(Advise) Low Tech Nano Shrimp Tank

[Sadan]

Hi All,

I am looking to downsize my hobby due to work commitment and limited space.
Looking to seek recommendations and advise from all seniors/ gurus here. Tank placement will be in the bedroom, thus noise is a concern.

1. Tank size: 35cm X 25cm x 20cm height (~16L)
Was looking at Gex Glassterior 450 (~17L) initially. After viewing brother U.Aquaria (hope you. don't mind me addressing you this way ) rack journal, now looking to get a low iron tank. Is there any place selling my preferred size or do I have to custom made?

2. Filter: Canister , ehiem 2211 or 2213
The canister will be fully pack the canister with CRs and with double taps for both inlets and outlets. Which is the recommended model based on my tank? Can 2211/2213 be placed beside the tank? I read and some said must be below tank water level, some said it's fine to place beside..

3. Substance: looking at bare tank.
Is soil a must for shrimp? I am thinking of bare tank for easy maintenance. Is it a must to have soil to stablise the PH? Soil normally come in a big pack.. I only need a little.

4. Plants: Mini US Fissiden and maybe other moss.
Will do DSM for mini US fissiden on either driftwood or blogwood. Nothing looking at planting as I have bad history.. they do not seems to grow well.

5. Lighting: UP Pro Z led
Based In my tank size and plants, will the light be too strong? Photo period looking at 9am to 1pm, 5pm to 9pm using timer. Is the period fine with the plant?

6. Livestock: Shrimps, either fire reds or rilli. Not looking at CRS.
For such shrimps, is a fan necessary? Evaporation will be in the high side.. and the noise from the fan..

Think that is about all for now before you all fall asleep reading this thread. Please feel free to comment if my setup is unreasonable or something. I wish to set it right once and for all.

[wongce]

1) smaller tanks will have hard time controlling water parameter

2) 2211/2213 need to place lower than your tank.. for small set up, you can get eden 501 as canister.. good small canister for small tank.

3) you can get small pack of "gex shrimp soil" , its better to have some soil for buffering, bare tank for shrimps might be a bit risky as there is no buffering.... well you are wlecome to try out... but your tank will look like LFS...haha

4) no comment, most mosses are ok

5)no problem

6)as long water parameter and temperature stable...28-29 should be alright. of course best is around 25 degree celsius to show their best colour for the shrimps you mentioned

I hope the above answers helps...

[Sadan]

Hi wongce,

Thank you for the fast reply! Your blog is one of those that I read, and it provides me with alot of valuable information.
I have some questions with regards to your advises..

1) smaller tanks will have hard time controlling water parameter.
Haiz.. my space only allow such size..Any idea if I can get such size of the shelf from LFS?

2) 2211/2213 need to place lower than your tank.. for small set up, you can get eden 501 as canister.. good small canister for small tank.
I read that the flow of eden 501 often get reduce after a short period of time. That is the reason I was thinking of getting Ehiem. More lasting and less cleaning frequency. Some brothers also advise that it is possible to place 2211/2213 beside the tank? Was also thinking of using HFM, but I believed in Singapore, it will be hard to find the lasting foam/sponge.

3) you can get small pack of "gex shrimp soil" , its better to have some soil for buffering, bare tank for shrimps might be a bit risky as there is no buffering.... well you are wlecome to try out... but your tank will look like LFS...haha
Haha if have to get soil, will stick to ADA. Read that it last longer than Gex. The thing is ADA comes in big pack (~9L), which is too much for me. Any idea if there is smaller packing, or any LFS selling loose? Now you mentioned, maybe i should do a minor scape for my tank!

4) no comment, most mosses are ok
Read mini US fissiden grow better in cooler water.. will a Kotobuki Fan (as recommended by you) be overkill for such tank?!

5)no problem
Based on your blog, you recommended at least 7~8 hours of lighting daily. Will there be a risk of algae growth if my photo-period is say.. 10 hours?

6)as long water parameter and temperature stable...28-29 should be alright. of course best is around 25 degree celsius to show their best colour for the shrimps you mentioned
Is there a need to get tester kit? If yes, what as the basic?
I hope the above answers helps...

[Urban Aquaria]

Just to share from my experience, the Eden 501 is a smaller canister filter so the duration between filter cleaning is naturally shorter than larger canister filters... but i've found that if you were to install a sponge or mesh guard on the intake (which you will probably be doing if you are breeding the shrimps), then it acts as a sort of pre-filter and stops the larger detritus from going into the canister, this allows the filter to run smoothly without any reduction in flow for a much longer time.

The Eden 501 (with stainless steel mesh intake guard) that i'm currently using has not been cleaned for 3+ months to date and its still running well... even though the hoses are all greenish-brown with algae now.

Btw, you can only put a Eheim 2211 or 2213 on the same level as your tank if the tank's water level is higher than the canister filter (ie. tanks with > 45cm height)... if the water level is lower than the canister, when the power is off or if there is a power interruption, the water from the filter will rush back into the tank to equalize with the tank's lower water level, then there will be empty space in the canister. When it restarts again there is no water for the impeller to draw and it'll end up running dry, that will result in no filtration and motor getting damaged.

[wongce]

1) try seaview

2) all filter will reduce flowrate when there is a lot of poo, need regular maintenance and cleaning.Shrimps need a bit more maintenance than fish. All canister need to be situated below the tank, except for small canisters like eden and shiruba, you sure you have the space? don't kick the canister when you go for a pee middle of the night...LOL. HFM? black filter foam can be bought at LFS easily, those have rubber feel and not easily disintegrate, don't worry. Check out mu buddy's blog for HMF

http://hisstoryimmortalised.blogspot...en-filter.html

3)you can ask LFS to sell you ADA Soil in kgs, will be more expensive though. Gex soil is alright.. a bro of mine keeps an army of fire red using gex shrimp soil for 2-3 years in a row. buffering capacity might be lesser but as long you keep around 6-7 there will not be major issue for the shrimps you selected

4)fan can only do so much, not overkill at all... fissiden won't die but may not grow nice in non-chilled tank.... well depend on whether you have green fingers or not...LOL

5)yes, try to reduce photoperiod to 7-8 if possible. there is no need for 10 hours of light... you will be busy cleaning algaes than cleaning filter. moss generally do not need strong lights...

6)test kits basic is ammonia,nitrite,nitrate for cycling. GH and PH for shrimps and fish keeping. Fish is a lot easier than shrimps though...

You sure you can "tahan" the water splashing and equipment humming sound? i am a light sleeper, so i can't ..well, its up to u. Fan, air pumps, filters all emits some humming sound. Although the sound might be low, it depends on individual acceptance. I got a friend have a 3 tiers of 3 feet aquariums in his room...LOL

[Sadan]

Hi U.Aquaria,

Thanks for the reply and experience. I prefer SS mesh over sponge for inlet as it will not affect the flow rate that much. However, won't a SS mesh slot more dirt to go into the Eden 501 thus have to clean often? Is Eden from Italy or Taiwan? I show in seaview they have 2 models.. Eden 501 and xxx (can't remember the other.. haha ) . Any idea what is the difference?

Read quite a few hobbyists complaint about the flow rate in here and other forums thus worry. Should I have space to place below my tank, which model will you recommend? 2211 or 2213?

By the way, thanks to your poison.. any recommended LFS to which carry small low iron tanks?



Hi wongce,

Seaview do not carry any low iron tanks right?
Thanks for the link. Just realised that I can't do HMF alone. Fissiden grow better with more flow passing.. read for HMF, most locals using ocean free foam. Not the ideal but the best we can get here. Haha

Will stick to your recommended photo period. That's slot of tester kits you recommend.. sweat..
No.. I want the setup to be as quiet as possible le.. if not wife will either kick me or the tank out of the room.. wahahaha

[wongce]

Low iron tanks? if not mistaken i saw few pieces laying around but seaview might not be the best place to buy it. Whay don't you give them a call? Last option :- buy from tank makers or online shops.

My fissiden do not grow as well as the pro-scapers here.. so i can't comment..lol i have fish fingers...not green fingers..too bad

Filter:- you calculate the flowrate vs tank capacity. e.g 6-8 times of flowrate vs capacity is a good start. Eden, shiruba, eheim are all ok. the main think is your final tank size. Grab a sponge and put it at the inlet..it saves shrimplets and most of the time you only need to clean the sponge when you feel the flowrate has dropped. SS mesh type of filter inlet may not have the right size for eden or shiruba ( take note, don't waste money on something you can't use)

i personally find eden501a bit expensive but it works ( i have one) note: its for small tanks up to 1.5 feet only. eheim is the big brother in filter industry...

for test kits, i wrote an new article for it

http://theplantedtankblog.blogspot.s...-kits-for.html

for noise... since you have a wife which is a not a hobbyist, i think its better for you to locate the tank in the living room/study room... best way to avoid sleeping in toilet or shifting the aquarium middle of the night.

[Urban Aquaria]

Thanks for the reply and experience. I prefer SS mesh over sponge for inlet as it will not affect the flow rate that much. However, won't a SS mesh slot more dirt to go into the Eden 501 thus have to clean often? Is Eden from Italy or Taiwan? I show in seaview they have 2 models.. Eden 501 and xxx (can't remember the other.. haha ) . Any idea what is the difference?

Well, the Eden 501 box says "Made in Italy", not really sure if real or not, like a Ferrari, also made in italy.

The other brands are usually from china, taiwan or japan... all quite similar in design. I've no experience in using those brands though.

For the intake mesh guard, it depends on the size of the holes on the stainless steel mesh, some are quite large so most detritus can still get through (even shrimplets can get through too), the ones i use from gUSH have very small holes so very often i'll get to vacuum up a layer of plant and poo bits from the mesh guard during tank maintenance, which would otherwise have gone into the filter and clogged it.

Read quite a few hobbyists complaint about the flow rate in here and other forums thus worry. Should I have space to place below my tank, which model will you recommend? 2211 or 2213?

I guess if an intake guard is not used, then it does get clogged up much faster.

I got a feeling that the issue sometimes comes about when people see the Eden 501's tank volume recommendation on the box (it states "for aquariums up to 60 litres") and then actually use it with those larger 2ft tanks or tanks with high bioload, the detritus in such tanks is probably too high and the filter cannot handle it.

In my case, i actually find the flow rate abit too strong for small < 20 litre tanks, had to install a single tap to adjust the flow or else the fishes and shrimps keep getting swirled around.

If you have space below the tank, then go for the Eheim 2213... more filter volume always better, just need to also install double taps to control the flow rate.

By the way, thanks to your poison.. any recommended LFS to which carry small low iron tanks?

So far, i've only seen Green Chapter, East Ocean, Fishy Business (and now Rainbow Aquarium) carrying low-iron glass tanks in stock... for other LFS, you'll usually have to ask them to order in or custom make.

[cherabin]

Hi U.Aquaria,

Thanks for the reply and experience. I prefer SS mesh over sponge for inlet as it will not affect the flow rate that much. However, won't a SS mesh slot more dirt to go into the Eden 501 thus have to clean often? Is Eden from Italy or Taiwan? I show in seaview they have 2 models.. Eden 501 and xxx (can't remember the other.. haha ) . Any idea what is the difference?

Read quite a few hobbyists complaint about the flow rate in here and other forums thus worry. Should I have space to place below my tank, which model will you recommend? 2211 or 2213?

By the way, thanks to your poison.. any recommended LFS to which carry small low iron tanks?



Hi wongce,

Seaview do not carry any low iron tanks right?
Thanks for the link. Just realised that I can't do HMF alone. Fissiden grow better with more flow passing.. read for HMF, most locals using ocean free foam. Not the ideal but the best we can get here. Haha

Will stick to your recommended photo period. That's slot of tester kits you recommend.. sweat..
No.. I want the setup to be as quiet as possible le.. if not wife will either kick me or the tank out of the room.. wahahaha

The other mini canister model under Eden is the 511. But I've never seen it in Singapore before. Maybe you can update all of us if it can indeed be found at Seaview.

[Sadan]

wongce:
Seaview got low iron tank? WIll drop by.. one of my favourite LFS with discount.. near my place also heh
Noted your advise on my tank size, will gauge my canister filter from there.
I am moving to my MIL house, thus can only keep tank in the room.. Sob..

U.Aquaria,
Thanks for your advise. For Eden, I read that QH is the disturber, but they do not carry the spare parts ( impeller etc). As such, will Ehiem be a better buy because of the available spare parts? I will DIY my own mesh.. I think.. haha
For the single tap, care to PM how roughly how much you got it for?

Cherabin,
Thank you! I saw both Eden 501 and 511 at Seaview last month? Cant remember the price difference thought...
The flow for 511 is 600L/hour, which is abit too much for my upcoming tank.. for now.. haha

[jrt]

same same planning something like that too! but is a bigger tank better for beginners shrimp breeder as its easier to buffer the water condition.

Water change like 10 to 20 percent per week is good ?

[Urban Aquaria]

wongce:
U.Aquaria,
Thanks for your advise. For Eden, I read that QH is the disturber, but they do not carry the spare parts ( impeller etc). As such, will Ehiem be a better buy because of the available spare parts? I will DIY my own mesh.. I think.. haha
For the single tap, care to PM how roughly how much you got it for?

Not too sure about spare parts, maybe QH has some warranty terms on the sets (have to check)... but i figure that since the Eden 501 is only S$45+ (after discount at Seaview), if the impeller breaks after a period of usage, i'll just buy a new unit (or just order replacement parts from online).

I guess if you are concerned about replacement parts, then Eheim will be the best choice, easy to find parts to fix.

If i remember correctly, the 9/12 Eheim single tap i got was around S$10+, from Polyart.