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My advise...
Do not do direct suction from the UGF...
Hi guys
I could only find this place to share my happiness as my whole family and my gf opposed my ideas.
I tried to setup a 20 cm tank to rear cherry and it failed, hence i shifted to rearing betta fish. However, my heart kept admiring the shrimp keeper and i always read about you guys post on your wonderful shrimps especially the post on how to setup your shrimp tank.It was then i could not take it and went to the fish shop at tamp called superstar aquarium to purchase the whole freaking set to keep CRS.
The boss was nice and offered me the following
1) new 2 feet tank with a new stand
2) second hand eheim filter ( those quite big kind, i think is 2222 )
3)second hand chiller from germany with some reader meter that can auto chill the water is it is not at the right temperature.
4) a new prefilter with media
5) soil
Those cost me $385 and my hand itchy and asked for more stuff to make the tank looks better - the additional stuff is
6) a gravel filter - those white net that allows the filter to suck everything from below
7) a rain water pipe that can give the effect of rain
a bonsai tree branch plus every plants to make it look like the design i describe
In the end it costs me $470
My mother kept scolding me and my gf kept nagging at me .. Seriously guys, do you think is worth it for that price ? I just want to give the shrimp the best cause i dun want the shrimp to die like my cherry. Can you feel my world ?
My advise...
Do not do direct suction from the UGF...
Bro what is UGF ? Sorry i am not good in such term. Why not advisable?
Originally Posted by newlife
Ugf is under gravel filter that you bought. The sucking of the Ugf will degrade your soil over time and expired fast. Unless u know how to use it correctly by putting some stuff over the Ugf net before laying your soil over it. You need to do some research in this thread or elsewhere to find out more.
Oh no ... I thought the UGF can suck all the waste that drop from the bottom .. Just a question .. My soil is not ADA nor Mosura .. it is called shrimp sand .. Same effect as soil that keep ph 6.5 .. What it claims is that it is not easy disintegrated which i tried for my smaller tank and it is really hard .. When i add water in, there is no waste produced or any soil material from the shrimp sand .. have you heard before this brand?
the link is here - www.up-aqua.com
Be sure to do more research before diving into this.. crs are definitely tougher to keep and less hardy compared to cherries..
If there is anything unsure, make sure to ask/read up before doing anything.. Fellow forumer will be willing to help you..
As for the pricing you got your items for, i believe it is rather reasonable although it can be way lower if you get them individually from fellow forumers here..
Aspiring to be.
I'm also quite new in shrimping. Got no idea to your question about the shrimp sand. Need to let the experts answer already.
if the sand doesn't disintegrate then I'll assume it's fine for Ugf. But how long can the ph buffering capability last with your Ugf will be a question mark. Some guys use fine netting (those laundry bags) to cover the Ugf and lay a layer of quartz sand over it, then lay the soil at the top most layer so that the life of the soil ph buffering capability will last longer.
Thank guys .. I can sense the joy that you guys have in shrimp .. And of course i hope to achieve that too .. I understand .. i shall cancel the UGF tml .. Just wondering what are some of the things to lay on the tank before laying the soil ?
Please share the shrimp sand you bought. Can we take a look at the packaging? I'm curious what kind of shrimp sand that have PH buffering properties.
We usually dose mosura old sea mud powder on the base before adding soil. After adding half or more of the soil, dose more old sea mud powder. Then finally cover up with the remaining soil.
My opinion to you would be not to focus too much on the layout, beautifying the tank.... instead, do more research such that you understand water change, PH for CRS, water hardness, PPM, habitat for CRS, moulding process, test kits....
Hope you have not gotten your shrimps yet, cause it is good to start well with cycled tank, with just the normal CRS, such that you will understand shrimps behaviors better before getting those high grades type.
Good luck.... and do assure your mom you will chip in on the PUB bills. (I hope you do)
One question, are you keeping Cherry or CRS???
I assumed you upgrade to CRS even though your Cherry failed???
You will have some read up to do on CRS when you are cycling your tank.
Who is going to pay for extra cost on electricity bill for your chiller, filter and light?
If your parent is going to pay, then do EXPECT more nagging, been there, done that when I was a student.
If you are using your own money and paying for everything, then I don't feel why your parents should be nagging or even opposed.
My only instinct is that you are still a student.
As for a nagging girlfriend, it can be very stressful, like a shrimp with not so good water parameter. I think you look upon your mum very much. Reason is because your girlfriend nagged a lot like her. Research does show that man tend to find someone who resembles their mother. Sorry, very off topic.
Is it worth it or not?
If you are not a working adult, then it is not worth it, as the nagging from family and girlfriend(Why keep her??? A nagging one sound so undesirable!!! Gosh! It will be HELL for you if you married her. ) can be more stressful than the joy you get from the shrimp.......
Last edited by hyun007; 13th Jan 2012 at 01:04.
Zenith 82!! - your post on setup up of shrimp tank cause the serious poison in me which make me go all out to purchase the tank man .. I was so in love in your setup and simple yet classic look .. that why i design something similar but bigger project.. hahaha ...
Anyway the picture is as attached - Review said that this is a new soil which the LFS owner told me too .. the good thing is that it doesnt give you the chalky water and very hard to disintegrate it.
Hi chansl, not sure if you had already set the tank up with substrate. If yet to start, perhaps you'll want to consider layering the bottom of the tank with some mineral powder and bacter compounds to provide a better water & soil conditioning as the tank ages. This is to be done before you layer your substrate (soil).
Be more generous with your sand, make it a thicker layer especially when there is pH buffering properties in the sand. Probably 40-60mm height would be good to maintain the desired pH of 6.5 (as indicated on the packaging). This may not be noticeable initially when everything is new but will show soon as the "wearing out" occurs. Other reasons for a thicker soil layer too.
As advised, maybe you would want to start "camping" in the marketplace for "hot buys", purchase sensibly though.
Do read up on the stickies too, lots of priceless information available there. Personally benefitted alot from those stickies before i jumped back into this hobby after a few years of disappearance.
Last edited by Matt; 13th Jan 2012 at 01:15. Reason: More info.
Shrimps Watching.
Voted No.1 as Stress Reliever & Anti-Depressant.
Fine prints: Please learn to keep them alive successfully before applying.
http://shrimpsredefined.wordpress.com/
I have gave the cherries to my uncle which has a much better environment for them =) thank you for your advice, i will cycle it well . The LFS owner said he can gave me his cycle media which i research online said that it is feasible to use a old media as the bacteria colonies are well built . Please correct me if i am wrong . thank
My opinion to you would be not to focus too much on the layout, beautifying the tank.... instead, do more research such that you understand water change, PH for CRS, water hardness, PPM, habitat for CRS, moulding process, test kits....
Hope you have not gotten your shrimps yet, cause it is good to start well with cycled tank, with just the normal CRS, such that you will understand shrimps behaviors better before getting those high grades type.
Good luck.... and do assure your mom you will chip in on the PUB bills. (I hope you do)
Yes friend ! I had read up alot on the cycling and consulted many LFS regarding their experience in cycling and research them online. I finally understood the cycling process and meaning of it =)
Of course i will pay the extra bill and yes i am a student. If it is for something i like, why not paying extra for it =) Thank you for your great advice friend ! i will impress them with the final product and let them know that it is a right choice . =)
One question, are you keeping Cherry or CRS???
I assumed you upgrade to CRS even though your Cherry failed???
You will have some read up to do on CRS when you are cycling your tank.
Who is going to pay for extra cost on electricity bill for your chiller, filter and light?
If your parent is going to pay, then do EXPECT more nagging, been there, done that when I was a student.
If you are using your own money and paying for everything, then I don't feel why your parents should be nagging or even opposed.
My only instinct is that you are still a student.
As for a nagging girlfriend, it can be very stressful, like a shrimp with not so good water parameter. I think you look upon your mum very much. Reason is because your girlfriend nagged a lot like her. Research does show that man tend to find someone who resembles their mother. Sorry, very off topic.
Is it worth it or not?
If you are not a working adult, then it is not worth it, as the nagging from family and girlfriend(Why keep her??? A nagging one sound so undesirable!!! Gosh! It will be HELL for you if you married her. ) can be more stressful than the joy you get from the shrimp.......
yes friend ! Thank alot for the advice. I realise the UGF was a mistake and the laying of old mud is essential. I will correct my order tomorrow with the owner. Just wondering if my AquaSafe that claims to neutralize chlorine and heavy metal is similar to the shizhen powder? I had liquid bacteria that i bought from CRS haven. Is it similar to BT-9 ?
In that case, it is definitely worth it. =)
If you are using Aquasafe to cycle the tank initially, i think it is ok. But would personally advise to adopt dosing Shizhen towards the end of your tank cycling. Just to make sure that the properties required are in the water itself. And also, i am not too sure if Aquasafe is 100% shrimp safe or if it produces any by-products while breaking down the heavy metals and such, that will risk survival of shrimps in future dosing.
I'm not sure about products by CRS Haven as I had not been there before. If they are able to market it for so long, i think should be fine. Have seen a brother's bottle of bacterium liquid that mineralises/conditions the water packaged and sold by CRS Haven and have witnessed that shrimps are doing well in that tank maintained by it though. Not sure if that's the product you mentioned. Am better informed about Mosura, Borneo Wild and some other brands though. Bt-9 is commonly used by most hobbyists as Mosura has become more or less a household brand and has been in the market since years back.
To me, any product meant for shrimps use should be good enough unless it is some unknown brand or non-labelled.
Last edited by Matt; 13th Jan 2012 at 01:35. Reason: Add info. Re-phrasing.
Shrimps Watching.
Voted No.1 as Stress Reliever & Anti-Depressant.
Fine prints: Please learn to keep them alive successfully before applying.
http://shrimpsredefined.wordpress.com/
Information on some products can be misleading. It is up to the hobbyist to decide what is best for his/her shrimps, based on the experiences of others.
@chansl,
Given that you are a student, I would advise you not to rush into things. Shrimp keeping is an expensive hobby so if I was you, I'd stick with the less fragile shrimps that can tolerate a wide variety of conditions. If you are going to lay the tank bottom with mineral mud etc, please do not use the UGF. If you must, placing them in separate containers with normal quartz gravel is better. The problem with UGF and soil is very simply put by the rest. Disintegration occurs faster with the action of the UGF, hence the reason why most shrimpers have a partitioned section of the tank for the UGF. You might want to read up on eviltrain's thread.
Where the cost is concerned, IMO, quality is above everything else, if you want your shrimps to be happy. Second hand equipment can be worthwhile, but only if they are still in good working condition. Trusting the LFS owner is one thing, but as with all things in this industry, they are out to make money after all. If they can get you to buy the whole store, they would. The decision to buy is ultimately up to you.
As for the products and their efficiency, I don't think I need to rehash what has been repeated in the stickies and multiple other threads. Read up on those threads and available info, then make your decision based on the reviews etc.
Don't end up making an expensive mistake just because you did not do the proper research beforehand.
Fish.. Simply Irresistable
Back to Killies... slowly.
If it is the CRS Haven Bacter Max, Yes it is quite similar, If you are not sure how to cycle tank with that, you can ask Colin or his dad to give you an instruction manual on how to cycle tank. aquasave definately is different from Shizhen, those are normal anti chlorine. Shizhen works as an anti-chlorine but also contain substances like Humic/Fulvic acid which helps to lower PH and other properties like boost immunity of shrimps and so on.
But you are a student, I won't recommend you to buy things from CRS Haven as they are more pricy. Only certain things are worth buying If you have done enough research. Try getting from Clementi blk 328 or green chapter in the west. If not, in the east you can take 969 from Tampines to go Yishun blk 618 also.
Last edited by Zenith82; 13th Jan 2012 at 08:29.
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