pellets eventually break down in the tank overtime?

  • Confused 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Join Our Community!

    Register today, ask questions and share your shrimp and fish tank experiences with us!

  • Must Read SKF Articles

  • Posts

    • beanbag
      Update to say that after a few gravel vacs, front wall scrub, moss / floating plant trim, that the condition seems to have improved.  My current theory is that it is due to waste / debris management, where "stuff" like that brown mulm accumulates in the substrate and behind the HMF filters.  Maybe some tanks can somehow deal with it, but mine can't.  Also another experienced shrimper suggested that maybe those "shell bugs" don't just live on the shrimps but also in this debris.  Maybe this is the reason some tanks fail due to "old tank syndrome" where all they need is a good gravel vac? Also, I am guessing that plant trim helps too because now more of the nutrients and light go into growing algae instead of more plants? Well anyway for this tank I will try weekly water change and monthly gravel vac / plant trim.  For my next tank, I'm thinking of something like an under-gravel system where this mulm can fall down and I vac it out.
    • sdlTBfanUK
      Good to have an update and good to hear you are getting shrimplets, so hopefully your colony will continue and you may not get to the point where you have to cull some to stop over population. These type of shrimp only live 12 - 18 months so the adult deaths may be natural? If you have the time I would do weekly 25% water changes, adding the new water via a drip system and do some vacuuming clean of the substrate each week, even if only a different bit each week! See if that helps in a few months and if it does then stick with that regime? It should help reduce any build-ups that may be occuring!
    • beanbag
      Hello again, much belated update: The tank still has "cycles" of 1-2 month "good streaks" where everybody seems to be doing well, and then a bad streak where the short antenna problem shows up again, and a shrimp dies once every few days.  I am not sure what causes things to go bad, but usually over the course of a few days I will start to see more shrimp quietly standing on the HMF filter, and so I know something is wrong.  Since I am not "doing anything" besides the regular 1-2 week water changes, I just assume that something bad is building up.  Here's a list of things that I've tried that are supposed to be "can't hurt" but didn't prevent the problem either: Dose every other day with Shrimp Fit (very small dose, and the shrimp seem to like it) Sotching Oxydator Seachem Purigen to keep the nitrates lower Keeping the pH below 5.5 with peat Things that I don't do often, so could possibly "reset" the tank back to a good streak, are gravel vac and plant trim, so maybe time to try those again. One other problem I used to have was that sometimes a shrimp would suddenly stop eating with a full or partially full digestive tract that doesn't clear out, and then the shrimp will die within a few days.  I suspected it was one of the foods in my rotation - Shrimp Nature Infection, which contains a bunch of herbal plant things.  I've had this in my food rotation for a few years now and generally didn't seem to cause problems, but I removed it from the rotation anyway.  I don't have a lot of adult Golden Bees at this point so I can't really tell if it worked or not. Overall the tank is not too bad - during the good streaks occasionally a shrimp will get berried and hatch babies with a 33-50% survival rate.  So while there are fewer adults now, there are also a bunch of babies roaming around.  I guess this tank will stagger on, but I really do need to take the time to start up a new tank.  (or figure out the problem)
    • jayc
      If that is the offspring, then the parents are unlikely to be PRL. I tend to agree with you. There are very few PRLs in Australia. And any that claim to be needs to show proof. PRL genes have to start as PRL. CRS that breed true after x generations doesn't turn it into a PRL. Neither can a Taiwan bee shrimp turn into a PRL despite how ever many generations. I've never seen a PRL with that sort of red colour. I have on Red Wines and Red Shadows - Taiwan bee shrimps. So somewhere down the line one of your shrimp might have been mixed with Taiwan bees and is no longer PRL. It just tanks one shrimp to mess up the genes of a whole colony. 
    • sdlTBfanUK
      Sorry, missed this one somehow! The PRL look fantastic and the odd ones look part PRL and part Red wine/Red shadow in the colour. They are still very beautiful but ideally should be seperated to help keep the PRL clean if you can do that.  Nice clear photos!
×
×
  • Create New...