# Questions on Eheim Aquastyle and others



## A.D.D.i.c.t. (Dec 9, 2012)

Hi Brian, welcome from another Texan! Is the photo your tank, or is that where you are drawing your inspiration from? The Aquastyle 4 is plenty of room for cherry shrimp, though I don't have experience with that particular tank. The LED lighting included with the tank will likely be suited to medium light plants, but because the tank is relatively shallow, you may be able to grow high light plants as well. You may be able to find another Aquastyle Light Fixture here on the SNS(sales forum), I believe I saw one recently if it's still available. As far as accomplishing the creation of a mountain scape, I would research the Iwagumi style heavily. There are loads of them out there to draw ideas from. Iwagumi relies on rock as the hardscape, which sounds like what you want. You could even do a search using the words Mountain Scape, and I'm sure that would bring up some good results. Also, make sure you research Aquastyle shrimp tanks as well, for tips on making the filter shrimp friendly if your using the stock filter. Placing aquarium safe black panty hose over the intake, something like that. Wish you the best.
Now head to the Invertebrates section!


----------



## Shrimpo_Brian (Feb 12, 2013)

A.D.D.i.c.t. said:


> Hi Brian, welcome from another Texan! Is the photo your tank, or is that where you are drawing your inspiration from? The Aquastyle 4 is plenty of room for cherry shrimp, though I don't have experience with that particular tank. The LED lighting included with the tank will likely be suited to medium light plants, but because the tank is relatively shallow, you may be able to grow high light plants as well. You may be able to find another Aquastyle Light Fixture here on the SNS(sales forum), I believe I saw one recently if it's still available. As far as accomplishing the creation of a mountain scape, I would research the Iwagumi style heavily. There are loads of them out there to draw ideas from. Iwagumi relies on rock as the hardscape, which sounds like what you want. You could even do a search using the words Mountain Scape, and I'm sure that would bring up some good results. Also, make sure you research Aquastyle shrimp tanks as well, for tips on making the filter shrimp friendly if your using the stock filter. Placing aquarium safe black panty hose over the intake, something like that. Wish you the best.
> Now head to the Invertebrates section!


Thank you so much! I just went to PetSmart today and saw a very nice Lion King looking mountain and decided to buy it. Also today, my 9 red cherry shrimp came in the mail. One female was even berried! Anyways, I also received my bacopa Caroliniana and rotala indica today too.right now, they are in a temporary no filter vase with the shrimps and no substrate, but I am worried the shrimp will suffer from the vase and the plants will die from no nutrients! :icon_mad: Any tips that I can get that will help With keeping the inhabitants in the vase alive for the next 3 to 5 days?


----------



## A.D.D.i.c.t. (Dec 9, 2012)

How big is the vase? I kept cherry shrimp in a plastic container for a week during a tank breakdown. Nothing is guaranteed, but they are pretty tough little buggers. The plants should be ok for a few days, keep them fully underwater, and if you can expose them to a bit of light in some way, even natural sunlight, that would'nt hurt. Any pics of the mountain? Before seeing it, my honest opinion is, return it. I think once you discover the possibilities using natural materials such as driftwood and stone, you will prefer those. 
You have a nice tank, and the footprint will allow you to make an awesome nano shrimp tank. What substrate are you using in your tank? I would definitely use some type of Moss in your tank as well, shrimp love moss. The berried female will feel safe there and the babies will hide in it. 
This is important, is your tank up and running, and if so, for how long? Are there any fish in it?


----------



## Shrimpo_Brian (Feb 12, 2013)

A.D.D.i.c.t. said:


> How big is the vase? I kept cherry shrimp in a plastic container for a week during a tank breakdown. Nothing is guaranteed, but they are pretty tough little buggers. The plants should be ok for a few days, keep them fully underwater, and if you can expose them to a bit of light in some way, even natural sunlight, that would'nt hurt. Any pics of the mountain? Before seeing it, my honest opinion is, return it. I think once you discover the possibilities using natural materials such as driftwood and stone, you will prefer those.
> You have a nice tank, and the footprint will allow you to make an awesome nano shrimp tank. What substrate are you using in your tank? I would definitely use some type of Moss in your tank as well, shrimp love moss. The berried female will feel safe there and the babies will hide in it.
> This is important, is your tank up and running, and if so, for how long? Are there any fish in it?


Today, I transferred the shrimp into the Aquastyle with the plants. The vase as like a little cage thing that teachers keep lol. The mountain I think is the only thing I found at PetSmart that actually could fit in the tank. No substrate yet, just gravel, but when it arrives, I'll just top the gravel with it. I will think of buying java moss, but not for now, tank is too small for those. I have a good opinion that the berried one will have a miscarriage or die because of the stress and parameter changes. The tank was never cycled, but I used the Tetra SafeStart on it just because the shrimp didn't seem to like being in a small unfiltered tank. I think I can't post any pictures, but I will try any post them. Is this a good start for my very first shrimp tank? I'm currently feeding them algae wafers and probably doing a water change once a week on the weekends.


----------



## Shrimpo_Brian (Feb 12, 2013)

These are the best pictures I could take. The shrimp shown ( sorry, bad focus) is the berried one. Hope you like it. BTW, I would like to friend you or subscribe or have a mutual relationship on here, but I don't know how to do that...... roud:


----------



## Shrimpo_Brian (Feb 12, 2013)

The floating plants are there just so that when they take root, I'll plant them.


----------



## Shrimpo_Brian (Feb 12, 2013)

Here is a side view of the tank. The shrimp are all hiding in the mountain, should I be worried?


----------



## A.D.D.i.c.t. (Dec 9, 2012)

I wouldn't worry about them hiding. What substrate are you getting again? I'd take the gravel out. I'd also do small daily water changes if you haven't fully cycled the tank.


----------



## Shrimpo_Brian (Feb 12, 2013)

A.D.D.i.c.t. said:


> I wouldn't worry about them hiding. What substrate are you getting again? I'd take the gravel out. I'd also do small daily water changes if you haven't fully cycled the tank.


I am getting the Fluval Ebi Stratum. Thanks for the tip so much!


----------



## zzrguy (Jul 11, 2012)

If you get some moss you can it to the rock{ that a man made thing right} A buddy took some thing like that and dressed it up with a moss. This is it every where there was green he tied moss it took a little while but now it looks awesome. he has to trim it ever so often.


----------



## svn2k (Jun 26, 2012)

Eco-complete with paintball co2 and stock LED running from 8:00am - 1:00pm, then 1:30pm to 6:00pm, and I dose the seachem stuff (NPK once a week)


----------



## A.D.D.i.c.t. (Dec 9, 2012)

Your on the right track Brian. The Fluval Ebi is a fine choice. This is what I would do.
When the substrate arrives, take everything out of the tank, including the gravel. I'd drain water so you don't make a huge mess, and put that water in the bowl. You can do it just like before, with the shrimp and plants in the bowl. The Fluval doesn't need to be rinsed I believe. Then go ahead and plant the tank with what you have, leaving at least one plant in the bowl with the shrimp. The mountain decoration is kind of overpowering the tank to me, I think it would look so much better with MORE plants  and some natural stones that aren't as large. You also should cover the intake of your filter like I mentioned so the baby shrimp don't get sucked in and killed. Oh, and I sent you a friend request.


----------



## Shrimpo_Brian (Feb 12, 2013)

svn2k said:


> Eco-complete with paintball co2 and stock LED running from 8:00am - 1:00pm, then 1:30pm to 6:00pm, and I dose the seachem stuff (NPK once a week)


Thank you so much for that info! Do you or will you cover the intake of the filter for the baby shrimps?


----------



## Shrimpo_Brian (Feb 12, 2013)

A.D.D.i.c.t. said:


> Your on the right track Brian. The Fluval Ebi is a fine choice. This is what I would do.
> When the substrate arrives, take everything out of the tank, including the gravel. I'd drain water so you don't make a huge mess, and put that water in the bowl. You can do it just like before, with the shrimp and plants in the bowl. The Fluval doesn't need to be rinsed I believe. Then go ahead and plant the tank with what you have, leaving at least one plant in the bowl with the shrimp. The mountain decoration is kind of overpowering the tank to me, I think it would look so much better with MORE plants  and some natural stones that aren't as large. You also should cover the intake of your filter like I mentioned so the baby shrimp don't get sucked in and killed. Oh, and I sent you a friend request.


Thank you sooooo much for that! Wow, you could be my human help machine! lol I also think the same about the mountain, but it's just too funny whenever I see them jumping off the "cliff". My mom now doesn't want me to get any more plants yet, the tank is on a trial and error thing right now. I got some stones at PetSmart, but I don't know where to put them. I covered the inside with a very fine mesh, because I don't want to ruin the look of the filter..... I just don't want to mess with the berried female because it is on the way to having babies, and I have to be very careful because I don't want any miscarriages or deaths.  Will post pictures after the substrate arrives and the tank is aquascaped, which will be in about a few days or so, Amazon is being too lazy and they won't ship during spring break :icon_evil


----------



## A.D.D.i.c.t. (Dec 9, 2012)

Have you tried to see if there are any local fish stores in your area? I personally won't buy much from Petsmart unless I have to. They might have some equipment that I need from time to time, but I always promote supporting local fish stores whenever possible. They will also have a much better inventory for hobbyists like us than a chain store like Petsmart imo. Seriously, find an LFS(local fish store). Having berried shrimp is exciting for sure, but by setting your tank up for success you should see many more berried shrimp in the future. The cycling process is Very important for shrimps, and you did jump the gun a bit in that sense. It's ok, as I said, cherries are very hardy shrimp. I say, return all the decorations you have back to Petsmart, and take that money to an LFS to buy more plants. You can worry about rocks later, if budget is an issue. Usually local fish stores have a decent rock selection as well. Plants absorb bad stuff, and your tank is not cycled, so the more plants, the better. Plus, we didn't join a planted tank forum for no reason right? At least pick up some moss if nothing else. My main concern is that because you already have the shrimps, the initial cycling process after putting in the new substrate may stress them too much and you could lose some if not all. It helps to do some research and learn how the cycling process works if you haven't already. You could probably keep them in the bowl for at least a week, especially if there's a few plants in there and your doing small daily water changes. Keep us posted.


----------



## Shrimpo_Brian (Feb 12, 2013)

A.D.D.i.c.t. said:


> Have you tried to see if there are any local fish stores in your area? I personally won't buy much from Petsmart unless I have to. They might have some equipment that I need from time to time, but I always promote supporting local fish stores whenever possible. They will also have a much better inventory for hobbyists like us than a chain store like Petsmart imo. Seriously, find an LFS(local fish store). Having berried shrimp is exciting for sure, but by setting your tank up for success you should see many more berried shrimp in the future. The cycling process is Very important for shrimps, and you did jump the gun a bit in that sense. It's ok, as I said, cherries are very hardy shrimp. I say, return all the decorations you have back to Petsmart, and take that money to an LFS to buy more plants. You can worry about rocks later, if budget is an issue. Usually local fish stores have a decent rock selection as well. Plants absorb bad stuff, and your tank is not cycled, so the more plants, the better. Plus, we didn't join a planted tank forum for no reason right? At least pick up some moss if nothing else. My main concern is that because you already have the shrimps, the initial cycling process after putting in the new substrate may stress them too much and you could lose some if not all. It helps to do some research and learn how the cycling process works if you haven't already. You could probably keep them in the bowl for at least a week, especially if there's a few plants in there and your doing small daily water changes. Keep us posted.


Sorry, I don't know of any lfs that is around my area. And what does imo mean? And yes, I am on a budget, and right now this is all I can afford. No more plants until I am very for sure certain that I can, and have the confidence of raising shrimp. Otherwise, the money spent on the tank is doing down the drain. Moss is way too much right now for me, but in a couple of months, that shouldn't be an issue. The substrate should be arriving today, and right now, everything is a mess for me. About the putting shrimp in a bowl thing, I don't know if the plants are going to survive the whole week, and I know it may very well be stressful for the shrimp, I have no idea what to do right now. Any ideas and steps on how to get the tank back on track? Okay, please tell me what to do when I get the substrate, starting from here: 1. The substrate arrives.


----------



## A.D.D.i.c.t. (Dec 9, 2012)

Learn the powers of Google my friend. I googled austin, tx local fish store and it found quite a few there in Austin. Planted tanks aren't difficult unless you make them that way, as not all plants have advanced requirements. Don't Give Up, and don't think of it as temporary. Okay, so IMO ( in my opinion), this is what you need to do. First, you need to SLOW DOWN. The best thing you can do for your planted tank and it's inhabitants is to take it slow and do everything with a purpose and end result in mind. So, IMO ( in my opinion) these are the steps to take, what I would do.
1. The substrate arrives.
2. Go to computer and Google Austin, Texas local fish store
3. Find receipt for Petsmart, return some stuff, get my funds together
4. Go to Local fish store, it would also be even better if you call them beforehand to find out if they carry live plants and what their selection is like.
5. Talk to someone there, start building a relationship with someone local who you can turn to for questions. This forum is great, but it's important to be involved with the local community of fish and plant people if possible.
6. Moss is cheap, GET SOME! I'm telling you, if you care about your shrimp as much as you say you do, get some moss. Christmas moss is pretty common, something like that. They will love you for it.
7. Go home smiling, moss in hand. Look at your tank, take a deep breath, and tell yourself " I can do this". 
8. Drain water into the temporary housing for your plants and shrimp, like you are doing a water change. Fill it up. This will be their "tank" while you're working on the Aquastyle.
9. Put your existing plants and hopefully the moss you have purchased into the temporary tank. 
10. Catch the shrimp and transfer them to the new tank, one by one if you have to.
11. Drain the rest of the water, but don't get rid of it, it will go back in the tank in a moment.
12. Pour the old gravel out, putting a little of it in the temporary tank, gently, so the shrimps will have something else to crawl on.
13. Forget about the rest of the gravel.
14. Pour the Fluval substrate into the tank, creating a slope that is higher in the back and slopes to the front. 
15. Tell yourself, "I'm getting closer to having an awesome planted shrimp tank!"
16. Put the water you drained back in, but PLEASE pour it onto something to break the flow, not directly onto the substrate. Like a plate for example.
17. Fill the tank the rest of the way with dechlorinated water and maybe add some of that starter bacteria you have.
18. Turn your filter back on.
19. Let your tank run like that for TWO weeks. I know this will be hard to do, but it is the best thing. Letting the tank cycle for at least two weeks will help prevent shrimp deaths. Your shrimp will be ok. I had cherries get berried in a half full 10 gallon with not filter running, no light directly on the tank, no heater. What did I have in there? MOSS hehe .
20. For plants to survive, they need nutrients and light, and that they don't get too cold. The temperature of your home here in Texas should be fine. If you want to try shining your aquastyle light over the temporary tank for 6 hours a day or so, that would be fine. Or not at all and I'm betting they won't completely perish. As far as nutrients, again, 2 weeks likely won't kill them off. 
21. You can do very small water changes on both tanks if you want during this time, but it isn't completely necessary. 
22. After two weeks, take a sample of your water from the Aquastyle to your Local Fish Store and let them test it to see if your cycling process is complete. If it looks pretty good, your in business. Maybe buy some more plants while your there if you can. 
23. Now it's time to put it all back together. Plant the plants into the substrate, but not the moss, it doesn't get planted in substrate.
24. Either catch the shrimp and put them in the tank, or drain the water way down in the temporary tank and pour it into the Aquastyle with the shrimps after you take everything out of the temporary tank and drain a little water out of the Aquastyle.
25. Now, RELAX. Just let the tank do it's thing for a week or two. During this time, be thinking about what else you want to do with the tank.
26. Do some RESEARCH!!!!!
27. Seriously, Google Eheim Aquastyle 4 planted tank and see what comes up.
28. Update regularly here, with pictures whenever possible. 
29. Have FUN!
30. Any questions?


----------



## Shrimpo_Brian (Feb 12, 2013)

A.D.D.i.c.t. said:


> Learn the powers of Google my friend. I googled austin, tx local fish store and it found quite a few there in Austin. Planted tanks aren't difficult unless you make them that way, as not all plants have advanced requirements. Don't Give Up, and don't think of it as temporary. Okay, so IMO ( in my opinion), this is what you need to do. First, you need to SLOW DOWN. The best thing you can do for your planted tank and it's inhabitants is to take it slow and do everything with a purpose and end result in mind. So, IMO ( in my opinion) these are the steps to take, what I would do.
> 1. The substrate arrives.
> 2. Go to computer and Google Austin, Texas local fish store
> 3. Find receipt for Petsmart, return some stuff, get my funds together
> ...


I was doing what you said, and now today, the plants AND the shrimp started to die. They are getting really white and curling up, is this a concern, or is it just a molt? 3 or so just died, so now, I'm left with another 3. What do I do?


----------



## A.D.D.i.c.t. (Dec 9, 2012)

If you added any water to the temp tank, make sure you de-chlorinated it. Otherwise there could be any number of reasons for this happening. Temperature shift possibly as well. I've done this before and didn't experience any issues, so I don't know for sure. Shrimp really should be added to a tank once it's been established and fully cycled. So you may end up having to do that if they don't make it. Sorry to hear that your having trouble. Don't give up, the real problem from the beginning was you rushed things a bit by not fully cycling the tank and adding shrimp too soon. Update when possible.


----------



## A.D.D.i.c.t. (Dec 9, 2012)

Updates?


----------

