First 2ft shrimp tank

[alvinchan80]

Hi all... I am new to shrimp keeping & due to being 'poisoned' by a friend & after reading all the threads got even deeper..

Thanks to couple of helpful people here in AQ, i managed to learn alot of stuff and also gotten a good deal for my equipments for my start up. Will try to get better equipments next time as I get better in this.

Equipment list:

1. 2 feet fiveplan tank (second hand)
2. Used GEX soil (second hand) mixed with Old Sea Mud
3. US Fissiden mesh (from bbpippen)
4. Dolphin Canister Filter C-1000 with rain bar (under water level because noisy when i put in room.
5. 2 feet air tube (to pump air once in awhile to compensate for lack of water surface aeration by air bar)

Water still cycling.. Currently is 5th day (i think).. Added in BT9, Bio Plus (something like that from Mosura) & Micro Bacteria (small red bottle of that) to cycle.. I didn't add a chiller (yet) because I am still gauging the temperature of the water in my room. It seems to fluctuate almost the same as my IQ3 tank with a range of 23deg (night or aircon on) - 27deg (mid-day without aircon).. Will save on chiller if I can..

Everything is very empty now except for the moss meshes & also 2 assassin snails (because there are actually previous 'resident' from the used soil). Going to add a glass partition for the soil later this week after some DIY tricks from eviltrain.

I am open to what I can do to the tank or make it better. Please give me more ideas, comments or feedback..

PS, Thank you eviltrain (Alan) for all the advices & Limy for the equipments for me to start...

[alvinchan80]

IMG_0576.jpgIMG_0578.jpg

This is my cycling tank... currently, hope to have some ideas on what I can do to improve it or any comments will be a great advice & lesson to me....

[hyun007]

If you are worry about the temperature during the mid-day, use a fan.
It is able to lower the temperature by a couple of degree celcius but you will need to top up water more often.

[eviltrain]

Just use this tank as a learning lesson. plan well ( equipments and setup wise ) before setting up to prevent problems in later dates. i like your slanted partition for soil. looks original. hee hee

[alvinchan80]

If you are worry about the temperature during the mid-day, use a fan.
It is able to lower the temperature by a couple of degree celcius but you will need to top up water more often.

That is what i am thinking of getting too.. To my surprised yesterday evening when i went home.. The water temperature actually hits 28.4deg.. omg.. i dont think shrimps can take this 'heat'...

Just use this tank as a learning lesson. plan well ( equipments and setup wise ) before setting up to prevent problems in later dates. i like your slanted partition for soil. looks original. hee hee

thanks bro eviltrain.. you know the real reason why its slanted ma... hahahaha.... no choice... cut the glass too long in length... but 2.5inch seems abit too high... and there is a 5mm gap below the glass strip due to my DIY of using a air-tube suction to hold on the base of the glass strip... now still cycling the tank... Assassin snails i only found 1... i think another was buried by me when i scooping the soil over the partition... haha...

Anymore advices or things i can do to edhance the tank or 'beautify' it? lack of some rocks & DW i think..

[insider]

Yea you can try to add in some DW with fissiden to beautify it.

[alvinchan80]

Yea you can try to add in some DW with fissiden to beautify it.

thanks bro insider.. i have already gotten couple of DWs.. but waiting to tie them...

[Limy]

LOL.. nice tank! Eh, are you trying to carpet the front with meshes? If so, might be a problem if it's slanted lol.. But I like your slanted concept lol.. very nice..Haha..CRS SOON!

[alvinchan80]

LOL.. nice tank! Eh, are you trying to carpet the front with meshes? If so, might be a problem if it's slanted lol.. But I like your slanted concept lol.. very nice..Haha..CRS SOON!

actually not going to carpet it with meshes.. i wanted to have a straight glass partition... but because i miscalculated, so must put it slanted.. *darn*
right now i m more worried about the temperature range being too big.. I need some decorations for the tank eg. DW & rocks also...

[CPO]

Hi, I've seen many people doing tank like this in two levels(partition). may I just ask whats the reason behind this? Please advise.

[alvinchan80]

Hi, I've seen many people doing tank like this in two levels(partition). may I just ask whats the reason behind this? Please advise.

frankly, i just like it because there is a partition of thick soiled area & the foreground being little or no soil (mine little because it was done after water is added.. my bad..)
some how its like having a little room space for the coming 'residents' to be just with the moss.. haha...

maybe i am wrong... can eviltrain bro please explain?? lolz...

[alvinchan80]

IMG_0583.jpg
The DIY airtube suction holding onto the glass strip...

IMG_0584.jpg
A scary temperature during my cycling... 29.8deg!!! OMG!!!

[newlife]

2 things to advise.....

1st thing to remind you....your newly bought DW will float.....so please remember to soak it in water for a few days in order to let it sink down and get this done before tying your moss onto it.

2nd thing is your temperature...if you intend to keep CRS....the shrimps sure cannot make it...too high temperature. You got to invest on a chiller....

[alvinchan80]

2 things to advise.....

1st thing to remind you....your newly bought DW will float.....so please remember to soak it in water for a few days in order to let it sink down and get this done before tying your moss onto it.

2nd thing is your temperature...if you intend to keep CRS....the shrimps sure cannot make it...too high temperature. You got to invest on a chiller....

The DW i understand... must make it soak water... haiz...

as for chiller.. guess its searching time again... but just to ask.. is the chiller noisy? Since I am putting in an aircon room.. can I just activate the chiller only in the day when air con is not switched on, and off it when I am back? I think there is a 'swishing' sound coming from the chiller always right?

[goody992828]

Hi Alvinchan80

Chiller sure to have some humming sound, and the chiller will kicks in when your water temperature reaches the higher level of the temperature setting, hence if you have aircon at night it should kick in less often.

[alvinchan80]

Hi Alvinchan80

Chiller sure to have some humming sound, and the chiller will kicks in when your water temperature reaches the higher level of the temperature setting, hence if you have aircon at night it should kick in less often.

my main concern is the noise because its in my room.. later get into war with OC because of the sound.. haha.. if my aircon is on at night & the temperature can reach 23deg average, means the chiller will kicks in to balance it to 25deg again right?
that is why i got this unorthodox thinking of switching it off at night & then switched on again in the morning.. hahahaha...

(secondhand chiller anyone?? lolx)

[sword28]

my main concern is the noise because its in my room.. later get into war with OC because of the sound.. haha.. if my aircon is on at night & the temperature can reach 23deg average, means the chiller will kicks in to balance it to 25deg again right?
that is why i got this unorthodox thinking of switching it off at night & then switched on again in the morning.. hahahaha...

(secondhand chiller anyone?? lolx)

if you set your chiller at 25, it will only kick in at 26 or maybe 27 depending on your chiller model and setting.
so if you are sure that your room average temperature is about 23 and assuming tank water temperature abt 24, then your chiller will not even kick in at all the whole night.
but must make sure you use external probe/thermostat to measure the actual tank water temperature instead of the chiller tank temperature.
but of course, switching it off totally at night should be fine too.

[goody992828]

Like what bro swor28 said, if your room temperature is below your chiller setting, than your chiller will be sleeping with you the whole night as well.....

But my little 2 cents thought will not advise to switch off the chiller at night, first of all, compressor life span might be affected, secondly what happen if you forget to turn it on the next morning? Your shrimp life span will be affected.

[alvinchan80]

if you set your chiller at 25, it will only kick in at 26 or maybe 27 depending on your chiller model and setting.
so if you are sure that your room average temperature is about 23 and assuming tank water temperature abt 24, then your chiller will not even kick in at all the whole night.
but must make sure you use external probe/thermostat to measure the actual tank water temperature instead of the chiller tank temperature.
but of course, switching it off totally at night should be fine too.

Oh, so the chiller wont actually kick start when room temperature is below 23deg? Then its fine because I am very sure that the room temperature is between 24-22deg with an external thermometer... thanks...

Like what bro swor28 said, if your room temperature is below your chiller setting, than your chiller will be sleeping with you the whole night as well.....

But my little 2 cents thought will not advise to switch off the chiller at night, first of all, compressor life span might be affected, secondly what happen if you forget to turn it on the next morning? Your shrimp life span will be affected.

understand.. thanks bro goody.. now can start look for chiller lo... i know 29.8deg is far far too much for shrimps... just keep thinking how to set up a nice shrimp tank on a budget side... hahaha...

[sword28]

Oh, so the chiller wont actually kick start when room temperature is below 23deg? Then its fine because I am very sure that the room temperature is between 24-22deg with an external thermometer... thanks...

it all depends what temp you want to set for your chiller, which translates to what temp you want your shrimp tank to be at.
if you set at 20, then of course it might kick in since now the surrounding room temp is higher.
most of us here set chiller temp at about 24-25 so if you also set the same, then high chances it won't kick in if your room temp is 23.

O.T. you sleep at such low temp?