# Led's 5.5g Shrimp Aquarium Journal Update 9/5/2011 (Cherry shrimp)



## kifeter (Sep 1, 2010)

Nice! your not having any trouble with algae due to the light?


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## PinoyBoy (Mar 14, 2008)

I like the wood, it looks unique and flows nicely. Same for the rock works. I'd raise the 2 rocks because once the HC starts to fill in nicely, it will sadly get covered. And with that much light, you might need co2 and start dosing ferts.

Keep up the good work and don't forget to update the thread with pictures on a weekly basis :smile: .


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## Cboss (Aug 23, 2010)

Nice re-scape. 

Is your ram eating any of the baby shrimp? I've been thinking of getting a ram but don't want too many of of the little guys to get gobbled up.


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

kifeter said:


> Nice! your not having any trouble with algae due to the light?


Thanks  Nope Im not getting much aglae even after the light switch.



PinoyBoy said:


> I like the wood, it looks unique and flows nicely. Same for the rock works. I'd raise the 2 rocks because once the HC starts to fill in nicely, it will sadly get covered. And with that much light, you might need co2 and start dosing ferts.
> 
> Keep up the good work and don't forget to update the thread with pictures on a weekly basis :smile: .


Thanks, ive been thinking about adding a c02 system for it but its too costly, and ive heard that the diy is unstable for smaller aquariums. Ill raise my rocks when the hc starts rooting and spreading, until then ill leave them be. 



Cboss said:


> Nice re-scape.
> 
> Is your ram eating any of the baby shrimp? I've been thinking of getting a ram but don't want too many of of the little guys to get gobbled up.


The ram is a new fish of mine and when I first put him in he did kill a smaller cherry of mine, but since then there have been no problems that I know of.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

LedxZep said:


> Thanks  Nope Im not getting much aglae even after the light switch.


Give it a month or two. 

Good looking scape.


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

Okay so its been about a month since my 1st post and I got alot of brown algae on my rocks, there is also alot of hair algae in my plants, moss, and between my HC  . Anyone have an idea on how i can get rid of it?? I was thinking of a blackout where i just leave my lights off for 3-4 days. I think my light might be too strong for the plants... :confused1: Should I swap back to my other one?? 

Here are some pics of the algae:


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## PinoyBoy (Mar 14, 2008)

dj2005 said:


> LedxZep said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks  Nope Im not getting much aglae even after the light switch.
> ...


Are you still using the t5 35 watts?

Manual removal and maybe an excel treatment? Just becareful with excel, some moss might not like it.

Your moss reminds me of this:


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

PinoyBoy said:


> Are you still using the t5 35 watts?
> 
> Manual removal and maybe an excel treatment? Just becareful with excel, some moss might not like it.
> 
> Your moss reminds me of this:


I just swapped lights yesterday from my t5 to my desk lamp with a cfl bulb in it. Im going to see if I can get some growth because ever since I switched lights all my plants have been going downhill. I'll also try mannual removal but the algae is very rough to get off. Ill post a pic of the rest of my tank later today.


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

Picture update 10/12/10: As you can see my wood got much much darker and there is a bit of algae growing all over it. My shirmp are scared to venture out when my ram is swimming around so they stay in the small cave under the wood. :hihi: 

Thx for lookin


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## DANIELSON (Jul 15, 2010)

Like the scape. Not too sure about the ram in there though keep him fed really well but cherries multiply so fast picking of a few weak ones won't be too bad.


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

Im planning on ordering some flame moss online for all the branches of the driftwood. Also what do you guys think would look better for the base and "trunk" part of the wood fissidens fontanus, mini pelia, fissidens splachnobryoides, or mini fissidens?? Or even star moss..


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

Okay so now I ordered 10 crystal golden shrimp and flame moss which arrived yesterday. Also took off the rubber band & the rock attacked to my driftwood because the wood soaked enough water weight to stay submerged without any help. I dug up the cave under my "tree" and there is also a back entrance for all the shrimp that need hiding. One of my cherrys gave birth yesterday, I noticed an extremely small shrimplet while cleaning the glass with a nanomag. 

Update 10/22:

Love this pic 










Finally got a pic of my CPD :thumbsup:









Shrimp cave and my rams favorite spot to chill









The plant finally growing through the algae


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

I LIKE THIS WHOLE SET UP! subscribed!

Amy


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## Cardinal Tetra (Feb 26, 2006)

Very nice indeed! I think golden crystals are really cool shrimp.


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

SkyGrl said:


> I LIKE THIS WHOLE SET UP! subscribed!
> 
> Amy





Cardinal Tetra said:


> Very nice indeed! I think golden crystals are really cool shrimp.


Thanks guys  glad you like it! I too love the golden crystals and was wondering why not as many people own them.


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

lol its hard up here to even find decent common ones.. yay Canada!


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## RcScRs (Oct 22, 2009)

I advise you add some Crystal Red/Black Shrimp as the white coloration on your Golden Bee Shrimp will just get weaker and weaker.


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## Cardinal Tetra (Feb 26, 2006)

Yeah they are very beautiful shrimp. I love the color! I would so get some for myself except my good tank has tiger shrimp in it and they'll interbreed and my dirty tank that's full of mulm needs to be tested out with some cherries or something before I want to introduce anything pricey. Plus I just shoveled out a bunch of cash for a red claw shrimp breeding group haha. So many shrimp and so little space and $$.



LedxZep said:


> Thanks guys  glad you like it! I too love the golden crystals and was wondering why not as many people own them.


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

Cardinal Tetra said:


> Yeah they are very beautiful shrimp. I love the color! I would so get some for myself except my good tank has tiger shrimp in it and they'll interbreed and my dirty tank that's full of mulm needs to be tested out with some cherries or something before I want to introduce anything pricey. Plus I just shoveled out a bunch of cash for a red claw shrimp breeding group haha. So many shrimp and so little space and $$.


I know what you mean haha



SkyGrl said:


> lol its hard up here to even find decent common ones.. yay Canada!


Ask kvntran, who knows he might ship them to Canada :thumbsup:



RcScRs said:


> I advise you add some Crystal Red/Black Shrimp as the white coloration on your Golden Bee Shrimp will just get weaker and weaker.


I most likely will get SS grade crs when I get enough $$ to buy some, thanks for the tip though I was unaware :biggrin:. On a side note my electric blue ram hasnt bothered any of my shrimp since around the time of my first post, I did a shrimp headcount and had all but one accounted for when I attached the moss to my wood. I guess I got lucky with a mellow ram :hihi:


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## klinds89 (Oct 1, 2010)

Are the dwarf baby tears doing okay? I really want to get some as a lawn, but I heard its hard to keep alive? I have fert and substrate and diy CO2 for 10 gallons. I really love the plant, I'm just unsure if I'd kill it, lol.


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

klinds89 said:


> Are the dwarf baby tears doing okay? I really want to get some as a lawn, but I heard its hard to keep alive? I have fert and substrate and diy CO2 for 10 gallons. I really love the plant, I'm just unsure if I'd kill it, lol.


Before I rescaped my entire tank and changed the light from a 27 w CFL (3,200k) bulb to a 36w T5 light the HC was carpeting slowly, but still making noticable progress. After the light change, my dwarf baby tears melted alot and started to float to the top of my tank because of the lack of c02 and the high light output. I just switched my light back to a 18w CFL (6,500k) and they are making a comeback. So basically if you have sufficient lighting and C02 you can easily get a healthy carpet.


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

Update 11/4:
Well I had some free time on my hands today and decided to spend some quality time with my tank and my camera. My plants besides the flame moss havent shown much growth at all, but the shrimp seem to have grown quite a bit.

I thought this was kind of a cool pic which I took using my underwater camera 
































































My flame moss is finally starting to "flame" 























































Thanks for lookin!


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

now i need an underwater camera!! damn you!!! such superior pictures!!! thanks for sharing!!!

Amy


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

SkyGrl said:


> now i need an underwater camera!! damn you!!! such superior pictures!!! thanks for sharing!!!
> 
> Amy


Thx Amy  it's very useful to have one for those shots you just cant seem to get from outside the tank :thumbsup:


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

thats what i was thinking.. i could get killer shots if i did have an under water cam!!

i blame you for more money being spent!!! lol jk


Amy


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## ren (May 19, 2010)

i like you tank man very nice but i have to say your cherries are really red where did you get them from?


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

ren said:


> i like you tank man very nice but i have to say your cherries are really red where did you get them from?


I bought them as normal cherries but selectively bred the redder ones and culled the duller/less colorful ones. After a year I have the ones I have now.


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

UPDATE 12/13/10

Well, its been a little over a month now and I decided it was about time to show off the progress of my tank :hihi:. First off I bought a nano c02 system called the pierce c02 system which is a nice little kit that comes with pretty much everything you need besides the tubing. I had very noticable growth and pearling of my plants, but my massive algae problem is not even close to being solved :angryfire. I also got two berried golden crystal shrimp roud: so I hope to have a good sized colony in a few months. 

Lots of pics enjoy!

Notice the flame moss growth 

*BEFORE*










*AFTER*









And heres one of my berried mamas!


























Pierce c02 system:


















































































































































































Sorry for so many :biggrin:


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

LedxZep said:


>


Your ram (that is a Ram, right?) won't eat the shrimp babies?


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Your ram (that is a Ram, right?) won't eat the shrimp babies?


Yes, its an electric blue ram. He never bothers my shrimp and ive seen many babies in plain view foraging around next to him. I guess he just has a different temperment than other rams (And it doent hurt to keep him well fed :3)


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## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

i just got 10 of the EBR's! they are so great!


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

Every time i see new pics of this tank im amazed! The way the flame moss seems like its crawling up to the surface of the tank along the top of the wood really looks stunning!

And your shrimp look so fat and healthy!! great job on this tank. it is one of my favorites. 

Amy

ps the shots you get! love them!


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

problemman said:


> i just got 10 of the EBR's! they are so great!


Yupp! I love my electric blue ram, they really are unique fish.



SkyGrl said:


> Every time i see new pics of this tank im amazed! The way the flame moss seems like its crawling up to the surface of the tank along the top of the wood really looks stunning!
> 
> And your shrimp look so fat and healthy!! great job on this tank. it is one of my favorites.
> 
> ...


Thanks Amy I really appreciate your positive comments that you often post along with my updates :biggrin:, its sort of an encouragement to keep up hehe im glad you like it!


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

:icon_wink i cant help it.. its just so grand!:biggrin: :hihi:

Amy


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## Option (Oct 2, 2010)

I noticed in your first pics the filter did not have a spponge over the intake....did you have any problems w/ baby shrimps (or just small shrimps) getting sucked into your filter at all??


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

Option said:


> I noticed in your first pics the filter did not have a spponge over the intake....did you have any problems w/ baby shrimps (or just small shrimps) getting sucked into your filter at all??


I did actually, when I went to change my filter media I found a couple babies just hanging out in there and I presumed they mustve gotten lucky when being sucked into the filter so I decided to put a pre-filter on.


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## crimsonbull57 (Jan 7, 2009)

How much did that Co2 system cost you? Looks very nice!


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

crimsonbull57 said:


> How much did that Co2 system cost you? Looks very nice!


It cost about $65 bucks with shipping I ordered it from here http://www.aquacave.com/pierce-co2-system-brcomplete-planted-tank-brpackage-2864.html :thumbsup:


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## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

Update?


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

Hey guys I know an update is long overdue so Im planning on updating within a few days to catch you guys up on how the tank has progressed in the ~9 months!


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

LOL GEEZ!!!! i hope there will be pics?!?! maybe??? 


Amy


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

SkyGrl said:


> LOL GEEZ!!!! i hope there will be pics?!?! maybe???
> 
> 
> Amy


Indeed. Pics will be plentiful:icon_cool


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## Wolfgang (Jan 23, 2011)

A Led Zeppelin fan that loves planted tank!!!!!!!! Awesome!!!


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

Excellent!

Amy


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

UPDATE 9/5/2011

Hey everyone I've changed the tank a ton since I last updated. One thing to note is that my blue ram sadly passed a few months ago due to an eye infection :icon_frow. Also, my CPD disappeared one day and I haven't seen him since. Anyways the scape hasn't changed much at all besides some new flora I bought a few weeks back. I had to tear up about 90% of my flame moss due to massive amounts of algae and tied the remaining amount down on the driftwood. My golden crystal shrimp didn't make it after I went on a short vacation, so im getting a shipment of crystal red and black shrimp next week. I've tried HC a few times and it never usually works with my tank so I'll try microsword or MM for my next groundcover.

Current Fauna:
-2 Albino Wrestling Halfbeaks
-1 Pygmy Cori
-1 Oto Catfish
-2 Amano Shrimp
-~30 Cherry Shrimp
-And 1 awesome little fish that I don't have an I.D. on (I think its a Scarlet somthing?)

Current Flora:
-HC (Dwarf Baby Tears)
-Duckweed
-Flame Moss
-And 2 unidentified plants

Here's some pics, enjoy! :hihi:










































Anyone have an I.D. on this cute little guy?

























































































































Thanks for lookin' :thumbsup:


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

awesome!!!!


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

SkyGrl said:


> awesome!!!!


 Thanks! :biggrin:


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## flip9 (Jun 16, 2011)

Beautiful tank 

That mystery fish reminds me of an Appistogramma


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

flip9 said:


> Beautiful tank
> 
> That mystery fish reminds me of an Appistogramma


Yeah i noticed that too, im not sure if it's a cichlid though, it's a neat little fish nonetheless.


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## LedxZep (Sep 25, 2009)

Actually i just looked through skygrl's thread and I believe the little bugger is also a scarlet badis! Mystery solved.


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## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

Update!!


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