eozen81

Just thought I would share my results of me artificially hatching some eggs that I found a molt in my Taiwan bee tank. I have had success hatching eggs that were pretty late term and well developed but these eggs has been in the net for almost 3 full weeks. Don't give up on orphaned eggs!
 

 
 

Hi everyone,
 
I just joined this forum and have previously documented my adventures on my YouTube channel. However, I would love to start a tank journal here because it would be so great to get some feedback about my tanks from people who've been in my position.
 

My most recent YouTube video shows my current tank set-up, a small clip of my shrimp eating shrimp/snail jello (sadly, nerites prefer algae over all else, but the shrimp love it), and my reaction (somewhat silly now that I watch it again) of my first berried female! I've only had these guys for a week and already have a berried female! Anyway, you can find that video here:
 


 
Here is my tank set-up as of right now:
 
Fauna:
11 Neon Yellow Shrimp
4 Horned Nerite Snails
A whole bunch of tiny unknown snails that I remove on an almost daily basis
 
Flora:
1 Amazon Sword
1 Water Sprite
Anacharis
Dwarf Sagitarria
Crypt Parva
Java Moss
3 Marimo Balls
 
Other Decoration:
1 Piece of Cured Driftwood
3 Rocks
 
Lighting: 2 Fluval Mini Power Compact Lamps (Full-spectrum, 13-watt, compact fluorescent bulb with a high CRI value that mimics natural light)
Hours/Day: 7
 
Heater: Aquatop Nano Aquarium Digital Heater with LED D1HT 50W (Set to 70, but it's still very warm here, so the temperature usually fluctuates between 73-76 during the day.)
There is a fan that is turned on during the day, but it really doesn't help much because I have to keep a lid on my tank lest my cat make a meal out of my shrimp.
 
Feeding: 1x every 2-3 days, and I remove uneaten food after 2-3 hours. I alternate between Borneo Wild Grow and my own recipe of shrimp/snail jello (which is really just a combination of veggies high in calcium, spirulina algae, and shrimp food to help with shell growth and molting). You can find my recipe for that here:
 

 
I also purchased Shirakura Ebi Dama for them, but this bag of shrimp food quickly became dog food. =( I will probably purchase it again later when I place a large enough order to justify the shipping cost.
 
Current Tank Parameters:
Temperature: 73 F
pH: 6.6
kH: 2
gH: 8
TDS: 163
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm < current level < 0.25 ppm (the color is inbetween 0 and 0.25)
Nitrate: 10 ppm
 
This is the second time the nitrites have risen close to 0.25 ppm. The first time was about a week or two after setting up my tank. I just did a 25% water change to get both the nitrites and nitrates down a little lower. The nitrate levels also rose up to 40 ppm the other day, and I have since done two 50% water changes to get it back down to 10 (and then the 25% water change afterward).
 
Maybe that's too much, but the shrimp seem to be doing fine. I read someone's analogy somewhere that made a lot of sense about water changes when levels get toxic. (I'll post a link if I can find the original source.) He pretty much said if you were trapped inside a garage with your car running and carbon monoxide levels building, would you open the garage door immediately to let all the toxic air out or would you slowly open it so that the change in atmosphere doesn't "shock" you. Neon Yellow Shrimp, being the same species as Red Cherry Shrimp, are a little more hardy and seem to be able to adapt to new conditions quickly, which is why I've been doing large water changes with little fear.
 
However, large water changes on an almost daily basis are not ideal as that means that the water conditions cannot or will not remain stable (which is also concerning). Any recommendations on how to stabilize this other than frequent large water changes would be welcome! Thanks!! =)
 
Sincerely,
Christine 

Recent tank picture! The fan's doing a lovely job this summer.

 
Not too much new, except I've got the old floating moss ball now sandwiched between some stainless steel mesh on the bottom, growing up through and hopefully will end up attached to both. (Don't know if this will actually work, but it was easy and maybe worth a shot) I'll be happy if it's just stuck on one, at least.
 
The BBA is basically gone! Don't know exactly how it happened, can't believe the teeny amount of fertilizing I'm doing was the difference, but I'll take it. It just doesn't seem possible the pest would go away with such a minor change. There's still some visible on my tall Hygro ang. in the back where it gets near the light, but that's where I direct my daily Excel, so maybe it'll die off too.
 
But look at that dwarf sag... it just won't do anything, not even die! I accidentally bumped one up during a water change, and it's got a very minimal root system. Just nubs, really. Weird.
 
And... I'm a grand-shrimp-parent! One of my babies is now berried for the first time!

Hi huys,
 
I am from istanbul, Turkey and wanted to introduce my Sulawesi Tank in which I have got my Cardinal shrimps and poso rabbit snails. I have been getting babies from my cardinals. It's been approx 4 months after setting up this tank and I had bought 10 Cardinal babies at first. I believe 6 or 7 of them survived and after 2 months I saw my first Cardinal babies. And I can see that my babies are growing up without no issue (fingers crossed).
 
At the first weeks I had welcomed them, they were so hiding behind rocks and wood but after they got berried and babies hatched they got more and more courageous and showed up and I also removed some rocks from my tank to make sure they don't get used to hiding. I also see lots of time my cardinals on my poso snails which I believe Poso snails is something relief for cardinals. That's why I recommend everyone to have also poso snails if they wanna keep cardinals. 
 
My water is 350 microsiemens, pH 7.5 and temp 27 C. I have been using Sulawesi Mineral 7.5 for my RO water. %10 Water Change weekly. As the numbers of my cardinals are getting higher I started to prepare a new tank which is 75 liters (cycling now)

45 liters tank
HMF Filter with air pump and heater behind
 
Here are pics and videos

Regards
Emre
 
 

So the ticket is booked, I will spend three weeks in Taiwan starting soon. Main purpose is to visit my families there, but my shrimp breeder friends have already booked a solid week for a shrimp breeder tour.
 
Background Info: Taiwan is a small island in south east Asia between Japan and The Philippines, about 250 miles long, and 90 miles wide, with a population of 23 millions.
 
We will start from Northern Taiwan, visiting a few stores including Crimson Taiwan and a few other stores, then to the central island for some more breeders with small/medium operation, then hit the southern Taiwan to see those really big operation.
 
I will take lots of pictures, and do some mini interviews on breeders and companies. I will be posting interviews here on the shrimpspot, and real time updates via FB. I will be getting some sample products and will be getting some freebies for ROAK for our forum members as well. Pay attention to the FB updates and here in the forum, as I might give random pop quiz to determine who gets the freebies again ;-)
 
Now, how do I make time go faster?

Here is my proof! I may have to do a selective breeding project. I have 4 that have the bluish appearence. I wonder if I can get something that looks like these guys. Naturally they wont be imported forever and will be crazy expensive when they do. So I am going to start on my own line and see what happens.
 
 

Small update on the happens and status of the Mr. Aqua 25G Cubes –
 
I added 6 Mischling into the cycled cubes on Monday.  Good news!! Everyone is still alive. The total time it took to cycle the ADA Aquasoil: Amazonia was 2 weeks. 
 
A little breakdown/insight regarding these cubes –
 
Both cubes were cycled with the help of the Revive Vita bacteria blend. It was able to fully cycle the tank in 2 weeks. Typical cycling time for ADA AS Amazonia based of my pervious experiences is usually 4weeks.  I believe I could have cycled the tank much faster if I had a filter running day 1.  For the first week, the tank was filled but left without a filter so there wasn’t much action going on.  Starting the second week, I was able to pick up 2 Fluval C3 HoB filters.  There were many mistakes and poor planning that delayed the cycling time, but overall, 2 weeks to cycle the substrate is still an amazing feat.
 
On another front –
 
I spoke to a buddy about the correlation between pH and kH while we were discussing a possible new substrate for Sulawesi, and I brought up the subject of using a mineralizer that would increase both pH and kH to the ideal range for Sulawesi and Tiger species.  I conducted a test using the Revive Bianco Mineralizers I had on hand.  As some might know, I’ve been busy testing the entire Revive product lineup (Hyoushoku’s own shrimpy line) and below includes my results.
 
A little explanation before I proceed, I want to explain what we’ve be using.
 
 Hyoushoku’s (aka ShrimpyDaddy) Revive Lineup –
 
Revive Bianco Alpha & Beta – These dual mineralizers was developed to tailor to the needs of the softer water shrimps such as CRS,CBS, Taiwan Bees and Pintos.
 
Revive Bianco Gamma – This addition to the Bianco mineralize lineup is designed to be used in combination with Alpha and Beta and mineralized RODI water to the exact conditions suitable for keeping Tigers and Sulawesi Shrimps (Neos like this as well).  Deepening on your needs and the needs of the shrimps you’re planning on keeping, dosing more or less of Gamma is required to reach desirable parameters.   
 
All tests conducted with 100% RODI water with a 0 TDS reading.
 
*Note: TDS is used as a gauge to see how pure the water is before adding the Revive Products.  I don’t want to lead people on to believing that my TDS reading is in anyway similar to what you would get using another mineralizer product. 
 
Test 1: 100% RODI @ 0TDS (No mineralization)
 
TDS: 0
GH: 0
KH: 0
PH: 6.0 (best reading from API, instantly yellow color reading)
 

 
Test 2: 100% RODI @ 0TDS (Revive Bianco Alpha & Beta)
 
TDS: 125-130
GH: 6
KH: 0
PH: 6.0 (best reading from API, instantly yellow color reading)
 

 
Test 3: 100% RODI @ 0TDS (Revive Bianco Alpha, Beta & Gamma)
 
TDS: 170-175
GH: 6
KH: 2
PH: 7.2-7.4 (best reading from API, instantly blue color reading)
 

 
 
Findings:
 
After conducting these tests, I came to realize that API tests are poor.  They are very extreme and don’t have clear color definition so measurements are hard to read clearly.  I am confident that the pH readings were off.  I don’t believe pH is that high (7.2-7.4 range) with such a small kH increase.  I believe the more accurate range of where the pH could be is more near 6.8-7.0 but I will need to buy a new PH test kit to conduct this and prove.  Hanna Instruments is a good brand; I will look for it in the near future. 
 
So far, all the tanks at my parent’s house are mineralized with the Revive Bianco mineralizers.  I still need to get my hands on Royal Tigers to start my breeding experiments.  Currently, all the PRL are happy and colors are good. 
 
Until next time,
 
Cheers! 

Oh... I forgot you are using HMF. Sorry, I have poor memory.
 
Seems like your bacteria is not growing may be caused by cycling with RO water. Since ADA AS is constantly leeching ammonium for up to two months, you need a NO2 and NO3 test kit to find out the bacteria is working or not.
 
If I don't remember wrongly, last time when I cycle with traditional method, after 2 weeks when completed the cycling, I have less than 0.2ppm total ammonium, 0ppm NO2 and 20 to 30ppm NO3.
 
There is another way to seed the water. If the HMF in the Sulawesi tank has multiple layer, you can take one layer out and wash the filter in the new tank. This will seed the bacteria.
 
Since you are cycling using tradition method, NO2 is the precursor of NO3, which is toxic at high level. Even though Ammonium will not kill and there is very little ammonia at that pH, you will have to worry more on NO2 than free ammonia. FYI, your test kit should be for total ammonium and to convert the amount of free ammonia, you can use this calculator: http://www.hbuehrer.ch/Rechner/Ammonia.html

Another MK Breed PRL CRS- Photo taken with iPhone 4S.
 

Here's a few updates:
Moved my buce's into the tank and some lava rock covered in mini fissiden.
Also added my eheim filtered that is full of nothing but Marine Pure Biofilter Media and EHEIM Substrat Pro Biological Filter Media. It has enough bio media to filter a 200+ gallon tank lol.
Last piece was this item I got from Han called a Choice bubbler. It's pretty sweet makes tons of micro bubbles.
http://www.hanaquatics.com/choice-bubbler/

You can also just grow chinese spinach right in your tank, like i do!

my PRL enjoying the new fresh Tantora Amaranth! (Chinese spinach) unfolds as it softens up. 20 per pack. 
http://www.discobee.com/collections/tantora-products/products/tantora-amaranth-leaves
 
 
 

There are two types of algae on those rocks:
Rhizoclonium (the furry looking one) Green Spot Algae (the dark green flat on the rock) Rhizoclonium will thrive at extreme high light intensity with low water flow, which is why they tend to grow in places that has unobstructed area especially the top of the tank. GSA will thrive with high light and high NO3/organic waste.
 
If you are planning on growing green algae, you will need to make sure your water has the right condition for their growth before you ramp up the lighting intensity. Or else, you will get other type of algae. To prevent cynobacteria (blue green algae, which is toxic) from growing, your NO3 has to be more than 5 times more than of PO4. To prevent diatom from growing, you need to make sure you don't have silicate that is more than 20ppm. If your tank is full of silicate, you will see diatom bloom first and after they consumed the silicate, the green algae will take over the surface that they once grew on. On top of these, you need to ensure there are supply of K and PO4 (just don't let them drop to zero).
 
One more thing to note. Since Sulawesi RO salts contain carbonate, when you first mixed the water, there will be a lot of CO2. If you have high light intensity, you need to air off the CO2 thoroughly or else, Black Beard Algae (BBA) and Staghorn will grow.

It's cyanobacteria prokaryotic algae growing on those rocks , try longer durations lighting durations 16 hours on 8 hours off and it may start to grow for you.

Grape leaves are editable I don't see why not, maybe try a small amount first. I'd suggest washing and drying or blanching first.

Hello,
 
Just thought id add one of my Blue Bolt ladys to this thread. She is one of my favorites in the tank.

Mulberry in the states here are pretty popular as a shrimp food.  My shrimp tear into them as soon as placed in the tank.  I've done dried and fresh.  Dried almost always gets attacked first, but fresh may sit for a little bit and then shrimp attack it.
 
Either way, an awesome food.

I received some shrimps from Germany... some shrimps I've been wanting for a long time. I tried to take some pictures but it was late and I was tired, not many pictures turn out good so bear with me.
 
First, the super red CRS.  The tank glass is covered with algae so it's hard to find a good angle.

 
 
Then, some red and black pintos, and some spotted head pinto mischlings.


 
 
Some mosura TBs... I already had some but didn't have the red ones (never even saw one before). Finally I have them now.... I find the colour not as dense as the black?










 
 
Then some German OEBTs...


And got a few like this too....

 
 
The Crystal White .... the tank glass is really dirty, sorry for the bad pic.

 
 
 
 
 

The TB's have been in this tank for almost two months now and are doing great. Plus there is a lot of fry in the tank now too and quite a few berried shrimp. So far, so good on the tank. No deaths, and they really like the walkways, all of the Malaysia Drift wood stacked in a pile, and the HMF sponge filter. Keeping the leafs in the large container really helps and they clean it all up.

I added a LowKeys Absorption Board to the tank, and I put in one new Bio Digest, one new Cappa Bark, and one new Max Breed BioBall on the first of each month.

I made a vacuum cleaner that is smaller so I can get into the nooks and crannies easily and suck up anything that needs cleaning. I change about 15 to 25% of the water every two weeks and the water parameters have been staying steady and stable.

TDS - 150
PH - 6.4
Temp - 72 to 72.5
GH - 6
KH - 0

Water has been staying crystal clear. The light is on a timer and I use daylights for 8 hours now, blue night lights for 6 hours, and off for 10 at night. There is some natural light to the far right of the tank in the morning, but no direct sunlight hits the tank from any side.

I have been feeding a lot of different food. They are eating really well. They love Mulberry leaves, (their favorite), Bee Pollen, Bacter AE, several different kinds of powder food, organic spinach, stinging needle leaves, Indian Almond leaves, Fallen Oak leaves, dried organic Mulberry branches that are in small pieces that are used for making mulberry tea. Banana sprig, Alder cones, and then the dish of different plants, and xmas moss.

They love the long bamboo walkway that goes the length of the entire tank and the stone walkway, and hanging out in the stack of Malaysia Drift wood by the HFM Filter.
They also love the Cholla Wood and seem to clean up the bare bottom tank with the otos. No algae or other issues so far, and I can easily take anything out and clean it when I am changing the water.

I may try the new premium shrimp soil in the substrate containers that will be better for them and take out the inert substrate.

So that is the update on my Mr Aqua 12 Gallon Low Iron Glass Tank that was setup for the TB's and to make life easier on me to take care of.

I don't like the tank mat, and next time would not use it. If you get water from spillage, the tank mat soaks it up, and then you are not sure if you have a leak or if it is the tank mat, but once you dry it all up all around the tank and check, you discover that it is the tank mat that soaks up any water and sits under the tank, so next time, I would be inclined to go without the tank mat.

The Penn Plax Cascade 500 Canister Filter is doing an excellent job and is easy to take care of. Combined with the three Tom's mini canisters, three air sponges, and the large HMF Filter with a Tom's mini canister behind the HMF filter, and the four air stones and bubble wand, the tank is staying clean and healthy so far. I will give you an update at about four to six months, then I will see if this setup will really be the way I wanted it. Plus, I have the emergency 10 gallon tank beside it, with pretty much the same water parameters, just incase anything should happen, then I have a tank to put the shrimp right into for emergency.

I appreciate any tips, comments, suggestions, help, and your opinions.

Thanks, Doc
 

 
 
 

I just want to say, I love it, it is going to be an awesome tank!

Hey guys,
 
As a Cardinal Shrimp breeder I really admire what this guy in below video did about covering algae on the rocks. How can we do that? It's very obvious that cardinals love it.
 
Is it lighting or light color or rock type, what is the secret? I have got also some rocks but never covered algae like this?
 

Rabbit snails are my favourite snails by far. For the first time I saw them I was amazed by their cuteness. I have now orange, yellow, golden spotted and chocolate aka thunderbold rabbits in my Sulawesi tank.
Their reproduction rate is so low as mentioned here and also their growing up speed is very very slow. A newborn can give babies after 1 year in my observation. You can see my poso rabbits below.
An important info: Watch out imported poso snails that you have purchased as they might carry leeches. Unfortunately I was not very careful and I welcomed some poso snails with leechs on them and now I am trying to take them out one by one. You can see my treatment video also below which I believe is very important for poso keepers to keep in mind.
Regards

 

Blah, no camera on hand so I snapped an iPhone picture.

Yea some are blue bodied and some are red bodied, i thought for sure i had a blue one till i realized what time my lights came on. Sulawesi Harlequins are also clear confirmed that this morning.

I also see their shining red colour turns into a very funny blueimsh after the lights go off, that's really interesting. I mean you can easily fool a guy these are different shrimps