Decided to stop drooling at brothers tank and start one of my own~ (please advise)

[wongwong]

Hi any Brothers experience before yamato shrimps or RCS shrimps being attack by siamese algae eater before??

[thebaldingaquarist]

Hi any Brothers experience before yamato shrimps or RCS shrimps being attack by siamese algae eater before??

No for me. unless they are unhealthy or dying.

[wongce]

I seen sae chasing away outher shrimps from food... they they will chase whatever smaller than them away from food...

I did not see any vicious attack before though... no jaws attack..haha

[wongwong]

when i came home my SAE eating my yamato shrimps not sure the sae kill it or its dead and the sae eats it

[Urban Aquaria]

Yes, once SAE are accustomed to a tank and start to realize that dead shrimps can be eaten they will actively seek out and consume dead shrimps (in my tanks with SAE, they are the fastest dead shrimp clean-up crew, even faster than the other shrimps).

When you see SAE "attacking" shrimps, they are not really attacking the shrimps, its more like taking a quick sniff and checking of the shrimps are dead and edible... that does disturb the shrimps though, so it can become a stress factor for them.

[wongwong]

Came home and more shrimps die!!!! even the pregnant sakura i add last night died!!!!!

brothers please advice what is the most important testing kit i need to buy..... really want to wait till next month cos no money le but the shrimps keep dying......

[Urban Aquaria]

From the start of this thread, its only been around 2+ weeks since you started the tank so most likely it's still in the midst of cycling process with toxic spikes and the parameters are still unstable (especially in small tanks).

You should let the tank finish cycling and ensure the parameters are all stable before adding shrimps, or else most of them will just keep dying and it'll be a waste of money to keep buying them.

If you want to test the water conditions, get those that test ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels... or just get the full test kits like API Freshwater Master Test Kit.

Actually even without test kit its already common knowlege that the tank needs time to cycle anyways (test kits only help track the cycle process, it wouldn't accelerate it), so conservatively you should just let it run without any shrimps for at least 6-8 weeks beforehand, then do the tests to confirm before adding the shrimps.

[rakurime]

maybe u can go any LFS (or c328 in this case) to buy the following,

Seachem prime/safe or Sera aquatonic (to remove chlorine, chloramine, ammonia or other pollutants that came from our tap)
mosura old sea mud powder & mosura BT-9 powder to condition the water "like river habitat" so it will reduce stress and create a similar river environment~
azoo 11 in 1 super bio-bacteria (which does the same as chlorine + ammonia remover, but in addition also add beneficial bacteria into the water, reduces stress etc)

get more lava rocks if u wish, to soften the water aka lower the PH
but if u getting more plants, also need to ensure u have sufficient CO2 to support..

my new tank set up 8 days ago (with no livestock), but did a major WC last fri night, as i rescape a little, removed front portion of my sand/soil hence i did a 90% water top up.

added a breeding box attached to the new tank, so that will be the "acclimating procedure" for new livestocks to be added into the tank..

i only did PH test daily and CO2 test for now, from 7.4 dropped to 6.5 and its dropping (hopefully to 6.0 or neutral), CO2 is fairly just slightly above the neutral level, will control on that part.

Fri 90% WC
Sun night added neon tetras and lampeye tetras in the 1.2litres breeding box for acclimating till today, 3-4 days and i'm still not ready to set them into the main tank, they are eating well and appeard less stress now..



So far 1 lampeye tetra died on the first night due to stress, the rest are eating well...
5 neon tetra + 3 lampeye + 1 small snail from my previous 6" marina tank to help to do the cycling~

I'm a newbie just like you, learning everyday from forumners here and through mistakes..

[wongwong]

Wa rakurime brother!

All expensive stuff! mind to share the cost haha? specially your CO2 set

[rakurime]

haha i can eat maggie mee for the next 2 weeks liao

Tank: gex glassterior cube 200H = $28
Canister filter: eheim aquacompact 40 = $99
Lighting : aquazonic 20cm clip led (2 modes, day & night) with "antenna" type extension/adjustable rod = $39
Fan : gex aqua cool fan (compact/smallest size) = $33
Substrate : H.E.L.P custom soil for shrimp 3kg = $15
Sand : ANS NatureSand Sunset Yellow Sand 5kg= $14
CO2 kit: Fluval Pressurized 88g-CO2 Kit = $99 (didnt like their stock bubble counter and diffuser)
*bubble counter: Ista 2in1 bubble counter + check valve = $9
*diffuser: ANS Opti-glass Nano diffuser = $5
Additional supplements:
mosura old sea mud powder $10,
Sera aquatonic $9+,
azoo 11 in 1 super bio-bacteria $8.90,
Thermometer : up-aqua pro A-930 submersible digital thermometer $7.50
Rocks : $2-3 each (3 pcs in total)
Plant with driftwood : $8
Plant : $4
Petite nana : $4.50
Breeding box: sudo breeding box (1.2L) satellite = $9

+ the accessories + airline tubes, tube holders, long tweezer, net etc

about $420+




do read up about pressurized co2 kits before u start to look for one, if u have the budget i would suggest u to go for solenoid regulator set, buy ur own gas cylinder (refillable), and the bubble counter with check-valve, glass diffuser etc...

i chose this fluval co2 kit because i dont need that much co2, as my tank is not big and i do not have the space to store big cylinder tanks, and solenoid regulator is out of my budget, even though it works perfectly with a power switch, i rather do manual work by fine-tuning 1 bubble per 5 second setting :P

know what u want, and what works and what doesnt work, find out more and check the reviews often!

[wongce]

Rakurime, nice setup...but in my humble opinion, your tank with hardy plants do not even need co2 in the first place...you can keep them with normal air bubbler (for fish n shrimps)... good selection of plants plays the trick..

Hi wongwong, as what UA shared... research more before you dive into shrimp keeping. It not a hard hobby but they are a lot more delicate than fishes... a lot of parameters to take note.

Maybe I talked too much again... UA, Eric you guys take over...I tapping out now...haha

[limz_777]

the ANS sunset yellow look so much different from the pictures on EOA website , is it very fine like sudo sand ?

[apek19]

haha i can eat maggie mee for the next 2 weeks liao

Tank: gex glassterior cube 200H = $28
Canister filter: eheim aquacompact 40 = $99
Lighting : aquazonic 20cm clip led (2 modes, day & night) with "antenna" type extension/adjustable rod = $39
Fan : gex aqua cool fan (compact/smallest size) = $33
Substrate : H.E.L.P custom soil for shrimp 3kg = $15
Sand : ANS NatureSand Sunset Yellow Sand 5kg= $14
CO2 kit: Fluval Pressurized 88g-CO2 Kit = $99 (didnt like their stock bubble counter and diffuser)
*bubble counter: Ista 2in1 bubble counter + check valve = $9
*diffuser: ANS Opti-glass Nano diffuser = $5
Additional supplements:
mosura old sea mud powder $10,
Sera aquatonic $9+,
azoo 11 in 1 super bio-bacteria $8.90,
Thermometer : up-aqua pro A-930 submersible digital thermometer $7.50
Rocks : $2-3 each (3 pcs in total)
Plant with driftwood : $8
Plant : $4
Petite nana : $4.50
Breeding box: sudo breeding box (1.2L) satellite = $9

+ the accessories + airline tubes, tube holders, long tweezer, net etc

about $420+




do read up about pressurized co2 kits before u start to look for one, if u have the budget i would suggest u to go for solenoid regulator set, buy ur own gas cylinder (refillable), and the bubble counter with check-valve, glass diffuser etc...

i chose this fluval co2 kit because i dont need that much co2, as my tank is not big and i do not have the space to store big cylinder tanks, and solenoid regulator is out of my budget, even though it works perfectly with a power switch, i rather do manual work by fine-tuning 1 bubble per 5 second setting :P

know what u want, and what works and what doesnt work, find out more and check the reviews often!

What a list! With that, I think you can keep more than java ferns and nana bro! 😆

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

[rakurime]

Rakurime, nice setup...but in my humble opinion, your tank with hardy plants do not even need co2 in the first place...you can keep them with normal air bubbler (for fish n shrimps)... good selection of plants plays the trick..

oh... but my CO2 kit at such setting (1 bubble every 5 sec) won't be too much for the entire tank right? i use it only when i on the white led lights, like 2-4 hours per day the most..

so its better to buy another small pump with air-stone to circulate the oxygen ?

the ANS sunset yellow look so much different from the pictures on EOA website , is it very fine like sudo sand ?

erm it looks quite fine to me, i dunno about sudo sand as i have not got a chance to see it in stores at the moment...
i did a stupid mistake, didn't soak and wash the sand before i add them in, but the cloudiness cleared in 24hours on my first day when i filled the tank with water...
in overall the tank has been cycled for a week...

What a list! With that, I think you can keep more than java ferns and nana bro! 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

haha i just added golden nana last night! i have not much grounding space left, so i let chuck the golden nana near the top left corner with new plants but not covered with soil letting it "float", is it ok?

i like the pearling effect of java ferns... but not much space left !!

[wongwong]

the casualty seems to stop (finger crossed)

i have a problem as from the start i had trimmed some plants and disturbed the sand so the carpet i that i using seems very dusty and also my moss ball. should i take it out and rinse it?

i tried doing so but whenever i put back those small dust will make my mini fissidens dirty again.... and when you guys use moss on mesh do you all cover the mesh side with mesh to make it more natural or you guys just leave it as it is??

[wongce]

oh... but my CO2 kit at such setting (1 bubble every 5 sec) won't be too much for the entire tank right? i use it only when i on the white led lights, like 2-4 hours per day the most..

so its better to buy another small pump with air-stone to circulate the oxygen ?


erm it looks quite fine to me, i dunno about sudo sand as i have not got a chance to see it in stores at the moment...
i did a stupid mistake, didn't soak and wash the sand before i add them in, but the cloudiness cleared in 24hours on my first day when i filled the tank with water...
in overall the tank has been cycled for a week...


haha i just added golden nana last night! i have not much grounding space left, so i let chuck the golden nana near the top left corner with new plants but not covered with soil letting it "float", is it ok?

i like the pearling effect of java ferns... but not much space left !!

your setup already done and running properly right? then just leave it... normally itchy hands will cause more problems...well if you setup another similar tank... you can do it low tech style...

[Urban Aquaria]

oh... but my CO2 kit at such setting (1 bubble every 5 sec) won't be too much for the entire tank right? i use it only when i on the white led lights, like 2-4 hours per day the most..

Your Co2 injection is quite minimal and its only switched on for a rather short time, so not sure if it helps much if used in such a way... but i guess even abit of Co2 should have some benefit to the plants (though how beneficial is probably abit tricky to gauge with low Co2 injection and naturally slow growing plants).

Note that since you have to switch it on and off manually, do be careful not to accidentally leave it on overnight or over a weekend (ie. if you forget or happen to be busy)... a small tank volume + small water surface area can result in Co2 levels building up very quickly, which can affect the fauna (especially with manual regulators which tend to have fluctuating injection rates over time).

An alternative you could consider is to use Seachem Excel, if you dose normal recommended dosage its safe to use and if you forget to dose its also okay, less chances of mishaps.

[wongwong]

Hi brothers after seeing my SAE and Yamato keep disturbing the rcs i took them out..... (Spent quite some time catching the SAE....)

So now my tank is just rcs and 1 multiple coloured small fish (Sorry not sure of the name swordtail + colourfull neon?)

problem now is since i had no algae crew in my tank, the glass is starting to show some green algae. How can i prevent it? I heard people say use snail but will it eat my plants or shrimplets? will it bloom in population?

and my temp is 29 in the day and 28 at the night, if i want to lower the temperature i must get a fan right? must my fan be on 24 hrs? or just during the hot afternoon? my tank is only 1 feet so water evaporation so be quite high, i topping up with fairprice water

[Urban Aquaria]

Hi brothers after seeing my SAE and Yamato keep disturbing the rcs i took them out..... (Spent quite some time catching the SAE....)

So now my tank is just rcs and 1 multiple coloured small fish (Sorry not sure of the name swordtail + colourfull neon?)

problem now is since i had no algae crew in my tank, the glass is starting to show some green algae. How can i prevent it? I heard people say use snail but will it eat my plants or shrimplets? will it bloom in population?

and my temp is 29 in the day and 28 at the night, if i want to lower the temperature i must get a fan right? must my fan be on 24 hrs? or just during the hot afternoon? my tank is only 1 feet so water evaporation so be quite high, i topping up with fairprice water

Good choice to remove the SAE, it'll outgrow your 1ft tank very quickly so will have to be eventually removed anyways. Yamato/Amano shrimps are much larger and have bigger appetites so they would usually tend to outcompete the smaller RCS shrimps for food too, especially in a small tank.

Algae on the glass usually indicates excess lights on those areas, but it appears in all tanks... just that in a balanced tank the algae on glass is very minimal and usually only need to spot scrape some areas every 1-2 months. If you have to scrape the algae every week, then have to check and see what is unbalanced in your tank.

SAE and shrimps don't help much with algae on the glass sides. You can get 1-2 otocinclus to help with that, they will graze and eat up the soft green/brown algae on the glass. Otocinclus will not harm or bother shrimps or shrimplets.

For the hard green algae spots (ie. green spot algae), you have to manually scrape them off. Only nerite snails will eat it, so you could try getting maybe 1-2 and see if they help. The snails don't bother shrimps or shrimplets too, they are too slow anyways. Note that nerite snails may lay white eggs in the tank, the eggs will not hatch but will stick permanently to hardscape, plants and glass, so you will still have to manually scrape them off.

If you are having RCS shrimps, then 28-29°C is actually okay for them... though if the temperature starts to get higher than that, a fan can usually help to lower the water temperature further by around 2-3°C (you can set it on timer to activate only in the daytime, or can also be on 24 hours, up to you), you'll have to see if its worth the extra evaporation and constant topping up of water and the noise of the fan.

[wongwong]

Hi Urban Aquaria brother,

i will just buy a algae scraper to remove those on the glass,

Is it me or otocinclus look alot like SAE when i google for its image?

for the fan if the evaporation is high and i if i keep topping up the water with fairprice water will it be harmful to my shrimps?

happy boy me i bought two more sakura after seeing the casualty in my tank have stop. bought it quite expensive at tampines yun feng 1 for $2.50 but i chose 2 berried ones~ (finger crossed hope they are okay~)

I also have a young endler wondering is it shrimp and shrimplets safe?