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regards,
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Hi. I am new to shrimp, and actually own 0 at this point. I have a 7 gallon and a 1 gallon set up and cycling to get ready for shrimp later this month. We are hoping to start with two neocaridina varieties, one for each tank. They are both planted setups and currently have snails in both and a few zebra danios in the 7 gallon to assist with cycling. Once my account has access I hope to start a build log for them to show progress. To start though, here are two photos of the tanks. You can't tell in the photo (it is hiding under the monte carlo mat), but I made a custom sponge filter for the 1gallon with low-flow. It has really cleared up the water.

As a beginner question, I read online that neocaridina do best in water 68-78 degrees. My heater's thermostat is permanently at 78 (digital thermometer reads 78.3F). If I kept the tank without heat, it would fluctuate between about 68-72. We never allow the temperature in the room to drop below 68. Would it be better to have a steady 78 or a fluctuating 68-72?

Edited December 3, 20187 yr by ohaple

14 minutes ago, ohaple said:

Would it be better to have a steady 78 or a fluctuating 68-72?

Welcome to SKF Aquatics ... let's see about your question.

Firstly, your tank is still in the cycling phase, as you mentioned above. During this phase, a warm temp is required for the growth of the beneficial bacteria. You want this at 80-81 degF. Using Danios to assist in cycling a tank is not a good idea, because they prefer cooler temps (65 - 76 degF). You'll never get the tank warm enough for good BB growth -> Cycling will take much longer. It will still cycle, but it takes longer. Of course, that assumes there are BB present in the tank. If it is not added from another source, then cycling will take even longer. 

 

Second, assuming your tank has now been cycled, and you are not reading any Ammonia or Nitrites, you can reduce your temps for the shrimp to 71 - 75 degF (22-24degC).  So a fluctuating 68-72 is better than a steady 78 any day. Shrimps don't have a problem with the cold, it's the heat above 78F / 25C that they don't like.

 

I appreciate the thoughtful reply. Regarding the danios and bacteria. I am keeping the tank at 78. Care guides for zebra danios range from about 74 to 78 degrees as the high end of temperature. They are widely recommended on other aquarium forums for cycling due to being hardy and having high metabolism. They will only be in the tank about 3 weeks. I began cycling with pre cycled media and then gave it an extra kick start with safestart +. To keep the animals happy in the meantime I have been doing daily changes and dosing Prime to detox the ammonia. The bacteria is doing fine and nitrite and nitrate have been increasing even though it's less than a week established.

Regarding the temperature question, thanks for the clear answer. We will take out the heat once cycled.

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