Finally set up the 30L Shrimp Tank

[sdlTBfanUK]

I have finally got around to setting up my old Taiwan Bee shrimp tank (30L) which was shut down when I moved just over a year ago.

I am using Tetra Active Substrate (clay based granules) this time, which doesn't buffer the PH but I will be using remineralised RO water once fully set/sorted. Eventually I hope to keep the Taiwan bee shrimps again but won't be rushing anything at this stage, I will see if I can get the water parameters right and try a batch of 10 (cheap) crystal red shrimp in a couple of months and see how they do for 3-6 months? I will keep the tank simpler this time with a lot less plants. The substrate is obviously releasing nutrients into the tank at this point. I added 50% RO water and 50% tap water (only using part tap water for the start up, will always use RO from this point) and next day parameters were, TDS 232 (200 the day before), GH 9, KH 6, PH 7.5 so is way off at this point but I will do a 50% RO water change in a week and hopefully it will be going in the right direction, not rushing? Tap water here is dreadfull, PH 8 TDS 300...........etc

I do still have a new bag of the JBL substrate in the cupboard but decided it needs a bit too much prep for me for the moment.

 

 

If it doesn't work out for the shrimps then I will get a killifish and dwarf Rasboras as I did before (or other fish that suit the parameters if they are off), but I will be taking it very slow with this tank this time. In reality it is unlikely I will have Taiwan bee shrimps before autumn even if everything goes well but hopefully there will be crystal red shrimp for the summer?

I will keep testing for the 'cycle' but as the PH is likely to drop a fair bit and as discussed with beanbag on here before, that may not be as straight forward as with a 'constant parameter' tank, but anyway, no rush.

 

[jayc]

How exciting!!!

I have just decommissioned 2x 2ft tanks.

Been debating with myself whether to set them up again or just leave them empty.

But looking at your new tank is giving me ideas.

[sdlTBfanUK]

I'm not gettng too excited at this point! The water is way off but I plan to do a 50% water change at the weekend with pure RO water which 'should' bring the parameters nearer to those required. I do quite like the simpler tank setup, the plants came from the betta tank where they had grown too big, so that tank also looks better and the fish has more swimming space. Definitely slow and steady this time, one step at a time. The tank is opposite where I usually sit so it will be good if shrimps work as I will see them much more often than before and in a dparser tank will be able to see more, so keeping my fingers crossed. The substrate was meant to be neutral and ready to use immediately and not buffer the PH, but it must be releasing minerals etc, not a problem at this point but I'm not 100% convinced it will work with the shrimp longterm, but it is still very early on?

What did you have in the now empty tanks? Any ideas for the tanks IF you do decide to keep them going, anything tempting you? 

[jayc]

8 hours ago, sdlTBfanUK said:

What did you have in the now empty tanks?

One was a hospital tank that I could not be bothered maintaining any longer.  

The other was a fry grow out tank, which had Longfin White Cloud Mountain Minnow - Tanichthys Albonubes, that have now grown up enough to be moved into my main fish tank.

I have not settled on any specific ideas yet. Maybe an Australian native tank with one variety of Blue Eye Rainbow fish. Maybe a Killifish tank. 

Edited April 3 by jayc

[beanbag]

Good luck in your new tank.  My only suggestion is to NEVER use tap water and always use RO + remineralizer.  Many long-running tanks can suddenly get nuked due to something in the pipes.  (In particular, I'm thinking of that youtube guy Foo the Flowerhorn)

[sdlTBfanUK]

It has been a few weeks now and I have done a couple of large water changes. I tested the water parameters this morning, GH6 and KH2, TDS 140 and PH 7.5. Obviously the PH is off but there isn't anything in the tank that should cause the PH to rise to this figure so I will just run the tank for another month with 10% weekly water changes (probably just with RO water) and see where we are at that point. The RO water tests at PH6, and the KH and GH in the tank could come down as they are at the upper limits for Caridina shrimps! There are only about 10 very small snails in there at this point, but they seem to be doing well enough.