Outdoors Shrimp Tank

[GotCrabs]

Looking at cleaning out a 20l fish tank and putting it on the outdoor dining suit table.

 

Looking at having it bare bottom, rain water, a clay cave with Subwassertang attached, Mineral Powder mixed in, Mineral Ball placed in, Azolia on the surface, filter free, natural light, topped up with rainwater only, just not sure what Shrimp I should put in, it'll be just a handful, I have Red, Yellow, Chameleon, Darwin Algae and Crystal Red, I won't be putting the Crystal Red in though, so thoughts on the others? 

[Disciple]

Doesn't seem like a a good idea.

Filter free with only top ups won't work for long. Being outside with a volume of 20 l will mean it will have huge temperate changes. I maybe wrong but it would have to be some tough shrimp to live.

[kizshrimp]

I agree the temperature swings will be fierce. Other than that I don't see why it won't work; plant growth holds up my ponds well enough without filtration. I'd strongly recommend against Azolla though with duckweed as a preference. There will need to be submerged aquatics too, like a stem plant of some kind. 

 

Azolla is a nitrogen fixer so doesn't rely on pulling nitrates out of the water. That's bad mkay, you want plants that do. Floating plants do all their gas exchange direct to the atmosphere so don't provide oxygen to the water column. That's also bad mkay. 

[ineke]

Yes 20 litre may be a bit small. I have my outside pond about 70 - 100 litres - that's a guess it's one of those clam shell wading pools. It's under a pergola and I put my cull cherry varieties in there. In winter they get very slow even with the larger amount of water. In summer they get little or no sun and seem to do ok. They do breed but very slowly so therefore I would say they survive but they don't thrive. I just feel it gives them a chance rather than becoming fish food. I get some nice shrimp out occasionally but they are from all different colour cherries.

[GotCrabs]

"Mkay Mr Mackey."

[northboy]

20lt down there I would think is not a good idea, mainly because of temp swings and 20lt can be unstable when it comes to water quality, Plants for oxygen in the day is fine, but they reverse at night and take in oxygen and give out CO2, usually not enough to effect the tank, but a static 20lt may be to small to cope with it. 

 

I am so glad I live up here, 20lt out side is no worries I have a number out side that have all sorts of things in them with out issues, the Cherry and Native shrimp breed well, not large numbers but most of the time I forget to feed them, so they don't breed up.

 

Why not put substrate in the tank and grow some plants in it, with White clouds for Mozzie control and local shrimp for the interest???

 

 

Bob

[GotCrabs]

With our real bad heat hopefully gone I thought it would be OK, the tank is under shade in a pergola, just wanted a clean/bare bottom to make things easier to see while sitting outside in the shade, we don't have local shrimp, I'm in country South Australia, so no creeks or freshwater sources where I am.

[revolutionhope]

Hey crabs i think rcs will be ok if u be running a heater and air stone

[GotCrabs]

Can probably do a battery air pump with air stone.

[kizshrimp]

I doubt you'll keep that up for long. You go through batteries pretty quick and how long will you really bother with that for. But as Ineke says cherries at least can go outside without heating. 

 

As Bob says he can get away with a 20L outside up there, but if I can get away with it down here too, you should be right. Don't put your prize shrimp in there and pack it up before summer. You'll be right crabs... 

 

mkay.

[revolutionhope]

Kiz I agree that rcs can handle life outdoors without a heater but i think thats usually in ponds and i thought perhaps the sudden drops in temp on cold nights would be too much for them to handle. I remember a situation where temperature fluctuations wiped out an rcs nano tank indoors.

[northboy]

Winter will be a problem to, not much likes that sort of cold.

 

Bob

[kizshrimp]

Of course some local shrimp would be better but they're not around. Crabs, you could collect some glass shrimp when you go to get some plants.

 

A mate has kept RCS outside down here for over 5 years, tank would be 30-40L but outdoors in the frost, up on a bench. Overseas some people have kept them where the water ices over in winter - yes, they sustain some losses but the population survives and carries on. That used to surprise me but now we know these are cool-temperate animals not tropical, and may experience snows and near freezing water in their native home. 

 

That said I do agree Will that 20L is very small. And with you Bob, it will get VERY cold around Pt Augusta. But, we only learn through pushing the envelope and none of us will really know unless crabs tries it. If he's ready for some shrimp losses and a good learning curve, I reckon go for it. Great place to try some culls. 

[northboy]

Sounds like a plan give them a go

 

My RCS go through summer up here well CRS no way, the only thing that brings the RCS numbers down in the pond is bloody huge Empire Gudgeon's? dammed if I know where they came from??.

They are in 1000lt ponds and I keep Pipe fish with them, must clear the water lilies and plants to have a look and get rid of the offenders

 

 

Bob

[kizshrimp]

Hey Bob are you breeding the Pipefish? What do you feed them? 

 

I love Empire Gudgeons but they probably aren't the best in a shrimp tank lol. Bloody things were probably 1mm long in some plants when they went in. 

[revolutionhope]

hey crabs can we get an update on the outdoor tank? I think u mentioned to me in a PM a couple had passed away but are the others doing ok?

[GotCrabs]

hey crabs can we get an update on the outdoor tank? I think u mentioned to me in a PM a couple had passed away but are the others doing ok?

Yeah mate, as per usual I flap up and everything dies, well... most died, had 2 left so put them back into the main tank and they are doing fine.

Oh, all the Crystal Reds in my CRS only tank died as well... so I shut that tank down and is now sitting in it's box in the shed collecting dust.

The Mr Aqua bookshelf tank, I have sold all the moss in there, so there is nothing in there except for some floating plants for the shrimp to play in, have tried to plant them but the substrate doesn't seem to hold them all down and the layer is too thin, yeah things are just going ****ing great, ha, got a load of plants last week and should have the rest tomorrow, just need some more substrate so everything can be planted and not lift up and float around, thought about putting in sand pit sand or pool sand as a top layer over the Fluval Shrimp Stratum, but was told not too by a member as it will raise the pH.

Oh, the DIY CO2, yeah that lasted a whole two flaping days as well, great.

Edited April 19, 2015 by fishmosy

[GotCrabs]

I admit it, I'm a useless ****/noob when it comes to this crap hey, all I ****ing want is a nice planted tank to sit back and enjoy.

Edited April 19, 2015 by fishmosy

[revolutionhope]

Can't go wrong with cherries + lots of plants man :-) I had so much success with a tonne of lowlight plants in gravel and RCS..

for me; since i changed tank setup styles its been a big challenge but yeh cherries are tough. I just found out my nitrate levels are over 80ppm cause I have hardly any plants..

like I said if u want a nice low maintenance planted tank then go with cherries they cant be beat. the ones outdoor probablt couldnt handle the temperature fluctuations I imagine ?