My Small Planted Shrimp Tank Journal

[JenCliBee]

Wow the substrate looks like some kind of toffee! I love the plants they look great, are you going to have any fish? Or just snails and shrimps?

LOL

I was thinking about a nice shoal of neons but im thinking tank maybe a little small for them? but would be around 6-10.

Why not try to get hold of some brigitte rasboras - mine are excellent and i haven't seen them munch a shrimp yet - the neons will munch baby shrimp when they can catch them and also sometimes nibble the eggs off the shrimps


here's a compatibility chart that tells you which interbreed and which are safe - from planet inverts
down the bottom of the page [URL="http/www.planetinverts.com/"]http/www.planetinverts.com/[/URL]

Thanks hun, will have a browse through . Not entirely sure if im actually gonna put fish into it now, thinking of converting my lido 120 into a planted tank now instead of selling it and have the neons in there instead.

Planted bug has really hit me

jen

 

[Craster]

You'll probably see a lot more activity from the shrimp if you keep it fish-free.

 

[JenCliBee]

You'll probably see a lot more activity from the shrimp if you keep it fish-free.

You can say that again lol, they all over the tank. I didnt relise shrimp were actaully that active.

 

[aaronnorth]

Just an update on the CO2 since using the mixture i made.... it seems to be working perfect, bubbles are starting big at the bottom of the bubble counter and gradually getting smaller at the top. I presume the bubbles are gradually diffusing, is this whats ment to happen?

yes

Now the tanks running and CO2 seems to be working ok, would i need to dose with any think? ie easy carbo, seachem flourish etc etc (i have shrimp in the tank will this restrict certain things i can add).

a weekly dose of seachem flourish wouldn't go amiss.

1 more thing ive herd alot use the nutrafin CO2 whats people opinions on them?

good, but can be unstable and high maintenance. It is reccomended to link 2 together, then change 1 bottle midweek, 1 at the weekend. Rather than paying for another nutafin you could use a DIY kit.

 

[JenCliBee]

Just an update on the CO2 since using the mixture i made.... it seems to be working perfect, bubbles are starting big at the bottom of the bubble counter and gradually getting smaller at the top. I presume the bubbles are gradually diffusing, is this whats ment to happen?

yes

Now the tanks running and CO2 seems to be working ok, would i need to dose with any think? ie easy carbo, seachem flourish etc etc (i have shrimp in the tank will this restrict certain things i can add).

a weekly dose of seachem flourish wouldn't go amiss.

1 more thing ive herd alot use the nutrafin CO2 whats people opinions on them?

good, but can be unstable and high maintenance. It is reccomended to link 2 together, then change 1 bottle midweek, 1 at the weekend. Rather than paying for another nutafin you could use a DIY kit.

Thanks for the info aaron.

If i added another i would rather just buy another nutrafin for the price they actually are, not worth the effort making one when there so cheap to buy.

Seacham flouish it is then, but doesnt this contain copper? and doesnt copper affect shrimp?

You say the nutrafin is unstable /or can be.... i presume if unstable it can cause algae problems then?, so would using easy carbo help just incase and that way if the one nutrafin unit was kept and was unstable at times the easy carbo would counteract that problem?.... or am i just completly off track with that one?

jen

 

[Underwurlde]

SeaChem does contain traces of Copper, but not enough to harm shrimp if you stick to the correct dosing levels.

Andy

 

[JenCliBee]

SeaChem does contain traces of Copper, but not enough to harm shrimp if you stick to the correct dosing levels.

Andy

Cheers for that m8, im a little attached to them since i got them. Would hate anythink ive done to harm them in anyway

 

[Underwurlde]

To reassure then: I have use SeaChem flourish for 2 years with shrimp with seemingly no ill effects to my little troop of shrimps.

Andy

 

[Truck]

same with my TPN i had CRS and CBS and non were affected, the concentration of copper is so little its un detectable

 

[JenCliBee]

To reassure then: I have use SeaChem flourish for 2 years with shrimp with seemingly no ill effects to my little troop of shrimps.

Andy

Thats good enough for me

same with my TPN i had CRS and CBS and non were affected, the concentration of copper is so little its un detectable

Cheers for the info truck

 

[aaronnorth]

i too dose TPN+ (3ml a day) without any affects. That is almost the reccomended weekly dose too.

You say the nutrafin is unstable /or can be.... i presume if unstable it can cause algae problems then?, so would using easy carbo help just incase and that way if the one nutrafin unit was kept and was unstable at times the easy carbo would counteract that problem?.... or am i just completly off track with that one?

Unstable CO2 can cause BBA (and a few others but BBA is the most common). Dosing easycarbo alongside will help, and it would be very cost effective on your tank

 

[JenCliBee]

i too dose TPN+ (3ml a day) without any affects. That is almost the reccomended weekly dose too.

You say the nutrafin is unstable /or can be.... i presume if unstable it can cause algae problems then?, so would using easy carbo help just incase and that way if the one nutrafin unit was kept and was unstable at times the easy carbo would counteract that problem?.... or am i just completly off track with that one?

Unstable CO2 can cause BBA (and a few others but BBA is the most common). Dosing easycarbo alongside will help, and it would be very cost effective on your tank

This might sound a little dim lol, but how do you mean "very cost effective"?.

So you would recommend using easy carbo then?, also i mentioned dosing with somethink, what really would you suggest for this tank.... TPN, TPN+, seachem flourish or a selection of a few different ones?. I would rather dose with an all in one just for less things going into the tank becasue of the shrimp, but what would you suggest for the best?


Thanks all so far

jen

 

[aaronnorth]

as in "it will be cheap to dose a small tank like yours"

a 500ml bottle of EC @ £11.99 will last you 333days if you dose 1.5ml per day (my reccomendation)

whereas a 400l tank would be like 33 days...

you have 1.8wpg, it is "medium" light levels. You could probably get away with TPN, but because it is shrimp only and they produce tiny amounts of nitrate & phosphate i would be inclined to go for the TPN+ (or flourish) - either will do. Then about 5ml per week would be fine. If uo do notice any defficienies arising then simply dose 2x a week.

 

[JenCliBee]

as in "it will be cheap to dose a small tank like yours"

a 500ml bottle of EC @ £11.99 will last you 333days if you dose 1.5ml per day (my reccomendation)

whereas a 400l tank would be like 33 days...

you have 1.8wpg, it is "medium" light levels. You could probably get away with TPN, but because it is shrimp only and they produce tiny amounts of nitrate & phosphate i would be inclined to go for the TPN+ (or flourish) - either will do. Then about 5ml per week would be fine. If uo do notice any defficienies arising then simply dose 2x a week.

Ahhh i get you now , not to sound like i have loads of money(wish i had lol) but im not really to concerned on the prices of the nutients to much as long as they work and keep my tank and plants happy and healthy thats the important thing. Im currently dosing what came with the co2 kit which is nutrafin plant gro and only done it once , on the bottle say weekly maintenance. but even in 2 days the growth on the plants is amzing .

Sorry for all the questions but it's nice to learn now before i go into anythink more adventurous lol. Why did you say i could get away with TPN becasue of the 1.8wpg but would be inclined to go with TPN+?, Whats the difference with the two then?, and why would it make the difference beween the two?.

sorry again for the questions

jen

 

[aaronnorth]

Sorry for all the questions but it's nice to learn now before i go into anythink more adventurous lol. Why did you say i could get away with TPN becasue of the 1.8wpg but would be inclined to go with TPN+?, Whats the difference with the two then?, and why would it make the difference beween the two?.

TPN+ = NPK & trace
TPN = K & trace

with you not having high light, the plants wont be demanding as much N&P, so in tank with fish, they would produce enough of these nutrients. However, in your tank there is a source of N&P for the plants because the shrimp produce hardly nothing.
Also with CO2 injection, the demand for Phosphorous increases, so the TPN+ would be a better idea.
so basically it is down to your stocking, and them not provising wnough N&P

Does that help?

Thanks.