# 20L CRS medium tech(We have babies)



## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

So I have been working on setting up my 20L tank getting it ready for CRS that are on the way. They will be here in 2-3 days. This is my first shrimp tank so I have been getting a ton of great advice and been doing a ton of research to ensure the tank is perfect for the soon to be new inhabitants. Below are my paramaters.

PH 7.2
GH 5
KH 3
Nitrate 5
Phosphate .5
Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0
Temp 72F
TDS 140

The tank is a 20L
Ferts are Half EI NilocG macro/micro
Light is Beamswork DHL 6500K 30" Photoperiod 6 hours, will change to 8 when co2
Substrate is Black Diamond Blasting Sand
co2 none yet just waiting on co2 splitter. Will be doing 15ppm of co2 in this tank
Plants range from Amazon swords, Moss balls, Java Moss, Pearlweed, Ludwigia repens, S Repens, red Crypto Wendtii, Hygro Fern, Ozelot sword, Hygrophila lancea, Bacopa monnierii
For filtration I am using a Fluval 206 canister filter that has Purigen for chemical media and Sera Siporax for bio media.
















Here is a pic of the CRS that are on the way


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## Nigel95 (Mar 5, 2017)

Cool! CRS are so lovely. Do your parameters match the parameters of the seller? Most CRS are kept <7 Ph.


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Nigel95 said:


> Cool! CRS are so lovely. Do your parameters match the parameters of the seller? Most CRS are kept <7 Ph.


Yup they match the parameters pretty much exactly. Getting from @natemcnutty which his breed like crazy in these parameters. Luckily all my other parameters except GH were exactly like his. So only need to add 2dGH to get the 5. Love how soft my tap water is and has only a tds of 50. Should not need RO at all.


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## Nigel95 (Mar 5, 2017)

Should be fine then! Looking forward to the shrimp colony 

Bump: Should be fine then! Looking forward to the shrimp colony


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

Looking forward to how this turns out. I am considering CRS or CBS also so hoping to learn a few things following this

Dan


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Dman911 said:


> Looking forward to how this turns out. I am considering CRS or CBS also so hoping to learn a few things following this
> 
> Dan




Thanks. I'm trying to set it up as close to how they are now since they are thriving how @natemcnutty has them now. So I will be doing 15ppm co2 and half EI. I know many do not believe in doing co2 with them but I know it can be done with no issues. Tom Barr has a shrimp tank that does 30ppm co2 and full EI and his breed. I do not want as much co2 in this tank as my 60 has but just enough to help the plants and keep all happy. 


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## Corydoradaxplora (Mar 31, 2017)

Looks awesome! Can I ask what kind of substrate you are using?


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Corydoradaxplora said:


> Looks awesome! Can I ask what kind of substrate you are using?


I am using BDBS. Looks like I forgot to add that in my first post. I will update it.


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## Corydoradaxplora (Mar 31, 2017)

I love that stuff. It's great you don't have to use buffering soil. Not having to worry about breaking down the tank to replace it is nice. Looking to do the same with CBS down the road. Good to see others are doing the same. Keep us updated!


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## TropicalAquarist (Jun 9, 2015)

Very nice build, will be following along!
The problem with CO2 and shrimp is only if something goes wrong and suddenly you have way more CO2....


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

TropicalAquarist said:


> Very nice build, will be following along!
> 
> The problem with CO2 and shrimp is only if something goes wrong and suddenly you have way more CO2....




I hear ya and that is a concern for all inhabitants and not just shrimp though. We run this risk with our fish and inverts. I Will be running a powerhead that is on the way and will be here in 2 days. Running on surface to create more o2 and better flow all around with surface agitation. This in a sense gives you 5-15% more o2 giving you a bit more "breathing" room pun intended 

This is what I do on my 60 gallon tank and run a consistent 45ppm co2 with zero issues. Of course I will not be running this amount of co2 on this tank. 


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## Corydoradaxplora (Mar 31, 2017)

If you ever do want to bump up the co2 and are worried about it, you can get one of those fancy sochting oxydators. They don't expel co2 and will bump up o2.


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

So I swapped out the Beamswork DHL 1W 6500k with the Beamswork DA FSPEC light. The FSPEC runs a bit cooler allowing me to run the cooler temp needed. The DHL is just a bit too warm to keep the temp cooler than 74F. The FSPEc lets me run it cooler at the needed temp.

Oh and some more plants will be here today to help fill in the tank. Thanks @Aqua99 Looks like they will be here in 10 minutes or so


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Got the plants planted in the tank. Thanks @Aqua99 they all looked great and in great condition. Really helped to fill in the tank more. The shrimp will really appreciate it. 

















Bump: Its funny that large green sword on the right has 2 runners one with 4 baby swords that I have just left there for a couple weeks. I should trim and plant them but I just have no where to plant them. Both of my tanks have a ton of swords already. Although I do kind of like them on the top blocking some light as I am sure the shrimp will appreciate some cover. That beamswork light as you can tell is bright.


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

And the countdown begins. 2 1/2 hours and the CRS will be in their new home. So excited.


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Just arrived. At first was worried they were not moving. Opened the bag and they are acclimating. They are all moving around now. All alive and account for. They look great 


























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## Nigel95 (Mar 5, 2017)

Looking good!


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

And they are in. Seem to be doing great. Thanks @natemcnutty




















































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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

Looking good! They'll color up over the next day or two. Kind of a bummer they sat in a building all day yesterday... Just because it is 2 day shipping shouldn't mean they can't deliver in 1 day


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

natemcnutty said:


> Looking good! They'll color up over the next day or two. Kind of a bummer they sat in a building all day yesterday... Just because it is 2 day shipping shouldn't mean they can't deliver in 1 day




Ya I was very worried. They were not moving at all. Then opened up the bag and in a couple minutes they all off a sudden woke up and were moving. What a sigh of relief. Everything was packed great. Oh and the plants they are all great as well. All in the tank. Thank you so much. Very happy. 


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

More pics. These guys and gals are great 
























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## Aqua99 (Jan 6, 2017)

They look great!


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## jfhrtn (Apr 27, 2017)

Very nice looking tank and shrimp you got there

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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

*20L CRS medium tech*

They definitely all seem settled. They are all moving around, eating and just being CRS. GH is 5, kH 3. PH 7.1. Temp 72.5.
Dosed half macro and half micro today since did 75% wc today. Tds right at 160. 

Going to try and keep nitrate right at 5ppm. Only plan on dosing ferts two time a week while there is no co2. Once I get co2 I will go to total 4 times per week. 2 times macros and 2 times micros at half EI level. 

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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

Wow, I am like very jealous at this point.
You can get pictures of your shrimp, not me.
Mine are always well hidden.


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Maryland Guppy said:


> Wow, I am like very jealous at this point.
> You can get pictures of your shrimp, not me.
> Mine are always well hidden.


Was only day 1 so will see if they decide to hide more or stay out in the open. Why i'm glad I got tons of pics first day in case they tend to stay hidden.


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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

The CRS are much larger than the blue dreams by far.


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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

I have to say I too am impressed with the pictures. I can get plenty of pictures of mine, but they are never in focus because the little buggers never stop moving long enough...


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

*20L CRS medium tech*



natemcnutty said:


> I have to say I too am impressed with the pictures. I can get plenty of pictures of mine, but they are never in focus because the little buggers never stop moving long enough...




I just kept snapping a lot of pics in hopes some would turn out. Ya the buggers were cruising. Got the best pics early because they were still acclimating. I'll def be wanting some more CRS . These little guys are awesome. 


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Day 2 and they are all for sure settled in. They are active and wandering around checking everything out. These are the best most immaculate CRS ever thank you @natemcnutty. Can see their colors are really showing now. Bright white and red. Beautiful. 














































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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

I need to get an actual camera as these pics do not do them justice. Using my phone for pics. 


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## katas (Jan 12, 2015)

clownplanted said:


> And the countdown begins. 2 1/2 hours and the CRS will be in their new home. So excited.


Good luck!:thumbsup:


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

katas said:


> Good luck!:thumbsup:




Lol they arrived. Check the later posts in the thread. The party has already started and is ongoing 


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## katas (Jan 12, 2015)

Gorgeous! I can't wait to get mine in next week now!!! Why did you go with the black sand over ADA or a buffering substrate?


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

katas said:


> Gorgeous! I can't wait to get mine in next week now!!! Why did you go with the black sand over ADA or a buffering substrate?


I do not need a buffering substrate as my tap water has me where I want it at a ph of 7.2, very close to the same water parameters where I got them from. I do not like substrates where I cannot control what it is doing to my water parameters. I like having control. Why I have a non cec completely inert substrate. Absolutely love the BDBS. Also the buffering substrates you eventually have to tear down and replace. Not the BDBS it is pretty much good forever.


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## Nigel95 (Mar 5, 2017)

clownplanted said:


> I need to get an actual camera as these pics do not do them justice. Using my phone for pics.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I feel ya. Even with the camera of my dad I still can't make any pictures that look like irl.


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Nigel95 said:


> I feel ya. Even with the camera of my dad I still can't make any pictures that look like irl.


Yup totally agree. Maybe a good camera app on my iPhone will at least help the focusing a bit better. Hard to zoom in on them as the camera likes to focus elsewhere.


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## harley (Jul 24, 2015)

clownplanted said:


> Yup totally agree. Maybe a good camera app on my iPhone will at least help the focusing a bit better. Hard to zoom in on them as the camera likes to focus elsewhere.


Sometimes taking the photo from farther away & then zooming/cropping in editor makes for a better picture. I know what you mean though, there's so much in the tank that it's difficult to focus where you want. I'm thinking about picking up a macro lens for my phone to see if that helps.

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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Saw some molting already. 








And a couple more pics for good measure

















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## katas (Jan 12, 2015)

A lot of forum members have me wanting to eventually use the BDBS.. next round maybe. Either way they shrimp are looking great, now get them breeding already!


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## Dempsey (Oct 27, 2009)

I have been looking to get those shrimp also but everywhere I see, they are $$$


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## katas (Jan 12, 2015)

Dempsey said:


> I have been looking to get those shrimp also but everywhere I see, they are $$$


Worth spending the money on USA bred high end shrimp from dependable sellers. You can order on the cheap from importers however the insane amount of parasites and fungal issues that can happen if you aren't familiar with treatments can be disastrous. You can always breed and sell online or locally and make cash back to fund your hobby.


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## Dempsey (Oct 27, 2009)

katas said:


> Worth spending the money on USA bred high end shrimp from dependable sellers. You can order on the cheap from importers however the insane amount of parasites and fungal issues that can happen if you aren't familiar with treatments can be disastrous. You can always breed and sell online or locally and make cash back to fund your hobby.


That was the idea. Breed and fund my hobby. As long as they breed for me  

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## katas (Jan 12, 2015)

I am about to try that myself. Just need to be prepped and ready with all that research!


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## Dempsey (Oct 27, 2009)

katas said:


> I am about to try that myself. Just need to be prepped and ready with all that research!


Another reason that I got an RO unit. This way I will have full control of the water. 

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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Dempsey said:


> I have been looking to get those shrimp also but everywhere I see, they are $$$




Best thing to do is find a good USA breeder that have them in as close to your water paramaters as possible. This way I do not even need ro water since I already have soft water as it is. Of course if you have high gh and kh then you will have to use some RO. 

I found my reputable breeder that's for sure. These CRS are top quality in my eyes. I'll be giving back to the community once mine start breeding. 


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## Krispyplants (Apr 15, 2014)

Dempsey said:


> I have been looking to get those shrimp also but everywhere I see, they are $$$


That's what it boils down to lol. Cough up the money to buy some quality shrimps or pay a fraction for miscellaneous shrimps.


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Got some of my best pics today. Glad I put the pearlweed up front as they really love this stuff. 


































































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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

Much better pics.
I like the last one best.


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Maryland Guppy said:


> Much better pics.
> 
> I like the last one best.




Same here. Ya my camera decided to focus this time mostly. Could not believe they were all out at once all on the pearlweed. Ran to take pics. Do you have pearlweed in your tank? Maybe that will get them to come out more?


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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

I figured out today there hiding technique.
Corner filter is blue Poret foam,so guess what they cling too.
Way in the back many times to hard to focus.
But a hundred might change things.:grin2:


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## Dempsey (Oct 27, 2009)

So excited for my 20 long now. Those pics are much better than the last ones. They are some nice shrimp for sure! Filling the tank up now!

Dude, I may have to get some shrimp from a local breeder if I get impatient. lol If I do, we can trade a bunch to keep the bloodline fresh. Not sure if you have to do that with shrimp though...


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Maryland Guppy said:


> I figured out today there hiding technique.
> 
> Corner filter is blue Poret foam,so guess what they cling too.
> 
> ...




Makes sense ya I heard they really like the foam and why many use that on the filter out as they like to feed on it also. I just got a stainless steel cover to keep less bulky. But their favorite spots are the moss in back right corner and the pearlweed up front. Now I need to get a good camera to get the really good shots. 


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Dempsey said:


> So excited for my 20 long now. Those pics are much better than the last ones. They are some nice shrimp for sure! Filling the tank up now!
> 
> 
> 
> Dude, I may have to get some shrimp from a local breeder if I get impatient. lol If I do, we can trade a bunch to keep the bloodline fresh. Not sure if you have to do that with shrimp though...




Instant cycle the tank by getting some media from your other tank and throw some plants in there. Did you find a local breeder? Are you going CRS also or cbs?


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## Krispyplants (Apr 15, 2014)

Reminds me of my first CRS colony. :wink2: they'll come out more when you get them adjusted to pellets.


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Krispyplants said:


> Reminds me of my first CRS colony. :wink2: they'll come out more when you get them adjusted to pellets.




Cool. I got some Ken's veggie sticks with calcium on the way. Hopefully they like those. 


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## Dempsey (Oct 27, 2009)

clownplanted said:


> Instant cycle the tank by getting some media from your other tank and throw some plants in there. Did you find a local breeder? Are you going CRS also or cbs?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I had one issue after another today so I didn't feel like pulling media from another filter... Not tank issues, HVAC issues. I may next weekend but I also don't mind starting this tank fresh since I won't have fish in it for a while, or ever. I put some frozen brine shrimp in there to get it started.


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## Dempsey (Oct 27, 2009)

So it begins.


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

*20L CRS medium tech*



Dempsey said:


> So it begins.




Nice. I recognize that light . What filter is that your running on this tank?

Think this calls for a journal 


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## Dempsey (Oct 27, 2009)

I will be starting a Journal soon. I'm going to wait until I have more going on with the tank and "spam" it with a bunch of pics. When it's more interesting. 

I ended up going with the API Filstar XP M. I have 2 Filstars on my 75 and love them. Plus, the price was great at $133 shipped.


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Got the hydor pump in today that will provide good surface flow. Added screen to the intake to prevent the little guys from getting sucked in. Letting dry then will put in tank










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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

So just a little update. First and foremost all is the shrimp are alive and accounted for and doing great. Can see the moltings and they all are active. I finally got my co2 splitter/manifold in so am now running co2 to the tank. Have been keeping a close eye on everything and seems like I got the level close to 15ppm firs day. Not bad [emoji16]. Dosed half EI macros today and plants pearling great. Really glad I got the powerhead to ensure oxygen levels are good. Will continue to monitor closely to ensure all shrimp are good. Upped the photoperiod to 10 hours from 6 so will be watching closely to ensure no algae. If any starts I will cut back the photoperiod. 

Can tell the plants are loving it. And all CRS are foraging and acting well like shrimp. Their colors really brightened up. Looking forward to them breeding. 

PH 6.6
KH 2
GH 5
Tds 155
Nitrates between 5-10ppm
Phosphates 1ppm



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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

Looking good... hope you get them to breed. I have some extra xmas moss ready if you like but I need to check what's needed to ship acriss the border from Canada to US. If Trump still allows that 

Dan


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Today got some new plants in thanks to @Aqua99 They all look great. The heat was a little rough for them in transit I am sure and all will do great in this tank. @Aqua99 you sure have some skills getting the plants on the Cholla wood. Very nice and they are perfect. The CRS seemed to not of minded me planting the new plants and in fact many times would come right up to the plant I was working on checking it out. They sure are a curious bunch. 

The Pearlweed seems to of rooted good and is now spreading pretty good. Especially since I got the co2 going. Here are some pics of the new addition and a FTS.
FTS

Some CRS hanging out

I call this the CRS Playground. Check out the work @Aqua99 did on these pieces. He sure has some skill. Two of them have "Rare" Buce's attached. And in the middle is a Alternanthera Reineckii Variegated.
In the back is some new Didiplis Diandra


Rotala Mini Butterfly

Center shot

Alternanthera Reineckii Variegated

Fissidens fontanus on it's own Cholla

Rare Buce

More Rare Buce. One on Cholla wood and one behind it.

Piptospatha Ridleyi


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## Aqua99 (Jan 6, 2017)

Man- that heat really seems to take its toll on the Diandra and AR! I think they should bounce back in your tank with all the care you give. Should look ok in a few days when they figure out what direction to grow in!

That last pic is Piptospatha Ridleyi. It might not fare too well to a life underwater, but then again who knows. I've read so many conflicting reviews but mine is chugging along fine so far and growing!

Go figure, the Fissidens looks like it did before it left...lol. I've purchased some from overseas with 2 week shipping and it simply doesn't care. Just have to love shipping moss!


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Aqua99 said:


> Man- that heat really seems to take its toll on the Diandra and AR! I think they should bounce back in your tank with all the care you give. Should look ok in a few days when they figure out what direction to grow in!
> 
> That last pic is Piptospatha Ridleyi. It might not fare too well to a life underwater, but then again who knows. I've read so many conflicting reviews but mine is chugging along fine so far and growing!
> 
> Go figure, the Fissidens looks like it did before it left...lol. I've purchased some from overseas with 2 week shipping and it simply doesn't care. Just have to love shipping moss!


No worries my bro I know they all will recover. It has been hot the last couple days. Crazy thing is today it cooled down to 68F. I know they all will do great though shortly I will make sure of it. Thanks again man I could not be happier with all of the plants. This package is the best plant pack I have ever gotten. I especially love the chollo wood with the Buce's. I am totally stoked with how they are all.


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## Dempsey (Oct 27, 2009)

Looking good man! Can't wait for those shrimp to breed  The plants will bounce back. No plants like to be shipped.... They bounce back quick though. Esp, in the warm weather.


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Dempsey said:


> Looking good man! Can't wait for those shrimp to breed  The plants will bounce back. No plants like to be shipped.... They bounce back quick though. Esp, in the warm weather.




Thanks. Yeah I know they will. Just give them a few days. My first ar mini and buce's so really looking forward to them growing. My very first harder to get plants yet. 


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## Dempsey (Oct 27, 2009)

clownplanted said:


> Thanks. Yeah I know they will. Just give them a few days. My first ar mini and buce's so really looking forward to them growing. My very first harder to get plants yet.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I haven't tried Buce yet but would like to try it at some point. I hope it grows good for you!


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

*20L CRS medium tech*

Got some new arrivals. Thank you @natemcnutty they look great and acclimating now. 

























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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

*20L CRS medium tech*

They are in the tank now. All foraging around and seem to be doing well. So glad they got here before it got too hot. Going to be in the 90's next couple weeks at least do perfect timing. 













































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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

Excellent! Glad the temp didn't get too high. Hopefully those couple of older ones hook you up sooner


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

natemcnutty said:


> Excellent! Glad the temp didn't get too high. Hopefully those couple of older ones hook you up sooner




Yup that lad pic is the largest one and for sure a female from what I can tell. 


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## Dempsey (Oct 27, 2009)

clownplanted said:


> Yup that lad pic is the largest one and for sure a female from what I can tell.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Pour some love potion in there and get them breeding!


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Dempsey said:


> Pour some love potion in there and get them breeding!




I actually did just put some in [emoji6]










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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

Now just need to play love potion #9 loud enough for them to hear and your set. 

Dan


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

So I got the salty shrimp gh+ and my RO unit will be here today. Just feel I should do better water parameters as I think my ph is a bit too high as it reads between 7.4 to 7.6 or so and the kh needs to be lowered as it's at 3.5. Plus I like how the SS gh+ is tailored towards shrimp. This way I can get a lower tds and better overall parameters. I will not be doing all RO all at once but slowly with each new small 10% wc. This is obvious. 

Also started using Bacter AE to help with the bio film since I do not feel the tank was up long enough to have a good enough one built up

A pic I took today with a group hanging out foraging. 










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## TropicalAquarist (Jun 9, 2015)

Just an FYI it's very dangerous to use RO water with only Gh and no buffering substrate.
With no KH, the ph will fluctuate and can quickly kill your shrimp. A buffering substrate or Kh of 1-2 helps keep the ph in check, however without a buffering substrate it's difficult to get the ph down...

Shrimp look beautiful though!


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

TropicalAquarist said:


> Just an FYI it's very dangerous to use RO water with only Gh and no buffering substrate.
> With no KH, the ph will fluctuate and can quickly kill your shrimp. A buffering substrate or Kh of 1-2 helps keep the ph in check, however without a buffering substrate it's difficult to get the ph down...
> 
> Shrimp look beautiful though!




Is the case where the ph can fluctuate like that with a kh of 0 just for the first 24-48 hours or so? I do understand that with 0 kh can cause the ph to fluctuate but doesn't it stabilize after the couple days?


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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

KH determines the speed and magnitude of the effect of acids such as the CO2 you are injecting or the humic acid from those cholla logs or leaves. Your pH could plummet and rise rapidly enough to be harmful.

The shrimp are used to somewhere between 3.5-4 dKH, but if you wanted to lower that, I'd cut your tap 50/50 with RO and then remineralize 

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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

natemcnutty said:


> KH determines the speed and magnitude of the effect of acids such as the CO2 you are injecting or the humic acid from those cholla logs or leaves. Your pH could plummet and rise rapidly enough to be harmful.
> 
> The shrimp are used to somewhere between 3.5-4 dKH, but if you wanted to lower that, I'd cut your tap 50/50 with RO and then remineralize
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk


I am going to do exactly that a 50/50 ro/tap. That will bring my KH to 1.75 since its now 3.5 exactly. Going to do just 10% of this 50/50 each week so will take a while.


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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

How are we doing? =)

Did you notice much of a difference switching to ThriveS? Got some friends I've given some shrimp to that are too freaked to dose ferts, so if it's been similar enough for you, I'd like to recommend it to them 

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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

natemcnutty said:


> How are we doing? =)
> 
> Did you notice much of a difference switching to ThriveS? Got some friends I've given some shrimp to that are too freaked to dose ferts, so if it's been similar enough for you, I'd like to recommend it to them
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk


I did not notice a plant health or growth difference as far as going from NilocG standard EI ferts to going to ThriveS. All of the plants remain absolutely healthy and in fact am due for another trimming so will be doing another RAOK coming from the Shrimp tank in the next couple days. What I do like is I noticed it keeps the tds lower than using his standard DIY EI Liquid ferts which is what I was using. DIY EI Liquid Fertilizer| Premium Aquarium Fertilizer | NilocG Aquatics

I do not have exact numbers but I now have a MUCH easier time keeping the tds under 200 by using ThriveS compared to the standard EI Ferts. In addition to the lower tds by using the ThriveS but also is much easier to keep the nitrates and phosphates low. Its much easier to keep the Nitrates under 10 and Phosphates under 1 as in fact you have to Overdose ThriveS to go above those numbers. Reason being is they have a lower amount per dose than say your standard EI. Perfect for a Shrimp tank.

To give you an example it was required to do a 10% wc for me each week to keep the tds under 200. But now my tds is never over 180 since using the ThriveS. AGain I think a big reason is due to the lower macro levels dosing the ThriveS compared to standard EI. I am sure I could of cut down Macros from 1/2 EI twice a week to 1/4 EI twice a week and get close to the same results? And then do the same with the Micros. But instead of worrying about that I just do half the ThriveS recommended dosage twice a week and call it good. Here are the NPK numbers for the DIY Liquid EI compared to the ThriveS. 

ThriveS N 0.43%, P 0.062%, K 4.75%
DIY Liquid EI N 7.5ppm, P 1.3ppm, K 4.27ppm

I will let @Aqua99 chime in as he also uses ThriveS for his many shrimp tanks and in fact he recommended it to me. So he has been using it much longer than I also with great results.


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Well just a little update. Not much to update really. So I dropped in a couple veggie sticks with calcium yesterday and was able to get a good count of the CRS in the tank as most came out to feed. I counted 18 of the 20 that should be in there. Am sure the other two are there but were just hiding so that was a good sign. I switched over from EI ferts to the ThriveS and the plants seem to enjoy it just as much as the regular EI ferts. I also cut the light intensity to about half which is giving me about 40ish par at sub. Reason being is I was starting to get some Stag Algae on some plants and by running only 15ppm of co2 the light was just too strong at 80-90 par at sub. By cutting it back to 50% no new algae has appeared and the plants are still growing like crazy. So my parameters are as follows.

PH 7.2(No co2)
PH 6.7(co2)
co2 15ppm
KH 2.5
GH 5.0
Nitrates between 5-10ppm
TDS 150-180

Really liking the ThriveS as it has less Nitrates and Phosphates than your regular EI dosing. This helps keep the levels low much easier and the plants are just as healthy. What I like about having floating plants like frogbit is they are a good indication of overall plant health and they sure are healthy(Thank you @natemcnutty ) Still looking for the first berried CRS.

Still slowly bringing the KH down which will be exactly 1.75 eventually with my half RO and half tap mix. Just been doing mostly top offs getting it down.


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## Dempsey (Oct 27, 2009)

clownplanted said:


> Well just a little update. Not much to update really. So I dropped in a couple veggie sticks with calcium yesterday and was able to get a good count of the CRS in the tank as most came out to feed. I counted 18 of the 20 that should be in there. Am sure the other two are there but were just hiding so that was a good sign. I switched over from EI ferts to the ThriveS and the plants seem to enjoy it just as much as the regular EI ferts. I also cut the light intensity to about half which is giving me about 40ish par at sub. Reason being is I was starting to get some Stag Algae on some plants and by running only 15ppm of co2 the light was just too strong at 80-90 par at sub. By cutting it back to 50% no new algae has appeared and the plants are still growing like crazy. So my parameters are as follows.
> 
> PH 7.2(No co2)
> PH 6.7(co2)
> ...


This guy has some good info. Been watching his vids to get my tank ready.


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## JonRon (Jun 6, 2017)

Hey Clownplanted,

Got my TDS down to 193, no more 520, CRS are more active now, plants are doing better also. I cut ferts to 3ml EI one day, then 1ml Eisen the next. worked wonders, thanks for helping.

I got myself a RO kit with SS GH+, 60L of 50/50 reserved for water changes. GH is slowly dropping from 7 to 5. KH 2~4 still testing this, my Shrimp seem more active with 20~30 CO2, and a temp of 26*c

I have had my Shrimp about a month now, I hope they breed soon like yours also. Good luck on you journey!!

Kind regards,

JonRon


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Dempsey said:


> This guy has some good info. Been watching his vids to get my tank ready.


Good info. With that I will add some info on how I prep my water and such for replacing and topping off the water in the tank.

I have a 5 gallon bucket that I prep a few days ahead of time with the half ro and half tap. I have done exact measurements to get the exact tds of the half tap with half ro remineralized to give me exactly the dGH and dKH I am looking for. I use the SS GH+ and know the tds of the water that gives me exactly 5dGH and 1.75dKH. To get these precise measurements I did 20ml kh and gh measurements instead of the standard 5ml with the api tests. This let me get to .25 instead of not knowing what is is exactly between 5-6. So instead of 1 drop=1 degree its 4 drops=1 degree. Now I know I have exactly 5 dGH and exactly 1.75dKH. And I know the tds of the prepped water to get this level which is my case is a tds of 110 

I have a powerhead running constantly stirring the bucket during the week to keep help age the water. I feel this is pretty important. I also of course have a temp gauge in the bucket to ensure its VERY close to the temp of the water in the tank. I know it sounds like a lot of work but not really especially once I got all of the exact measurements what it takes to get those levels with half ro and half tap in the bucket its as simple as measuring the tds. 

This method has been working good and this keeps the inhabitants from getting shocked when doing water changes. But the most important thing though is when you first get them to ensure they are in as close to the water conditions they were in as possible. Then if you are going to change the parameters for whatever reason to do it so slowly. The after mentioned is just to ensure that the parameters are as close to what they are in as possible and keep it that way. The reason I am using part RO is because my tap GH is a bit low and the KH a bit high so I figured the best method would to be use half RO mostly to cut the KH level down while also lowering my overall tds making it MUCH easier to keep lower than 200 than say keeping all tap and having to add 1.5dGH. Has worked well.


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

JonRon said:


> Hey Clownplanted,
> 
> Got my TDS down to 193, no more 520, CRS are more active now, plants are doing better also. I cut ferts to 3ml EI one day, then 1ml Eisen the next. worked wonders, thanks for helping.
> 
> ...


I am really glad to hear they are doing better. It seems like they are in good hands for sure. At least you caught the issues before it was too late and am sure they are much happier now. Yeah now to just hoping they are all happy enough yours and mine to start breeding. Then I will know without a doubt I am doing something right.


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

And of course most importantly what's an update without pics?













































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## Aqua99 (Jan 6, 2017)

Shrimp are looking great man, nice job with the tank!

As to the Nilocg Thrive-S, I've had good luck with it in my shrimp tanks. I recently pulled some of my more demanding plants from my shrimp tanks, but my CRS are in a tank with a very healthy Monte Carlo/HC mix carpet and prob 15 other small plants. That tank is running on just a half dose of Thrive-S every third day and minimal CO2. I'm too lazy to calculate out the ppm, but it'll barely move my drop checker off dark blue. It's enough to make the plants respond though. I've also been running a DIY Oxydator in there too. 

My Bee Shrimp tank also gets Thrive-S, and the plants are responding well. I do the same half dose, but it's enough to make the plants flourish. The tank is basically just easy mosses, Bucephalandra, Fissidens, and some Hygros, but they look great. I mean, if you were to compare moss with little/no ferts just "surviving", with moss flourishing in full EI, the Thrive-S tank appears much closer to the EI tank. This tank might even get lower CO2 than the other one I mention above, but the plants respond like night vs day, and the shrimp are doing very well.

Sorry to hijack... just relating my thoughts on the ferts you mentioned.


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Aqua99 said:


> Shrimp are looking great man, nice job with the tank!
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Not a hijack especially because I asked you to give your input here lol. And besides you have been using this stuff pretty much since day 1 so your input is very much appreciated. You after all are the one that got me to get this stuff. I wanted others to see the input from you who has been using it since it first came out. 

Do I think using the regular EI ferts is bad at all for a shrimp tank? Absolutely not. Do I think using the regular EI ferts with the very little copper hurts the shrimp? No I do not feel that. But what I do like with using this is it's much easier for me anyway to keep the tds down and is lighter on the nitrates and phosphates while still keeping the plants healthy and for me without noticing any difference health wise. 


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

So just looking in the CRS tank as normal and low and behold clear as day a berried CRS. She is actually the best looking one I have so even better. So its been 6 weeks since I first got them so not bad for having my first berried after 6 weeks. Looks like she has a ton of eggs. Wonder how long till she gives birth. Either way its very exciting to say the least and am relieved that the conditions must be good.


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

*20L CRS medium tech(Berried CRS)*

Video of her. Sorry about the noise [emoji15]






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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

Nice work! Sorry it's been a crazy past few days. When I only had a berried once every 5-6 weeks or so, I would toss in a couple catappa leaves, lower the temp just a bit (added fan), and dosed a little leaner on nitrates. Around week 3, I fed spirulina powder a couple of times to prep.

At this point, I'm perpetually doing that routine (minus the reduced ferts which hasn't made a difference for me), and it seems to be working fine. Definitely not trying to breed for selling or anything though, so I don't know if doing things more in line with breeders would give better results.

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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

natemcnutty said:


> Nice work! Sorry it's been a crazy past few days. When I only had a berried once every 5-6 weeks or so, I would toss in a couple catappa leaves, lower the temp just a bit (added fan), and dosed a little leaner on nitrates. Around week 3, I fed spirulina powder a couple of times to prep.
> 
> At this point, I'm perpetually doing that routine (minus the reduced ferts which hasn't made a difference for me), and it seems to be working fine. Definitely not trying to breed for selling or anything though, so I don't know if doing things more in line with breeders would give better results.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk


Think its hard to beat your results thats for sure as your results speak for themselves  Yesterday I just refreshed the catappa leaves as they really chowed down the ones that were in there. Those seem to be a good snack for them. Also have the spirulina powder ready to go. The moss you and @Aqua99 gave me has grown really well and will feed the powder on that. Glad I got it when I did that way I was ready. Also seem to have a nice bio-film going now compared to before so that should help. Let me know when you want to give some more CRS a nice home as I definitely have room for more since you seem to be getting crowded :grin2: Right now the temp right at 74.5 F. The CRS have really grown well since getting them from you. Nitrates actually have been pretty low and the plants do not seem to mind so I am sticking with it. Usually at between 3-5ppm and plants showing no issues. Thanks for the great info :smile2:

Thanks for stopping by Nate.


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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

Yeah, I actually moved just under a hundred last month and have another 50 or so planned for this month so far, so I'm not sure if I'll have enough to do an RAOK or anything. Saving up for setting up a proper tank to try BKK's, and if all goes well, maybe I can send some down your way 

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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

natemcnutty said:


> Yeah, I actually moved just under a hundred last month and have another 50 or so planned for this month so far, so I'm not sure if I'll have enough to do an RAOK or anything. Saving up for setting up a proper tank to try BKK's, and if all goes well, maybe I can send some down your way
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk


Cannot wait to see your build for the BKK's. That should be lots of fun. I hear ya on the saving up part. Such a slow process here on that note. Wonder if the petco dollar per gallon sale is coming up soon. How I got this 20  Funny though as the actual tank seems to be the cheapest part. If you need any plants let me know I can hook you up. :smile2:


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

*20L CRS medium tech(Berried CRS)*

So I am just going to call this shrimp tank the "CRS Party Town". Looking today I now have a second berried CRS. Apparently they are getting busy in this city of theirs. Sorry about the poor quality pic just cannot get a good one of her now. Will take some better ones later when I can 

So now that's two berried out of the 20 CRS I have. Sweet [emoji41]






































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## JonRon (Jun 6, 2017)

Still nothing for me yet! Im going to bet they will breed after my next water Change when TDS hits 189. Which should be by next Thursday.

Temp: 24*C
TDS: 185
GH: 6
KH: 3
NH4: 0
NO2: 0
NO3:10
PH: 7.1 (CO2 N/A)
PH: 6.6 (CO2 ON)

No Indian Almond leaves, OR leaves of any sort.
No Bacter AE- Should use though


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

I love those shrimp... so jealous! Grats on the berried females.

Dan


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Dman911 said:


> I love those shrimp... so jealous! Grats on the berries females.
> 
> Dan




Thanks. It seems that once the first one gets berried the others follow. Now just hoping that most or all survive. Never done this before so just hoping for the best. Not near as hard as what you have to do for Amanos that's for sure so this would be cake for you. 


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

clownplanted said:


> Thanks. It seems that once the first one gets berried the others follow. Now just hoping that most or all survive. Never done this before so just hoping for the best. Not near as hard as what you have to do for Amanos that's for sure so this would be cake for you.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I got lucky  and one thing I know is each species has its own challenges. Some may seem easier on paper but its not always the case. 

Dan


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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

Pretty exciting. Taking care of the babies is pretty easy. It's really just making sure they can't get hurt by filtration or flow and provide them with plenty of biofilm. Bacter AE is a good product for that, especially for newer tanks.

Aside from first time moms just not producing as many healthy babies, I think I've had better survival rates the longer my tank has been up and running.

Also, if I knew how to safely get them to Canada, I'd do it for you Dan 



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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

natemcnutty said:


> Pretty exciting. Taking care of the babies is pretty easy. It's really just making sure they can't get hurt by filtration or flow and provide them with plenty of biofilm. Bacter AE is a good product for that, especially for newer tanks.
> 
> Aside from first time moms just not producing as many healthy babies, I think I've had better survival rates the longer my tank has been up and running.
> 
> ...


I looked into it and its not an easy process. I sure would love some of those beauties though.

Dan


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

So looking today it would appear I have a third berried female. Crazy. Cannot get a pic of her as of now will try to later on. Now just hoping for a high survival rate. 


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

A Fourth berried? Or well at least very soon. It seems all the males are in a frantic trying to find her. Sorry about the poor quality video but I have never seen this before. Literally all of the males were trying to find I am sure a freshly molted female. Wonder who will be the lucky one lol.


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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

clownplanted said:


> A Fourth berried? Or well at least very soon. It seems all the males are in a frantic trying to find her. Sorry about the poor quality video but I have never seen this before. Literally all of the males were trying to find I am sure a freshly molted female. Wonder who will be the lucky one lol. www.youtube.com/watch?v=udsU4kZgmOo


So excited for you! For some reason I hadn't even put two and two together that three of my berried right now are from the same mom as the ones you have... Two of those three have smaller clutches, but one of them is absolutely loaded, lol. Hope yours are better first time moms than mine are looking to be 

The big momma is pregnant again, but it's near impossible to tell because she is so opaque all the time. I guess that's a good thing though? 

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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

natemcnutty said:


> So excited for you! For some reason I hadn't even put two and two together that three of my berried right now are from the same mom as the ones you have... Two of those three have smaller clutches, but one of them is absolutely loaded, lol. Hope yours are better first time moms than mine are looking to be
> 
> The big momma is pregnant again, but it's near impossible to tell because she is so opaque all the time. I guess that's a good thing though?
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk




My first berried one is the biggest one. She is loaded with eggs. The other two are not as full of eggs but still pretty good. Have yet to see the 4th but assume so as The males have slowed down so maybe one got to her? Still all new to me so not sure. That's cool that they came from the same mom. She sure has helped to expand the species that's for sure . Make sure and tell her myself and her offspring all said hi and thank you lol. She has now started and kept going many colonies. Pretty cool. Will try and see if I can spot the newest one later on. 


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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

clownplanted said:


> My first berried one is the biggest one. She is loaded with eggs. The other two are not as full of eggs but still pretty good. Have yet to see the 4th but assume so as The males have slowed down so maybe one got to her? Still all new to me so not sure. That's cool that they came from the same mom. She sure has helped to expand the species that's for sure . Make sure and tell her myself and her offspring all said hi and thank you lol. She has now started and kept going many colonies. Pretty cool. Will try and see if I can spot the newest one later on.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yeah, the bigger ones were a different group. I think there were at least 3 generations I sent. There were three that all had given birth right around the same time, so hopefully you got a decent mix of genes. The goal is to not inbreed too much, and that's why every year or two you'll want to add more from another stock. 

When that time comes, I'd recommend setting up a new tank, breed them, then move the babies into your existing, then tear down / reuse the new tank. Helps prevent diseases and also gets healthier stock into your colony. Takes longer, but totally worth it.

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## Pluke (Jun 17, 2017)

Very nice dude. Hopefully my tank will fill out as nicely as yours has in the next couple months. Grats on all the berried shrimp, too. Exciting stuff!


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Well I think all the shrimp will be well fed. Have a great variety of food for them now. Thank you @Aqua99 you truly rock man. I only had the Ken's veggie sticks and Shrimp King Baby and got the rest from Aqua. Also got plants from Aqua so some great new additions to the CRS tank. 










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## Aqua99 (Jan 6, 2017)

Not a problem man... hope it helps your shrimp grow healthy and strong!


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Once again the males are in a craze searching for a freshly molted female. Cannot believe I will have 5 berried CRS out of a total of 20 crs in this 20 gallon tank. That is if a male can find her which I am sure one will. The first berried CRS should be having her babies soon. Will be cool to see some tiny babies in this tank.


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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

Love it!

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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Well was only able to see one as only looked for a couple minutes before I had to leave. Saw one of the babies. Never knew they were this tiny. You can see barely by the tip of the stem of the alder cone. Gives you an idea how tiny they are. Sorry about the bad pic but best I could get. Will try to get more tonight when I get home.










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## snarkinturtle (Mar 4, 2017)

In one of your photos it looks like there are Hydra. Could these pose an issue for the baby shrimp?


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## TropicalAquarist (Jun 9, 2015)

snarkinturtle said:


> In one of your photos it looks like there are Hydra. Could these pose an issue for the baby shrimp?




Those do indeed look like hydra and they ARE a problem for baby shrimp! Easily killed by Fenbendazole though, which is shrimp/plant safe


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Appreciate the concern and agree which is why I took care of it a few weeks ago when I first noticed to prevent any issues that could be caused by them. Fenbendazole sure does the trick.


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## katas (Jan 12, 2015)

Keep using that bacterAE! I also have been using grains of pollen to help with survival rate. Might want to take a look into that as well. But be cautious where you buy yours from as pesticides in hives ect ect. I personally bought mine from https://marksshrimptanks.com/. Maybe I do not need to be cautious but I know too much on bee keeping in the US to not. I just had to dose with Fenbendazole and worked out great. Only draw back was the dead snail removal. Looks like your tank is doing great! Always enjoy watching this thread.


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

katas said:


> Keep using that bacterAE! I also have been using grains of pollen to help with survival rate. Might want to take a look into that as well. But be cautious where you buy yours from as pesticides in hives ect ect. I personally bought mine from https://marksshrimptanks.com/. Maybe I do not need to be cautious but I know too much on bee keeping in the US to not. I just had to dose with Fenbendazole and worked out great. Only draw back was the dead snail removal. Looks like your tank is doing great! Always enjoy watching this thread.


Yup I alternate between Bacter AE and Shrimp King Bio Tase Active(you may want to look at that one also). Since been doing that keep getting berried one after the other. In fact this morning saw another fresh molt and all the males were in another craze and in fact still are. I actually got a sample of some pollen a while back when I bought some shrimp food(never heard of it for food before). Looked it up then and saw how good it is. I've actually gotten the snail population greatly reduced. Certain food the snails craze to. I always feed in a dish for easy removal of the food and TONS of snails. The snails go right in my 60 gallon to keep the Clown Loaches happy lol. How is your shrimp tank doing?


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## katas (Jan 12, 2015)

I need to update my journals, been so busy lately. Both shrimp cubes are doing amazing. Crystals have 3-4 females berried and saddled at the same time. First batch of babies was about 2 weeks ago. Think I counted about 12-14.. hard to say but the babies LOVE mulberry leaves. The Bloody Mary's... 6 berried and saddled females. First batch was 2 weeks ago as well and lost count somewhere in the high 30's. I have two dishes for the same but the shrimp seem to love to think it is delivery and take it to different parts of the tank. The larger snails were easy to take out with the dish but the baby snails were all over the sponge filters. I try not to disturb the tank too much out of caution. I think I had only one CRS death due to high temps. Not entirely sure what was causing it either. ambient temps were 74 yet the tanks were approaching 78/79 with the heater off. May have been warm from earlier in the day... central air is now on at all times to maintain at 74. I was going to try the dog dewormer but already had to put in an order with GLA so I snagged the NO-Planaria and worked great. 

Glad to see you are having the same success. I will certainly look into snagging some Shrimp King Bio Tase Active. I already have the Complete, Protein, and Mineral. I also have BacterAE/Betaglucan. I most likely have enough food right now to last 2 years at this point. Not sure if you have tried the Mulberry leaves but seems like a hit with the batches I got from @TropicalAquarist! 

Newest project now though is looking into breeding Zebra Plecos... so more on that soon.




clownplanted said:


> Yup I alternate between Bacter AE and Shrimp King Bio Tase Active(you may want to look at that one also). Since been doing that keep getting berried one after the other. In fact this morning saw another fresh molt and all the males were in another craze and in fact still are. I actually got a sample of some pollen a while back when I bought some shrimp food(never heard of it for food before). Looked it up then and saw how good it is. I've actually gotten the snail population greatly reduced. Certain food the snails craze to. I always feed in a dish for easy removal of the food and TONS of snails. The snails go right in my 60 gallon to keep the Clown Loaches happy lol. How is your shrimp tank doing?


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

katas said:


> I need to update my journals, been so busy lately. Both shrimp cubes are doing amazing. Crystals have 3-4 females berried and saddled at the same time. First batch of babies was about 2 weeks ago. Think I counted about 12-14.. hard to say but the babies LOVE mulberry leaves. The Bloody Mary's... 6 berried and saddled females. First batch was 2 weeks ago as well and lost count somewhere in the high 30's. I have two dishes for the same but the shrimp seem to love to think it is delivery and take it to different parts of the tank. The larger snails were easy to take out with the dish but the baby snails were all over the sponge filters. I try not to disturb the tank too much out of caution. I think I had only one CRS death due to high temps. Not entirely sure what was causing it either. ambient temps were 74 yet the tanks were approaching 78/79 with the heater off. May have been warm from earlier in the day... central air is now on at all times to maintain at 74. I was going to try the dog dewormer but already had to put in an order with GLA so I snagged the NO-Planaria and worked great.
> 
> Glad to see you are having the same success. I will certainly look into snagging some Shrimp King Bio Tase Active. I already have the Complete, Protein, and Mineral. I also have BacterAE/Betaglucan. I most likely have enough food right now to last 2 years at this point. Not sure if you have tried the Mulberry leaves but seems like a hit with the batches I got from @TropicalAquarist!
> 
> Newest project now though is looking into breeding Zebra Plecos... so more on that soon.


Glad to hear the cubes are doing great  How large are the babies after two weeks? Still cannot believe how tiny the 1-2 day olds are. Yeah I have tried the mulberry leaves thanks to @Aqua99 who hooked me up with some. Oh and I just ordered two of the bags of the pollen from the seller you linked. Yeah mine do the same they will grab a piece of their prize food and take off with it and munch on it for a good while. And yeah the CRS hate higher temps. I have been lucky enough to keep from getting above 75 at anytime. This last month due to the heat was the hardest. You really should try the Lowkeys Ultra Supple and Lowkeys Ebi Supple. They absolutely flock to these two foods. @Aqua99 and I got the idea from this article The BIG shrimp food test ? Practical Fishkeeping Magazine which did a test with a ton of different food and those two were the most popular with the shrimp out of many. Oh and if like me with all the different food wanting to organize it all check out this bead organizer I got from walmart for $5 which is perfect for organizing all of the different food. Just put a label on each one and makes it SO much easier with all of the food. Here is where I got it from https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bead-Organizer-W-12-Large-Round-Box-Clear-6-3X4-8X1-1In/24741915

Just noticed photobucket got you also  was such a pain to fix many of my photos to imgur and still have not gotten them all. They really jacked us all.


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## katas (Jan 12, 2015)

Once I start to run low I will certainly be purchasing some of the Lowkey foods for sure! Also will be ordering the organizer now! Thanks for the heads up!!! Was tired of a basket with 12 different foods.


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## DigityDog70 (Jan 20, 2017)

This is a sweet looking tank, nice work! 

Is that a DIY filter in the upper (rear of tank) left hand corner? Whatever it is, it looks clean, but I don't think I've seen that device before.


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