# My mini M shrimp tank "The Treeless Mountain"



## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

Tank specs:
ADA Mini M
Archaea 27w fixture
w/10000k bulb
ZooMed 501
acrylic Lily pipes from fishman9809
9oz co2 paintball tank
Azoo Regulator
ADA Amazonia II
seiryu stone
HC




















Well after about a week of messing with my stones this is the best I could come up with. I'm still not sure if I'm happy with it but I got inpatient and planted the HC anyways what do you think? Any suggestions?
This will be home to 30 CRS that are on a express plane to Hawaii as we speak.:smile:


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## PinoyBoy (Mar 14, 2008)

Stone placement looks nice. Sucks how some parts of the rocks might get covered by the HC after it grows out. Also, I know this is gonna be painstakingly borring... separate your hc clumps into individual stems. It looks like you have enough HC to pretty much have a carpet if you seperate the clumps into couple of stems.


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

yea as I was breaking up the HC I got lazy and just started tossing large clumps in there. The pictures doesnt show it well but the upper left corner has a solid 2x2 portion of HC. It was the last piece I put in. What can I say, It was getting late(11:40pm) I decided screw it will all grow in eventually lol


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## sapphoqueen (Feb 9, 2010)

crazy set up...


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## jargonchipmunk (Dec 8, 2008)

it'll be very nice I think as long as you trim well to keep the rocks visible with the HC between.


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## fresh.salty (Jul 2, 2010)

Looks nice. I'm with you on the planting of that stuff though. If it's not a dry start I'd keep it in clumps too. lol

Question on the Archaea, are the thumb screws inside or outside the tank?


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

the screws are inside.


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## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

Did you cycle the tank already? The ammazonia will def have an ammonia spike which will probably be a death sentence for the CRS. They are pretty sensitive to water conditions.


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## fresh.salty (Jul 2, 2010)

bsk said:


> the screws are inside.


Thanks, I don't understand the reasoning. I thought maybe mine was built wrong.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Well done layout. You however will need to look for a second home for the CRS if they thrive in your tank. Those guys breed like crazy!


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

This should turn out nicely, I like it.


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

fresh.salty said:


> Thanks, I don't understand the reasoning. I thought maybe mine was built wrong.


I was thinking the same thing it would have looked much nicer if the screws were hidden on the back side


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

zeldar said:


> Did you cycle the tank already? The ammazonia will def have an ammonia spike which will probably be a death sentence for the CRS. They are pretty sensitive to water conditions.


no I did not cycle the tank but I am using recycled soil from my other tank and the filter has been in constant use from another tank as well. I guess I better check the ammonia levels before the shrimp go in. How many shrimp can I safely keep in the Mini M before they get over crowded?

thanks for the nice comments everyone.


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## AquaSpoon (Jun 23, 2010)

bsk said:


> I was thinking the same thing it would have looked much nicer if the screws were hidden on the back side


You can switch it. I did it for mine. If you flip it over you'll see a couple of small screws that attach the arms to the clamp. Undo those, flip the arms around, and you're set! Careful not to lose the little washers though. There's one on each screw.


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## TLE041 (Jan 16, 2010)

I like the slopping elevation you have there. It'll be great if you can maintain it from leveling off.

Planting an HC carpet properly is like watching paint dry. I ran out of patience halfway into it and did what you did with the large clumps.


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## fresh.salty (Jul 2, 2010)

AquaSpoon said:


> You can switch it. I did it for mine. If you flip it over you'll see a couple of small screws that attach the arms to the clamp. Undo those, flip the arms around, and you're set! Careful not to lose the little washers though. There's one on each screw.


Wow... much better thanks.

Little scary though since one side was in there pretty tight. I'd imagine if you break that part you'd have to buy a complete new light. lol


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

Thanks for the tip I'll have to give it a try


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## aquaphish (Dec 20, 2002)

Really nice setup. I love it. The HC should be broken up more yes it does take time to plant all those little strand individually but it will be well worth it. You will get a full carpet cover much quicker.


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

so I took your advice and broke up a couple of my larger clumps of HC and spread it around the tank. Here's a tip for anyone planting HC do it with no water in the tank its soooo much easier.

on another note, anyone know where I can find a cover for my Mini? My daughter thinks its cool to throw her toys in there and watch it sink :icon_eek:


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## AquaSpoon (Jun 23, 2010)

bsk said:


> so I took your advice and broke up a couple of my larger clumps of HC and spread it around the tank. Here's a tip for anyone planting HC do it with no water in the tank its soooo much easier.
> 
> on another note, anyone know where I can find a cover for my Mini? My daughter thinks its cool to throw her toys in there and watch it sink :icon_eek:



The guys at Aqua Forest Aquarium can hook you up. They have the fitted glass tops for the Mini S/M/L. They don't have them listed on their site, but you can just call or email and they'll get it out to you. Not exactly sure what the cost is..


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## TeamTeal (Mar 31, 2010)

idk if this is the case with every ADA tank, but there are metal bracket things that goes around and you can put a cover on it. i use a piece of acrylic for the cover


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## defiant (Dec 1, 2009)

TeamTeal said:


> idk if this is the case with every ADA tank, but there are metal bracket things that goes around and you can put a cover on it. i use a piece of acrylic for the cover


right on that..there should have been some metal clips that came with the tank.. just go down to min plastics in kalihi 847-1511 and have them cut a piece of acrylic for you. it will be a lot safer especially if your daughter likes to throw things in. she might not notice the glass cover and decide to put something in and crack it. 

were you the one selling the 2213 a while back?


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

yes thats me. how did you guess? Sorry about that whole fiasco and thanks for the info I'll definitely give them a call.


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

Today was not a good day. I woke up to find most of my shrimp dead 









the culprit, my CO2 timer was set to on instead of auto. I think the co2 was running 24hours a day the last few days.


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## Fat Guy (Nov 19, 2003)

great start. I like where you are going with it.


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## Globe182jp (Apr 25, 2010)

where did you get those stones from they look great


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

its seiryu stone purchased 50lbs of it from someone on the forums


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## Globe182jp (Apr 25, 2010)

Do you have any picks of the set up or build ?

how many rock are in there ?

I really like this style set up, it looks great
Jake


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

I dont have any picture of the build upbut there are 6 stones total exactly as you see it.
To keep the slope from falling I sprayed the soil with water and packed it in tight.


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

heres a picture of another tank I'm working on. 3 gallon growing UG emmersed.


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## Globe182jp (Apr 25, 2010)

looks awesome so theres 6 haha i need to get some more stones. 
I just took down my UG tank and an going have to try your mountain type, but with the loads of UG i have left 
Jake


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

Here's an updated picture of the tank. 










I decided to go emersed since my shrimp kept picking and uprooting the HC. Its almost filled in now. I also made a small cave for the shrimp to hide in on the far left side of the tank. Its kind of small but since this scape leaves the shrimp with very little room to hide I thought it would help.

Close up of the shrimp cave









I know its a bit hard to see it in the picture but the cave goes about 4 inches deep into the aquasoil


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## SamH (Jul 17, 2009)

Wow, I love how this is coming along. If we got rocks like that and even HC in NZL I'd definately give that a go, pity things are so limited here 

Good luck!


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## ddtran46 (Jul 8, 2008)

How long has the tank been emersed?


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

ddtran46 said:


> How long has the tank been emersed?


About 5-6 weeks


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## ddtran46 (Jul 8, 2008)

Nice..When are you going to fill up this baby? lol


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

yeah I'm getting impatient but I'll probably give it another month and hopfully it will be completely filled in.


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## MARIMOBALL (Mar 18, 2007)

Very nice scape I like the steep slope. Have you decided on fish and shrimp? I have a Do!aqua cube with very similar scape growing emerced right now.


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

MARIMOBALL said:


> Very nice scape I like the steep slope. Have you decided on fish and shrimp? I have a Do!aqua cube with very similar scape growing emerced right now.


Thanks the tank will be shrimp only. I plan on keeping crystal reds in there. 

Can you post a picture of your do!aqua cube?


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## Finalplay10 (Jun 29, 2010)

How did you keep the slope emersed ? Spray it a few times a day ?


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

The seiryu stone might be the culprit in your shrimp death as well. It makes the water more alkaline, or so i've heard.


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

IWANNAGOFAST said:


> The seiryu stone might be the culprit in your shrimp death as well. It makes the water more alkaline, or so i've heard.


I've heard the same thing but I'm sure it was due to my co2 once I aerated the tank a few of the shrimp that were in bad shape came back to life.




Finalplay10 said:


> How did you keep the slope emersed ? Spray it a few times a day ?


To keep the slope I packed the soil down while I sprayed it and it seems to be holding up. Only the top 1/2 inch of the soil is not packed.

I cant wait to fill it up! just another month to go!


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## plantfreak007 (Oct 26, 2010)

awesome.could you give us a detailed step by step process of it.


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## justin182 (Aug 19, 2009)

Haha, I actually like your first rock layout more!!!
The last one with the 'hole' on the left may look a little unnatural.. Have you looked into one of these? Seems pretty cool for shrimps


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## chilled_fire (Jun 4, 2010)

Fantasic scape, you have inspired me to get a Mini M


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

The shrimp cave is a smart idea. I can't wait to see it filled up with water!


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

justin182 said:


> Haha, I actually like your first rock layout more!!!
> The last one with the 'hole' on the left may look a little unnatural.. Have you looked into one of these? Seems pretty cool for shrimps


yeah I think your right. It does look more unnatural but I got to say the shrimp are loving it. I think once the HC fills in the cave will be better hidden.



chilled_fire said:


> Fantasic scape, you have inspired me to get a Mini M


Thanks for the compliment!



ZooTycoonMaster said:


> The shrimp cave is a smart idea. I can't wait to see it filled up with water!


Its been filled for a few weeks now. The HC had some kind of fungus growing while it was emmerse and it wiped out the top left and right sides of the tank so I decided to flooded the tank before it killed everything. It took a month to grow and only 2 days to die! I'll post pictures when I have some time the HC seems to have recovered but it will take some time before it fills in again.

I am glad I added that shrimp cave. My prego females love hanging out in there its like their little love shack:icon_smil


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## justin182 (Aug 19, 2009)

bsk said:


> yeah I think your right. It does look more unnatural but I got to say the shrimp are loving it. I think once the HC fills in the cave will be better hidden.


Now that you mentioned it, I think you are right. It should be concealed pretty well with the HC.

Can't wait to see more man!


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

here are some camera phone pictures


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

Updated picture.


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## chumblaka (Jan 4, 2010)

Amazing rocks! I have been trying to find some locally but I can't seem to get any nice ones like that.

Great tank keep the updates coming!


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## Fat Guy (Nov 19, 2003)

looks really cool. plus, shrimp caves are awesome. good shelter. nice hc. -el g


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## tab51 (Jan 17, 2011)

man i really like that rock set up. i just set up mine and im quite envious of the your formation. very original.


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## sampster5000 (Oct 30, 2010)

Looks very nice. I like the different levels of substrate.


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## Ben. (Mar 29, 2011)

Super nice picture/tank...drool.

how did you make the cave?


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

I like this tank, especially the cave. The Neon Tetras don't eat the baby CRS?


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## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

That is a beautiful scape. I love it. The rock placement is awesome!


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## divyb (Nov 28, 2008)

my question is the same as ZooTycoonMaster,

the tetras and shrimp seem to be ok together


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## andyl9063 (Oct 22, 2010)

those are cardinals btw...


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## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

Also, it looks like you have an SSS in the last picture in the bottom left. That's awesome!


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

divyb said:


> my question is the same as ZooTycoonMaster,
> 
> the tetras and shrimp seem to be ok together


Thank you all for the nice comments. I thought the cardinals and shrimp would be ok together but i wouldnt do it again. I had 4 berried crs in this tank 3 months ago and only found 5 surviving babies today. I've never seen the tetras actually hunting down the shrimp but due to the HC layout the babies never had anywhere to hide. I took out the shrimp a month ago and placed them in my 60p with some micro rasboras which I think is a much better fit. Their mouths are so tiny I doubt they could eat the shrimp.


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

Geniusdudekiran said:


> Also, it looks like you have an SSS in the last picture in the bottom left. That's awesome!


 yup had one sss she's now berried!! hope to at least a few SSS pop out of her.


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## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

Hey, sorry if I missed it, but could you pm me who/where you got the shrimp from?


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## spyke (Oct 14, 2010)

what happened to this tank? you had a nice little scape set up...


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## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

There was a thread a while ago about him considering selling it... I hope he didn't...


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

nope I couldnt find a buyer so I broke down the tank. Its time for something new........


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