Should I 'dirty Up' A New Tank For Cherry Shrimp?

[Gvilleguy]

I have a 6.6 gallon bookshelf tank (24 inches wide x 8 deep'ish) that is currently unused since my betta died earlier this year. I would like to re-start this tank for cherry shrimp. I have read that they like a more mature tank to start out. I can take enough mature media from my 40 gallon to immediately cycle the tank for a handful of shrimp. 
 
Question: Rather than putting in new gravel and plants, do you think it would be better to take the existing 'dirty' gravel from my 40 gallon, which has a year's worth of particulates/algae on the surfaces of the stones? Then I would put new gravel in the large tank to replace what I steal. I can also take a 12 inch piece of driftwood from the 40 gallon and use it as the main ornament in the 6.6. The wood is nicely aged with a light covering of algae and a java fern.
 
I'm used to setting up clean tanks for new fish, but wonder if this 'dirty' approach would be better for shrimp.

 

[Ch4rlie]

A good plan and a good idea to me, i would go with that.
 
Advantages being, you would be less likely to get ph fluctuation with gravel from the 40 gal as well as some media inside the filter which would give you pretty much a instant cycle, would obviously test with 1ppm ammonia.
 
Good luck and let us know what you decide and how things get on.

 

[dave840f1]

I would also use the water from your larger tank to start with. Then after shrimps have settled in small water changes.
I hope you do well with your setup.

 

[Gvilleguy]

Good idea - I will take water from the 40 gallon. The stats in that tank have been rock solid all year. Thanks for the feedback, Dave and Charlie.

 

[Mamashack]

Make sure you check the recommended TDS, GH, pH and temp for your cherry shrimp. I lost 2 lots of shrimp through not knowing about them. 
Generally speaking they need in the region of 250 TDS, 7-12 GH, up to pH 7.5, temp 21-24C. You'll need to match it for them to be able to moult properly and breed and make sure you acclimate them very slowly.

 

[Gvilleguy]

Thanks, mamashack! I got the tank running over the weekend with existing water, gravel, and filter media from my 40 gallon. For the next few days I'm going to feed ammonia into the tank and make sure the cycle is working properly, plus dial in the temperature. I will also evaluate the water stats for dissolved solids and GH. The good news is that I have found two local sources of cherry shrimp, both of whom use the same tap water that I use. So I think that should help with the health of the shrimp and transitioning to my tank. I always do a slow drip acclimation for my fish, but I will do it extra slowly for the shrimp.

 

[Gvilleguy]

Having temp troubles...probably need to swap out the heater (which used to work fine). The temp is staying 27C/81F even with the heater set at 74F. At least I hope it's the heater and not the tank lighting that is keeping the temp higher. It can be so much harder to regulate a small tank than a larger one! My 40 gallon requires very little intervention other than weekly gravel vac.

 

[fm1978]

Both Mama and I can attest to the fact that small volumes are much more difficult to control, temperature-wise. 27C seems a little too warm, is it just up there to boost the cycle a bit? 

 

[Gvilleguy]

Nope. That's the problem. I want the temp closer to 23-24C. The heater is set on 23C but I still see the heat indicator light on and the tank is staying at 27+. So I think it is faulty. I have another heater I can try with it tonight.

 

[fm1978]

Take the heater out completely and don't replace it with another one yet. Check where the temp settles and if it doesn't need to be heated then that's a bonus. I don't have a heater in my Fire Red and Fantasy Blue tank (both Cherry types) and the temp fluctuates only a small amount between 20-21C.

 

[Gvilleguy]

Good idea - thanks. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Gvilleguy]

I unplugged the heater after work last night and the temp was around 81F/27C. The tank light stays on for 7 hours during the day. I let it go overnight and this morning (with tank light off all night) the temp was 78F/25C. I will see how high it gets today with just the light. If the light is heating it up too much, I may have to swap it out for cooler LEDs.

 

[blueboy1]

An issue with heaters is the thermometer on the heater itself is often very unreliable and it's an idea if you change the dial to increase or decrease temp and monitor over a few days and adjust accordingly. My 55gal is 24 degrees and the heater is on 32 degrees if you understand what I mean?

 

[Gvilleguy]

A very interesting reason I have not posted an update on this shrimp tank. I was letting the empty tank percolate and settle in for several weeks, and I was walking by the tank one day and saw movement. I had intentionally been feeding a little ammonia into the tank to feed the established filter media. I looked closer and found a tiny, baby glofish danio! I was floored. There must have been a fertilized egg in the plants or gravel that I took from my established tank. Never had a fry before, and here was a single surviving fry swimming around the tank. It is too small for me to tell if it is a true glofish, or if one of my glofish spawned with one of my zebras. But it's definitely red colored.

Somehow it survived for weeks without external food and with periodic liquid ammonia. I have since, of course, stopped the ammonia, and am feeding crushed flake food daily. It is growing and eating well, as far as I can tell. Seems like a strong swimmer.

 

[Mamashack]

Seems there are always exceptions to the rules! lol