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-- DRAFT --

Yes it is called a turkey baster, I have one, never actually used it though for either shrimp tanks nor cooking! Phew! hopefully then I won't get lots of chastising posts about not vac cleaning, though as I say I couldn't anyway as too well covered with plants/wood/stone etc. I wouldn't even have room for a small feeding dish? Simon

Yep i read an article after a very frustrating attempt to gravel vac that tank, it said that actually for a planted tank, you gravel vac only on the bare areas and that is if you are a serial over feeder, carpet areas, you just need to swirl the gravel vac on top and collect the debris that fly out. The consequence of carpet plants is that you are gonna get detritus stuck underneath but i guess it is fertilizer for them. Please correct me if im wrong on the above point, just quoting what i read in one article. I guess strictly use a feeding dish. I just go over areas with visible debris with a "turkey baster"?(is that what its called?) Here in sg we just call it the sucker hahahaha Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

Ok, this may get a lot of contradictory posts, but I have soil base as you do in your tank with the red cherrys/crystals and (on advise from my supplier it has to be stated) I never gravel vac, never have as it isn't gravel, but soil. Anyway it is too crowded with plants to be able to do it. Between the plants and snails in the tank even my 5 year old tank with the fish has never had a problem and to my simple brain the poo is just like fertiliser for the plants and food for the snails. I'd wait and see if there is a lot of contradicting replies to this though as this isn't something I know about just from my personal experience (and when I asked about buying a vac my supplier said I don't need to bother with the soil?). As there is no soil in the bucket it would be wise to vac the bottom though! Babies are virtually unseeable when first born, 1mm and usually clear, but they grow quickly enough! Simon

I assume you/we are talking about the tank in the pictures above and not one in a different tank or the pail? If so it doesn't need covering with pantyhose as the shrimp can't get through the sponge, even without the base plate fitted. If you leave that base off you may have to remove the whole filter (as you would have too anyway) but you won't need to do anything further than remove the sponge from the open bottom, wash it and return it through the open bottom, whereas before you probably had to break it open to get the sponge out. Hope this makes sense? Simon I don't think you have made any mistakes with the tank, I wish mine looked as nice?

That's a positive step forward. Appreciate you taking my advise. I know it is not always comfortable. I have been there too with this hobby. And if it wasn't for lots of willingness to change and experiments, we would never progress.

Lovely pretty tank, we have crossed posted...... The cherry shrimp may even adapt to the new water as they are hardier than the caridinia. I see you have some moss, moss ball and plenty of soil. I think you have the same filter as I use (I have 2 per 30L tank). If they are the same, I permanently remove the bottom plates, this means there is more sponge area for the shrimps to graze on and more filter area as well , and when you want to wash the sponge you just turn the filter 120 degrees (anticlockwise in your case and still attached to the glass) pull out the sponge, rinse it, and reverse, takes less than a minute - you don't even need to turn it off or take anything apart as the top end stays under water etc. Sponge needs to be tightly fitting in place so no shrimp can get inside and the sponge doesn't just drop out of coarse. Your glass though may not be deep enough for you to turn it through 120 degrees? Simon

I have tetras in with my cherry shrimp, as per that video I am sure the fish will/do eat any babies they can find. Having said that I have given babies to a friend with a huge tank and they breed and he always says he has lots so some must survive. At then end of the day it is nature so I imagine shrimp know to hide, but that is harder in a small tank. I wouldn't risk my beautiful Taiwan bees with fish though!!! You shouldn't need to recycle the tank if you are just changing the water, as far as I know anyway, or are you talking another tank? I have this short cut to the one I used if it is a help. There probably are threads on this website somewhere! I probably made some points in the thread on Tapwater I did so I will leave your new thread to others who understand that better than I. http://www.tropical-fish-success.com/cycling-an-aquarium.html As stated before, I did 1 Litre weekly water changes when up and running (mainly to rinse the dirty sponge in) in the 15L I had and that worked well (about 8% per week water change). You may want to do slightly bigger changes whilst trying to adjust the parameters as it will speed it up a bit, even if it is 1.5Litres if you don't want to go up to 2L change. Zoidburg made the point not to just use plain water so I would make it as near 100TDS so you are adding some good stuff and making the adjustment slower! I have made my water for this week and as per JayC I haven't used dechlorinator. I agree with you that as nothing has gone too badly wrong I would personally try the 'gradual' change route first, rather than the more drastic 'reset/restart' route which would be wise if you were having bigger problems (losing lots of shrimp), hopefully that won't happen in the interim? Simon