# April's 5.5 gallon shrimpster



## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

*Recent FTS* (Updated 3/3/13)

Plants: Hydrocotyle tripartita, various mosses, Crepidomanes auriculatum, Crypt nevilli, Crypt wendtii












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I am dry starting a 5.5 gallon before I go off to college so that it will be ready to set up when I move in to my apartment. This little project is to curb my aquarium craze, because I bought a 25 gallon cube that I have decided to save for later. I also need a reason to go to the fish store and visit the cute guy at Neptune's.


Undergravel filter made out of drip system tubes and biomedia.











Threw together a hardscape, and dry starting F. fontanus and H. tripartita. Ugly.











Third try, I think the shrimp might appreciate the driftwood better. It's been 3 weeks since the last photo. I don't think the F. fontantus is doing much.  Still wondering if I should scrap the stones altogether.











:fish:Any thoughts, good or bad, on hardscape? I figure I don't have to finalize anything yet, and might as well get some opinions before I put in an order for shrimp.


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## synaethetic (Oct 4, 2011)

The little temple is nice. It would be cool if it was tucked between taller stones, as if at the bottom of a valley.


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## PinkRasbora (Jan 22, 2005)

Maybe smaller "pathway" stones?

Are you gonna carpet the background in live plants? That would be sooo totally awsome!


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## Indian fern (Jul 16, 2012)

I would some anubiasjava fern and water sprite. Easy, low light tolerant and very BEAUTIFUL! :3


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## SpecGrrl (Jul 26, 2012)

PinkRasbora said:


> Maybe smaller "pathway" stones?
> 
> Are you gonna carpet the background in live plants? That would be sooo totally awsome!


I agree that the smaller pebbles were a great pathway.

The shrimp will love the driftwood -- maybe cover a larger rock or part of the driftwood with a pretty moss like peacock or Christmas?


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I'm going to see if I have some small stones to use for a path, or maybe gravel instead?

The background is going to be filled with Crepidomanes auriculatum and Syngonanthus belem. I am going to grow a weeping moss wall.


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## GMYukonon24s (May 3, 2009)

When I first seen the pics I was going to ask what you had planned for the back. Also the small stones will look nice with the temple. That's a nice piece of driftwood too.


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

How's this? I think it is much more dimensional, as can be seen from the second shot. Weeping moss will go in the plastic mesh for a wall.












straight on shot


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

Added shum shtuff. Three more days till fill up time! Bought a few CRS at Neptunes and the boy of my dreams gave me 10% off for NO REASON. Maybe it's my undeniable charm and breath-taking beauty? Okay, I'll stop with the girl talk.


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

You are a girl so you are entitled. If you were a dude with girl talk, stop it now!



great plant scape. Which types of mosses are you planning for?


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

The only thing I am entitled to is written in the Constitution. But I guess girl talk falls under free speech, right?

Fissidens fontanus will go up front on the plastic mesh. I got some mini x-mas moss sitting in my shrimp holding tank waiting for this tank to flood. Finally, weeping moss for my moss wall! I am so excited, this tank is going to be a moss party.


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

Hello from college-land. I'm all settled in my new apartment and started classes. Guess who else got settled?

Shrimpies!











I thought I would have to bring or buy a stand for the tank, but luckily the dresser that I have is just the right height.


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## Silmarwen (Sep 21, 2012)

I really can't wait to see how the moss wall looks when its grown in! I like the hardscape, too 

(Ah, I don't know how I posted before I was done. haha.)

Actually, I was hoping you could explain your undergravel filter a bit, too? I've never seen a DIY one before, and I'm not sure how they're meant to work..?


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

I know, I love weeping moss! Right now I'm considering redoing the plastic mesh though, I think the moss might not be getting enough light. I'm going to see if there is some kind of glue I can use.

I based my under gravel filter off of Mordalphus' design, seen in this post: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=155975

As you can see, there is a system of tubes with holes underneath the substrate, I made my holes facing inward, then I covered the tubes with bio-media so that the substrate doesn't get sucked in, and to provide a lot of surface area for a nice bacterial colonization.

The difference is that I use an HOB filter to power the under-gravel filter. However, I don't think this is powerful enough, and also I haven't figured out how to connect the tubes. I might switch to a TOM Mini Rapids canister filter. This way I can also create an inline CO2 reactor for better CO2 dissolution.

I used a UGF because since water is being constantly passed through the substrate, you can grow a great big bacterial colony for nutrient stability. It also acts as a kind of prefilter for the shrimps so they don't get sucked in and made into filter sushi. 

Since this is a nano shrimp tank, this works well because I don't need a tone of water circulation.


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

As a side note, I'm a big bio-filter enthusiast. I don't see the need for chemical filtration as long as you have a stable bio-filter, and there isn't a lot of natural mechanical filtration in nature. I am also lazy and poor, so this kind of tank setup lends to more enjoyment by a college student like me.


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## Silmarwen (Sep 21, 2012)

I love the idea! I might see how it works out, but I'd be so worried about substrate clogging it up if I did anything with soil. I'm quite new to this, and anything DIY scares me, haha. But poor is the name of the game in college, so I might find myself giving it a shot anyway! Thanks for the info


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

Don't be afraid of DIY! My worst experience has been to try and de-rim a 5.5 gallon tank. I ended up with broken glass everywhere and bloody, cut up hands. Then my dad walked in and freaked out. $15 down the drain, but then I got another tank for free, so it was alright.

Other than that, you usually end up saving lots of money, and also you get the fun and satisfaction of designing and building it yourself. I would say the #1 rule of DIY is to have the right tools, and put in a good bit of research before commencing any project.

What size tank do you have/want to have? If you're unsure about UGF, look into a Mattenfilter! I will be using that in my next project. If you any questions about it, I will be happy to give you some links to resources.


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## Silmarwen (Sep 21, 2012)

I'm not about to uproot everything in my 10g at the moment, but I've been hearing so much about everyone with thier shrimp tanks and all of the joy those bring, so I was looking at maybe starting a shrimp tank of my own.

Other than that, I'm debating the merits of getting a 55gallon in (provided I can convince my roommate) the livingroom. (We could fit a 300 gallon if I wanted. But we only have a year lease, that seems excessive... haha) I'd be considering UGF for that one if I do it. In the meantime, research and such!

I've heard the term thrown around before, but I've not really know what a mattenfilter is. A quick google gives me the impression that it's confusing. A sponge surrounding the intake hose instead of by the output?


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

Nice tank. I love the gravel pathway. A few questions:
What substrate are you using?
What type of lighting are you using?


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

Silmarwen: Trust me, TRUST ME. If you forsee even 1 move in the near future, much less 2 or 3, wait for the 55 gallon. It's a pain in the student's gluteal (which is already sore from hours of uncomfortable library chair usage) to move a tank. It may also disrupt your biological filter, and or cause stress and susceptibility to disease for your fish (and maybe even for you??).

Shrimp tanks are indeed lovely, much easier to care for, and very fascinating! Just don't let your drunk visitors pour vodka in the tank. Bad news for your shrimps.

Monster: Azoo substrate, suggested to me because of less cloudiness in the set up, which was certainly the case for me.

I used the Marineland double bright 18" led fixture for dry start, then switched to the very small Marineland 11" LED fixture, which is perfect for a medium lighted 5 gal. I am getting good results so far, and I am injecting CO2. No algae yet, and H. tripartita is pearling a little!


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## l8nite (Aug 29, 2012)

Are you attending SJSU?


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

No, I wish I did. I grew up in SJ. That is where home is. <3

I go to Cal Poly SLO. Biochemistry.


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## l8nite (Aug 29, 2012)

I'm at SJSU finishing up my senior year (at 30...). Born and raised there too, though I'm living in Fremont now =) Anyway, really like your tank!


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

Cool! It's never too late to finish school.  What are you studying?


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## l8nite (Aug 29, 2012)

Software Engineering - mostly to finish my degree so my daughter has no argument (in 16 years) when I tell her that she needs to go to college 

My wife is a chemistry major from Santa Clara, minored in biochem, good luck with your studies, I know exactly how much work that is!


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

Luck is EXACTLY what I'll need... :icon_roll

Good luck yourself. Good for you, being a role model for your daughter! I certainly look up to my dad more than anyone I know, he is my best friend.


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## Silmarwen (Sep 21, 2012)

Gnomecatcher said:


> Silmarwen: Trust me, TRUST ME. If you forsee even 1 move in the near future, much less 2 or 3, wait for the 55 gallon. It's a pain in the student's gluteal (which is already sore from hours of uncomfortable library chair usage) to move a tank. It may also disrupt your biological filter, and or cause stress and susceptibility to disease for your fish (and maybe even for you??).
> 
> Shrimp tanks are indeed lovely, much easier to care for, and very fascinating! Just don't let your drunk visitors pour vodka in the tank. Bad news for your shrimps.


I take it the vodka issue has become a problem before? That would suck so bad!

As far as the tank goes, though, I actually don't know yet if moving will be an issue for a few years. I'm graduating, but may be beginning grad school at the same university anyway. If moving does become an issue, I'll move the tank back home at least a month before I have to start packing everything else, and leave it there permanently. Otherwise, I'll sell it to a local friend--another aquarium lover--who has a home in the 'burbs. (How about that--stability! What a novel thought.)

I really want to gift my parents with a 55g (or bigger, even!) anyway, since we left ours behind when we moved 8 years ago from Maryland to Michigan. Mom always regretted it, so I wanted to make up for it (They probably could have done it without three hooligans like my brothers and I to occupy them!).

Nevertheless, it's still really just in the pipe dreaming stage at the moment. The biggest I can realistically see myself with in the next few months is 25 gallons, but only if Dad decides to be generous with the doting-upon-his-daughter again, haha.

In the meantime, I will probably just content myself with nanos and plants. *dreamy sigh*


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

I heard a story...and that is when I decided that alcohol will not become a thing in my house. I don't drink anyways, no reason to have drunk kids over.

Well there's a thought. You could set up a pretty nice low tech 55 at your parent's place. Another idea is dry starting the tank for a few months, let the plants grow in nice and thick, and then maybe by the time it's ready to fill, you'll have a better idea about where the tank is going to go (either at your place or at your parents'). Another suggestion I would make is growing emersed plants when the tank is set up, that way you'll have a super biological filtration, and it will be littler to no maintenance on your parents' part. Ever heard of ripariums?

Daughters can get whatever they want, as long as they work the strings on Dad right. It's the reason I got a new car, and my brother got a hand-me-down.


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## Silmarwen (Sep 21, 2012)

Aaaaaaah, A car. The one thing dad keeps waffling one. I suppose living on/within walking distance of campus, with roommates and friends who can take me grocery shopping, and a bus system within a half hour walk, is reason not to need one. Hah.

I have no wildly drunken friends, thankfully, so I won't worry too much about dead- drunken shrimp either. Hah.

I like the idea of dry-starting an aquarium, and it seems like "everybody's doing it," but I had heard somewhere that immerse-able plants that were grown emersed melted and had a re-formation period when environment changed. What are people doing to avoid that? Is it just certain plants? Because that might be ideal, actually...

(Upon re-reading, I feel the urge to go back and insert 'hah' at the end of the last paragraph. I won't. But I will go back and edit the post after posting to say that I wouldn't. ...wait for it... Hah.)


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

Erm, *cough*, yes, no reason to have car even though you live next to campus and have free student bus transportation. But don't tell my dad that, he might take away my car...

Look at my aquarium. It was dry started. No melting at all. 

Yes, certain plants may be more susceptible to melting during the transition period, but you can avoid or reduce this by keeping the aquarium covered while the plants are emersed to keep the humidity at 100%. That way when you flood the tank, the plants can recover quickly. You can easily dry start plants such as Hydrocotyle species, ferns, Ludwigia, Hygrophila, Bacopa, Cryptocoryne, swords, sometimes even moss (not subwassertang), etc. Just ask/look around for ideas.


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## Silmarwen (Sep 21, 2012)

Oh, it's not free bussing. It's $3 round trip, if I don't make more than one stop! (Yeah... Our school sucks. The other Uni in the area gets free bus passes.)

I'm going to have to start a list, though! There's so many plants, and I was never good with names. ("The green one with the long leaves" won't cut it here, I'm guessing!) It's going to take a long time before I remember anything. For example, I know in my 10g, I have Amazon Swords, Argentine Swords, Anacharis, and two other plants, one that starts with an Aposomethingsomething, and one whose scientific names start with an H and a B, but in which order I can't recall...

Add in all the abbreviations and such that I'm having to learn (took me ages to deduce UGF, and I went the first three days having no idea what LFS meant, other than 'someplace to buy stuff, apparently??') I looked through an abbreviations guide someone had created, but so many terms, lots of chemistry, equipment, etc... It's sort of going in one ear and out the other at the moment. (in one eyeball...?)

:icon_eek: Aiyaa. Thanks for being helpful, by the way! I've joined forums where the only people I've talked to have been super condescending until I prove I know what I'm talking about, which I can't here (because I don't know it!)


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

There's no reason to be condescending when someone is a newbie. It's a shame you've been treated that way.  I totally get it, though, I was there once.

I'm messaging you my email right now. If you've got a question, give me a holler. If I don't know the answer, I'll be happy to help you find it! I know a lot of plant names, I'm a biochem major, and I've been perusing this website for quite a while, so I hope I'll be some use to you.


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## Silmarwen (Sep 21, 2012)

Thanks a bunch!  I really do appreciate it. I'm glad there's awesome people like you willing to help newbies out.


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

Here's an update, for the sake of tracking growth. I am starting to fear H. tripartita, it is clearly very happy and spitting out leaves like nobody's biz. As you can see, I superglued the weeping moss to the mesh instead of sandwich it, which was a huge mistake because now a lot of the moss has died. I just hope whatever didn't die will start to take off soon so that I can fix up the bare spots. 

I also replaced that bolbitis with S. repens. Hope that starts to take off soon.



Mini xmas moss is also doing really well!



Some shots of my shrimp. Sorry for the blurry pics, not that good with the camera. 



Here's a saddled girl. I couldn't find her, but I've also got my first berried female since the move!


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## tinkerpuppet (Feb 13, 2010)

Love this little tank!


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## .Mko. (Sep 23, 2010)

love the hydrocotyle! =D


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

Thanks!


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## Silmarwen (Sep 21, 2012)

Aww, the poor weeping moss!  Everything else looks like it's filling in nicely, though


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## Sluuuder (Feb 7, 2012)

That tank is awesome!!!!!!


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

Here, have an update:










I'm trying to grow H. tripartita emersed on that sponge. Hope it fills in pretty quickly. As you can see the wall was not going so well. I transferred the moss to rocks to make sort of a carpet.

I've had the worst luck with any and every type of plant except H. tripartita, so I'm trying my hand at crypts to see how it goes.

All of my shrimp have died, but their babies are almost full grown. I'm going to replenish the colony soon with some cherries.


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

Seeing is believing. I added some Amanos to the mix, and I have always known that they were supposedly the best algae eating shrimp of them all. Overnight, they cleared off most of the spot algae from the lantern and the driftwood. They still haven't touched the thread algae, which has been plaguing me since the dawn of time. And who would have guessed that Petco carried them? At $2.39 a pop and having no job until I start research this summer, I only got 4. Sorry for the crappy(er) pics, used the little old point and shoot this time.

One of them has a busty eye and developed this funky color.










Chillin on the moss.


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## sdaugherty (Feb 13, 2013)

The tank looks very cool. Good Job!


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## artresz (Aug 24, 2012)

Nice work so far. I gather you are using CO2? How are the crypts working out for you?
I love your moss "carpet".


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

Yep, using CO2, rather haphazardly I might add. (I don't keep track of ppm or anything)

Crypts are doing rather well. No melting during the transition stage. The only thing is that I had a difficult time getting their roots buried, because the biomedia under my substrate is beginning to rise to the top.


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## parrottbay (May 14, 2012)

Looks good!


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## ValMM (Feb 22, 2011)

I love how the tank has a simple design, yet is flowing and beautiful.


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

I've literally tried to post this 3 times and each time my internet craps out or I accidentally close the window. I give up. No talking, here's some pic updates:







I've been neglecting my tanks for the longest time, but this past weekend I cleaned them all up and started CO2 and ferts again. Quite a bit of change since the last update, no?


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

Though I am not a fan of "ornamental" tanks usually, your tank is very tranquil and calming. I really like it. I have to say, at post 12, I am loving that. The jungle works as well but that stage of the tank is just awesome to me. Good work.


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

Thank you! Yeah, I'd kinda like to get the tank back to that point. I was considering starting a new tank with the same vision, but I think I should continue working with this tank. Starting a 3rd tank when I know I'm going to be moving twice in the next year and don't have a steady job at the moment is not a good idea!

I think I'll be moving the crypts to my cube riparium. Now THAT is my jungle tank. I would also like to have another go at moss. The moss that I had got infected with thread moss.


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## CannaBrain (Oct 3, 2008)

What's thread moss? Hair algae?

Also, I'm curious about your under-gravelfilter. Does it actually have O2 pumping through those tubes or was it simply intended as home for bacteria beneath the substrate?


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## ValMM (Feb 22, 2011)

What a beautiful betta boy!


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## Gnomecatcher (Sep 8, 2011)

Oops my mistake, I meant thread algae. But yeah, hair algae.

I originally had a small power head attached to the sub-substrate filter. I took that filter out about a year ago, since it was getting clogged and was a pain to keep down in the substrate. Eventually it popped right up and I was like "welp, that does it"

ValMM: Thanks! It's weird, in the last two months that I've had him, he lost all his white! Oh well, I hope that means he's healthy.


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## greenteam (Feb 8, 2012)

This looks great even with the over grown look lol.


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## ValMM (Feb 22, 2011)

Bettas change color sometimes, it's ok.


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