The Crystal Red Shrimp tanks at Colourful Aquarium

[marle]

I made a trip down to colourful lfs recently and saw their crs tanks. The crs are of high grade yet the filter is only a normal hang on and the uncle is able to breed them in the tank. When i opened the hang on filter to see the filter media inside, i am surprised to see only a thin slip of cotton pad and nothing else. When i ask the uncle, he says quite flamboyantly that hang-on filter is good enough, no need biohome, no need filter media in the filter, cotton pad will do, just use his magic soil is good enough.

Some crs keepers swear by filtration which can cultivate alot of beneficial bacteria, yet colourful is able to breed crs using hang on filter with a thin slip of cotton pad. Anyone can give more insight?

Thanks.

(To add on, i did notice a thin strip of brown substrate below the magic soil, i think that brown substrate is the material used to cultivate more bb.)

[bryant_16]

Where is this colourful LFS?

[EvolutionZ]

opposite thomson medical centre, and also beside Nature Aquarium. and yes marle bro, colourful uncle is using only those eheim liberty hang on filter.. and he often have lots of left over mosura food inside his tank.. amazingly his tank is only maybe 1ft? or 1.5ft? he have quite a number of hinos and mosura inside..

[mobile2007]

The uncle in colorful LFS is really a interesting person. Once he demonstrate to a few of us that lushgro fertilizers is harmless to the shrimps by adding some to his tanks. I remembered one customer was truly shocked after witnessing his acts.

Also, the way he handle the plants, very raggard yet many of the supposingly delicate plants survived very well inside his tank.

[marle]

opposite thomson medical centre, and also beside Nature Aquarium. and yes marle bro, colourful uncle is using only those eheim liberty hang on filter.. and he often have lots of left over mosura food inside his tank.. amazingly his tank is only maybe 1ft? or 1.5ft? he have quite a number of hinos and mosura inside..

the tank side by side next to the liberty one is using a very puny hang on filter and the filter is transparent meaning light can enter the filter. gosh.

[blackBRUSHalgae]

no need biohome, no need filter media in the filter, cotton pad will do, just use his magic soil is good enough.

Some crs keepers swear by filtration which can cultivate alot of beneficial bacteria, yet colourful is able to breed crs using hang on filter with a thin slip of cotton pad. Anyone can give more insight?

Thanks.

(To add on, i did notice a thin strip of brown substrate below the magic soil, i think that brown substrate is the material used to cultivate more bb.)

Ermmm... beneficial bacteria or any kind of bacteria don't only populate in the filer media, but on everything and everywhere in the tank, which includes the water column. So it boils down to whether your bioload equates to the amount of denitrifying bacteria in your tank's environment.

[EvolutionZ]

yes... BB also can cultivate on the thin slip of cotton pad..

[blackBRUSHalgae]

The uncle in colorful LFS is really a interesting person. Once he demonstrate to a few of us that lushgro fertilizers is harmless to the shrimps by adding some to his tanks. I remembered one customer was truly shocked after witnessing his acts.

Also, the way he handle the plants, very raggard yet many of the supposingly delicate plants survived very well inside his tank.

What lushgro fertilizers was used? How much was used? How was it used? How big is the tank? What kind of shrimps? What are the tank's parameters... etc.

Even if it is fatal, it will not be immediate. There are too many factors involved, so we can't judge just based upon the demosntration.

[marle]

Ermmm... beneficial bacteria or any kind of bacteria don't only populate in the filer media, but on everything and everywhere in the tank, which includes the water column. So it boils down to whether your bioload equates to the amount of denitrifying bacteria in your tank's environment.

yup bro, i understand where you are coming from, but my main point is.. its quite amazing that colourful aquarium actually can maintain and breed high grade crs with a simple hang on filter and in it only a small wool filter pad but several breeders out there depend so heavily on the much reliable canister filters with a considerable amount of filter media.

Obervations in the tank:
1) Some meshes of moss and ferns basically not very heavily planted.
2) Quite a number of higher grade crs.

[oblivion]

Ermmm... beneficial bacteria or any kind of bacteria don't only populate in the filer media, but on everything and everywhere in the tank, which includes the water column. So it boils down to whether your bioload equates to the amount of denitrifying bacteria in your tank's environment.

yes... BB also can cultivate on the thin slip of cotton pad..

actually its grows on anything with a surface, not only the cotton pad
its on the tank glass walls, plant leaves, on the soil, in the soil, on the wood/rocks etc

[mobile2007]

If not wrong, should be lush gro aqua. I think he punched a hole at the cap and added in like we added soya sauce. I think quite a few tanks there.

Actually i don't really keep CRS and not know what he doing, but the other guy in the shop whispered to me have to be careful with that fertilizer. I think the uncle overheard it and "laggi" shaked more into the tank. haha.

What lushgro fertilizers was used? How much was used? How was it used? How big is the tank? What kind of shrimps? What are the tank's parameters... etc.

Even if it is fatal, it will not be immediate. There are too many factors involved, so we can't judge just based upon the demosntration.

[marle]

If not wrong, should be lush gro aqua. I think he punched a hole at the cap and added in like we added soya sauce. I think quite a few tanks there.

Actually i don't really keep CRS and not know what he doing, but the other guy in the shop whispered to me have to be careful with that fertilizer. I think the uncle overheard it and "laggi" shaked more into the tank. haha.

wow. thats something new! the way you term added the fertilizer in like "soya sauce" is very funny.

[o2bubble]

Hahahhaa... I often go to colorful and bought quite many plants from the uncle. I like his style... no discount given at all even though I am a frequent customer.. Always said very cheap already, my plants are very good quality ones, you can't find in other shops.." blu blu blu... or "My magic soil is 100x better than ADA soil..." hahhaa.... yep, I agree with the CRS tanks, very small but yet alot of good grades inside. I'm initially also surprised that many plants in his tank are growing very nicely though he is using low end equipments and fertilisers. I guess it's because his tanks are mature with enough BB to breakdown wastes.

[mobile2007]

Well, you go hawker centre and see, how the hawkers added in the sauce/oil
you will know.

Actually the point i'm saying is, compared to the very careful attitude of most CRS breeders, his "bochap" attitude is funny , yet can keep those high grade CRS. ( well, i have to say i don't know anything about CRS, just find the contrast very funny)

wow. thats something new! the way you term added the fertilizer in like "soya sauce" is very funny.

[Quixotic]

Are there plants in the tanks?

[marle]

Are there plants in the tanks?

bro, think i mentioned it in post number 9..

yup.

yup bro, i understand where you are coming from, but my main point is.. its quite amazing that colourful aquarium actually can maintain and breed high grade crs with a simple hang on filter and in it only a small wool filter pad but several breeders out there depend so heavily on the much reliable canister filters with a considerable amount of filter media.

Obervations in the tank:
1) Some meshes of moss and ferns basically not very heavily planted.
2) Quite a number of higher grade crs.

[kensk]

Saw the tank few weeks back. Amazingly simple setup with lots of very nice crs.
But price also amazing.

[marle]

yes agreeable. the price is .

[Quixotic]

Some initial thoughts...

Freshwater aquariums are not just made of components alone, but a living ecosystem. So observations based on filter alone may not tell the entire story.

Biological filtration (nitrification) can be deemphasised in aquariums with healthy aquatic plants as plants readily take up ammonium and nitrate as their source of nutrient. Therefore, plants function like the beneficial bacterias of your filter's biomedia.

[marle]

Some initial thoughts...

Freshwater aquariums are not just made of components alone, but a living ecosystem. So observations based on filter alone may not tell the entire story.

Biological filtration (nitrification) can be deemphasised in aquariums with healthy aquatic plants as plants readily take up ammonium and nitrate as their source of nutrient. Therefore, plants function like the beneficial bacterias of your filter's biomedia.

Agree. But the plants in his crs tank are really minimal nor do they look very healthy to me. If i happen to pass by some day, will take a picture.