13L Nano Shrimp Tank "Greenwood"

[Dscheng]

Red rili idea water parameter is almost same as cherry red. Just make sure your water parameter is stable and prefer no nitrates. TDS is not the big concern in red rili. Keep TDS between 150-200 is fine. Unless you keeping Taiwan bee like PRL, KK, etc etc. And you should know that bigger tank (at least 60L) has more advantage as the water parameter is more stable. The smaller tank, it will be tricky to maintain stable and good water quality.

Two weeks is too risky, how you start cycling? Even you use used sponge also can't guarantee the parameter is stable.
New tank syndrome come with no warning. Just take the water parameter every alternative day. Observe the shrimp is ok a not?
If they molt and meaning the water is good.

[NanoScaper]

Nice set up you got there, simple and neat! Are you planning to add fishes?

Thanks, Danny Archer.

I set up the tank for shrimp breeding so there's no plan to add any fishes in it unless I have a specific reason to do so.

Maybe I'll need Otocinclus catfish to keep certain algae at bay or Boraras brigittae to eat up mosquito larvae (if any) in the future.

Cheers!

[NanoScaper]

Red rili idea water parameter is almost same as cherry red. Just make sure your water parameter is stable and prefer no nitrates. TDS is not the big concern in red rili. Keep TDS between 150-200 is fine. Unless you keeping Taiwan bee like PRL, KK, etc etc. And you should know that bigger tank (at least 60L) has more advantage as the water parameter is more stable. The smaller tank, it will be tricky to maintain stable and good water quality.

Two weeks is too risky, how you start cycling? Even you use used sponge also can't guarantee the parameter is stable.
New tank syndrome come with no warning. Just take the water parameter every alternative day. Observe the shrimp is ok a not?
If they molt and meaning the water is good.

Hello, Dscheng.

Thanks for chiming in.

I understand that the Red Rili shrimps comes from the same variety as the Red Cherry shrimps and they have the same requirements. I'm keeping a close eye on the water parameters including the TDS (which I hope to maintain around the value you suggested).

I acknowledge that a bigger tank will have a much more stable water parameters but given the space and budget constraints, I decided to give it a try using a 12L tank and take it as a challenge.

So far, the shrimps look fine (actively grazing and swimming around) and every few days, I do find a molted shell or two. I hope it is an indication that they are doing okay.

[Dscheng]

Sound good. You need to take note of the HOF intake guard too. If the stock sponge, the chances of the shrimplet will be suck in too. Probably you need a shrimp guard intake or use a fine netting to cover it with cable tie. If you are serious in breeding, the best setup is UGF for shrimp setup. For fishes, only OTO is 99% safe. Forget about rasbora, they will ate your tasty shrimplet.

[NanoScaper]

Sound good. You need to take note of the HOF intake guard too. If the stock sponge, the chances of the shrimplet will be suck in too. Probably you need a shrimp guard intake or use a fine netting to cover it with cable tie. If you are serious in breeding, the best setup is UGF for shrimp setup. For fishes, only OTO is 99% safe. Forget about rasbora, they will ate your tasty shrimplet.

Thanks, Dscheng.

Actually, I've been worried if the stock sponge for the filter inlet is too coarse and shrimplets might get into it. That's when I remembered that I have a filter inlet sponge (which I got for free) that is more suitable for keeping shrimps.


Side View


Top View


Bottom View

This filter inlet sponge is less coarse than the stock one and I also noticed that the bottom is covered and there's no hole there, unlike the sponge that came with the filter. I hope this will be more suitable and I'll change it to this one later.

I'm aware that some serious shrimp keepers/breeders use UGF but I prefer not to as the constant bubbling sound (for those connected to air pumps) does not sit well with me. Same goes for sponge filters. Anyway, I'm just a newbie trying things out for fun and learning.

As for the fishes, especially the rasbora that you mentioned, I'll take note. I hope I'll never have to take that route and I hope the flow in my tank is enough to deter the mosquitoes from laying their eggs in it.

Thank you once again for your input. Much appreciated.

[imtai]

hey bro.

just to share me experience, I jus started cycling a 1ft tank using a sponge filter. qanvee 100.

I went overseas for 3 days, and came back to be shock by what I saw swimming in the tank.

I had close to 40 mosquito larvea swimming happily among my catus wood and flame Moss.

even with the constant bubbling and water surface movement I am amazed by how the mosquito managed to lay it's eggs there.

I ended up getting some guppies from a nice friend I recently got to know to clear them up.

hahah so I think it's best to cover up the tank If possible if you don't have a fish in there to deter the mosquitos.

cheers!

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[imtai]

this is how the tank looks like now. armed with guppies as my guards.

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[NanoScaper]

hey bro.

just to share me experience, I jus started cycling a 1ft tank using a sponge filter. qanvee 100.

I went overseas for 3 days, and came back to be shock by what I saw swimming in the tank.

I had close to 40 mosquito larvea swimming happily among my catus wood and flame Moss.

even with the constant bubbling and water surface movement I am amazed by how the mosquito managed to lay it's eggs there.

I ended up getting some guppies from a nice friend I recently got to know to clear them up.

hahah so I think it's best to cover up the tank If possible if you don't have a fish in there to deter the mosquitos.

cheers!

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Hey, imtai.

Thanks for taking the time to let me know about this.

I'll keep an eye on my tank for those pesky mosquitoes. Keeping my finger crossed!

[NanoScaper]

this is how the tank looks like now. armed with guppies as my guards.

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Looking good, imtai.

Everything looks nicely balanced out.

Is your tank in an air-conditioned room? Just guessing because your thermometer shows 26°C, if I'm not wrong.

[imtai]

Looking good, imtai.

Everything looks nicely balanced out.

Is your tank in an air-conditioned room? Just guessing because your thermometer shows 26°C, if I'm not wrong.

wow u have sharp eyes lol. it's in my living room non air conditioned. but it's 26, I guess it's due to the rainy days earlier. now it's reading at 27.

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[NanoScaper]

Alright, guys.

I promised to tell you about the parasites that infected some of my shrimps, so here it is.

It was New Year's Day and as I was observing one of my shrimps, I noticed that there was white stuff in between its eyes.



Initially, I thought it was just some debris or part of its shell but I got worried and asked on the Shrimp WhatsApp Group Chat and someone pointed out that it was Scutariella japonica. I quickly took it out and quarantined it in a small plastic tank and to be safe, I checked the other shrimps for the same infection. I found out there were two other shrimps that were infected too and I put them in quarantine.

Now, this infection can be easily treated with a 30 seconds salt bath but the problem is, I don't have any aquarium salt with me. To make matters worst, it was already evening on a New Year's Day! Shops are closed. I don't dare to use the salt (commonly known as table salt) that I have at home because I don't know if they contain other things which might be unsafe for aquarium use. So, I did not take the risk and waited for the next day.

Sadly, one of the shrimps died during quarantine before it was given treatment. Not sure whether the parasite was the cause, maybe mishandling on my part when I transferred it to the quarantine tank or just stressed up because of the transfer.

The next day, I went to an LFS and got a packet of aquarium salt. Brought it home and started preparing a salt bath in another small plastic tank. Dipped the shrimps in the quarantine tank into the salt bath and quickly took it out after that. Before I put them back into my tank, I checked the rest of the shrimps if any of them were infected, in case I missed any. Turns out, there were a few others that were infected too! It was frustrating because I kept checking them just to make sure.

I made the decision to give them all the salt bath treatment as a precaution. After which, I transferred them all back into my tank and checked again. So far, so good. It's been a few days since the treatment and none of them showed any signs of the parasites on them. I hope those parasites never come back. Lesson learned. Keep a packet of aquarium salt at hand.

P.S. I think it was Urban Aquaria (not sure because I'm new there) that pointed out the name of the parasite and gave me a link to it on the web. Anyway, thank you everyone on the Shrimp WhatsApp Group Chat for the speedy replies.

[NanoScaper]

wow u have sharp eyes lol. it's in my living room non air conditioned. but it's 26, I guess it's due to the rainy days earlier. now it's reading at 27.

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Cool, man!

If the water in your tank maintains that temperature with very little fluctuations, you probably don't even need a fan.

Good luck!

[schwip]

hey bro.

just to share me experience, I jus started cycling a 1ft tank using a sponge filter. qanvee 100.

I went overseas for 3 days, and came back to be shock by what I saw swimming in the tank.

I had close to 40 mosquito larvea swimming happily among my catus wood and flame Moss.

even with the constant bubbling and water surface movement I am amazed by how the mosquito managed to lay it's eggs there.

I ended up getting some guppies from a nice friend I recently got to know to clear them up.

hahah so I think it's best to cover up the tank If possible if you don't have a fish in there to deter the mosquitos.

cheers!

Sent from my SM-N920I using Tapatalk

Dude what?! Thats scary man. Is your house near ground floor and are the windows often open?

[imtai]

Dude what?! Thats scary man. Is your house near ground floor and are the windows often open?

windows are open as my granny is still home. I stayed at lvl 2 and perhaps that's the reason y I get mosquitoes issues =*(

had placed a net to fully over the tank. so far so good!

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[Bracehero]

this is how the tank looks like now. armed with guppies as my guards.

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How big is this tank? May I ask?

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[imtai]

How big is this tank? May I ask?

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hi, my tank is only 1ft (31cm)

I kinda regretted not getting a 45 cm one.

most shrimp keepers strongly recommended 2ft tank (60cm) or stable water parameters but I was worried of space constrains.

perhaps I will gt a 2ft or 1.5ft one once I get a hang of this =)

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[NanoScaper]

hi, my tank is only 1ft (31cm)

I kinda regretted not getting a 45 cm one.

most shrimp keepers strongly recommended 2ft tank (60cm) or stable water parameters but I was worried of space constrains.

perhaps I will gt a 2ft or 1.5ft one once I get a hang of this =)

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Hey, imtai.

I share your sentiments but don't feel bad about it. We're all learning here.

What's interesting is that schwip, you and me have similar sized tanks set up for shrimps. The difference being,

• schwip uses a canister filter and carpet plants,
• you are using mainly moss and sponge filter while
• I'm using plants tied to driftwood and HOB filter

Let's get the basics right first and learn from each other what works and what doesn't before proceeding further.

Agree?

[imtai]

Hey, imtai.

I share your sentiments but don't feel bad about it. We're all learning here.

What's interesting is that schwip, you and me have similar sized tanks set up for shrimps. The difference being,

• schwip uses a canister filter and carpet plants,
• you are using mainly moss and sponge filter while
• I'm using plants tied to driftwood and HOB filter

Let's get the basics right first and learn from each other what works and what doesn't before proceeding further.

Agree?

Hahah yea that's true! And that's a very good observation from you bro.

I really do hope to share my experience and any difficulties or obstacles I encounter during the process.

It would be 2 more weeks before my tank is cycled and ready. Of cos I do hope the process will hasten then I can head to buy some fire red soon!!

Will definitely keep you posted!

[schwip]

Yeh its really quite interesting to see how the different set ups are coming along
... also we are using different formulas/lighting hours/additives (:

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[NanoScaper]

Hello, guys.

Here's an update that I was supposed to post yesterday.









It's been three weeks since I set up my shrimp tank and everything is going well so far. I think it's safe to assume that the tank is fully cycled based on the following result I got.



pH: 6.4
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10

The Third Experiment

As I've mentioned before, I wanted to see how effective my setup is in keeping ammonia and nitrite at zero and nitrate at 10ppm or lower without any water changes.

So, what I did after testing the water parameters is to do just a water top up of about 10%.

Anyway, there seems to be a certain preference between water changes vs top up in the shrimp keeper community. Hence the curiosity and doing this experiment.

Would love to hear your inputs regarding your preference of doing a water change vs top up for your shrimp tank. Why do you prefer your method and why?

Thank you in advance.