Leaderboard

Sponge filters can be noisy if not set up properly.... one method of quieting some (depending on style) is to put an air stone at the base of the sponge filter, making smaller bubbles. Another method is to have the 'out-take' of the sponge filter just above the waters surface. It still makes noise, it's just quieter. In the bird world, a minimum of 30 days is recommended for quarantine (which is hard for most people to do effectively), although up to 90 days can also be recommended. I know that one shrimp supplier does 30 day quarantine for new imported shrimp. I don't know if there's a standard set in the fish world.... but I have both quarantined fish and not quarantined fish. The fish I quarantined I struggled to keep alive, but not quarantining them didn't guarantee survival either... I only have shrimp tanks now, although I did add fish to one of those tanks, without quarantine. No other fish in there so no 'real' reason to quarantine, even though I did source the fish from two separate locations (just because first option only had 2 and they do better in groups). I *think* they are doing fine, but they are a species known for hiding and don't usually all come out at once so hard to say for sure.

Usually a week or two should be enough with careful observation to see if any symptoms develop. No. But it depends on the filtration. If you use a mature filter, then you don't need to cycle a quarantine tank for very long. I just use the water from my water change to fill a quarantine tank. And some old filter media floss from a mature filter in the quarantine tank's canister. The quarantine tank is very basic, no decor, no substrate, nothing. Except maybe some lights to check for diseases after a week or two. You can get away with lights, and use a hand held torch even. Just a heater.

If you can get one of these where you are it is probably the best all round for quietness and sufficient 'as it is' for your quarantine tank, there is a great video attached, you probably won't want the air line if you want quietness though! If you watch the video you may find you can replace the supplied sponge with an already used bacteria full sponge if you have one available, otherwise if you put the supplied new sponge in an existing tank for a couple of weeks (just float it in the tank) to get bacteria into it? This will slightly delay getting the fish, assuming you haven't already got them........ You may be able to get one of these on your local ebay or amazon? https://www.pro-shrimp.co.uk/internal-filters/2104-aquael-pat-mini-filter-5905546137997.html Simon

Perfect. I've got a spare heater, can source a tank and filtration, have cycled media, and have a simple light if ambient light isn't enough. Pretty random question - are sponge filters super noisy? I've never used one with an air pump, and the qt tank would go in my bedroom; but only if I could actually sleep ?. Otherwise, is it cool to turn off a filter at night? Cheers

Hello folks, This is in regards to my TB tank that has had shrimp for about 2 months now. The shrimp came in two batches from different vendors - one was two BKK and the other was a bunch of RWP and BB. Everything was going well for about 2 months with the shrimps actively grazing around and suddenly I found one of the BKK dead and upright in a corner of the tank. I usually do a check-up on the shrimp every day and the only time the shrimp are inert is one day before and after a molt. In the past when I had shrimp die for various reasons they would be inert for a few days prior. The water parameters are the same as usual: Amm/NO2/NO3 = 0, ph = 6.0 or a little lower, GH 5, TDS 110 Using RO + SS GH+ and I did a 15% water change 2 days ago, dripping in the new water. I haven't fed any pellet shrimp food for a while because there are still lots of patches of algae in the tank, plus one IAL, plus they finished off a mulberry leaf 2 days ago. Nothing looks odd on the dead body of this shrimp (no real color loss) except the clear parts like antennae and tip of tail are a little orange. (I think this is typical of shrimp that have died? Or a molt shell once you remove it from the water and expose it to air.) The only odd things about this shrimp are that in the 2 months, it molted a few times but never grew much (or at all) over the original 1/2" size. About a month ago, the white parts of it started turning blue. The other BKK that came at the same time also either hasn't grown at all or maybe just a tiny bit, and only has little patches of blue. The other batch of shrimp from a different breeder (RWP and BB) have grown significantly over this time. Anyway, the rest of the shrimp seem to still be doing well and actively grazing. (Actually, two are acting quiet, but it is still within the pre-molt time frame) I hope it's not bacterial infection, but what can I do to prevent / prepare? I have available: Dr Tim's Eco balance, Doxycycline (fish med), oregano oil, melafix, H2O2.