chibikaie

I believe probe instructions tell you to rinse it before and after use. This lessens the chance that something from a prior liquid will affect your reading, aside from reducing chances of contamination.

So exciting to hear that the Nessies are doing that well!
I actually miss my wild type neos. I would love to start up a new colony, but lack the room and time for a third tank at the moment.

I think that is a variation on what is called a box filter in the USA. Operation is similar to a sponge filter (both are powered by an air pump), but it looks like yours has room for chemical media such as carbon. If you can get a sponge filter but can't find good foam for a proper HMF, then go with the sponge, especially with a small tank. I love HMFs, but the sponges are simpler for basic setups.

API brand foods are not really the greatest in my opinion. I admit to being a bit of a food snob (my pets eat better than I do, although to be frank, that isn't hard). But I would try a better quality brand.
I would advise not to start with shrimp by adding them to a tank containing any size fish. It sounds like you have a handle on a low tech planted tank with fish. Start one just for shrimp and you will reduce the number of variables to check when something goes wrong.

I can't think of any situation in which a sponge filter could cause a tank to crash.

P.S. My *other* coworker got sent to the ER this past week. So far, my workplace has racked up:
1. ulcerative colitis
2. unexplained fever
3. unexplained dizziness
4. heart issues
None of these are related in any way. I think we might simply have a stress problem.

Good luck!

I believe you can also build a freshwater deep sand bed, although I was unclear on just how to achieve this successfully. I think the HMF also operates on the principle that over time, anaerobes will colonize the foam to some extent and will begin to remove nitrates. Unfortunately, I am not sure how long this takes, how to ensure that it does happen, or how effective it is - duckweed is probably eating most of my nitrates in my tanks, so I can't really experiment.

Wait. WAIT WAIT WAIT. Your brother is a chemist?! An organic chemist?! WHY IS HE NOT DESIGNING YOU SPECIAL SHRIMP STUFF???
(I'm kidding, I'm kidding, I've hit that point where I'm giggling like a madman at everything and anything, BUT ZOMG ACTUAL SCIENTIST! MUST PICK BRAIN.)

Wait. WAIT WAIT WAIT. Your brother is a chemist?! An organic chemist?! WHY IS HE NOT DESIGNING YOU SPECIAL SHRIMP STUFF???
(I'm kidding, I'm kidding, I've hit that point where I'm giggling like a madman at everything and anything, BUT ZOMG ACTUAL SCIENTIST! MUST PICK BRAIN.)

Those look neat. Not your everyday red cherry!

Those look neat. Not your everyday red cherry!

Snails have devoured mine completely time span was somewhere between 6 to 8 months.

Tetra may have tests in ppm (their strip tests are definitely ppm), and doing math on the results will give you as many decimals as you want unless you round by significant digits.

CHOCOLATE! Don't you think a chocolate with a stripe would look like a nice truffle drizzled with caramel?
Just a tip. Don't put them into a blackwater tank with brown plants and brown driftwood. They will become effectively invisible.

CHOCOLATE! Don't you think a chocolate with a stripe would look like a nice truffle drizzled with caramel?
Just a tip. Don't put them into a blackwater tank with brown plants and brown driftwood. They will become effectively invisible.

Well, if you are using RO/distilled and GH+, and nothing you've listed contains any kind of buffering agent - then your pH is going to be whatever it darn well feels like. Inert substrate just means that it's not going to directly affect water chemistry, not that it's going to make your water neutral or alkaline or anything.
How about using baking soda? Do a few experiments, see what you get.

No information or experience is useless thanks for sharing!

No information or experience is useless thanks for sharing!

There are typically timers available at your local hardware store for much less than the ones marketed for hobbyists. I use a $10 analog timer from Home Depot and it's run a variety of lights, Finnex included, for years. If you are concerned about sudden changes in light, just set it to go on and off during daylight hours. Your creatures will adapt.

Wow, that is definitely a lot of circulation for a little tank! I used to always run sponge plus HOB, but switched exclusively to HMF or sponge (not both) a few years ago. (I'm not a successful shrimp keeper so don't take that as advice!) I found that adding circulation pumps was almost always necessary if I wanted good flow everywhere.
Looking forward to pics!
By the way, only the most expensive permanent markers are alcohol proof (one of my workplaces stocks alcohol proof lab markers that are $8 a pen). So if you ever need to get Sharpie off of something, hit it with cheap rubbing alcohol and it should come right off.
I've been experimenting with online databases lately. I think it would be fun to set one up to record parameters, but I've never quite been energetic enough to do it.

Wow, that is definitely a lot of circulation for a little tank! I used to always run sponge plus HOB, but switched exclusively to HMF or sponge (not both) a few years ago. (I'm not a successful shrimp keeper so don't take that as advice!) I found that adding circulation pumps was almost always necessary if I wanted good flow everywhere.
Looking forward to pics!
By the way, only the most expensive permanent markers are alcohol proof (one of my workplaces stocks alcohol proof lab markers that are $8 a pen). So if you ever need to get Sharpie off of something, hit it with cheap rubbing alcohol and it should come right off.
I've been experimenting with online databases lately. I think it would be fun to set one up to record parameters, but I've never quite been energetic enough to do it.

Constantly. Or the infamous "I know I have one but cannot FIND it" issue will strike again. Our household has purchased three knife sharpeners. We only have two knives that can even be sharpened, and of those, only one ever gets sharpened, and maybe once a year at that.
Also hear ya on the money thing. It's perfect shipping weather! But I just don't have the cash on hand at the moment.

Feel free to bounce dosage calculations at me in the future! I order and calculate drugs for a wide variety of animals.

It might be a precautionary measure. Since vitamin D is fat-soluble, too much can induce toxicity as it builds up in the body - whereas if you added too much of a water soluble vitamin like C or B12, the excess is simply excreted and there is much less concern about a possible overdose.
I have several forms of calcium supplements, due to having the world's pickiest frog and from having fun experimenting with water chemistry. I still put a pinch of calcium carbonate into the tank water now and again for the snails, because what else am I going to do with it?