The MLP Arena
Pony Talk => Off Topic => Topic started by: BlackCurtains on January 18, 2024, 01:24:03 PM
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I've been saving for a nano aquarium I can put a betta fish and shrimp in. Lots of plants too! Today I have finally narrowed down everything I need to get between three sites, Amazon, Etsy and Chewy. I followed this helpful blog post (https://buceplant.com/blogs/aquascaping-guides-and-tips/set-up-low-tech-planted-tank-for-a-betta-fish) to get started (but I found cheaper/in stock items elsewhere). I don't have all the money yet but I was able to place my Etsy order sans live plants. I'll save those for after the tank can be set up :)
The tank is 7 gallons and rimless, all glass. I'm using black lava rocks and dragon wood as my hardscape. Plants I picked out are java fern, java moss, anubias nana petite (small clusters of green leaves) and cryptocoryne wendtii green (a broad leaf background plant). I'll also have mineral rocks for the shrimp and a couple of marimo moss balls.
I bought three hides/beds for the betta and a tunnel and cave for the shrimp.
Food is all picked out as is the bacteria starter for cycling and a test kit. I wanted to cycle without using other fish and I don't have or know anyone with an established tank, so this liquid starter adds stuff to grow the bacteria needed.
I'm really excited! I've always loved fish tanks and one of my dreams is to have a huge one, or several, with huge fish like oscars and knife fish. I'd also love to have a big ecosystem tank. I was never interested too much in saltwater tanks though I think they're neat. Cow fish are especially adorable.
For the actual fish, I looked on eBay at betta males, US based sellers. They all had mixed reviews and feedback. Plus, I'd rather interact with him before I buy, you know? So I'll be going to the local pet stores to see what I can find. Same for the shrimp and moss balls. That's not for a while yet though.
I had a betta once, he was dark blue and purple. Back then, you could only find one fin type, the veil tail, I think. They were kind of new to the mainstream. I didn't keep him in a bowl though, I knew better even then. He was in a 5 gallon round desk tank I set up on my dresser :) He lived a long time, about 6 years. He had a great personality and would come out and see me.
I'd love to hear about your fish! Do you have tank?
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Bettas are wonderful. I’ve had, I think, 7 males in my past fishkeeping. My last one I lost about 2 years ago and I haven’t kept a tank since. They are such fun little creatures. That blog you linked looks like pretty good advice. Be careful with a tank without a lid because some bettas can be jumpers! Though I’ve really only had that problem with short-finned females, myself. I, too, always preferred to pick out my bettas in person at the store. I’m sure you’ll find the perfect one once your tank is ready.
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I didn't know bettas could jump out! They do sell lids for the model I'm getting... I can also make one myself. I will keep this in mind!
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I have a 180 liters aquarium myself. You are aware a smaller tank is more difficult to keep stable so you'll need to clean / check more than a bigger one? My first aquarium was 60 liters so I don't have nano experience myself. I've never had Betta's myself, but my father had one when I was young. They are stunning and I've seen so many on a yearly fish-event I go to. There are so many colors and different fin-shapes available.
Enjoy the setup and your future live-tv fish fun :)
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Nano tanks are great! Like Bella said, check those parameters often, but ahh, so exciting, I hope it all goes well :D Bettas are beautiful. I've never kept one though, but I've kept cichlids and gourami in the past.
For a short while, we had a nano saltwater tank, but sadly it crashed (not the actual tank, but it was a total collapse - and too far to go within the amount of time required to save it to a store that carried saltwater stuff :'( ). saltwater crashes are harsh, especially in a small tank.
If we get a tank again, it will be a regular freshwater one. I would love to have gouramis again. they're so sweet :)
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I had looked at gourami too! My choices were betta, gourami, molly, or guppy with friends (shrimp, snails, crabs, etc.). I settled on the betta and shrimp because I had one before, never had the shrimp though.
My stuff should be coming today! :D I will wait to order the plants until I get the rest set up. The heater is delayed and I just got an email from Chewy that they are out of the dragon wood. I found some on Etsy. I also decided to add some floating plants to my plant order.
I realized yesterday I forgot to order a cleaning kit and tap water cleaner.
edit: It came! The tank is perfect! It fits on my desk in just the right spot :D Should I put something under it? Like a towel or craft foam? I know bacteria can accumulate on the bottom of glass that house hamsters and other small critters. May I can get a piece of bamboo custom cut to go under it.
I've gotten everything except the heater from Amazon and the stuff from Etsy and Chewy. Once everything is here I'll order the plants, it's a local seller so they should arrive overnight. Then I can set it up :D The nitrifying starter makes it so you can add your fish right away. Of course, I will test the water. But once the plants are in I can go fish and shrimp shopping! :frolic:
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Don't you need to wait a bit longer to introduce fish? I'm used to the bigger tanks. Those take weeks before fish can be added....
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Take a look at Aquabid for bettas. I used to purchase from there when I bred bettas long ago. Beautiful fish, I love them so much!
I have a betta in my 29g planted tank and she's the queen of the tetras lol.
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This is what it says. This product was recommended from the blog post I linked to. The fine print says to add fish after testing and all conditions are met. It also says to use stress coat, but I bought something specifically for betta fish that does the same thing.
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Ah yes. We have something similar but keep testing the water because it can fluctuate and nitrite spikes will kill fast.
Have you decided on the color of Betta you're looking for?
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Absolutely!
No, my other betta was a dark blue and purple even though purple is my least favorite color. I'd love a copper one or orange and red but since I'm going to the pet shops they probably won't have those colors. I'm more interested in the fishes personality than looks :)
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OOoooo! I can't wait to see what you do. I had a yellow/orange betta in a planted 20 gallon years ago. His name was Hercules. Loved him so much.
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I blew my budget so I have to wait until next month to get the rest of my stuff. I still need drift wood. I want to buy a back up heater that's adjustable incase the well reviewed but cheap one doesn't work or dies. Then I need to order the plants.
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I have everything I need for my betta tank :frolic: I still have to buy the plants and set up a quarantine for them. I bought another tank just for that purpose. The seller is on Etsy but he's local and has mainly good reviews, but a few people said his plants came with snails. I personally don't mind snails but I know they can devastate plants and I guess they aren't good for shrimp either? (they might eat them?)
Does anyone have tips on treating the plants? I read that you should rinse them off, then soak them in 3% peroxide and water for up to 20minutes. Rinse again, and plant in a quarantine tank for two weeks to see if there are any pests. My questions are: Should I treat the water in the quarantine tank? Should I put the light on them? My light is a daylight cycle LED.
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I bought the plants! :freak:
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Th plants arrived! I cleaned them then put them in a peroxide bath, cleaned them again and added the conditioner to the water. My substrate is volcanic rock and when I added the water, it turned black. I read the reviews and everyone said it will clear up the next day.
In my quarantine tank I only have the plant substrate, I'm not going to add the sand, so some of the plants are hard to get planted. Some of the dwarf grass and one of the amazon swords keeps floating up. I can't see in the tank, even with a light. So I hope tomorrow it will be clear and I can get them planted better.
I also got some java moss which is free floating, and a mix of duckweed and other floating plants. The duckweed smells like a swamp. I cleaned it as best as I could. I don't know if I'll end up transferring it all to my main tank.
I'm boiling my wood now too. I'm really excited to get my main tank all set up, but I need to wait for my custom cut wood slab to come that I'm going to put under it.
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Exciting! Would love to see pictures of the progress!
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Definitely!
The water is clearing up, I can see to the other side. Still very cloudy, but I think it should clear up more tonight. I was able to get the plants planted that wanted to float and I added the fertilizer :) I need to boil the wood more though.
edit: The water is clear!
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My wood is done too :D
There's a seller on amazon with great reviews that sells cherry shrimp. I'd rather have those than the ghost shrimp. In my Googling it says you can have 12 per 5 gallons, my tank is 7 gallons, but I don't want them to overrun the tank. I think I'll just get 5. But that's still a ways off.
I'm pretty confident that the plants aren't carrying anything harmful. After I used a water clarifier, what I thought might be snails is gone, so I think it was just debris. They were little black specs on the glass.
I'm very eager to set up the main tank. I've tested everything but the heaters. I'll try the cheaper one first, it's supposed to sustain 78 degrees. The other one has a temp dial so you can change it, but it's still small and sticks on with suction cups.
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Oh, how lovely! I'm so happy for you that you're getting to set this up and make it as perfect as you want.
I have a 55 gallon with two goldfish. I keep trying to give them plants, but they're hungry buggars and eat them all. I mainly wanted the aquarium in my bedroom so I could use it as white noise; the pump sounds like a lovely little stream to fall asleep next to. I didn't intend to have fish for it, but a friend had some fish that needed rescuing and I had an empty tank, so I got freebies. And they're the best fish ever! I had some goldfish as a kid that had the biggest personalities. Perky could aim and splash you in the face if her tank got moved somewhere she didn't like it. And she would swim up and down excitedly whenever we came home and greet us. My new fish behave almost the same! I keep switching out and moving their decorations to give them enrichment. I want to figure out some toys for them, like neutral buoyancy balls they could push around or something. Whenever I'm adding water, Silky swims to the stream and lets it push her down to the bottom, then zips back to the top to do it again.
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Goldfish are pretty smart! I gave my mom a fancy goldfish for mother's day when I was in 3rd grade. His name was Sammy and he lived in the kitchen. He would greet us in the morning and he loved playing with little sticks and flowers I would find and pick out for him. He lived a long time too. I was in highschool when he passed away. We buried him in the yard.
My tank is done!
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Man, that AquaClear works so well. I had to retake the pics because after I took them and uploaded them, the water was much more clear :lol:
It's hard to see because it's black on black, but in the front on the bottom is a shrimp tunnel. I'll be able to see them when they're in there :)
The brown egg hide and black tube hide are for the betta.
The plants are weighted down and I really stuck them down in the soil, so hopefully the fish won't uproot them. I will let it cycle overnight with the stuff I put in. Tomorrow I'll put in the nitrifying bacteria and start testing.
I want to get a little bowl for the shrimp food and this adorable little boat (https://www.etsy.com/listing/1325933930/nano-floating-aquarium-boat-row-boat?click_key=1a33c9c7966f4a12dc82edb9ade0ac1d2fe90269%3A1325933930&click_sum=5f689150&external_collection=&bes=1).
I'm so excited! :frolic:
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It's looking good! I've never had an aquarium myself.. I would love a sea water one, but the maintanance on those.. ^^; My MIL had a small aquarium and I loved watching her fishes when we visited.
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I did my first test. The water hardness is the highest color the test strip shows, everything else is fine. I forgot I had some dried leaves, alder cones and the mineral rocks for the shrimp. I put those in. I opted not to boil the leaves and cones so they can bring the hardness down.
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The water is brown with tannins from the leaves and alder cones. There's also a film on the top? It's even in the flow of the filter, swirling about. Think it might be bacteria? :huh:
The water is still testing high on the general hardness so I ordered a water softening filter and I also got some sponge filters and a small air pump and tubing. The reviews said it helps oxygenate the water and a lot of people said it cleared up their water too. I know Betta can breathe air and in the wild they basically live in mud puddles but I thought of the plants too for the extra oxygen. Speaking of the plants, they all seem to be doing well. Still green.
I'm anxious to get my shrimp and fish, but I know the water has to be perfect first.
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Looks interesting and awesome! :iconclap:
I've also had an aquarium, but its care became too heavy and I lost interest, so I no longer have it. :biggrin:
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The water softener pillow is working! General hardness is down to zero! The other parameters are where they should be too! I want to do a few more water changes, to clear up up the water more. I'll add reverse osmosis water this time.
It won't be long until I have the fish and shrimp! :cheer:
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Sounds good! Be careful though... All these additional adjustments you're adding to the water are temporary. After each water change your parameters will be fluctuating again which will be dangerous for the fish and shrimp.
I'm not sure what the leaves and alder cones (what are they?) do to your algae and if they can cause the film on top of the water? Do you have a picture of that film?
The best thing is to just slowly build it up. Not add all plants at the same time and give the filter the time to develop the necessary bacteria. Keep it a plants only aquarium for the upcoming weeks would be my advice. :)
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Will do! Thanks for the ongoing tips :)
The film is gone now. Either the filter pillow or the sponge filter seems to have gotten rid of it.
The leaves and alder cones are for the shrimp. They eat the decaying leaves and the cones are for breeding.
Yes, I plan to do more water changes too. I'd like to figure out how fast new tap water will affect the tank and how much conditioner is needed, etc, before there are any fish in there. I'm having to calculate the amount of additives since most are for larger than 7 gallons. Like the conditioner I have says 1ml per 10 gallons. I bought an eyedropper for exact measurements. I'd also like to get a full test kit, not just the strips.
I've also decided to go with ghost shrimp after more research. The brightly colored ones can upset male bettas and make them aggressive. I also read that ghost shrimp are hardier than the fancier ones and can tolerate fluctuations better. They are good for beginners :) Plus the betta might eat the babies, which is good because I don't want to be overrun with shrimp either. Since each female can lay 20 eggs, some population control is needed.
I've left a one and half inch dry area on top, do you think the betta will be able to jump out that high? I did buy a mesh screen that can be cut to fit the filter, etc., but I like seeing the open tank with the floating plants on top.
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Great! I'm glad the film is gone now.
I've never had shrimp so no clue on those lol. For my fish I always had a closed lid on my aquarium. Not only to prevent fish jumping out but also to prevent condensation and therefore waterloss. And it keeps the heat in from the TL lights.
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Ooh, good points.
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Keeping a lid on will also keep a curious kitty at bay.
I had goldfish for years as a kid, our first ones were rescues and we learned fast, but the longest lived one was 9, and they all had personalities. People are mean about (and to) fish in thinking they're stupid and leaving them in tanks with nothing - but you've taken so much love and care for yours, which is amazing :)
One of my goldfish jumped out of the tank when I was a kid, while we were away. When we got back, the other one was desperately at the edge of the tank trying to tell us something was wrong. It was a lot too late for the fish, of course. It's a trauma that stayed with me through all the years of having fish, and we mostly did not have a lid for the tank. I was always terrified another one would jump out, although none ever did.
I wish we had had a lid!
I have no experience of the type of fish you're preparing for, but it's interesting reading all the things you've been doing to get ready :)
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Thanks, Taffeta! I bought my mom a goldfish when I was in third grade. I was in high school when he finally passed away. His name was Sammy and he had a great personality. He would swim up to the glass when you were near as if to say hello :)
I've had several fish in the past. A group of tetras, which were fun to watch. A male guppy, a molly and crab who lived together. My betta, Oscar. When I was very little, like 3-ish, I had some goldfish. I remember trying to hold them.
My dream is to have multiple huge tanks. My dream fish are oscars and clown knife fish (they can't live together) and a large community tank. Maybe a small salt water tank with cow fish, they're so cute. I'm not able to have a large tank in my apartment though.
I really love big fish. I remember going to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago a lot as a kid. They have an Amazon room with those giant table sized fish and the huge catfish. Not to mention the piranha and electric eels!
I've decided to make Friday my water change day, this is also the day I water my plants.
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I used to have an aquarium. We had a bunch of pretty fish and snails, until one of them started eating the others. :(
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Yeah, most fish eat fish. Depending on the types of fish you want together, you have to match sizes and/or aggression levels and make sure each type of fish has a zone (the level they swim at) along with having enough room and places for the fish to hide. And some fish have to be kept alone no matter what.
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I did a water change and put in some plant fertilizer. I decided to take out the java moss. I think it would hinder the betta from getting around since it wanted to float in the upper/mid level. I'll get two of those fluffy moss balls instead. I have everything to make a lid :)
Two more things came today, another betta hide and a filter guard for shrimp.
I'll test the water tomorrow and see where its at.
Post Merge: March 10, 2024, 09:06:42 AM
Water parameters are perfect!
I went ahead and ordered the shrimp :D They'll be here the 18th, so it gives me another week of just the tank. I'd like to see how they do before getting the betta. There is plenty for them to eat in the tank already with the decaying leaves and all.
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Well, okay. My shrimp have been shipped already! I guess they are coming earlier than the 18th.
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Shrimp!
https://imgur.com/vTRKp82 (https://imgur.com/vTRKp82)
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One of the big females had her babies! :cheer: I can't find any in the tank, but they are see through and teeny tiny, plus there is lots of places to hide. I know the adults will eat them, but I think there is enough food in the tank that it shouldn't be an issue.
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Congratulations shrimpgrandma!
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lol :lol: Another one had her babies too, she's the biggest of the bunch. She's hanging out in front right now and her eggs are gone :D I still can't see any babies, but again, tiny, hiding.
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Aww that's so cute xxx
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It's wonderful that the shrimp have survived and are now in their new home! :yippee:
They are interesting and funny looking creatures! :) Congratulations on the babies too! :heart:
I remember when I also had two shrimps in my aquarium a long time ago, but they looked different from those.. :wonder:
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I've got a feeding frenzy going on right now. You're supposed to feed shrimp twice a day, but I only have like 25 adults. I think those recommendations are for hundreds of shrimp. They are acting hungry though. I have four different types of food for them, one commercial mix which they don't seem to care for. My big female who I've name Big Bertha loves the bee pollen. She had her babies too :) I see two more with eggs and I originally counted 5. So there should be a bunch of babies in there. Still haven't spotted any though. I hope they aren't all getting eaten.
Update! Babies have been spotted :cheer: They sure are tiny, but once I found one I was finding lots more hidden about :D
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Nice!!! Also glad they're hiding, or else they might be eaten xxx
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A couple of videos I've taken :) Sound warning: I'm blasting Metallica in both but I also talk, so don't mute it completely.
After a water change they were hyper (https://i.imgur.com/Luhm3VI.mp4)
BIG BERTHA (https://i.imgur.com/lWv8idJ.mp4)
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Heavy metal shrimp lol xxx
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Two females, including Big Bertha are pregnant again :happy:
You know, I like having these shrimp so much I almost forgot I want a betta fish :lol:
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They are successfully molting! :D I saw one with half a molt trying to get away with it, but Big Bertha caught on and stole it from her :lol: They will "fight" (nothing aggressive, they are peaceful shrimp) over molts because they eat them.
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I decided to give the shrimp some dried blood worms. I bought them as a betta treat (which I am still going to get a fish, I just need to get over to the pet store). Anyway, the shrimp loved them! Big Bertha isn't just the biggest shrimp, she's also the smartest. Since the blood worms are dried they didn't sink very well and some were floating on the top. Bertha swam up and hung upside down on the duckweed and munched the worms that way.
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I don't know if anyone is following this but I'll keep my updates here.
So most of the shrimp died. I thought at first they were dying of old age and blamed the seller. I have since re-revised my review back to 5 stars because it wasn't his fault. All of those shrimp would not have died so close together even if it was old age. Then I thought I had an ammonia spike. I bought some test strips and filter media to reduce ammonia. The strips tested at zero. Then I was thinking... when did they start dying? I took some rocks and driftwood out, because I thought it was too crowded. I siphon vacuumed the gravel. The siphon took out about half the tank water. I dumped this water and put in fresh tap water along with the conditioner, shrimp minerals, and some plant fertilizer.
It was then they started to die.
In almost a weeks time, even shorter than that, all but two adults and as far as I've seen, three babies, had died. So I figure it was the big water change. I guess shrimp are very sensitive to big water changes like that. I also should have waited to put the fertilizer in after it settled and it tested okay.
So it was completely my fault :( I killed Big Bertha :sad:
The five surviving shrimp are doing fine. They are active and always looking for food, which is how they should be. My water parameters are perfect and my temp is also in range.
Now that I know not to do big water changes, of course I won't do it again. In fact, I watched a guy on YouTube who never does water changes and his techniques and tips. I will only add water when the level gets lower (but not too much).
The plants are doing extremely well.
I have brown algae growing by the heater but read that it would be okay as long as it doesn't take over the tank. I scrub off as much as I can with a toothbrush. I also had some white bio film but that ran its course and is now gone. The driftwood has some slime, but that's normal and something the shrimp can eat.
My next plan is to order more ghost shrimp and some cherry shrimp as well. "Techincally" I can house 20 shrimp per gallon and my tank is seven gallons, but that's far too many. So I am going to get ten of each. They can live together just fine but they can't interbreed. I am also going to get a Mexican orange crayfish. They are super cool and can live with shrimp peacefully as long as you keep them fed. With the ten ghost shrimp, ten cherry shrimp and the crayfish, that's about the limit of my tank. I was thinking of getting two nerite snails as well, but I think the waste from everyone would be too much, so I took them off my list.
I will no longer be getting a Betta fish.
I find the invertebrates much more interesting and fun to watch :)
Later, when I have the money, I'm going to get a second tank as a baby shrimp nursery. It's 3 gallons and is made for shrimp so the filter is covered and shrimp safe. I'll be ordering more plants to plant the nursery with and also some java moss for both tanks. I did have java moss before but I took it out because I thought it would impede the betta fish. Now that I'm not getting the fish I can add it back.
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I'm sorry for the loss of most of your shrimp :(. I would advise a 10 up till max 20% water change every 14 days. No more indeed. No waterchange can only be done with a perfect balance and I wouldn't risk that. They can die without it too. Just the basic changes probably will work best. Good luck with the surviving shrimps. :)
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Okay, I will try that :)
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And of course make sure the temperature is more or less the same. Too hot or too cold isn't good either.
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Right. I do try to make sure the temp is slightly above room temp from the tap. I do the same for my plants. I live in Florida so room temp is usually around 75-80
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We all learn as we go BC!!! At least you have some survivors xxx Wishing the hardy shrimp all the best xxx
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The three babies are still alive :) I put a small pellet in the other day and they all came to eat. I changed my mind about the snails and I'm going to get 5 of the sun spiked ones. I have to prep the tank with the magnetic mesh top though, so they can't crawl out. I'm going to scrub what algae I can. Think I'll unplug the heater and scrub that too. The top and sides of the filter housing could use a cleaning too. There's a white build up - lime? Calcium? Something. I suppose I should wipe the light too.
I still want to get more shrimp, the crayfish, and I've added clams to my list. I'm also looking into getting a bigger tank. I can't go too big, my apartment lease doesn't allow large tanks. Just something bigger that still fits on my desk, maybe a 15 gallon.
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I scrubbed all the brown algae off. And I made a discovery! There are FOUR babies! They got very active after I cleaned and two were in one corner and another two were in a different corner.
The mesh top is on and it doesn't look so bad. I can still access the top easily by pulling up a corner. Now the snails can't escape. I've changed my mind about them again, well the way they look anyway. The sellers that had the sun spiked ones were in New Jersey and Florida... but the Florida ones were way expensive, and I thought New Jersey was too far away. I looked around at other nerite snails and found some tigers from Georgia for a reasonable price with free shipping :)
I bought a proper bucket and an acclimation drip. They'll be here Tuesday. Then I'll order more ghost shrimp.