# Shrimp Rescue Tanks (3) - Journal-ish Thing (56K!) - New Pics 1/18/12



## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Sounds like a great plan. Setups look good. Karma for being a rescuer.


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## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

Second scape is the best by far. Very nice.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Thanks for the kind words.

So you folks think it's a-okay to do UG in the second scape?


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

If it will grow why not use it. Soil looks deep enough.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

It's update time because the UG is finally planted. As you'll see below, I planted heavily and with thick clumps. There's probably enough in that 2.5gal tank to fill a 45-P but I want things to fill in more quickly.

Breaking up the clump:










First two rows:










Finished product from above:










FTS:










This is my first attempt at DSM UG and I hope it succeeds. It's currently got a 26w lamp, as mentioned in my first post, hung about 3-4 inches from the top of the tank. Tank's covered in plastic wrap with a couple slits cut in it so things don't overheat. 

You folks think a 12-14hr photo period will suffice for DSM?

And just for giggles, look at the truckload (that's a 1.5gal rubbermade container) of salvinia I pulled out of my shrimp tank today! There's still 3x this much remaining. May have to RAOK it:


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

I'm resigned to the fact that I'm going to have to use Red Sea Nano HOBs or something similar on these things (ugh - just go ahead and gouge my eyes out now) because there won't be much of a bioload and flow won't be a serious concern. Sponges are out of the question because of size/scale. Unless someone has other suggestions?

But what the heck am I going to use for heat that isn't 100% obtrusive and hideous? I've got a couple Tetra submersibles but they'll likely be completely gross.

Anyone have suggestions or recommendations? I've been scouring these internets for a couple days on the hunt for solutions.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

I saw some flat heaters at Petco, but then aqain they will be visible in the tank. Toms Aquatics has a mini canister that might do.


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## freph (Apr 4, 2011)

No clue for smaller filters. You might be able to find some used in-lines if you decide to go the mini canister router. Cool little project you have here though. I'm sure the shrimp will be more than happy in their respective tanks especially since you rescued them. Props to you.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Guess you folks are right. I should consider going on the hunt for three Rapids Mini canisters.

This little project is already turnout out to be 10x more expensive than I'd anticipated. Oops.

In-line heat is a bit more than this project needs so I should likely just bite the bullet and deal with an ugly heat tube. Maybe I can find something slim that can be hidden amid hair grass or some such.


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## freph (Apr 4, 2011)

somewhatshocked said:


> Guess you folks are right. I should consider going on the hunt for three Rapids Mini canisters.
> 
> This little project is already turnout out to be 10x more expensive than I'd anticipated. Oops.
> 
> In-line heat is a bit more than this project needs so I should likely just bite the bullet and deal with an ugly heat tube. Maybe I can find something slim that can be hidden amid hair grass or some such.


Maybe a hydor mini heater? Seems perfect for the small tanks you're keeping...and you could still use the HOB filters. However, the flat heaters like that don't have temperature controls which might be an issue since they're shrimp and they like cooler water....hmm. That mini canister does look pretty cool though, haha.


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## GDP (Mar 12, 2011)

maybe I missed it somewhere but it shouldnt be getting cold enough to cause harm to the shrimp unless its in a paart of your house where it gets below 68 or so.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

My cherries have never done so well when the temperature drops below 72 or 73.

This is Kentucky so the temperature in the winter drops to near zero Fahrenheit on a regular basis. Temps inside hovers around 60-65 in the winter. 

Definitely going to be a necessity.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Oh my gosh, what have I done? My brain is melting. Just spent 10,000 hours planting the other two tanks.

Here's a shot of the UG tank (it's now 7 days old) along with the unplanted HC tank to the left (please ignore the bourbon collection and Flourish products beneath them):










Hair Grass in:










Finally! 










The glosso tank:










Lesson learned: glosso is the WORST PLANT EVER to try to jab down into Eco-Complete. Would have been easier to use Fluval Shrimp Stratum, for sure.

Here's hoping these rigs turn out okay. Super-excited and exhausted.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

*Update Time!*

It's update time!

Crazy what a couple weeks will do for some UG in Shrimp Stratum with nothing but super-high light, Osmocote gelcaps and some misting:



















I think it's going to be a winner in a few weeks when things get flooded.

HC & DHG tank:



















HC isn't doing so swell but the DHG appears to be turning the corner rather well. Have a bit of extra HC I'm hanging onto but hope I don't have to use it. Hope it turns around because it's such a beautiful carpeting plant.

I've read and read and read about HC and the DSM and it's still looking like that so any advice is obviously appreciated.

Glosso & DHG in Eco-Complete is doing amazing:



















It's quickly turning out to be a favorite little foreground plant. All the nightmarish effort to get it planted in the Eco-Complete paid off. Here's hoping it continues its nice growth.

Got my hands on a few HOB filters for the tanks, some Hydor mini heaters that camouflage well, have tiny drop checkers and diffusers and will inject with DIY champagne yeast at the start. Hope to upgrade to paintball CO2 if I can find an appropriate manifold for splitting and Swagelok needle valves that can handle higher pressures. Also dosing EI with dry ferts kept diluted in 500ml solution bottles.

Excited for things to kick up a notch so I can move my hundreds of shrimp around a bit. And maybe house a few Rasboras that are currently living in a bucket… as their 20-year-old tank bit the dust.

Thanks for looking!


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## NeonFlux (Apr 10, 2008)

Very, very nice start. Great idea of growing the plants emersed first.  The UG is starting to carpet nicely. Progress looks fantastic.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Thanks! 

UG is definitely my all-time favorite. Looks gorgeous when in flowing water. Can't wait to see how it performs.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Guess it's update time!

Week three for the UG has been great. I'll be able to flood the tank for sure in another couple weeks:










It's developing a really strong root bed:










Week two was much better for the HC and DHG. HC no longer has gross mold/fungus (a bit of Excel misting did the trick) and I think it'll start to fill in nicely:










The glosso tank has also done well, as you can see:










It's grown like crazy with the dry start method, the hair grass has turned the corner, algae is starting to form on the rocks and at the edges of the Eco-Complete where there's too much moisture. Really excited for it to fill in over the next few weeks.

Still debating paintball vs. DIY champagne yeast and have all my equipment ready to go. Red Sea Nano filters w/Fluval sponges over the intakes, nano drop checkers from Nikki, Fluval nano thermometers, Hydor Mini heaters, adhesive black vinyl for the backs of the tanks. Will hopefully find some acrylic sheets I can cut into shape in the next few days. Gonna need something to cover these tanks for sure. 

Hope you're enjoying my foray into itty bitty tanks. When things really start to grow in and I begin to flood, I'll pull out the DSLR and fancy lenses for sharing.


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## JasonG75 (Mar 1, 2011)

UG is a carnivorus plant..How does that work with Shrimp?

I have always wanted to try this plant, but that fact made me hesitate.


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## 10gallonplanted (Oct 31, 2010)

I've heard that too, I've also heard that it dies after a long while being submersed.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Google "utricularia graminifolia and shrimp" and you'll see it's never really a problem.

Traps are way too small for shrimp and shrimplets.

P.S. What you've "heard" isn't always based in fact or experience. I've heard a lot of things. For instance, I've "heard" that I can't keep shrimp without RO/DI water and that's clearly not the case.

Never had a problem with UG dry or wet. Have had some in separate tanks for 4-5 years at least with no issues beyond spreading.


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## raven_wilde (Jul 12, 2006)

What kind of filters did you end up with? You might be able to stuff your Hydor heaters into them and then not have to try to hide them inside the tank. This is what I've done in the Aquaclear Mini on my Edge... works just fine and it doesn't get nearly hot enough to damage the filter.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

The tanks are far too small for any filter larger than the Red Sea Nano, so that's what I went with.

Mini Hydor heaters are so thin they're barely noticeable when placed on a black background. Have been pleasantly surprised by the way they look and think I may be able to hid them behind the filter intake for even less distraction.


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

Looks good! I love that UG, i'm still complating on what I want for foreground in my 30g. Starting to lean towards UG now. thanks! haha got any more?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

I'll have at least one farm (a 40B) of UG ready to sell in about a month, I think but nothing currently. 

It's become my favorite plant for sure. I never should have listened to all the critics who said it was impossible.


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

Cool, you must grown it ermersed first? Then it can grown submerged?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Yep. Spreads quickly when grown dry. The transition to the flooded tank is easy, too.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Tank update time!

UG is on week four and looking terrific:










The HC is coming along slowly. Looks like the largest rock is blocking some of the light so I'll need to get a larger clamp-style work lamp to deal with it:










May end up planting a bit more HC tomorrow to help with the bare spots.

And the glosso is out of control, totally taking over the dwarf hair grass:










The glosso is a lot taller than I expected it would be with the dry start. Hoping it trims up well once submerged.

All the elements for the tanks are here with the exception of some custom acrylic tops. Drop checkers, filters, thermometers, adhesive black vinyl, solar moon lights, diffusers, heaters, yadda yadda. 

Don't want to but I think I'm going to give all three tanks at least one more week, maybe 2. Debating the timeline because I wonder if CO2 would help the HC grow in or if this dry start will do the trick. The UG needs no help so I'm not worried about it. And the glosso? Haha, well, I never thought I'd find something that would overtake DHG.

Thanks for checking in, folks.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Great growth, congrats


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

Looks good, all of them and Tropica likes the UG, I liked the idea of using the Excel for clean up, I've been dosing 1 ml to every 3 gallons in my tank to clean up a little water quality issue and it's working, but pricey. No matter it's already a high tech tank it still gave the plants a boost of growth.

If you need to send some of the rescues up here to Maryland I have lenty of room!

What are you going to use for filtration?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Thanks for your thoughts, everyone.

Red Sea Nanos, as mentioned above for filtration. They're pretty powerful and quiet for the $5 price point. 

Really have limited tank space at home (woo condo life!) so I decided to stick with those 2.5gal tanks for the cherries. Will also likely use them to grow out some fry (Lime Green Endlers and smaller fish). At my office, though, I've got about 1,900gal of water in glass boxes. Could always take them there, I guess, but these aren't the highest quality color-wise and wouldn't want to mess up my breeding stock.

I'm sure, though, that I'll have to start giving these little guys away soon enough.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Am quickly running out of room for shrimp at home (one will also house some Endler fry) and decided to go ahead and flood the tanks today. Figure the added bonus of full-scale EI dosing and CO2 will assist growth, as well.

Here's the HC, which wasn't quite filled in:










But it's already pearling after CO2 was introduced:










The UG looks great already:










And here's the glooso, prior to a big trim:










Added Tetra SafeStart to each, squeezed some sponge filter juice into the back of the Red Sea Nanos (filled with some AquaClear ceramic bits and two sponges) and dropped in some floaters from my main shrimp tank. 

Am still on the hunt to find pure ammonia. If I can't, guess I'll go the slow way by just adding bits of fish food (HEAD - DESK) every day. 

Here's hoping I can get these up to snuff within a couple weeks to start transferring critters.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Good looking tanks, doing well


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Thanks. I'm pretty excited about them. They're the tiniest I've ever scaped.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

Love the tanks man. I am quickly falling for the 2.5 gallon tanks and want to start another one. I cant wait to see all the shrimp running around them. Ar you going to use any moss at all?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Don't have any real plans for moss in these tanks, as I think it'd be tough to make them look nice. 

But definitely in future tanks.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Guess it's time for another update. After a few serious algae outbreaks, things are back to normal and plant growth seems to be going swell.

(Ignore the lighting and coloration of these - took them with my iPhone and didn't bother looking at them on my Mac)

The UG, despite a bit of dust algae and the occasional bit of cyanobacteria seems to be doing the best:










Have been battling every kind of algae you can imagine with the HC but finally have the EI dosing down and the light period adjusted and things are cleaning up. A bit of Excel spot dosing has also helped:










The glosso tank? Hoo boy! I've trimmed it THREE times because of crazy growth and here it is again, jacked all the way up:










The tank has looked rather rough, thanks to CB, but is shaping up now that the glosso is literally turning into a weed.

Here's a look at the worms that exploded in the glosso tank:










Guess I'll need to get something to nix those bad boys, eh?

The glosso tank, using new Eco-Complete, seems to be cycling the fastest. We're, what, a week into this? And it's almost ready to go. The tank can eat 4-5PPM of ammonia in less than a day and nitrites are currently spiked at 5PPM. UG and HC are similar but they're about what I think is a day behind in the process. 

Fingers are crossed that this beginning stage of tank life continues to go smoothly.

Ordered (woopsiedaisy!) a couple Fluval Ebi tanks to permanently house all the extra cherries so it looks like these tanks will become homes for Endler fry.


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## jkan0228 (Feb 6, 2011)

No clue on the worms but they look pretty nasty.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

Very nice tanks man. Makes me miss my HC carpet.:icon_smil


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## mcqueenesq (Aug 29, 2011)

What a great way to try all the foreground plants!


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

The DSM has been over for a week or so and things are now growing in well post-flooding.

Hair Grass usually does grow into HC but it's such a small tank... it's, well, not much of a hassle to stick the long scissor in and snip snip. Even in the glosso tank that requires constant trimming, it's done in under a minute.

These are TINY tanks. Sponge filters just aren't an option. Even Fluval Edge pre-filters aren't going to cut it. Too large and obtrusive. Will be using black pantyhose to cover the filter intake.

Hydor Mini heaters, which I have in the tanks, are working out great. They're hovering at 82 with the lights on so I'm guessing I won't need to turn them on (after cycling, anyway) until the ambient room temperature starts to hit the 60s.

It's definitely a great way to try out foreground plants and I'm enjoying every minute of it. These tanks have actually helped motivate some fish nerd friends of mine to start planted tanks.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

somewhatshocked said:


> These tanks have actually helped motivate some fish nerd friends of mine to start planted tanks.


Always good to help spread the disease...... I mean, hobby. Yeah, hobby.:icon_eek::hihi:


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

HA! Disease indeed.

Took one guy a whopping week to show up at my condo with an empty tank and some rock begging for scape assistance. Loaded him down with Eco-Complete, ferts, plants and other goodies and now he's probably hooked for life.


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

somewhatshocked said:


> HA! Disease indeed.
> 
> Took one guy a whopping week to show up at my condo with an empty tank and some rock begging for scape assistance. Loaded him down with Eco-Complete, ferts, plants and other goodies and now he's probably hooked for life.


Lol. In the words of Freddie Mercury, "Another one bites the dust." Nothing wrong with helping a fellow patient, I mean, hobbyist out.:biggrin:


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Think it's time for an update. 

All three tanks have battled everything from hair algae (toothbrush really is your friend) to cyanobacteria over the past two weeks. All the gross worms are gone, algae is clearing up, everything has grown completely in, ferts & CO2 are on a roll, lighting is where I want it (really high), filters are going gangbusters.

These aren't great shots, as they're just snapped with my phone so I can provide a quick update.

Here's the UG, which has almost finished battling some gross brown dust that had it covered for almost two weeks:










The HC and dwarf hair grass are doing okay:










The glosso & hair grass tank looks kinda rough because it's just finished with some algae and gross worms… and I've had to trim it every other day (seriously):










We're at a point where each tank can process about 4ppm of Ammonia in under 24 hours and Nitrites are beginning to fall below 3-4PPM. Hoping to high you-know-what that the Nitrites continue to fall so I can start housing critters in these rigs in a week or so. But I'm not holding my breath.

All I know is they're tons of fun on the cheap.

Note: Located some Marina/Hagen heaters that are super-small for 2.5-3gal tanks a couple nights ago that maintain a steady temp at 77/78. Think I'm gonna replace those Hydor flat heaters that add 5degrees to the room temp as soon as the cycle is complete.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Yet another update!

"Cycles" are complete or nearing completion. 

The UG is my most favorite one of them:










Definitely my new go-to plant. Love every bit of it.

The HC/Hair Grass tank is still fighting algae but isn't looking too rough:










And the glosso tank grows so quickly that the hair grass seems invisible:










Maybe gonna start stocking them in a couple days.

Currently have them lit with 26w 6500K GE Daylight CFLs about 6-7 inches above the water. Anybody have thoughts on me sticking with these bulbs? Should I switch to 13w? Once they're stocked, I'll be adding quarter inch plexiglass tops that will certainly cut down on PAR and such so just wondering.

As always, thanks for taking a look.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

It's nice that your supporting the forum but I would try to make some money off of the product, but it's your money right.

You know I've read that and taken my glass tops off of my tank but I don't see any difference in growth, now I don't have to clean the glass and I can reach into the tank without moving the lid to open but I evaporate an inch of water weekly, so if I wasn't dosing EI and weekly water changes the tank would quickly be empty, well in 28 weeks or so and I've neglected my tank for that long before.

Edit: I like the UG tank the best as well, I like the way it tendt to make a big clump and I saw a 12 x12 mat for $100 on the SnS, I know that price is right but the size may have been a little smaller, but if your going to be power seller make a buck.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

(It's just not as fun for me when I'm making a big profit. I do often sell shrimp from my office tanks and raise N Class Lime Green Endlers, but even the profits from those are low. It's way more fun for me to share what I've got and to acquire more for my water nerd addiction.)

I'm just concerned that the 26w bulbs are going to be rather high for these tanks and am hoping the 1/4" covers will cut things down a bit.


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## jkan0228 (Feb 6, 2011)

Lol that glosso is just shooting up!


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

It's driving me nuts. Literally grows that much in a week. Trimmed it up on Sunday and bam, here we are. I think I'm going to need to cut back on the EI, CO2 _and_ lighting in order to keep it under control. Otherwise, it's going to drown out the hair grass.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Tanks are looking great


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## green_valley (Sep 14, 2011)

somewhatshocked said:


> It's driving me nuts. Literally grows that much in a week. Trimmed it up on Sunday and bam, here we are. I think I'm going to need to cut back on the EI, CO2 _and_ lighting in order to keep it under control. Otherwise, it's going to drown out the hair grass.


WOw, Glosso will grow that high??? woww. I like your tank. So green.

that grow that fast huh? I am actually gonna try to grow my plants as fast as possible. I can't wait for high tech tank.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Spike: Thanks.

green_valley: Yep - it gets even taller on occasion. I'm never using it in a tiny tank again because trimming is driving me nuts. But it sure looks cool and bushy in person.

UG is by far my favorite nano plant. Thick, lush, flows with the direction of the water. And it doesn't get a foot tall over night.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Finally moved some critters to two of the tanks tonight!

Maybe some photos tomorrow if all goes well. What a trip this has been. Way harder than any large tank I've started but way more fun.


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## Bensr20det (Jul 27, 2011)

Progress so far looks great. Looking forward to the updated photos.


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## jkan0228 (Feb 6, 2011)

What's shrimp are going in? Sorry if you already stated before.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

This UG is really starting to grow on me and to boot we have a carnivorous plant store about an hour away that carries it, it looks so nice but I want to ask you a few things.

I have a similar tank coming, same size, substrate, Osmocote, but no CO2 and a little LED fixture with 18 white diodes, will it grow in this set up? 

After it has filled in the whole area and is beautiful will it just stay that way with no room to expand and put on new growth or will it choke itself out?

Does it need to be trimmed to maintain that height?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

*jkan0228:* Rescued Cherries. Here's why in the first post.

*150EH:* Would need to know more about the LED fixture in order to determine the level of lighting. I have the best luck with UG when I have almost too much light (26w 6500K Daylight CFL on this tank, for instance), just enough CO2, Osmocote Plus in the substrate and EI dosing of the water column. It takes some effort to make sure you find the right balance but it's clearly worth it. 

UG doesn't choke itself out. It develops a really thick, flowing carpet that moves like it's a creature on the bottom of the ocean floor. You can trim the top of the plant maybe once a month or so but it's not always necessary. Most folks only seem to trim when they want growth to occur quickly. In my case, I dry started UG and it was nearly where I wanted it prior to flooding the tank. 

Grows best in soft water but survives well in hard conditions. Good flow will be essential. I positioned my filter in such a way that the output pushes water down in front and behind my tallest rock and that seems to do the trick.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Will be updating later this week with photos of all of the tanks, but here's a look at the UG tank after adding a few males (to stop a population explosion) a couple days ago:










As you can see, the single Frogbit plantlet I added a month ago has spread like crazy.


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## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

Hey, do you mind giving some deets on your water chemistry + what kind of system you're running for the UG?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

6+/- pH
1-2KH
11-12GH
Nitrates at least 40-60PPM
EI dosing - with more Iron than recommended - about double
2L bottle of champagne yeast CO2 - about 20-25PPM
26w 6500K CFL about 8 inches above the substrate
Osmocote Plus gelcaps in the substrate

I don't do anything special other than trimming every other week. Guess I need to add new photos this weekend.

Also have it growing in another tank with pH about 7.4 - everything else is similar, just with much lower lighting.


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## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

Any observation on how it's faring in the lower lighting, and is there any reason for the double iron?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Seems to be growing just as well in the lower lighting situation but it definitely took a month or so to adjust. I'll have to figure out a way to photograph it soon. While not as thick in the lower lighting tank, the UG is just as flow-y and green. 

For the extra iron, honestly, it's just because that's the way I mix my dry ferts. Seems like when I don't add extra, I'm always running with a deficiency. So it's out of habit that I mixed extra into my wet solution.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

I like to keep my micros and iron separate so I can alway adjust if I want to, I think my new light is going to be low lighting and it's been hard to find any solid info on the light. I found one site that said it was 2 watts, but I can't imagine an LED with 21 diodes only adding up to 2 watts, I'll know on the 29th when it arrives.

Now I'm starting to wonder if a little RedSea nano filter would pull water through a small UGF manifold so I could eliminate a inlet tube with foam or panty hose over the intake, why do I get these stupid ideas?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

150: What's the brand/source of the LED fixture? Maybe some of us nerds will have more info to share.

I'm a big fan of black pantyhose over the intake. Works great on these little Red Seas. Pantyhose + rubber band. Maybe not the most attractive thing ever but you can always remove the intake for photos.

Also... I nearly went insane without access to this site all day.


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

Hey jake, I'm going to be starting a few 2.5g also. Where did you get the red sea nano filters? And heaters? Best pricing?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Red Seas typically range from $5 to $9 on all the big sites. Pet Mountain, That Pet/Fish Place, Foster & Smith, Big Al's, Amazon. Ended up buying mine at the LFS for about $12 in hopes that they don't go out of business.

Bought my Hydor heaters (just sold them on the Power Sellers forum, actually, after just a month - no longer need that much heat) from Amazon. 

Have become a huge fan of these little filters. Highly adjustable, easy to clean, seem to be durable, run cool. Tightly stretched pantyhose over the intake doesn't seem to slow things down much, either, and I still get plenty of flow to keep plants healthy.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

The light will be useless for growing anything but moss if that, it really didn't say the power or the power consumption either but I figured with a small LED fixture it would be on a transformer with low consumption, but it's 2 watts overall. I'll pop it out and take another look but I'm pretty sure it's not going to work and will have to be returned and over the holiday weekend I didn't have time to play much.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

So… a Nerite uprooted all of my UG and here's what the tank looks like as of this evening, complete with water spots and dirtiness:










Those poor Endler males are completely freaked out.

Gonna have to plant something more hardy and less thick. Maybe Marsilea minuta? Or just flame moss on slate or something simple? All the cherries are hiding in the floaters.

Rather than complain and get aggravated (I mean, it happened in about SIX HOURS - the #**!&#$), I figured it was best to just start planting crap. Gonna add a bit more to the back and find some ground cover of some sort tomorrow.


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## ADA (Dec 31, 2010)

somewhatshocked said:


> So… a Nerite uprooted all of my UG and here's what the tank looks like as of this evening, complete with water spots and dirtiness:
> 
> Those poor Endler males are completely freaked out.
> 
> ...


Woah!!! Seriously??? The Nerite pulled all of that awesome UG out?? Wow.. 

I REALLY love the UG.. I want to do something similar in my tank, and grow a whole bunch of UG. 

Do you know where I can get some from?

PS. Your tanks are amazing.

Thanks!


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Not just a Nerite - but a tiiiiiny little horned bugger. In a single night. Went to bed and it was terrific. Woke up? Not so much. So no snails larger than a medium Ramshorn in any of my UG tanks ever again. 

Side note: Ramshorns breed like crazy in UG for some reason.

tetranewbie (I believe that's the screen name) here on the SnS started selling it after Dollface got rid of her UG farm. I can probably send you some once I trim my new Ebi in a few weeks.

I'm betting you can find it in terrarium shops in HI, too. 

UG, despite all the hoopla over it, is truly easy to care for if you keep it trimmed and don't let a snail tear it to bits. Grows quickly, too.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Looks like these tanks are finally being decommissioned. All of the cherries have been moved to a 20L and my Endlers were moved to a 500gal.

I loved them so much!

I'll have to update with what they're going to look like in their next lives.

Here's a taste: 










Probably going to use one of them as a temporary cull tank for CBS.


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## GoldenTetra (Jan 17, 2009)

Nooo! I know this is late, but I loved your tanks! Tell me you've started them back up?? I am SOOO going to try to get my hands on some UG now. Thanks for a great thread!


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

I have UG in tons of other tanks. These three small ones were only temporary. One is now a pico reef, one's a shrimp cull tank, one's housing Endler fry.


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## Julie7778 (Apr 21, 2015)

somewhatshocked said:


> Not just a Nerite - but a tiiiiiny little horned bugger. In a single night. Went to bed and it was terrific. Woke up? Not so much. So no snails larger than a medium Ramshorn in any of my UG tanks ever again.
> 
> Side note: Ramshorns breed like crazy in UG for some reason.
> 
> ...


Hi, I'm new to this and love UG. I was wondering if I didn't add CO2 or anything and I just had it in the Fluval EBI Kit with what it comes with (gravel and light) would it grow? Or is it just going to die, it seems tough. Also now in 2015 any idea where to buy some? I'm just gonna have some shrimp in the tank btw


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Julie7778 said:


> Hi, I'm new to this and love UG. I was wondering if I didn't add CO2 or anything and I just had it in the Fluval EBI Kit with what it comes with (gravel and light) would it grow? Or is it just going to die, it seems tough. Also now in 2015 any idea where to buy some? I'm just gonna have some shrimp in the tank btw


It might grow. But it won't last long for you without providing proper temperatures, flow, fertilizers, conditions and lighting.

The Fluval kit doesn't include gravel. It comes with a dirt-based, Aquasoil-like substrate. It won't work for UG without additional fertilizer.

You can check our For Sale and Want To Buy sections here or check the various retailers across the web.

Though, it sounds like you should consider something other than UG.


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## Julie7778 (Apr 21, 2015)

somewhatshocked said:


> It might grow. But it won't last long for you without providing proper temperatures, flow, fertilizers, conditions and lighting.
> 
> The Fluval kit doesn't include gravel. It comes with a dirt-based, Aquasoil-like substrate. It won't work for UG without additional fertilizer.
> 
> ...


Do you have any recommendations with what I have (light, stratum and the other things included in the kit?)


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