# Took a shot at a Shrimp breeding tank...



## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

I would put a sponge on the intakes, or take out the HOB and put in a sponge filter. The more filtration the better, especially with crystals.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

GeToChKn said:


> I would put a sponge on the intakes, or take out the HOB and put in a sponge filter. The more filtration the better, especially with crystals.


From the looks of it he already has a sponge over the intake of the HOB. I have one on mine as well. It doesn't stop shrimp from crawling into the output of the HOB. I can't tell you how many times I've found Amanos and RCS back there. I'm also interested in what sponge and air pump you decide to go with as I need to do the same. I'm having those issues in both of my shrimp tanks. I would prefer a canister though, you wouldn't have the issue with a canister and a prefilter on the intake.


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## reybie (Jun 7, 2007)

There are some cheap ones on ebay but I prefer the ATI ones. I use it in my shrimp tank and I enjoy not worrying about shrimps being sucked in.


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## GitMoe (Aug 30, 2010)

Grabbed this sponge filter from Hagen. Elite model. It's crazy loud. Is that normal for sponge filters? I've never used one before... 











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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

GitMoe said:


> Grabbed this sponge filter from Hagen. Elite model. It's crazy loud. Is that normal for sponge filters? I've never used one before...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thats the one thing I found with the Hagen ones, they come out in 1 big bubble at the end that can sort of have a loud gurgling sound. I like the Hydra line better.


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## Bandit1200 (Dec 11, 2010)

the pic is cut off just at the point where the output is so I can't tell for sure, but when the 90 degree output is installed in mine it did make quite a bit of noise. I removed it so that the bubbles go straight up and out and it is much quieter that way. You'll still hear the bubbles, but nowhere near the gurgling with that bend in it.


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## GDP (Mar 12, 2011)

I recomend Azoo sponge filters. Only thing I hear is my pump.


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## GitMoe (Aug 30, 2010)

Bandit1200 said:


> the pic is cut off just at the point where the output is so I can't tell for sure, but when the 90 degree output is installed in mine it did make quite a bit of noise. I removed it so that the bubbles go straight up and out and it is much quieter that way. You'll still hear the bubbles, but nowhere near the gurgling with that bend in it.


Yeah I was using the bend. Thought about taking it out to see what happened but at that point I was done sticking my hand in the tank and it was time for bed. I'll pull it out and see what it's like. Im also going to That Fish Place today on a road trip with some friends so I might see what options they have there.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Something like this would work well I would think. 

http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?filteration&1314204302


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

These are the Hydro ones and the ones I used except for the Hagen one above that I already bought.


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## GitMoe (Aug 30, 2010)

This Hagen is fine now without the bend. Nice flow and double sponge. It should workout just fine. 

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## freph (Apr 4, 2011)

Dunno why but I really like tanks like this. Shrimp-friendly and simple...Maybe I just like huge piles of Java Moss and lots of healthy little shrimp.  Keep up the good work fella.


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## Bandit1200 (Dec 11, 2010)

GitMoe said:


> This Hagen is fine now without the bend. Nice flow and double sponge. It should workout just fine.
> 
> Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk


 
Glad to hear (or rather not hear). That's what I did with both of mine and they are doing just fine.


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## Oliver82 (Aug 15, 2011)

Im new to the forum and cant seem to figure out what the deal with people breeding shrimp is. Do you guys use them to feed your cichlids or something?


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

Oliver82 said:


> Im new to the forum and cant seem to figure out what the deal with people breeding shrimp is. Do you guys use them to feed your cichlids or something?


Some people like them just as pets in their tank as they do with a choice of anything else they put in there. Some people breed them to sell. The red and white ones are know are Crystal Red Shrimp and can go anywhere from $5 to $100 a piece and more, depending on color patterns.


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## GitMoe (Aug 30, 2010)

Oliver82 said:


> Im new to the forum and cant seem to figure out what the deal with people breeding shrimp is. Do you guys use them to feed your cichlids or something?


Not really sure how to respond to this... 

Some people including myself like to keep shrimp because they are beautiful and interesting creatures just like keeping any variety of shrimp. Breeding them can be seen as a fun challenge and with sss+ CRS shrimp selling for $50+ each, breeding can be rather lucrative. Some species sell for $300-400 EACH! Breeding can quickly become much cheaper than buying more. It's just another segment of the aquarium hobby... 

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## GDP (Mar 12, 2011)

Oliver82 said:


> Im new to the forum and cant seem to figure out what the deal with people breeding shrimp is. Do you guys use them to feed your cichlids or something?


Are you trolling or just unintentionally thick? The same could be asked for keeping any fish. I have a hard time believing this is anything but someone trying to troll.


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## Oliver82 (Aug 15, 2011)

GDP said:


> Are you trolling or just unintentionally thick? The same could be asked for keeping any fish. I have a hard time believing this is anything but someone trying to troll.


I have no idea what your asking me. I don't follow your terminology, can you elaborate?


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## Oliver82 (Aug 15, 2011)

GitMoe said:


> Not really sure how to respond to this...
> 
> Some people including myself like to keep shrimp because they are beautiful and interesting creatures just like keeping any variety of shrimp. Breeding them can be seen as a fun challenge and with sss+ CRS shrimp selling for $50+ each, breeding can be rather lucrative. Some species sell for $300-400 EACH! Breeding can quickly become much cheaper than buying more. It's just another segment of the aquarium hobby...
> 
> Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk


Oh wow I had no idea. Kind of makes me want to setup my 10G for that..


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## Oliver82 (Aug 15, 2011)

GeToChKn said:


> Some people like them just as pets in their tank as they do with a choice of anything else they put in there. Some people breed them to sell. The red and white ones are know are Crystal Red Shrimp and can go anywhere from $5 to $100 a piece and more, depending on color patterns.


Thanks for clarification!


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## mgamer20o0 (Mar 8, 2007)

Oliver82 said:


> Im new to the forum and cant seem to figure out what the deal with people breeding shrimp is. Do you guys use them to feed your cichlids or something?


some people do use the extras as shrimp food. though the expensive ones most people sell off the extras to help pay for new ones or something. 

it is a legit question.


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## GitMoe (Aug 30, 2010)

Update:

After months of fighting with my water hardness being an issue from growing plants to breeding shrimp I made the switch to RO in a few of my tanks including this one. Seemed to do the trick pretty fast. My CRS had babies and they are surviving quite well. My Yellows are also now getting saddled and berried pretty quick. This tank is also holding some LFBN Plecos I got from a member on here until I get my 20L up and running in the next week or so.

FTS









LFBN

















There are two CRS babies in this pic









And two more babies in this pic


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## johnny313 (Apr 15, 2011)

Oliver82 said:


> Im new to the forum and cant seem to figure out what the deal with people breeding shrimp is. Do you guys use them to feed your cichlids or something?



I guess its the same as people keeping tetras or any other fish. its actually relatively new to the hobby. its kinda cool just watching shrimp in a tank.... something new I guess!


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## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Oliver82 said:


> Im new to the forum and cant seem to figure out what the deal with people breeding shrimp is. Do you guys use them to feed your cichlids or something?


Uh, no. The shrimp are cool. If you don't *get* it, then you don't *get* it. I don't get lots of the things people choose to keep and breed (like small dogs).


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## 10gallonplanted (Oct 31, 2010)

Well put Betta Maniac, well put.


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

Very well said Betta (and fellow giant dog owner) lol. Walking downtown at 3am with a 200lb dog gives me comfort than a 2lb dog.


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

GeToChKn said:


> Very well said Betta (and fellow giant dog owner) lol. Walking downtown at 3am with a 200lb dog gives me comfort than a 2lb dog.


As someone who always seems to befriend giant dogs and always seems to trip over the little obnoxious ankle-biters I beg to differ with you over which is the more dangerous animal.


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

Gitmoe: mind sharing how you are reconstituting the RO water and whether you are mixing it with tap or using straight RO?


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## cardgenius (Mar 27, 2011)

Wow....whats with all these smart ass comments? Oliver82 clearly said hes new to the forums and only asked a simple question, no need to be a dick about it.


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## EKLiu (Jan 14, 2010)

GitMoe,

How big will those plecos get? They are awesome looking.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

I first got CRS because I thought they were the perfect fauna for a nano tank. Then through a couple of years if culling (removing shrimp with unwanted traits) I endend up with high grade shrimp that I routinely sell for $25-$30/shrimp in the SNS. My customers also get a real kick out of watching them do their thing.


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## radioman (Oct 29, 2007)

Everyone always talk about really good filtration for shrimp tanks, but don't the sponge filters only gather debris and not remove it? So technically the debris could still be contaminating the water.


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## wheezo (May 19, 2009)

radioman said:


> Everyone always talk about really good filtration for shrimp tanks, but don't the sponge filters only gather debris and not remove it? So technically the debris could still be contaminating the water.


Isn't that the same with canister filters? They gather the debris but don't remove it from the water. =P They just gather it in the filter. 

The point is to gather the debris to a highly populated bacteria source where the bacteria can take care of it. =)


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

wheezo said:


> Isn't that the same with canister filters? They gather the debris but don't remove it from the water. =P They just gather it in the filter.
> 
> The point is to gather the debris to a highly populated bacteria source where the bacteria can take care of it. =)


quick question, am I suppose to clean the sponge filter? or just let it stick in there.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

radioman said:


> Everyone always talk about really good filtration for shrimp tanks, but don't the sponge filters only gather debris and not remove it? So technically the debris could still be contaminating the water.





wheezo said:


> Isn't that the same with canister filters? They gather the debris but don't remove it from the water. =P They just gather it in the filter.
> 
> The point is to gather the debris to a highly populated bacteria source where the bacteria can take care of it. =)


Yes, a sponge filter is decent at mechanical filtration (removing particulates from the water column) but where they excel is in bio filtration (being a very pro nitrifying bacteria growth area where waste is broken down on the molecular level). They are also very simple in that they rely only on the function of an air pump (some work off of mechanical pumps to move the H2O) so they rarely break down or are inoperable. Plus they are east to maintain.


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## mcqueenesq (Aug 29, 2011)

This thread is all over the place. I can't figure out who's being sarcastic, but I think I learned something.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Just FYI, Im being quite literal. 

I don't think that sarcastic, leaning towards spiteful comments are necessary at all here. Even if the OP said he thinks that everyone who keeps $10 shrimp are fools, thats their opinion and it needs to be respected.


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

We _ARE_ fools, Brandon!


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

mordalphus said:


> We _ARE_ fools, Brandon!


Yes, yes we are...:flick:


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## astrosag (Sep 3, 2010)

Not only that, most of you are responding to a post that's over a month old....

Anyways, now we know where the shrimp people's soft spot is 

Gitmoe: Do you think cherry shrimp would also not breed in hard water? My water is rock hard and I was hoping to get and breed some cherry shrimp in my tank :\


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

sayurasem said:


> quick question, am I suppose to clean the sponge filter? or just let it stick in there.


Yes, otherwise the sponge will eventually clog and stop functioning.

Gently squeeze the sponge a couple times every week or so (or when you notice flow decreasing or debris on the filter surface) in a bucket of old tank water as you're doing water changes. 

If you're running a dual sponge filter, sometimes it's a good idea to only rinse one sponge per week until you really get the hang of keeping your tank healthy.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

astrosag said:


> Not only that, most of you are responding to a post that's over a month old....
> 
> Anyways, now we know where the shrimp people's soft spot is
> 
> Gitmoe: Do you think cherry shrimp would also not breed in hard water? My water is rock hard and I was hoping to get and breed some cherry shrimp in my tank :\


I wouldn't say that. I'm not familiar with the member that posted the unnessicary remarks and I don't think
A real shrimp breeder would even flinch at what the IP posted. 

For CRS I have read different outcomes in harder water. Personally I think RCS will breed about anywhere. They are so cheap in comparison to other inverts just give it a try. More than likely if your water isn't to their liking they won't die they just wont breed prolifically. So if that's the case I'm a couple months after you see they aren't breeding you could just get some store bought distilled/filtered water or RO from a LFS to use for WC's to lower hardness and see what comes of that.


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## astrosag (Sep 3, 2010)

Thanks bsmith, appreciate the help!

I was thinking about going RO but the tank is a community one with quite a few other fish and amano shrimp in there. Thus, I am a little hesitant in changing a huge part of my tank for one type of fish/invert. 

But like you said, they're quite inexpensive so I'll give it a shot.


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

astrosag said:


> Thanks bsmith, appreciate the help!
> 
> I was thinking about going RO but the tank is a community one with quite a few other fish and amano shrimp in there. Thus, I am a little hesitant in changing a huge part of my tank for one type of fish/invert.
> 
> But like you said, they're quite inexpensive so I'll give it a shot.


Cherries should breed in just about anything. Once they get started, they get going good. Mine even took a few months to get started in my 7.6pH water, now I got hundred of babies.


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## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

cardgenius said:


> Wow....whats with all these smart ass comments? Oliver82 clearly said hes new to the forums and only asked a simple question, no need to be a dick about it.


Really? I thought most of us were pretty polite considering the rude and antagonistic tone of the question.


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

More picture please op :d


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

astrosag said:


> Thanks bsmith, appreciate the help!
> 
> I was thinking about going RO but the tank is a community one with quite a few other fish and amano shrimp in there. Thus, I am a little hesitant in changing a huge part of my tank for one type of fish/invert.
> 
> But like you said, they're quite inexpensive so I'll give it a shot.


If you do decide to use RO water im sure that everything else in the tank would be just as happy. I have found that most if not all plants/animals will do just fine in soft water/acidic water but its quite the opposite when talking about hard water.


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## GitMoe (Aug 30, 2010)

sayurasem said:


> More picture please op :d


What do you want more pics of? 

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