# First BABIES! "Super Monkey Finger Peanut Butter Green" Bowl.



## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

First planted tank. Thanks for all the info on here. Walstad method in full effect. Hoping to get a low maintenance jungle with some CRS eventually. 

*Aquarium:* Twelve inch bowl from Michael's.

*Substrate:* Inch and a quarter of sifted Miracle Grow Organic Choice Porting Mix, topped with a quarter to half inch of CaribSea Super Naturals Premium Aquarium Substrate. I used a pasta strainer to remove all the large possible floaters from the soil. 

*Lighting:* 5,000k, 14 watt CFL for now. Hoping to find a 6,500k at some point. I do 10 hours on a split cycle. 

*Decoration:* Lake Erie drift wood that I boiled for about an hour to remove the tanins or possible chemicals and such. I had some river stones holding down the wood and contemplated using some for around the tank, but I think it sits well without anything but the wood and plants. 

*Flora:* Microsorium pteropus, Spathiphyllum wallisii, Hygrophilia difformis, and Ophiopogan japonica. Added some Salvinia on 10OCT2011.

*Fauna:* Hopefully a few CRS after I use Cherry Reds to cycle it and check the water parameters. (I added three cherry shrimp on 11OCT2011.)

*Info:* I set this up on 09OCT2011. I did a fifty percent water change today on the the 10th, and plan on doing one every week for a month at which point I will test the water and see if it is cool for some shrimps. I'm using straight up tap water for now. No chemicals at all. 

***
Current FTS:










***

Ok so these are all terrible phone pics. Sorry for the quality. I hope you enjoy them anyways. 










The view from my bed like 12 inches from my smiling face.









Opposite side away from my bed.









View from the front.









A closer look inside.









Feel free to say things if you wish.

Rick from Buffalo.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

looks wicked man. once the stuff grows in about 4 months down the road it will look like a rainforest.
if those sword plants grow out of the bowl, that would look even more amazing. leave them in there to see what happens.

The bowl wont completely cycle unless you have some animal matter in there producing ammonia. Which is why i recommend that once you see your plants growing very well (about after the first month), you should introduce a few cherry shrimp. you can then switch the cherries to crystals like i did and keep the bowl cycled without a problem!


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Newman the Great, thanks for the comments and cycling info. Noted. I estimate I have at least two gallons of swimming water in this beast. How many cherries to cycle and then CRS to keep do you recomend?


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

you could introduce a male+female pair of cherry shrimp (and inevitably breed them for more) to keep the tank adjusting to higher bioload and cycled. Then I'd say you could get about 5-7 crystal shrimp to start. that number guarantees that you'll get both males and females (as most breeders will sell you unsexed juvenile shrimp).

Good luck with this!


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## Ozydego (Aug 29, 2011)

nice bowl, Im glad these are taking off, such a cool concept...wondering if I made a mistake adding my shrimp too soon, I have 3 cherries soon to be 2 in one gallon of water, the 8.5" michaels bowl. the third is going into my betta tank... these shrimp are tiny and seem like they could be happy in this little bowl, 2 gallons could definitely hold more, be careful though, they will reproduce like bunnies and your bowl will fill out with a lot more if you keep them happy


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Added some Salvinia to float on top today. I also declorinated the water as I'm sure the cherry shrimp at my local fish store want to be in my bowl much sooner than a month lol.


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

Very cool tank! That will look cool most definitely 2 months down the road. 

HOWEVER, two of the plants you got in there aren't aquatic and will die if you don't take them out. Those two are; _Spathiphyllum wallisii_ and _Ophiopogan japonica_


If I were you, to replace those plants, I'd get ricca for a carpet and then add some _hygrophila polysperma 'sunset'_ to the back. It'd be epic. Ooh, maybe get a 12" tall 'lucky bamboo' _Dracaena sanderiana_. (Note; this plant is also not aquatic, but grows tall and looks cool growing out of a bowl)

Great start  

Get some cherries in there soon.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Thanks for the advice Plant Man. I knew i would have to take the Lilly out a few months down the road but I've read a few accounts of the monkey grass stuff doing well in aquariums. I will be sure to update the progress on this every week if i can. I'll probably end up getting a plant package from someone on here a little ways down the road to replace the lilly at the very least.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Couldn't help myself. They had one regular sized cherry and two tiny fry at my LFS. I got all three.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

i'd test weekly and change the water now...they're hardy but not ammonia/nitrite proof.


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

Newman said:


> looks wicked man. once the stuff grows in about 4 months down the road it will look like a rainforest.
> if those sword plants grow out of the bowl, that would look even more amazing. leave them in there to see what happens.
> 
> The bowl wont completely cycle unless you have some animal matter in there producing ammonia. Which is why i recommend that once you see your plants growing very well (about after the first month), you should introduce a few cherry shrimp. you can then switch the cherries to crystals like i did and keep the bowl cycled without a problem!


I don't see why you couldn't 'feed' the bowl even if there are not shrimp in there. In a shrimp only tank the food seems to add way more waste than the actual shrimp waste anyways.

Also I was under the impression that the decay/mineralization of the potting mix will be creating/releasing ammonia and/or various forms of nitrates anyways.

I will try to test my bowls tonight to see what they read. Then when I add some shrimp I will try to see if I get a spike but I would be pretty surprised if the existing bacteria and the plants soaking up nutrients aren't enough to mask any sort of mini-cycle anways. I have a lesser strain of RCS that I got an LFS that are breeding like crazy now and that I don't mind testing with.

edit: not so much arguing as thinking out loud.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

yes he could simply feed the bowl, but shrimp are more fun to feed haha 

the soil probably releases such stuff. i always though ammonia cycling in a bowl seemed a bit overboard so i just used shrimp once the plants got going. I remember is still got a 1ppm nitrite spike after i added my two cherries :0 But a water change fixed that.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Newman said:


> i'd test weekly and change the water now...they're hardy but not ammonia/nitrite proof.


Thank you once again for the advice. Did about a 60% water change. I'll have to pick up a test kit asap. Vacuumed out the shrimp clothes on the floor too.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

shrimp molts could be left in there but tap water helps the calcium uptake too. 
as long as you dont stress the shrimp, you could do weekly WCs from now on and your bowl should grow smoothly.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

These little guys are so captivating. Always busy doing their thing or swimming around the bowl. I have this moveable hand lens set up so I can view them magnified whenever they come by my side of the bed. It's awesome. Bad news is now that I can get a good look, I don't see a saddle on any of them. Just my luck I end up with three males. Hard to get good pics though.



















This is right through the hand lens. The shrimp is dead center in my bowl and crystal clear to the naked eye.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

me want lens now...


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## 10gallonplanted (Oct 31, 2010)

Take the ferns rhizome out of the soil! Your gonna kill it.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

yea, about that...
definitely do what he says


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

10gallonplanted said:


> Take the ferns rhizome out of the soil! Your gonna kill it.


I want to. Can you quote the picture you see it in and point out the location of my error please?

Any of you Gurus want to send me a plant package that would be perfect for his bowl? A female would Cherry Shrimp would make my day too. I can paypal. PM me.


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## christian_cowgirlGSR (Aug 2, 2011)

rikardob said:


> I want to. Can you quote the picture you see it in and point out the location of my error please?
> 
> Any of you Gurus want to send me a plant package that would be perfect for his bowl? A female would Cherry Shrimp would make my day too. I can paypal. PM me.


Below is your picture from your op post. I have circled the java fern. The rhizome is the horizontal piece that the roots and leaves both grow off of. This piece needs to be above the dirt or else the java fern will slowly die. Hope that helps!


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

if it helps, the rhizome of the fern is also green and needs some light.

I'm a long ways away from seeing anything from my cherry shrimp (i just recently set them up in a marina cubus) so I can't help with the shrimp situation yet, sorry.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I'd go ahead and pull the nonaquatics now before they start rotting and giving you water quality issues. They may drag on for months in there, but they will eventually die unless the leaves are exposed to air. Helanthium tenellum (formerly Echinodorus tenellus) would be a good replacement for the Mondo grass.

Very pretty little bowl, I do quite like it! :fish:


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Thanks you all a million times over for the interest, comments, and help. I pulled the Java up a little before i ran out of the house but it needs a few more dedicated minutes of tooling around when i get home to get up and out where it can grow. I'll post a pic later to see if it is enough. I posted a WTB thread and hope to get a nice plant package as soon as i can.


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## 10gallonplanted (Oct 31, 2010)

cowgirl has the right idea! You can leave the roots in the soil its just the rhizome.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

lauraleellbp said:


> I'd go ahead and pull the nonaquatics now before they start rotting and giving you water quality issues. They may drag on for months in there, but they will eventually die unless the leaves are exposed to air. Helanthium tenellum (formerly Echinodorus tenellus) would be a good replacement for the Mondo grass.
> 
> Very pretty little bowl, I do quite like it! :fish:



You do not think they will eventually grow out of the water?
I found that when i had my peace lilies, their leaves dried up and the plant died when the base was in water. the plant did live for quite a while completely underwater though. i guess my emersed attempt failed.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Man that was nerve racking. It stirred up a lot floasam and debris from the soil. I hope I pulled it out far enough. The shrimp sure enjoyed it though as you can see from the picture. All three came over and started sifting. I think I shall call the big Steve, and the two little ones the Steversons.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

i cant see the green rhizome?


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

If you are still nervous about having the rhizome buried (and one of the above posts provided a pretty good layman's explanation of how to identify the rhizome) you could always take a small rock and use fishing line or sewing thread to tie the java fern to the top of the rock. This will ensure that the rhizome is not buried while also keeping the java fern from floating away.

The roots will eventually attach to the rock (assuming the rock isn't really smooth) and will probably go into the soil at some point as well.


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

rikardob: Gordon posted in your WTB thread. He is a great guy to deal with. Here is a link to his permanent power seller thread in the SwapnShop:

http://http://www.plantedtank.net/f...orting-crypts-anubias-others-plants-more.html

He knows a lot is good to deal with. Especially in such a small bowl he would be good to help you put together a small package of plants (his crypts would be good for the bowl for example) that would suit your bowl.

He also has some real nice looking Sakura shrimp which are a higher grade Red Cherry Shrimp. The quantity that you want it is almost not worth the trouble of shipping but you might be able to get a package of 10 or something.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Boiling some river rocks to put around the base of the fern to help keep down debris before I pull it up. I may have to start out fresh when I get my plant package in. I don't think I can pull my non-fully aquatic flora without destroying the tank.


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## 10gallonplanted (Oct 31, 2010)

Pull it out a litttttle more.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

I think I got it this time. Here it is post-micro-aquatic Hiroshima.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

that should live now.


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

rikardob said:


> Boiling some river rocks to put around the base of the fern to help keep down debris before I pull it up. I may have to start out fresh when I get my plant package in. I don't think I can pull my non-fully aquatic flora without destroying the tank.


One thing that can be done in a dirt based tank to avoid uprooting plants and making a mess is to just cut the plant right at the surface of the substrate (let the roots remain buried).

Not sure if problems might be encountered in such a small bowl doing this but it is fine in larger tanks. Probably better for the water quality than pulling up a bunch of dirt.


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## 10gallonplanted (Oct 31, 2010)

Wouldnt the plant grow back? Im pretty sure if you left the roots there it would grow back, just like a terrestrial weed.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

I'll probably just start over if it gets crazy in there when I pull the non-aquatics. 

Steve Steverson and the Steves are constantly doing speed laps around the bowl in the morning and sometimes at night. Is this normal shrimpy behavior or do they want to be somewhere else?


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

I think that is a problem that is common in bowls. i havent quite ever figured it out. it has to do with parameters, and frequently with dissolved oxygen/CO2 levels, pH, temperature. those are my guess. I noticed male shrimp tend to do this much more than females. Maybe sometimes its triggered by female pheromones during breeding time, but that's just another guess.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

It went down tonight! 

Recognize these?










Really fun new stuff going on in the world of the Steves. I'll update with pics as soon as i can if anyone is actually interested.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

ok now watch out for those plants drying up on you, especially the broad leaf one. thats what happened to mine and i wasn't sure why. maybe it needs a humid environment if it just got taken out of the water..


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Newman said:


> ok now watch out for those plants drying up on you, especially the broad leaf one. thats what happened to mine and i wasn't sure why. maybe it needs a humid environment if it just got taken out of the water..


Thanks for the heads up my man. I thought it might be a problem so I packed the soil really tight to keep the water up close to the surface instead of running right down to the bottom. If it starts drying up I have a little greenhouse I can move it to. I'll mist it daily for now and cross my fingers. I'll let ya know if if they und up dying with future updates.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Looks like a jungle already.










View from my bed with shrimp.










New plants. I also used a ruberband around a rock to hold down the fern.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

new plants are cool, though you'll probably not stay with cabomba for a long time. its meant for taller tanks than this. its a personal choice though


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Newman said:


> new plants are cool, though you'll probably not stay with cabomba for a long time. its meant for taller tanks than this. its a personal choice though


I really hate the look of it to be honest too. I made a list of plants from every bowl thread on the forum and that was on it. Pickings were slim in a way. I'll probably go through a few things before I settle. Already planning a grow tank to try some stuff I like the look of lol.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

is that a sword plant? or crypt? the one in front with the bigger broad leaves?

btw did you cap your soil with anything o_o ?


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

A crypt if memory serves me correctly. Red Wendtii. The one to the right is a Pygmy Chain Sword. Yeah I used a cap but all that soil came up when replacing the plants. Cap is in my first post.

P.S. The Peace Lilly and Mondo Grass look like garbage today. I hope they make it in the open air.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

I don't know why I'm posting this but I was looking through my magnifying lens and saw Steve Steverson do a little poop. Now I notice their little poops on all the foliage. It's pretty cool that you can see all their internals after they molt their red clothes off and run around naked for a little. Now I know why I have to split and take out that black line when preparing shrimp to eat lol.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

So the Pygmy Chain Sword has a runner with four daughter plants on it. The developing daughter plant on the end of the runner has a leaf that is just shy of an inch. It was only a leafless node four days ago. Been really cool watching it sprout out so fast.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

yes you will see a lot of that soon. they will take over your substrate.


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## jdm68 (Jun 2, 2011)

Great bowl! I think that you are a little low on your volume estimation though. I have the 10 inch Michael's bowl, which I calculated to be really close to 2 gal. I did some math for a 12 inch bowl and came up with:
904.7786842339201 * 0.00432900433 = 3.91679084.
That is ~905 cubic inches, multiplied by gal per c.i., giving you a shade under 4 gal in this bowl, prob 3.5 with substrate and whatnot displacing the water. Anyways...
I too had to remove some mondo grass from a tank, and kept it in open air with no problem. It didn't grow for about 3 months, but has now started producing TONS of new leaves. It is an extremely hardy plant, almost considered a weed, so you should have nothing to worry about. I also had to take an Asian Waterfern(Bolbitis heteroclita, it also has broad leaves) out of a tank, and that hasn't been doing well at all. I've been keeping it in a 10g with my orchids for high humidity, but it hasn't done anything for months. Then again, it isn't dead yet, so we'll just see...


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Thanks. Do you have any pics of your 10 gallon with flowers? Yeah that sounds about right with the volume. I poured about 3 & 6/10ths gallons of water into the bowl before filling it to measure. I figured I would chop a gallon off with all the substrate, wood, and plants. The grass I took out is in fact doing great. Lily isn't doing so well, but it's alive for sure. Just seems limp. The bowl and shrimp are all doing great and growing like crazy!


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## jdm68 (Jun 2, 2011)

The 10 gal is really nothing special, it is essentially empty, but about 5 small orchids and a half dead bolbitis, each in their own pot(1 orchid is mounted), sit inside. It is only for added humidity and to hopefully prevent cold drafts from hitting them. After I move and re-set it up, I wanna do them justice. I will though, try to take some decent pictures of the orchids; they're some really cool plants. The rack the tank is on is pretty cool though, so I'll get a pic of the whole deal with pothos, another bigger phal orchid, some Lucky bamboo and a whole bunch of succulent plants. Oh, and the mondo grass is on there as well.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

I didn't want to jump the gun until I was sure... One of my shrimp has been slowly developing a saddle and its a confirmed thing! It's as clear as the sky today. I have a female. Now comes the hard part. Waiting :/ Everything else in the tank is growing like weeds. I already have a plant breaking the surface! Had a little white mold or alge on my wood but i vacuumed it up a few days ago and all looks good now. I'll try to get a pic or two up later.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

I finally saw all three Steves in the same area and even more good news. It was the medium sized one who developed a saddle. The smallest of the three still may end up being a female too. Gonna have to call the first female Steveena. 

Nothing special with the pics right now. The Salvinia has taken over the whole surface area of my bowl and you can kind of see the plant coming out of the top of the water near the piece of wood farthest to the left.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

wooo, that thing looks better than my bowl now haha! Bowls look their best probably around this stage, when all the plants start to grow and flourish, but do not yet need any trimming. first picture looks perfect!


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Thanks Newman. Means a lot coming from you.

I'm starting to worry my temps will drop too low in the winter and want to add a fully submerged heater. I found one that is small enough but preset to 78F. My tank is steady around 69-70F. Will the 8 degree increase in temp kill them and how will it being 3 degrees above their optimal range effect them?


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

cherry shrimp are fine at 78F but higher temps mean less dissolved oxygen which is important for bowls. i say around 70-75F is best so try to set your house/apartment thermostat to that.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Word. I'll try to look around for something to keep it at 75. 

Peek-a-boo!


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Found my first little snail today. A little smaller than the size of a bb. Hitchhiker from the LFS plants I bought a while back. I don't think I will will have any population explosion problems but should I be worried about the increased bio-load? I want to leave it/them if there are more. Can I? If I have to get a zoomed on this thing I'll probably end up getting a few micro-fish too. Do you know what these dudes are called? I'm calling this one Gary for now.


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

I am really loving these shrimp bowls (and minnow bowls). Are there tiny (nano?) heaters that can be used during the cold months? I keep my house around 60 degrees in the winter just because the electric bill gets so high...I'd love to try one of these if I could heat it.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

driftwoodhunter said:


> Are there tiny (nano?) heaters that can be used during the cold months? I keep my house around 60 degrees in the winter just because the electric bill gets so high...I'd love to try one of these if I could heat it.


I haven't found anything I like yet. Mine being 12 inches does allow me to use a traditional HOB type one if I really need to. But the answer is no, not really. Not one that is adjustable anyways.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

thats a Physa snail, pond snail being the common term for it. personally i dislike them so i would remove him , but imo its just a question of whether you like the look of many snails crawling about your bowl...


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Newman said:


> thats a Physa snail, pond snail being the common term for it. personally i dislike them so i would remove him , but imo its just a question of whether you like the look of many snails crawling about your bowl...


I really do like this guy. A lot. I think it's only Gary in there. It makes for a cooler staring session when I get to see him. I almost wish there were more. I love this tank. I think I see a Mini M in my future.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

o there will be more. that species doesn't need two individuals to reproduce D:


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Newman said:


> o there will be more. that species doesn't need two individuals to reproduce D:


So I read. Hoping that if I keep food to a minimum their numbers will stay low. Did a 50% water change yesterday. There was so much Salvinia it was crazy. I got rid of well over 2/3rds of it. All the plants are growing like crazy in there. I have 6 daughter plants on the Pygmy Chain Sword runner and another runner is starting grow out. I'll post some update shots later.

*Edit: I just found one in my dirty water bucket surface crawling around the overstock Salvinia. Threw him back in the tank. I am a benevolent master. I have two Physna snails... soon to be a million.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

lol yes soon to be millions. they eat decaying plants so you'll have limited control of overfeeding. thats why they are so prevalent in planted tanks


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Worst. Maybe I'll cull them. Wish I had a puffer tank.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

what kind of puffer?
anyway they would need a setup more advanced than our bowls haha, and larger.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Dwarf Puffer. If this bowl turns out to be a snail factory I'll probably set up a species specific puffer tank. I've done a ton of research on them.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

an AGA 5.5 gal would do, to keep it simple.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

I just watched the two snails have like a battle of something. They would get all up on each other and stick their shells way out in the water and viciously shake them from left to right. I also noticed a tiny little spot with about 10 little clear orbs on my glass. I'm guessing this is this start of my snail invasion?

*Edit: The snails must have been getting ready for it, because its going down right now lol. The smaller one is now riding piggyback around the tank on the bigger one after some other stuff was going on under a leaf.


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## jasonpatterson (Apr 15, 2011)

Lol, yeah, the snail "fight" was amorous in nature. The blob of orbs are snail eggs, remove them in you're able.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Haha. Nice vocab. I'm ok with the snails. I'm all about having a little bio-sphere of life. This is just the motivation I need to set up my dream Dwarf Puffer tank. This little bowl is going to be a Puffer-food production factory I hope.

*Edit: A quick shot of the emersed growth I'm getting:


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Nothing special but they're mine. Steveena. 










Steevena and Steve (Not Steve Steverson.)


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

magnifying glass? those are great pics!


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Thanks man! Just finally got around to charging up my old Sony Cybershot. No glass. Just a macro mode.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

D:
thats a good camera
I have to hold my breath to get pics this good with my lame camera.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Little update. Everything in this bowl is growing out of control. It's simply amazing. The Physidae are breeding like mad. I've watched two egg bubbles hatch and the microscopic baby snails wander off in all directions. I spotted what looked like a macroscopic rams horn snail last night, but dropped it out of my turkey baster while I was trying to bring it out for pictures and id. I had a dragonfly nymph in there but I got him out last night too. 

FTS:










Steevena:










The Steves:



















My Java Fern propagating.










The Dragonfly Nymph. It is from the Gomphidae family. Here is the saga:



rikardob said:


> I'm generally a benevolent ruler over my tiny aquatic kingdom, but today I glared into my tank through squinted eyes reflecting nothing but malice and rage. Nothing is going to mess with my shrimp. NOTHING! I got home from work tonight and didn't even change. I walked straight over to my tank and grabbed Excalibur (my trusty turkey baster) and set about slaying my microscopic dragon. I looked for about 20 minutes before finally brandishing my magical hand lens. I peered, and peered. I was seriously contemplating giving up when I finally spotted a bit of black beneath a leaf. I turned my entire bowl around for a better a look and there he was. Just haunting like a guy with a mullet at a playground. How dare this tiny little shrimp-hunting fool think he can just creep on my shrimpykins without me noticing? As if. Long story short... I bagged this dude up proper. I'm going to bring him to the lab tomorrow for closer inspection under a microscope with professionals. Sorry about the crappy quality. This guy is tiny and my camera is under-equipped.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

yes its a very young dragonfly nymph, probably from that family. 

looks like your cherries are breeding. you will soon see a berried shrimp and later tons of shrimplets.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Newman said:


> yes its a very young dragonfly nymph, probably from that family.
> 
> looks like your cherries are breeding. you will soon see a berried shrimp and later tons of shrimplets.


Yeah man, I inspect my female every day for berries lol. I think it will happen soon. I did a water change 2 days ago and it looks like my female is about to molt. She has that white band near the rear of her carapace. 

I'm in my office now with the insect in a specimen jar. Just waiting for a biology professor to stop in so we can examine it under a dissecting microscope.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

the professor will likely confirm that what you have is a dragonfly nymph.

I'm afraid of the white band appearing on my female shrimp lol. i've seen too many of them die right after the white band appeared  maybe they were old shrimp, it always happens to the bigger and more red females


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

You should see that white band on the really red shrimp right before they molt. It's just the molt starting to seperate. I've gotten this information from prolific breeders on this site.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

i have seen my shrimp molt at least once. i havent noticed the white band but i'm sure its there if they say its there. what i have noticed is large dead shrimp with that white band, so usually i dread the moment i see the band on my female shrimp 
curiously enough i don't think i ever noticed males die this way...just females. it looks sort of like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB_XiYufb30
minus all the leeches. before they died, they looked kinda split in half in that exact spot...


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Oh gross dude. It looks like that white band is filled with something. It's nothing like that on my female before it molts. It litterally looks like when you're peeling a shrimp and the shell starts to seperate from the mushy stuff on the inside.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

lol yes the band is filled with internal stuff, and it looks like the shrimp almost split open. i really hope its just because of old age (I mostly kept cherries in 80F water, so maybe their metabolism was sped up too much). i don't see young shrimp dying like that, only older females who have already bred before.
So basically when i see a wide white band and an inactive shrimp, I know what comes next  The shrimp usually drops overnight.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

My girl looks big this morning. I can't actually make out any eggs but I've never seen her look like this. What do you guys think?




























And here are two shots that just came out well, so I'm posting them.


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## Razorworm (Jul 24, 2011)

The vid made me sick...Rick, how big would you say your shrimp are?


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

I guess the female might be a tad under an inch and the two males are a bit smaller progressively according to their age. I'll try to get real measures when I have a few moments.


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## HolyAngel (Oct 18, 2010)

When they die with the split like that it's a failed molt. They bend in half to stretch the outer shell so they can get out of it, but if it's too hard then it literally cracks their back and that's all she wrote. I would check the gh if you notice this happening..


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Makes sense. My female had the white stripe two days ago, molted and now she colored back evenly. There is a huge difference between the regular molting stripe and what Newman posted.

Anyone have thoughts on why my female is huge all of a sudden?


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Now that I'm home on break she just seems to be fanning her pleopods a lot. Not seeing any eggs but her abdomen appears to be distended.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

relax, she is still saddled, its pretty obvious, but less so than before. I'm guessing in a week or two she'll be berried, or whenever the next molt happens.

That would make sense about the GH, my water has extremely high GH levels out of the tap. In the long run though i have been able to raise cherry shrimp very well. its just very obvious and sad when i see a female die like that, though it happens rarely.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

I didn't want to update without pics but I got the chance to watch the saddle pass the eggs down to her pleopods while basically dissolving in front of my eyes. I wasn't aware until now that the saddle completely disappeared when the eggs formed. I was only able to watch for about 45 minutes and she was deep in the middle of the bowl under heavy foliage, but it was simply awesome. Hopefully she is out and about when I get home tonight. I can't believe how fast all this happened and I hope she doesn't drop her eggs. Looks like seeing a bulging abdomen like in my pics is indicative of an egg formation.


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## TactusMortus (Jun 28, 2011)

I am liking the shrimp bowl you got going here. I just found one very similar that I am going to be setting up. I also wanted to say that I am honored to be a part of your signature!


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Thanks. 

My girl has her first berries!


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## Razorworm (Jul 24, 2011)

Congrats dude! ....what's with the asterisk?


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

I guess a mod considered the TV personality in question a politician so I had to take it out.


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## Razorworm (Jul 24, 2011)

fitting..the asterisk is what the tv "personality" will be in a couple of years


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

nice, tell us how long it takes for the shrimplets to hatch.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

You know I will. 

Added a 1 gallon jug to grow out the Pygmy Chain Sword daughter plants. I have 8 in there right now. 2 more are still in my bowl on a runner. The daughter plants that have grown in my bowl are about 400% bigger and have amazing roots compared to the ones that came on it when I bought it.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Threw a bunch of salvinia in the gallon container as well as the dragonfly nymph. Interesting little experiment going on in there. 

Just a few shots I thought that turned out rather well. 

My girl still has her berries.



















Some new type of snail I spotted. Looks like a micro ram's horn. I've only seen it twice. 










And a cool shot of Gary.










A pic showing what the lighting structure looks like as well as some emergent growth.


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## Ozydego (Aug 29, 2011)

I don't see any eyes on the eggs yet, still a little ways to go before they hatch, really cool pics... I would say baby ramshorn as well... Jealous, I want a few ramshorns...


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

are you feeding the nymph anything?


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Not yet. Heading to the pet store tomorrow. If they have bloodworms I'll pick some up. If not, I fear the little guy is on his own.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

yes chopped bloodworms dangled with a toothpick or something should be good if the nymph is still very small. if its average size then it may take a whole bloodworm.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

All they had were the freeze dried ones so I skipped out. I went looking out back for small creatures and came across this tiny potato bug. Here is the nymph attacking it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q0qOyejAzI


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

but she didnt eat it?


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Not sure. Had to leave. I'll know in a few hours. If not, I'll remove it and try to find some tiny little worms.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

The Nymph never ate the potato bug thing. Found a small worm and snipped off a little portion of it. She is eating it as I type. I got video of it as well, but it was nowhere as cool looking as the first one. Don't think I'll even bother editing it down and uploading it.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

lol don't but good to know that its eating something. you now have a chance at raising it. though idk how it will last the winter if it morphs before spring...


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Newman said:


> lol don't but good to know that its eating something. you now have a chance at raising it. though idk how it will last the winter if it morphs before spring...


Oh man. I just turned its light on and it ate almost the entire thing. Only a tiny nubbin of the worm is left. The Nymph's abdomen is clearly around two times the size now. I've been thinking about what to do if the nymph morphs during winter. Might throw together a terrarium for it or start an emersed tank to be filled when I can set the dragon free. They eat crickets in the wild so I'm all set.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

ok as long as you know how to take care of a dragonfly lol.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Newman said:


> ok as long as you know how to take care of a dragonfly lol.


I don't. At all. I figured if I just provide it with food and resist the urge to smoosh it, it would work out. I have yet to kill an animal despite a complete ignorance of how to care for them at first. Knock on wood.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

thats good. i dont really know how to do it either but what you've been saying so far sounds like it may work


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

So its getting close to baby time and I don't want to put moss on my wood. I'm inclined to just leave it how it is since there are no predators and plenty of hiding spaces. I will add a moss ball if you think the babies would utilize it though. What say you oh mighty knowledge-base of tpt?


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

BABY SHRIMPYKINS! Momma had her little horde yesterday.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

nice. you keep this up and you will get lots of them every couple of months.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Newman said:


> nice. you keep this up and you will get lots of them every couple of months.


Sweet! My neighbor has a fish tank and is interested in trying to keep some cherries now too. I'm going to give him all my culls.

These little dudes are all over my bowl!


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## Studman0143 (Mar 20, 2011)

Hey great thread man! I actually read all 8 pages which is pretty rare for me. I must say you are my best example of a good looking bowl. I am in the beginning stages of a 10" one, so thanks for all the pictures and updates. Keep them coming! I'm following.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Studman0143 said:


> Hey great thread man! I actually read all 8 pages which is pretty rare for me. I must say you are my best example of a good looking bowl. I am in the beginning stages of a 10" one, so thanks for all the pictures and updates. Keep them coming! I'm following.


Cool man. My bowl is crazy right now. My first babies are a decent size and swimming all over the place. My female is Berried again and actually due in a few weeks. I'll see if I can get some good pics up after I get some free time today.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

sell some of the babies lol, or move them out. overpopulation is eminent if you don't


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## SunnyIL (Mar 22, 2004)

Amazing journal. Thanks for sharing!


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## keilatan (Jan 22, 2011)

Updates on the babies?


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