Learning towards a new hobby - Small Slow Steady and Low

[bogeh711]

My shrimps are starting not to eat anything else... Even anything i added in... The shrimps probably come around, takes 2 bites, and jump off...

[bogeh711]

Went to PetMart and grabbed some low maintenance plants as suggested that could survive room temperature and could withstand no CO2 introduction due to declining number of shrimps. Hope it doesn't look too messy.
Bought some Java Fern and 1 pot of Mini Nana. Anyone can help ID the fern in the middle of back row? Looks so different than the 2 by the sides... Aunty says all is Java Fern...


Did a test with the following results;
PH = 6.5
GH = 6 drops (Sera Test Kit, it means simply GH 6?)
Ammonia = almost 0 (i think 0.2)
Nitrate = 0!

Seems optimal already? Which GH level is good?
Feel like adding a little more companions as my shrimps likes to hide in the flora... Can only see 1 shrimp now and then.

If i look back, it seems adding of the 1 tetra and 5 boraras marks the start of my shrimps downfall. Should i remove them? Because i also need to consider the pest growth and possible mosquito larvae. Currently, my tank is free from those white spots already.
Just for info, those surviving shrimps are actually from the first 2 batches i added, later addition of yellows, blue and white did not survive much.

Appreciate feedbacks.

[felix_fx2]

all java fern, the 2 on the sides windlov & center one is normal type.

http://www.everythingaquatic.net/for...-Fern-Windelov

decision to add or not is still yours, but not too expensive ones. acclimatize them properly.

[Naraki]

Add more hairgrass bro!

If i were you, I wouldn't add any fishes. Although it is planted or heavily planted.

I remember reading on a forum whereby a guy said. Lets put you(shrimp) in a exhibition hall with ALOT of booth(plants) WITH a tiger(fishes). So even if there is lots of hiding places, one will still be stressed that there is a predator out there and probably hide most of the time. I keep only shrimp without fishes and they don't hide, They will walk on the ground scavenging.

[bogeh711]

@felix_fx2 - thanks bro... No wonder look so different

@Naraki - scare of hairgrass already, another friend of mine said, though not mention, mostly hairgrass needs colder environment to thrive.

[felix_fx2]

i can grow hairgrass in tanks that meet 31-32d. those i have exposed to sunlight.
most important is light source good.

[Naraki]

I grow mine in 27c. Underground propagating very well.

[sootz]

You can get a steel filter guard (I got mine at C32, then can replace that sponge filter inlet. Yes it is good for shrimps, shrimps like to hang around that sponge....but...but... you don't find it ugly? and take up alot of space, you can put a new plant or 2 there <plant poison thought> lol

Shrimps will also go to the steel guard to scavenge for food. and baby shrimps won't get sucked into the filter.

[gryphon]

My boraras stay near the surface of the water and don't distrub my shrimps. But tetra I suggest you remove it.

My hairgrass in 26deg water, CO2 and LED lights doesn't grow well. Maybe I need stronger lights.

[bogeh711]

@felix_fx2 - hmmm, maybe will try again... Hahaha, anywhere i could grab cheap hairgrass? Don't want to spend 14 bucks on the "Grow" type... Look nicer but, expensive stuff.

@Naraki - huh? Underground propagating? Ermm, sorry i'm kinda noob in this... Care to share more?

@sootz - yeah, initially i was contemplating between the "Gush" steel inlet against sponge. I don't really like the bulky sponge too, but decided to go with it since... Cheaper, at least can test first, if no good then replace. Hahahaa. Personally i don't like rain bar too, just that the price of nano lily pipes are... Even the cheapest "Viiv" i think also cost more then my Class 2A lesson.

@gryphon - my tank is low at 22cm, so my boraras... Swim anywhere, doesn't stick to top also. Thinking to downsized to only 2 and waiting my 1 single tetra to... Go west naturally.

Btw guys, can help to ID the snail below? Seems to have a bunch of them hitchhiked from the new plants... I thought i wash thoroughly... Is it destructive? It looks black taken out of water, but the shell colors are like... Golden in the tank.


Went to the LFS at Seng Poh road. Not much shrimps but their water plants are the best i've ever seen. Clean and rot-less. The Nanas leaves were... Big and round.

Went to East Ocean at Havelock Road too. There are more shrimps there with nice plants too. Seems can choose your prize(select shrimp), but a little high on the pricing. Saw a type of shrimp they name as "Been Shrimp"... Anyone has any idea? Also saw a type black/white shrimp (confirm not CBS or BKK) colors composition is like the total opposite of CBS.
Also seen orangy "Emperor"... Aren't they Sunkist?

Visited Seven Star 24hr LFS at Jurong... No shrimps at all, wasted trip. But the lady manning the shop is quite ok to chat with. Their 2nd level is still not ready for public. The Geylang shop is also theirs, shrimp lovers can forget it.

Lol, i sound like reporting FT myself...

[Naraki]

Propagating means growing/shooting out. Roots. Hairgrass grows by shooting out roots underground

[bogeh711]

Went to C328 and wanted to grab some more shrimps since my total lost was about 10 since started.
Bought a pack of sakura and a pack of Yellow. Hehehee saw a couple of bags with preggy mums.




Removed the 1 fat Tetra and seems that the shrimps now dare to venture out even with the remaining 5 Boraras.
Seems like the Tetra was the culprit.
Snails are growing like mad, 1 week down and theres like over a dozen of them already...
Hope everything gonna be fine now

[KilliNewbie]

oh all the above can be found at C328 except the No-Planaria powder, if you can't find, just ask uncle. There were lots of stuff I couldn't find until he pointed out to me.

I buy rili shrimps from petmart in Serangoon North though. Their rilis look more nice than C328 (my opinion)

never buy shrimps from there stated from AlvinChan Lol

[alvinchan80]

never buy shrimps from there stated from AlvinChan Lol

Did I ever say not to buy from Petmart? Ben of Petmart and me has always been on good terms..

[bogeh711]

Oo? Haha, anyway i just went C328 again last nite and saw some bags of single shrimp! Particularly noting on 1 bag where they mark as blue rili.... Damn dark blue tint... Nice price also... $12 bucks if i didn't mistook... O.O"

Btw i'm kinda stuck in a stiff situation now, 1 out of 3 preggy shrimp are starting to kick babies out.
YEAH! Shimplets!!! Sorry for the blurry photo, had a lousy phone, and damn hard to spot them, super tiny less than 3 mm long!

But my tank is infesting with snails (now almost uncountable) and hydras. Can't change water, can't dose medicine, can't find the shrimpies... Listen sky accept fate (听天由命)... Only thing i can do is isolating the boraras with a diy breeding container, then seed shrimps start surfacing and celebrating... Zzz

[KilliNewbie]

mistaken the place for serangoon mall >.>

Sent from my GT-S5570 using Tapatalk 2

[bogeh711]

A Lengthy update. Hope my experience may help newbies like me.

My 1 feet tank was totally infested with Snails, planaria, hydras and white tubifex worms??! Along with preggy shrimp kicking out babies.

Be careful of some snails and pest hitch-hiking into your tank from new plants bought from LFS... Just 1 or 2 could be disastrous.
If quarantine plants without use of medicine or similar, I suggest to get a tiny piece of sponge and start scrubbing it leaf by leaf.
I did it the wrong way, putting them in a separate tub with untreated tap water for 1-2 days plainly rinsing and dousing. It just wasn't enough.
1st day - a couple of snails, some hydras, no visible planaria, a few worms. Food is clean for a couple day.
1st week - a dozen snails, fast reproducing hydras, some planaria and worms. Food starts turning mouldy in less than 24hr.
2nd week - uncountable snails, literally hundreds, endless hydras to scrub sticking everywhere, even on food. Worms starts doubling, seed shrimps growing bigger size than my shrimp babies starts emerging from the substrates. Copepods dance everywhere (due to isolating boraras)
Ever since birth, I could only see maximum 3-4 baby shrimps... They are all hiding... From possibly all the above...


Asked around and couldn't get a timely advise so decided to take things into own hand. Some things just can't wait anymore.
I isolated every clump of plants into individual containers, marimo balls and nanas separately, thrown away the remaining hairgrass.
Quarantine the DW with babies snails, scoop out every adult shrimp including 1 preggy cherry, my one and only nerite snail and 5 boraras into different container as well. Didn't have enough equipment so they were all in stagnant water without airpump for near 16 whole hours!


There were many many few days old shrimpies only 2-3mm long that I couldn't possibly net out all so I use a drastic approach... Highly not recommended but it works. Do at own risk and requires plenty of patience.

I proceed to remove the filter and airstone, scrub the tank sides of the hydras and snails and drain out 80% of the water leaving water 2cm high from the substrate only and filtered them manually using those tap outlet filter multiple times to ensure i get the water as clean as possible
DIY a shaIlow scoop about 4cm high and scoop out all the substrate with the water and babies. Though it will be a stir, the substrate will settle on the shallow scoop quite fast and shrimpies will... Climb up to surface. Then slowly wait till they swim to side and pour into another container without the substrate. Using this method I managed to "rescue" at least 20-30 babies (offsprings from 1 yellow and 1 cherry mamas) approximately. There are bound to have casualties... But I guess I saved almost at least 95% of the babies.
(Sorry no pics here)

Next, I scooped out as much substrate as I can and further reduce the water to only 1cm from base of tank, I realized there were still traces of noticeable sea mud powder, so I didn't add more. Note I previously only use 1/3 bottle for this tank when I started this tank. I scrubbed every tank sides again and wipe dry with kitchen towel.
I pour in another 2kg of new unopened GEX shrimp and plant substrate (red packaging) and douse in 4 new bottles of distilled water with 1 heaped scoop of fresh sea mud powder.
It took a while for the water to settle... And during the wait... 1 of the yellow got berried while in the container


This part onwards marks the mistakes I did...
Instead of conditioning the new water... Or testing the water with adult shrimps, I dumbly released the babies back into the tank!


Luckily, they all survived after monitoring for a few hours.


I then topped the water back to 20cm high with those i filtered previously from the tank and release the adults back.
Next dumb thing I did was releasing the Boraras back... There wasn't any hiding spot for the babies yet, the tank was bare with only 1 piece of CR media. Zzz...
I quickly proceed to clean the marimo balls, rinsing and squeezing for at least 10 times per ball with tap water before... Dumbly throwing it back into the tank - with chlorine tap water. In next was the DW, carefully shaking off and picking out any snails that could be lodged on any crevice.

After 1 week of monitoring the fresh tank for a couple hours before and after work especially on the boraras in the event it starts to feed on my babies, I can now declare, my tank is clean!
Only plant left is another bunch of floating plant from my colleague (I think is salvania or something).
No deaths occur, new preggy and I can safely say, my boraras doesn't even go near or aim the shrimpies
Shrimps are molting fine, even the babies molts!

New berried yellow mama


Army of babies


Babies Foraging

Thanks for reading, it's long, but I hope it helps new amateurs like me.

Does anyone feels I should start separating the colors into different tank since I got like 20-30 babies with another 2 berried mama of each color?
I'm starting to worry on insufficient space once they grow up or new births occur.

I still have problem with shrimp food...
Corina Shrimp Delight still flakes badly...
Sera Shrimps Natural and Mosura Specialty CRS food stinks my water and are literally untouched.
BorneoWild Spinach have takers, but mostly nibble nibble abit only, 1/4 piece also can last for eternity.
Haven't got chance to buy hikari algae wafers to try. Still looking for advices

[Naraki]

I think you are feeding too much from the picture i see. Thus the pests are coming out.

Yes, I would separate them once they develop their colours. If not if both strains of same species cross together, You will get transparent dull colours

[bogeh711]

@Naraki - thanks for the advice, I'd probably minimize the Corina food (yellow stuff) you see in the photo. Added more about 1 scoop since there was like 12 adults + 20 plus babies. First time had babies so didn't know what else to feed thus added more quantity.
Feeding routine was about 1 and 1/2 day once.
For CRS specialty, I feed only 1/6 while Spinach only about 1/4... They never finish it. Sera food I feed about 15 pellets each time also hardly touch.

Btw, I spotted the 3rd batch of babies today! See the size difference, It's getting crowded!

[Aventador]

Always delightful to see new borns... be it livestock or plants