Leaderboard

I'll try again! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Take 2! I'm aiming for it to smooth over so that you can't see any cracks in the stones with xmas moss!m Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

A forum staying relevant in today’s connected world is no easy task as we are competing against platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and whatever comes next. Doing this by specialising on only one aspect of the hobby is even more of a difficult task. This is why a number of dedicated shrimp and speciality fish forums have become inactive or gone altogether over the past 12-18 months. Despite this, the forums that have taken a balanced approach to general aquatic topics have continued to thrive. Here at SKF, we stand at the precipice of what comes next. We can put our blinkers on and deny the trends around us and risk cyber extinction or we can embrace the change and continue moving forward. I understand that many of you don’t like change but the reality is that we must move forward in order to survive the next wave of threats to forums like us. So what’s changing? We are going to rebrand ourselves so that we appeal to all parts of the aquatic hobby. We are going to be different to other all-purpose sites by sticking to our roots and keeping the shrimp stuff first and foremost. For our diehard SKF fans, the shrimp keeper’s URL will remain and point to the shrimp section of the new forum. So for you, not much will probably change and the forum will continue to remain synonymous with shrimp keeping. This is not a decision I take lightly but as the ship’s captain it’s my duty to ensure I steer us in the direction that enables us to remain viable and strong as we are here for the long run. As Albert Einstein once said: Please take the time and vote on the name(s) you like in the poll.

Well I finally made the plunge after much saving and couldn't wait to share a photo! Last weekend I drove 40mins to get to Subscape Aquarium and spent too much money! I had a large tank collecting algae at my mum's place for the last 6 months until I could move it to my new house. My goal was to make it purdy because it would be in the living room (Gf wouldn't have it Otherwise!) and I've always wanted a nice aquascape! I wanted the mountain and grass type look (I'm not sure of the actual name) and I think it will turn out nice! Inside the tank I have: Aqua soil they sell at subscape (can't remember the name but can find out if requested) Some nice stones (can't remember name but same as above) Monte Carlo in the front Dwarf hair grass in mid/back Val? Plant in the back Filter is a large fluval (it's been so long I cut remember it's name but I used it previously) Shrimp guard intake Co2 4 x t5 white lights I think that's about it from memory but am still slowly cycling the tank at the moment and performing frequent water changes. Goal is to have lots of shrimp and maybe a small school of cardinals to keep it to scale. Any large fish would throw it off in my opinion and eat the shrimp! Anyway enough talk! Here's the picture. I hope to jump back on soon and answer any questions if any :) Scape

A new feature on this:

Yep, I have to choose between buying shrimp stuff or a fancy camera and the shrimp always win- please excuse the photo quality. This tank is now 2.5 months old: It's not pretty at all as I cannot cover bits with plants and am too worried about upsetting these guys to scape it. The ramshorns will be removed at some stage, but I am messing with the tank as little as possible. I was very nervous about starting a Sulawesi tank as I read that they need stability. I wanted overfiltration, and as much of it that I could stuff in a small tank as I could. So I took a 29 litre Animates desktop tank and altered the filtration: I cut a 2cm x 1cm window where the filter intake slot was and covered it with nylon mesh and coral glue to increase water circulation (the solution does not look as classy as it is efficient). I also wanted something better than a sponge filter as my second filter: I bought an Acrylic corner filter: upon receiving it I noticed that the factory didn't even put intake slots in the filter, so it was just blowing bubbles and not circulating any water at all. I cut my own holes, rearranged the sponges so that shrimplets can't get sucked in. Then I stuffed that puppy with Eheim substratPro and a few other bits (yup, all I need now is a fake Nemo, suspended from fishing line to complete the plastic look :(, but it works like a charm and that water is crystal clear. Pisces black inert quarts in the bottom. MarinePure filter media in the built-in filter. I have to thank very patient Chelsea @The Tech Den: I emailed her explaining that I wanted a reef shelf/base rock that I could prop up and grow algae on and have the shrimp hang upside down at the bottom- she emailed me photos and measurements and we found perfect rocks for cheap as chips! Next I harvested every algae type from 4 other tanks and stirred it into the water. 6 weeks later, I had lovely algae cover over the large rock. The corals in the photo are genuine coral skeletons. I use Sulawesi 8.5 due to improved formulation, and now I am a sucker for boiling the salt solution mix on the stove for an hour when mixing my water, but the shrimp are looking very happy. If you have not used SaltyShrimp Sula 8.5 before: that stuff does not dissolve, no matter how much air you pump into a bucket it will be as white and cloudy as skim milk! I boil it on the stove, use 3 times the recommended amount, let it stabilize for a week with a heater and ensure that GH is 8 before it goes near the tank. The water is then crystal clear and the sediment has sunk to the bottom of the bucket. The shrimp photo below are of Bonnie and Clyde. They went hiding when I took the insulating towels off the tank ( it's freezing in Canberra). The breeder of these beauties is @JPN07- how gorgeous are those blue dots on the body? They get fed every 3 days with Shrimpy Daddy Sinewy cereal. Micro amounts of trace minerals/nutrients and probiotic solution is added every day as well as weekly minerals ( ShrimpyDaddy) and Vivace (ShrimpyDaddy). I will be getting more Cardinals soon so that I can have an actual little colony.