Possible broken heater & non-fish residents

[Ami]

Afternoon all!

Just finished clearing the tank and was in the process of putting everything back when I noticed that the heater (glass tube combi thermostat thingie), which is about 4 years old, has condensation inside. It was working fine, but now I'm concerned about using it. Should I replace it ASAP or can I wait until the tank is cycled and I'm about to add the new residents?

On another matter, my hubbie wants to know if you guys have any suggestions for non-fish residents? He likes shrimps and in fact the only creature we have at the mo is his lil ole algae shrimp.

As I'm not sure what fish will be going in yet, any suggestions would be appreciated. Anything to keep him happy!


PS - would non-fish residents need to be accounted for in the 1" per gallons stocking rule?

Cheers,
Ami

 

[Def]

If the heater is broken, replace it now. Fishless cycling (which you appear to be insinuating you're doing) completes faster at higher temperatures.

 

[fishwatcher]

I'd go ahead and replace it too. As for non-fish residents, it kind of depends on what other fish you're going to have and how big the tank is. Some fish will eat other things. I have ghost shrimp (which add virtually nothing to the bioload so you don't have to count them) which run about .25-.30 cents each, and a small mystery snail. They come in a variety of pretty colors, for about $1.50 each. Of course there are other pond snails too in my tank... they were free with the plants I bought!
I don't recommend any kind of crawdad/crayfish or lobster, as they will eat any fish they can get their claws on, which is all of them eventually.
Shrimp are always a good addition, IMO.
Hope this helps!

 

[Ami]

Def - yes to the fishless cycling and the heater is working fine, I'm just worried that if it has condensation inside it the water must be getting in and my fish (when I get them) might get electrocuted! Or something.

It could just be because the stupid little black sucky things that hold it onto the side of the tank lost their grip(!) some time ago and that the top of the heater, which I believe isn't quite water tight, has slipped under. I can't see any cracks after having investigated thoroughly and no bubbles escaping when I immerse the glass tube, so I'm going to keep it for the meantime.

Fishwatcher - do you have a pic of your ghost shrimp I could see and how big do they grow?

Thanks,
Ami

 

[fishwatcher]

I think they can get up to 1 1/2" or so. I hope these pix help. If/when you do buy some, I'd get 6-8 at a time. They'll be all over the tank so you'll probably never see all of them at the same time. Plus, when they molt (shed their outer shell) they're very likely to get picked by a fish and killed. Atleast in my tank they do! Luckily they're cheap enough to replace once every month or 2. They are cool little creatures though that eat just about anything! And it's awesome to watch them swim!
here's the links... sorry they're not so good... they don't sit still much.

http/i17.photobucket.com/albums/b95/flwr...imp/shrimp2.jpg
http/i17.photobucket.com/albums/b95/flwr...imp/shrimp1.jpg

 

[Ami]

Morning Fishwatcher

Those pics are a bit unclear ( ) but I think that they look similar to what I know as algae shrimp.

My lil guy grows to same size, sheds his skin, hides a lot! He used to hitch a ride occassionally on the back of my plec before we rehomed him and that was kinda amusing.

He is a kinda golden brown colour with darker striped bands down his abdomen. ot sure what you call that in crustaceans - in fact, is he even a crustacean!?

In any case, does that sound like your shrimp and do you know if they're the same thing or different?

Plus (oh, so many questions....) any info on Armoured Shrimp? Eventual size, suitable for community with bottom feeding fish or will they nip etc. My LFS had some recently and they look kinda cool.

Ami

 

[fishwatcher]

I think they are different, as the ghost shrimp are clear enough so that you can see their insides... you can watch the food go down through their stomach.
Does yours look like this?-
http/aquaworld.netfirms.com/Invertebrate...na_japonica.htm
or this?-
http/fish.orbust.net/ghostshrimp.html
These are both common shrimp, I think.
As for armoured shrimp, they get pretty big... about 6". From what I've read, they eat by fanning particles of food into their mouth, so I don't imagine they would try to eat your fish. They are kind of shy though, so I'd make sure you give them a place to hide when they need to.
Hope this helps!

 

[Ami]

It's the first one! I read the desciption and he definitely has the stripe down his back and the spots on either side of his tail.

Highly sensitive to ammonia so just as well I took him out before giving fishless cycling ago!

Think I'll pass on the armoured shrimp though - trying to keep everything small and that is too big!


Thanks for your help!

Ami

 

[fishwatcher]

You're quite welcome. I'm sure you'll enjoy this forum... everyone here is very helpful and knowledgeable for the most part.