Long time listener, first time caller!

[mmermmer]

Hello,

I just started out with aquariums a few months ago and have taken an interest in shrimp.

I've put some pics of my tanks on Flickr (link below)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/108815754@N05/

Looking forward to my 2nd batch of Cherry Red shrimplets in the next week or so!

I live in Western Australia, am curious as to what other shrimp species are around in Perth, it'd be cool to have a few different varieties in the tank!

I've seen Blue Tigers online......WOW!

Cheers

[BlueBolts]

Welcome to SKF. Great looking tank...just wondering whether the stones have influenced your WP....what's your TDS, PH and GH ?

Most shrimp varieties are available in WA, just look on the classified section. OEBT (Orange Eye Blue Tiger) are definitely available in WA....

[Squiggle]

Welcome to the forum, definitely the best place to be to learn about shrimp, hope you have as much fun here as we do! :victorious:

[warren63]

Welcome to the forum. Enjoy!

[newbreed]

Welcome to the forum. Your tanks look great, love the pics of the shrimp lets and the berried mum!!

Be sure to ask lots of questions and don't be afraid to ask for help or advice!! It's always good to post your water parameters if there are issues, as it may help others to figure out what's going on!

Welcome and Enjoy!!

[fishmosy]

Hey, welcome to SKF

[mmermmer]

Hi Bluebolts, fishmosy, newbreed, warren63 and sguiggle! Thanks for the warm welcome :)

Per Bluebolts comments, my ignorance is now on high beam....I know my PH (6.5) and GH (70ish ppm) but what on earth are WP and TDS?

Ammonia levels at less than 0.2 ppm.

I've often wondered if the stones were going to present an issue with GH but wasn't sure if I should be concerned.

My fish seem very happy in their surrounds? Do you have any suggestions?

Orange eyed blue tigers are beautiful! I shall check the classifieds, thank you :)

On a different note, I fear that I may be entertaining a 'rabbit' phenomena as I just discovered that BOTH my femails are pregnant at the same time...with only a week or so to go. This will be the 2nd and 3rd batches of new shrimplets in only a couple of months....at this rate I may need to invest in a Clown Loach to keep numbers in check...?

Does this make me a monster? What does everyone else do, surely there comes a saturation point? ...I may need a 'one child policy' like China has!

:-)

[newbreed]

Clown Loach may be a tad excessive, you may make some people here weep reading that!!

You may find the numbers may not be too much as shrimplet survival rates vary. Usually a second tank is handy as a cull tank, for the offspring that do not carry the desired traits of the parents.

WP is an abbreviation for water parameters, TDS is total dissolved solids (very important). You will need a TDS pen to measure this, (not very expensive).

WP usually consist of:

PH

GH

KH

Ammonia

Nitrites

Nitrates

TDS

Good to hear the mums are berried again, you must be well on track!

[jayc]

As Newbreed has said, do NOT invest in a clown loach just to keep numbers in check.

IF you ever get to that point where your tank is exploding with shrimp, just give it away.

Much cheaper than a clown loach, not to mention a lot less cruel.

[Wraithie]

Plus a clown loach will decimate your population. The other thing you may find is that once they reach a certain saturation point, they may reduce in breeding volume.

[mmermmer]

Hmmmm you all make very valid points. The cheeky part of me wishes that Elton John's 'Circle of Life' would automatically play when you read my previous post!

Wrathie I'm relieved to hear that nature may indeed say 'enough' when (I imagine) I can no longer see the gravel in my main tank hahaha!

I guess it's a good thing I joined the forum and I can advertise a free giveaway (Per jayc's suggestion).

So about the TDS... how much of an impact does this have on Shrimp? Even the whole tank for that matter?

This is (in fact) the first time I've ever heard of this concept and I'm pleading complete ignorance.

At the moment i have (main tank):

2 Albino Corys

5 Cardinal Tetras

5 Rummynose Tetras

2 Ottos

3 Siamese Algae Eaters

2 Ramshorn Snails (relevant?)

A number of RCS which I wont count cause it's too hard!

No plans to bring more fish in, I started out with more of an interest in the plants and then discovered shrimp.

The fish are more for my other half who wanted to watch things swim around lots *rolls eyes*

;-)

[Squiggle]

Hahaha, a couple of shrimp in the bottom of a fish tank is the most common way that people get hooked on shrimp & believe me when I tell you they are a gateway addiction to MTS(multi tank syndrome) but don't worry, you are with friends here & we all suffer from it! Lol :victorious:

I have been keeping fish for 25yrs & I had never heard of TDS(Total Dissolved Solids) until I started keeping shrimp. For fish, it's not that important, I've only ever heard of discus breeders checking it, so don't worry about never hearing about it before. With shrimp it is incredibly important as they need a very low TDS compared to fish & as most tap water is anywhere between 400-800ppm so most of us here use RO/DI water(reverse osmosis/de-ionizing) which filters everything out of the water & brings the TDS down to 0ppm, then we all SaltyShrimp minerals back in the water to to get the TDS back up around 150-200ppm depending on the type of shrimp. Doing this also puts your WP(water parameters) at the correct levels so the water will be perfect from the start giving your shrimp the best possible conditions to live in & the least amount of stress to deal with. :encouragement:

[mmermmer]

Hi Sguiggle! Thanks for the tips!

I'm relieved by your reply as I have only used water from our ceramic/charcoal filter which removes everything and tastes like rainwater.

It does have it's drawbacks like taking 30 runs between the water filter and the tank with a jug to fill it up but totally worth the effort. I considered it the freshest 'air' they could breathe :-)

What is SaltyShrimp? I see the word Salty and immediately worry about my plants!

[Squiggle]

SaltyShrimp is a brand of shrimp minerals, the best I believe. :encouragement: It just adds essential minerals like calcium & magnesium to the water at the correct ratio, this is where you need a TDS pen to check when you have added the correct amount of the minerals & get the ideal TDS. :victorious:

[Wraithie]

How worried about TDS you get really depends on what sort of shrimp you are wanting to keep. In your main community tank with RCS i wouldnt be concerned, these guys are quite hardy (and as for your population owrry, the tetras will pick off the odd little shrimplet so it shouldn't be too bad.

If you are wanting to keep the more specialty colors and species you may want to set up another tank specifically for them and you can tailor the conditions more easily from the beginning.

Would love to see a picture of your tank!

[mmermmer]

Hi Wrathie, I just took some new pics for you, my tank journal (of sorts) at the below link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/108815754@N05/

Hope you like!

:-)

[Wraithie]

Ahh yes, i remember looking at this-brain dead moment sorry!

I remember being jealous of your lilaeopsis growth (mine kept getting pulled out by the catfish..) ground cover is not my forte...