New 1.5Ft Shrimp Tank question

[Eightfold]

Hi,

Had recently started a 1.5 ft shrimp tank and it's only been cycling for a few days.

Water was cleared after a day from the substrate, but it is becoming a little cloudy again when i had not disturbed the substrate nor do any planting, is this normal?

[Wjustin]

its seems to be called bateria bloom . Give it a few days , i will settle down

[Lala~]

Ya, it is normal. But you can do some water change if you want to for now. But with care, not to disturb any of the substrate.

[Eightfold]

Thanks, its been cleared now.

Got a little qns, i saw those 6-in-1 water testkits from Tetra but it's stated test strips and there's those that are individual pack that is the drip kind.

Which is more accurate/better?

[Wjustin]

Its the drip kind which is better . It gives a more accurate range of the water parameter you want to measure. Those 6 in 1 is like just roughly measuring the range of the water parameter. Pricing wise of course the drip kind total up will be more expensive than the 6 in 1 test kit.

[silane]

In long run, drip type test kits are cheaper.

[Eightfold]

I have bought myself the testkits and tested my 1week cycled tank, could someone please advice me on my readings?

ph: 6.0 (it really looks 6.0, is it safe?)
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 5.0
gh: 0 (solution did not turn the color that it shd on the very first drop)
ammonia 0.50 (i heard ammonia is dangerous!?)

[Wjustin]

I have bought myself the testkits and tested my 1week cycled tank, could someone please advice me on my readings?

ph: 6.0 (it really looks 6.0, is it safe?)
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 5.0
gh: 0 (solution did not turn the color that it shd on the very first drop)
ammonia 0.50 (i heard ammonia is dangerous!?)

Your water parameter looks ok. Just for your GH its abit impossible. You might want to check your instruction and reading again.

[Fuzzy]

Don't bother measuring any parameters aside from Ammonia and Nitrite for now.

Only when both of these are reading 0.0 is the tank fully cycled, you should also detect the presence of Nitrates.

After the tank is cycled, it would be a good idea to do a 50% water change, then test the pH, GH.

You do not want to introduce any livestock into the tank when there is Ammonia or Nitrites present.

What substrate are you using, what filter and what shrimp do you intend to keep by the way?

[Eightfold]

Thanks fuzzy n justin for the replies!

@fuzz:
i intend to keep fire red, cherries, snowball, bee shrimps. I am using "Master Soil" , it's supposedly ammonia-free as recommended by the LFS. Using HOF that cost 16$.

I will check once weekly until nitrite and ammonia reads 0. Then my tank is considered cycled? But won't doing 50% change after the tank is cycled mess up the parameters again?

Will i ever need to change the substrate in the tank once the tank reaches certain age?

[Wjustin]

Thanks fuzzy n justin for the replies!

@fuzz:
i intend to keep fire red, cherries, snowball, bee shrimps. I am using "Master Soil" , it's supposedly ammonia-free as recommended by the LFS. Using HOF that cost 16$.

I will check once weekly until nitrite and ammonia reads 0. Then my tank is considered cycled? But won't doing 50% change after the tank is cycled mess up the parameters again?

Is GH reading important, what should the GH be?

Is PH6.0 safe? Will i be needing PH Up and Down solutions after my tank is fully cycled to maintain PH?

Will i ever need to change the substrate in the tank once the tank reaches certain age?

GH should be around 6-8.
Ph of 6.0 is safe best to make it abit more like 6.3-6.7.
You do not need solution to make your PH up . Remember Shrimps do not like chemcials. Use some coral chips instead to make the ph up abit.

[Eightfold]

Noted about coral chips!

Do i ever need to change the substrate though?

and given the capability of my HOF; standard sponge, ceramic ring, carbon. How many shrimps am i recommended to keep?

Oh, and about the filter medias i just mentioned, do you need to replace them when they age or simply wash with tank water?

[sianzation]

I feel filtration is important. U may want to change to a canister..

[Fuzzy]

In a 1.5ft cube you can probably get away with using a HOF, I'm not sure about the build quality on a $16 HOF though, what brand and model is it?

I would say put not more than 20 shrimp in it, give them room to move around and breed.

[Eightfold]

Hi, first time doing up a tank, but since already got myself HOF, will try it out, dont dare put too much shrimps too, will take Fuzzy's advice.

As for model, it's a DAZ; http://www.dazs.com.hk/eng/itemdetai...riceCurrency=1

Question, the carbon and ceramic rings how much lifespan before i shd change it? Sponge inside the filter can be changed?

Low Ammonia still present after 2weeks, hmm..

[b0r3db3ar]

Hi bro, just to share from what i know:

It is best to change the carbon every 2-3 months. You are probably getting the low ammonia readings due to the soil as most soil with pH reducing capabilities release low level of ammonia during the initial phase. You should be good to go in 1-2 weeks time.

Perhaps you could consider adding a simple sponge filter for additional filtration in the future when the shrimps breed if you're on budget. Silane keeps his fire reds in a simple tank with minimal amount of gravel and with only a sponge filter

Do note that fire red, cherries, sakuras and snowballs [neocaridina] do interbreed. You might want to consider the choice of shrimps unless you do not mind getting cross-bred offsprings.

Lastly, fire reds, sakuras, cherries prefer the higher end of the pH range [6.8] while CRS prefers the lower end [6.4]. Do ensure your pH level of your water is able to cater the different species.

Happy shrimping and all the best with your tank setup! Do post a picture when the setup is up and running

[Fuzzy]

You should never need to change your ceramic rings. Also, don't run carbon when your tank is cycling.

You want to leave the ammonia in there as the beneficial bacteria need it to start growing and colonizing in the media and the tank. Coarse sponge should never need to be changed, rinse it in tank water only when it starts reducing flow rate, otherwise should just leave it alone.

Fine filter wool can be changed whenever it clogs up, but with a bioload of 20+ shrimp, you should be able to use it for a long long time (3 - 4 mths)

With a low bioload shrimp setup, you probably don't even need to run activated carbon.

[Eightfold]

Appreciate the replies!

Thanks!

[Eightfold]

3rd week and low ammonia still present! getting impatient.. but i found that if i leave the ammonia test solution for a few hrs, it actually turn bright yellow.. what gives?

Jus found out that the HOF's carbon media (or is it charcoal or are they the same?) is giving off its black color already while washing it today with tank water, is it normal? i've left it aside for now, can i put in fresh new Bio-Home media in replacement of it instead? Will it restart my cycle process?

p.s: do you guys recommend getting Ottos or Ramshorns?

[Ebi]

Hi Eightfold-san,

You cannot "wash" the activated carbon "media". It's supposed to absorb the chemicals present in the water and discarded after that. If required use new carbon, otherwise when the exisiting carbon is saturated it won't function anymore, some say it'll even leech back the absorbed chemical waste.