# Dennerle Shrimp King tank -Now with a 2nd Shrimp King Tank 3-9-2020



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Recently picked up a Dennerle Scraper's Tank. I've had it set up for a couple of months now, and thought I'd give my initial impressions. For starters, they make this and a "scraper's tank". As far as I can tell, these are identical except for packaging, and I'm not sure why they decided to make both. But onto my unboxing, set-up, and thoughts.
It came very well boxed up, looking like a much larger tank size than a 10. I can't seem to upload pictures and them stay in order or where I want them, so I will do this photo per post. Sorry if that makes for a lesser read, but this forum software isn't like most Vbulletin and such I'm familiar with.




Continued...


Bump: So, I'm at a loss as to how to post these pictures in order with the text I'm submitting. It keeps just adding to my original post. Maybe I'll try to finish after a reply. Apologies.


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## Jamo33 (Feb 18, 2014)

What site is hosting your images? 
Need to basically embed the image. Using the bbcode given from the hosting website. I believe you could also simply place the url in between these two strokes...maybe. [ IMG] and [ /IMG]
Haven't tried the url thing, just trying to help


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Thanks for the suggestion. Gave that a try, but just got blanks where picture should be. Like this:








^In most forums I've been on, that would post the host image. Here it seems to leave a blank.

Bump:


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## Jamo33 (Feb 18, 2014)

I am trying to figure this out.
Sorry it's not working, haven't had these issues before.

Test


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## redneck joe (Mar 13, 2019)

I use imgur here with no problems by using the bb link it provides


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

I think I discovered the problem. The images were shared publicly and thus couldn't be edited. I had uploaded them at original file size and that was taking up 4 screens. Have re-uploaded them smaller and trying now.


One review I read said that these came with substrate, but mine did not. Here are contents upon opening. There is a glass top and foam padding to place under the tank that can't be seen here:









The light is quite small, but very bright. Much in the style of Finnex, but I will say that upon a peek inside Dennerle does a much better job soldering. 









The internal filter is also very compact and moves quite a bit of water. 90% chance I move to a regular sponge filter on this but it's a good design. 









A prefilter to protect babies is sold separately and IMO should come with the kit:


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

The tank itself is my favorite part of this kit. The low iron glass, bent corners and rimless design just appeals to my eye, I know it doesn't for everyone's. I will likely change out the lights and am certainly changing out the filter, and do not use the glass top, so I can far from call this a perfect shrimp kit *for me*. But I'm not sure I wouldn't pay $200 bucks for this tank and light. I will have lots of uses for the light and I suspect the filter will come in handy also. It would probably be perfect for someone starting out to have success, just not how I best keep plants and shrimp.


Set up as sold (minus the glass top) 7 weeks in (planted largely from existing tanks):









Did a fishless cycle and moved a sponge filer from a healthy Cardina tank for 7 weeks before adding livestock. Gave a few crystals reds the tank for a week before ordering, then bought user ChefB0yardee (sp?) 10 pack of mischling shrimp as the first full time inhabitants.


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## Raith (Jun 27, 2014)

I love the bent corners, too.


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Well, after a suspected poisoning killed all but 4 mischlings, I'm patiently waiting for this to become a colony again. It's happening slowly, I was lucky enough to have two surviving females from the original group and both have sent tiny fry into the world. Even though the hatches were only a week or so apart, the size difference on the babies is tremendous. And my favorite thing about aquariums right now is finding babies and looking at them with a magnifier. They are all so different! I'm snapping photos of tiny shrimp with an iPhone so photo quality leaves a bit to be desired.

Here's a sponge filter outtake with a new baby on it to give some sense of scale. They are *tiny* things! You could absolutely suck them up with airline tubing:









Here's about a 2-3 week old juvie beside an adult:









This one (a purchase) is about 1/4 to 1/3rd grown:









Some have odd patterns, which probably lowers their grade but I don't care. Kind of prefer them:









Here's a very cleanly striped black and white individual:









One thing I have definitely learned is when wiping the glass, pay very close attention to the glass at gravel level. I have a tendency to go light there and that is exactly where your photography subjects will be. I had to erase most photos because the glass was obscured from film algae I couldn't really see until blowing the photo up.

Anyway, in spite of a major setback right as things were getting going, this is currently my favorite tank and I can't stop looking around in it. I am SO glad a few survived, because I would have surely moved on and just put something different in the tank.


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Congrats on the off-spring- especially after having suffered such a set-back. 
Did you figure out what the source of the poisoning was? 
The tank looks really great. What kind of plants are you growing in here?


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

My guess is traces of gasoline. I had moved a cooler in my garage and it had a greenish substance on it that I got on my hands that smelled of gas. I washed my hands before servicing the tank, but am guessing not well enough. I suppose it could have been any number of things though. I'm going with the gas theory because it was the only thing out of the ordinary and I hate having no idea why things die en masse. 

Plants are dwarf sag, MC, bolbitis, crypts, and fissidens that I can think of (I'm not in front of the tank at the moment). Originally put buces and some fancier plants in there, but they didn't seem to fare as well as in other tanks so I moved them out while they had time to recover. Could have been the move to soft acid cool water from their old tanks they didn't appreciate. Maybe they would have acclimated, but I didn't want to risk losing the plants, nor deal with decay in the tank. It was set up to be prettier, but at this point I'm all about just making an environment for the shrimp to thrive in. In a few months when it's (fingers crossed) crawling with shrimp, I'll endeavor to re-aqua scape.


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> My guess is traces of gasoline. I had moved a cooler in my garage and it had a greenish substance on it that I got on my hands that smelled of gas. I washed my hands before servicing the tank, but am guessing not well enough. I suppose it could have been any number of things though. I'm going with the gas theory because it was the only thing out of the ordinary and I hate having no idea why things die en masse.
> 
> Plants are dwarf sag, MC, bolbitis, crypts, and fissidens that I can think of (I'm not in front of the tank at the moment). Originally put buces and some fancier plants in there, but they didn't seem to fare as well as in other tanks so I moved them out while they had time to recover. Could have been the move to soft acid cool water from their old tanks they didn't appreciate. Maybe they would have acclimated, but I didn't want to risk losing the plants, nor deal with decay in the tank. It was set up to be prettier, but at this point I'm all about just making an environment for the shrimp to thrive in. In a few months when it's (fingers crossed) crawling with shrimp, I'll endeavor to re-aqua scape.


Good plan. :smile2:


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Those shrimp look great. It's good news to hear things are settling down.

All those shrimplets are obviously a good sign and I think you're on the road to having a ton of them.

About a point you made regarding grading... I think too many people in this hobby put way too much emphasis on that. I mean, really, who cares if our pretty Crystals are flowerheads or crowns or whatever? That's coming from me - someone with some pretty amazing Pure lines, if I may say so myself. I guess that's why I always offered them to people for free or at about $1 - instead of the offensive $30-$50 some are charging on retail sites now.

To really emphasize the insanity of it all... I sold a few large quantities of PRLs here on the forum in 2013. Think 300-400 at a time for pennies on the dollar. All the shrimp bros (that's my polite term for them) got upset, lobbed threats, one called the state commissioner of agriculture (they didn't realize my best friend was his legal counsel, I guess?) to make wild claims. Because they thought I was killing their market. Not surprising that none of them are in the hobby at this point. All the focus on grading and making more money drove them to behave in such a bonkers manner.

Really grinds my gears that people are paying upward of a thousand bucks for for a manipulated and over-bred crustacean. Wish we could all focus more on conservation instead of hybridizing and trying to outdo each other for the coolest pattern. Or, at the very least, focus on conservation while also doing those other things. So I applaud you on a personal level for focusing on cool shrimp and not the silly grading system that's become pervasive.


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

somewhatshocked said:


> Those shrimp look great. It's good news to hear things are settling down.
> 
> All those shrimplets are obviously a good sign and I think you're on the road to having a ton of them.
> 
> ...


 Is there a shrimp species ( available to the hobbyist, of course) that is more threatened than others? This would be of high interest to me. Raising, breeding a shrimp for conservation purposes . 



It is insane the lengths people go to destroy a hobby. Not that that was their conscious intent- but, anytime you find more interest in somethings monetary value over its intrinsic value - everyone loses. 

Thats why you no longer see or hear of them. They moved on to exploit something else.


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## aquanerd13 (Jun 22, 2019)

So is this kit worth the money in your opinion? What substrate do you recommend?

Bump: Is the filter good? I am setting up a 10 gallon shrimp tank in the future and sponge filters are hideous.

Bump: Should I get the filter extension to?


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

aquanerd13 said:


> So is this kit worth the money in your opinion?


It's a very nice low iron tank, an adequate light, and well-designed filter though it needs the baby protector that is sold separately. 



aquanerd13 said:


> What substrate do you recommend?


 I used Dennerle's shrimp substrate on this one, since the rest of the kit was their brand. I can't tell the difference in it and ADA whatsoever. These are the only two acid buffering substrates I've ever used, so not experienced enough to say if others out there are better. But both of these are working.


aquanerd13 said:


> Bump: Is the filter good? I am setting up a 10 gallon shrimp tank in the future and sponge filters are hideous.


I run a sponge filter in this tank in addition. They both hide behind plants and rocks pretty well. I may remove one or the other at some point. 


aquanerd13 said:


> Bump: Should I get the filter extension to?


 I don't think that would be needed. It's like a 20" maybe 24" tank and the flow is adequate. 



In a nutshell, I like it well enough that I've ordered another one.


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## aquanerd13 (Jun 22, 2019)

Thank you. I already have a 10 gallon that will soon not be in use, so the kit is not the best deal for me at the time, though in the future when I want another shrimp tank, that is a good looking tank.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Really love this shot because it illustrates just how tiny these little bugs are. 



Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Here's a sponge filter outtake with a new baby on it to give some sense of scale. They are *tiny* things! You could absolutely suck them up with airline tubing:


 @Discusluv: Not sure that there's one that's more threatened than another. I think you're on the right track by keeping the wild-types you're interested in.

I'm all about keeping cool-looking shrimp. But also think we need to do more to highlight things like wild bees. @Blue Ridge Reef and you have kind of inspired me because of your interest in these more natural varieties. Maybe I need to suck it up and keep a wild-type in one of my new tanks...


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## Jamo33 (Feb 18, 2014)

@Blue Ridge Reef@Discusluv @somewhatshocked

You have all just started entering a conversation that has plagued my mind for a very long time. Conservation, but I do not want to thread hijack so I'll make this little comment. 
We ourselves are responsible for population degradation and environmental demolition of the habitats. The trickle down of responsibility lies with us in the end, if no one purchases the exported animals, fish, shrimp the market takes a knock. However, and I myself fall prey to this, imports cost next to nothing whereas "bred in X" are always a premium, not to mention the grading system. I have some stories from back in Australia when I was breeding different L number plecos that would horrify.

On a different note. I am not one to go crazy for grading either, so whilst you say that some of your shrimp may not be highly graded, I agree that this doesnt make them amazing creatures! I quite like the odd looking shrimp and yours look amazing.


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## DaveKS (Apr 2, 2019)

Any particular reason why you mounted light on sidewall instead of back where it would be more centered over whole tank?


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

DaveKS said:


> Any particular reason why you mounted light on sidewall instead of back where it would be more centered over whole tank?


I moved it around a few times when it was first set up with no livestock. In the end, I liked positioning it where it threw some shadows. I moved Anubias and some crypts over to the darker side. So far, no algae is growing on the old growth Anubias which is something I deal with in most low tech tanks. When the shrimp population gets stable (about 20-30 of these become adults) I'll do a rescape and possibly move it.


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Just ran across the only baby I've seen that appears to be tri-colored. I thought it was a regular black and white one, but it seems to have red also.


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## KayakJimW (Aug 12, 2016)

That's cool! Almost Tancho Sanke


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Yeah, really hoping this one makes it. I've yet to see tricolor CRS, but they may be considered low-grade and aren't bred for. But if I get a few, will move them to their own tank and see if they throw any more. Definitely counting chickens before they hatch with that idea...


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Well, I've managed to get planaria in this tank. Presumably from a plant purchase, haven't seen a one in my other aquariums. They seem pretty sparse so far, but I'm going to dose Panacur today. Very nervous about that, but it has to be done. I could have gotten the best video last night but wasn't ready. I watched a planaria crawling up the glass and about to meet a baby shrimp. It attacked it right in front of me. Stuck to its side and the shrimp was able to jet off. But I am now sure that these aren't rhabdocoela, in spite of the head not being very triangular. 

Otherwise the tank is doing well, parameters are all on, and it's crawling with baby shrimp. Hopefully Fenbendazole doesn't affect their numbers. When these babies get a little more size on them, I'd like to revamp this aquascape. For now, just trying not to touch anything and let the shrimp do their thing.


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Home and Panacur in hand. Mine is a paste in a big 25 gram syringe for horses. It's 10% fenbendazole, so each gram is 100 mg. Not sure how I'm to measure out .01 gram of the stuff though.

Edit: So my lightest weight scale is a gram scale and I added Panacur until it registered 1 gram, then took (far) less than 10% of that, then estimated 1% of that (which is like a dip with a toothpick) and put in a test tube with RO water and shook vigorously. I'll add it a tiny bit at a time and observe. I'm under-dosing but really scared to have a second wipe out in this tank! Also would prefer to not kill all of the snails. I have powder on order and will use that if this doesn't wipe them out. Not even going to risk using more of this, equine strength is simply too strong for my application.


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Well, the equine Panacur isn't working at the dosage I'm comfortable using so have powder on the way. In the meantime, I had a planaria trap and baited it with high protein flake food. This tank gets fed very little protein so when any is added, these things come running for it. Caught quite a few.


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Well, a few plants have quite outpaced the others and the rock scape on the whole left side is hidden not even 6 months in. I put a sprig of Bolbitis in which took off, as well as the rotala in the back which is a cluster at the moment. And the Val I placed to hide the filter is sending runners wherever it darn well pleases. 

2 months after filling, and just after adding livestock (mid April):









Today:








Closeup:









Look at this closeup of Val sending up runners along the front glass:









I'm trying to keep my hands out of this until some of the babies get some size on them. The first pruning I did had quite a few shrimp fry in the trimmed plant matter so I'm not ready to disturb this too much just yet. Especially now that 90% of the shrimp population left are fry/small juveniles since the wipe out. So it will be messy for the next few months and hopefully then I can make the tank orderly again. But for now it's doing its job and growing healthy shrimp and plants. I'm learning that it is so much easier setting up big tanks insofar as keeping the scape they way you had in mind. On such a small scale, even one plant growing much more quickly throws everything off you had in mind.


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Well, a few plants have quite outpaced the others and the rock scape on the whole left side is hidden not even 6 months in. I put a sprig of Bolbitis in which took off, as well as the rotala in the back which is a cluster at the moment. And the Val I placed to hide the filter is sending runners wherever it darn well pleases.
> 
> 2 months after filling, and just after adding livestock (mid April):
> 
> ...


 Wonderful! I love the larger rounded rock you used. Jake and I had been discussing this look as well in another thread-- its a great look! And the color of the rock is very nice as well. Remind me what kind of shrimp are in here again--- you have so many going that I forget which is which, lol!
Those plants are going bonkers. :icon_surp:icon_surp


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Big shrimp are mischlings, but just look like plain ol' crystal reds and blacks. I have 4-5 blue bolts in with them. Rock is Quartz from my local stream. You can see the 4th piece sitting off to the side, I pulled it out during a water change and now there's not a place to put it! Wish this stuff wasn't so heavy, I really like it and would mail you some but shipping would make free rocks pretty expensive.


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Big shrimp are mischlings, but just look like plain ol' crystal reds and blacks. I have 4-5 blue bolts in with them. Rock is Quartz from my local stream.


 Oh, okay-- tank looks awesome!
Moving right along....


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

You may well have quartz rock near you, I have no idea! But anywhere quartz crystals can be found quartzite rocks can. And if you really like it, I can probably gather some up next trip to the stream and take pics. If there are some you want I'll cover shipping.


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> You may well have quartz rock near you, I have no idea! But anywhere quartz crystals can be found quartzite rocks can. And if you really like it, I can probably gather some up next trip to the stream and take pics. If there are some you want I'll cover shipping.


No, I can cover shipping and yes keep your eye out for a rock or two for me!


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## Desert Pupfish (May 6, 2019)

Many landscape rock supply places have various kinds of decorative quartz rocks in various colors. They'll often sell smaller quantities by the bin. I bought a bunch when I landscaped my yard years ago. I sometimes come across smaller ones when replanting or cleaning up overgrown areas that I clean up & put in my tank. A gift that keeps on giving....


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## second (Jan 31, 2005)

Thats a great tank, very interested in getting one and doing an anubias and rock scape, maybe some black lava rock. Will have to wait till after the holidays though. Give us an update when you can please


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

@second I will try to remember to snap a photo when I get home. Hasn't changed a whole lot since 3 months ago, outside of pruning and removing a few plants though.





Discusluv said:


> No, I can cover shipping and yes keep your eye out for a rock or two for me!


 So sorry! I not only forgot about this, I haven't biked by the stream since it got cold -but will remember to rock hunt next time I do!


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## second (Jan 31, 2005)

Thank you


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

I've kinda let it grow wild. Funny how seeing a photo can make you realize you need to prune and rescape more than looking at the actual aquarium.


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Well, I've been battling a cold and put off cleaning out the other 125 jungle and decided to tackle this one over the weekend. Pulled a lot of Val and floaters and added an EI 2009 that was buried in another tank. I'd planned on removing the rocks and cleaning underneath them (which has never happened), but I stirred up so much ADA dust pulling plants that I decided I'd wait until later. Here's the tank after the dust had settled.


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## kgbudge (Feb 8, 2019)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> I think I discovered the problem. The images were shared publicly and thus couldn't be edited. I had uploaded them at original file size and that was taking up 4 screens. Have re-uploaded them smaller and trying now.



Okay, that explains why I've had problems linking images. thanks!


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Well, I've been battling a cold and put off cleaning out the other 125 jungle and decided to tackle this one over the weekend. Pulled a lot of Val and floaters and added an EI 2009 that was buried in another tank. I'd planned on removing the rocks and cleaning underneath them (which has never happened), but I stirred up so much ADA dust pulling plants that I decided I'd wait until later. Here's the tank after the dust had settled.


 Looks great!


Feel better soon!


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## KayakJimW (Aug 12, 2016)

Whoa! Which bout is that signed pic promoting? Manila?!

Sorry to go off topic, but that's some cool wall art

Nice Iguazu too


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Yeah, that's from the Thrilla! I boxed Silver Gloves as a kid and Ali was always my favorite. Ran across that one at an estate sale, signed by Frazier and Ali. Both were still living at the time and it had some sun damage so I think I got it for $200. No idea if it's valuable now, but I wouldn't want to part with it anyway.


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## KayakJimW (Aug 12, 2016)

That's awesome. Both that you boxed and finding that jewel of a promo... I don't stay too current these days, but have lost many hours/days to TWOB Classics on YouTube. Ali was a force indeed


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

The Thrilla in Manila was a special one. They had to air it at 10 AM for it to be shown at night in the US. After turning the lights on, it was over 120 degrees and 100% humidity and both fighters were exhausted by the 1st round. Both fighters also lost over 5 pounds during the bout and at the end of the 14th, Ali asked his trainer to cut off his gloves, he was done. But unbeknownst to his corner the ref had seen enough and called the fight since Frazier had taken so much damage and was so exhausted. It was a golden age for the sweet science, and I doubt the sport will ever rise to the prominence it had then.


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## KayakJimW (Aug 12, 2016)

Wow, I didn't know all that. What a day


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

I took my time getting around to it but I'll soon be starting the other one. 








I have two Biocube 14 gallons stands that I am making plywood tops for so that these will fit. Starting that project today and I have had spiderwood soaking in buckets for weeks. Just changed water on them and they're slick with slime. 









Bump to add:
I thought the Biocube stands would work out of the box since my 29 gallon Biocube has 1/2" of overlap on each side. But these were exactly 1/2" shy widthwise to fit the Shrimp King tanks. I considered a number of other stands, but I liked the looks of these better than anything else I could find.

So I put the tank pad on a piece of 1/2" plywood and traced it and cut to size. Sanded the down best I could but the jigsaw made pretty rough cuts. 








And then painted the tops.








Doesn't look pre manufactured by any means, but will be hidden under the tanks anyway. If any edges stand out, I'll shore them up before placing the tanks.


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

One down, one to go.









I'm going to start the other stand right away while the assembly is fresh in my mind. These Ikea style furniture components aren't difficult, but the instructions on these are vague about which side should be in and so forth. The other tank is full of breeding michlings so it's going to be a bear to move. Am not even trying that today, but as long as I get the stand in place and have everything in order it will be a productive enough a day. If time allows, I'll get hardscape, substrate and water in this before day's end and will update. Likely with a few arrangements of hardscape and a plea for opinions!

@Darkblade I hope it's okay that I don't merge posts made a day apart. I'll merge anything else I might have to add today.

Already have a question of opinion. Here's my office as is currently:








This computer desk has two matching side tables. They're pretty functional, I use one for incoming mail etc., and the other for pens, post its, and other sundries. As things stand, I have the left side aquarium in between the side table and the main desk, but on the right the side table is in between the desk and aquarium. I like the idea of a little afternoon sun. The house faces south so no direct sun comes in. But every little bit helps if I'm using stock lights on these, which I'm planning to at least for now. I know once I fill one, it's set up the way it is going to be for a long time. I feel like I got matching stands, tanks, and end tables and it's absurd to not put them in an orderly fashion. Would it drive anyone else crazy that the symmetry is off?


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## Cinnamonamon (Oct 24, 2018)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> This computer desk has two matching side tables. They're pretty functional, I use one for incoming mail etc., and the other for pens, post its, and other sundries. As things stand, I have the left side aquarium in between the side table and the main desk, but on the right the side table is in between the desk and aquarium. I like the idea of a little afternoon sun. The house faces south so no direct sun comes in. But every little bit helps if I'm using stock lights on these, which I'm planning to at least for now. I know once I fill one, it's set up the way it is going to be for a long time. I feel like I got matching stands, tanks, and end tables and it's absurd to not put them in an orderly fashion. Would it drive anyone else crazy that the symmetry is off?


Lack of symmetry is annoying, but lack of functionality is worse! I'd keep my side table if you are going to lose the practicality of having those office items at hand -- or you might be annoyed every single time you reach for a pen or a post-it...FOREVER!  lol

Gorgeous tanks & shrimp, by the way!


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Cinnamonamon said:


> Lack of symmetry is annoying, but lack of functionality is worse!


That is a fact. And I know that if I go desk, tank, table on each side that I'll wind up using my desk as the table anyway out of convenience. Hopefully if I get these both set up and and change my mind the the tanks stands and all can be scooted a couple of feet without scratching the floor I just refinished. They have 4 plastic pads on the base so I'm betting it's doable.


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## Cinnamonamon (Oct 24, 2018)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> That is a fact. And I know that if I go desk, tank, table on each side that I'll wind up using my desk as the table anyway out of convenience. Hopefully if I get these both set up and and change my mind the the tanks stands and all can be scooted a couple of feet without scratching the floor I just refinished. They have 4 plastic pads on the base so I'm betting it's doable.


With floor pads I bet you'll be all set -- it is a small tank, after all!


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Finally made some headway yesterday. I'd been wanting to get into this one and rearrange and prune anyway, as well as remove any duckweed and spot treat some algae. Luckily I was able to get this moved with substrate in it. There was no way I could catch the shrimp fry, so caught what I could, removed the rocks, and moved it rather wet. Kept most of the tank water to add back, so this was just a 50% water change for the shrimp, which is still 5x more than I ever put them through. Here's a top and front view as the tank looked before moving:
















I took this opportunity to add a frosted backing to each tank.








I decided on inert and added a 20# bag of red EC and set up the new one with the hardscape finally tweaked, doesn't it look great?








Just kidding, I couldn't see anything either, but still planted the best I could. For now just added some micro swords for foreground, needle leaf Java fern for background, and a few non duckweed floaters. By this morning it had cleared up quite a bit.








Also, I got this stem plant in a shrimp shipment and it's just been growing in a shrimp tank. I have no idea what it is, but I rather like the rough texture and dark color.








Hopefully the existing tank takes its move and large water change without a hiccup. The new one is going to take a while to fill in and look like I want and it's already tempting to move plants from other tanks to it. But I need to be patient and wait out the algae waves that are likely to come my way in the next few weeks. It will give me something to keep my mind off of quarantine for the next few days/weeks. And the office is still in shambles but I think it's going to look pretty sweet when everything is cleaned up.


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

I’m loving the way it looks already! A big thumbs up! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## jmontee (Mar 20, 2009)

So my feeling is that the ruffly plant is a long stem of Pogostemon helferi.


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

jmontee said:


> So my feeling is that the ruffly plant is a long stem of Pogostemon helferi.


Interesting, because it's not like the Downoi I have at work at all. But it was in a low tech, moderate light shrimp tank and likely reaching for the surface. I can pull it out for a better photo if that will help, it's growing like a stem and probably 8" tall, which is unlike my other Downoi as well. But I certainly don't have another guess...


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Mostly out of boredom I made a one minute silent movie last night showing the 4 display tanks in my home:





The new tank is crystal clear now. Just need about 50 more plants.


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

In retrospect, should have put this one under tank journals, but I guess these can be defined as nanos. The big teardown is underway. The tank was looking pretty nice but I can't help but feel it's worth the time to start everything back over again. Here's the last peek with red Eco Complete. 









A couple of thoughts on EC. This stuff is remarkably less dense, sharp, and dusty compared to Flourite, which I set my most recent tank up with. I'm really fond of it, and have half a 5 gallon bucket full now. It will get used somewhere though. Even after pulling the hardscape and plants out it didn't stir up much at all.








Held my phone sideways, sorry. But tied some leftover Buce to the wood before refilling.








Refilled as gently as possible but new soil is new soil and it's gonna dust things up. I think I'll have to wait to plant it until tomorrow. I'll update again then, thanks for looking.


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

24 hours later update








May be a few days before this one clears completely, this was a dusty batch. But things are more or less where I want them. Top view gives a better idea for now.








There are going to be exposed Buce roots for a long time and I may decide to pull some of these out for aesthetic's sake if they don't cover over with leaf growth by end of summer. I could hide them with mosses easily enough but was hoping to avoid moss in this tank. Micro sword carpet in the front with a couple of fancy Cryptocorynes and E "vietnam" mixed in, just enough needle leaf Java fern to hide the filter and wires, and Buce on the wood is the end goal. I think my wife is a little disappointed in the result after my buildup about how much better it was going to be with soil. And no doubt about it, it looks objectively much worse right now than it did before breaking it down but I think the long term results will be worth it. Wishing I had about 50 more micro swords and Buce cuttings right now, but time will provide all things. Of course I'll keep perusing the classifieds, just in case.


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## second (Jan 31, 2005)

Thanks for posting this, I just ordered the 10 gal scapers tank. I wish the 14.5 (55L) was available In the us


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

I hope you'll like it. I've made a few more changes as time has gone on. I think I'll stick with Aqua Clears with protected intakes or sponge filters over the provided internal filter. I've also added second lights to both tanks.


jmontee said:


> So my feeling is that the ruffly plant is a long stem of Pogostemon helferi.


Oh, meant to say that someone ID'd this one on another thread, Ludwigia inclinata "tornado" or "curly."


Newer tank is coming along nicely. Plants are filling in and I added 6 crystal red shrimp. Something about this tank/lighting makes S. minima and frogbit grow ridiculously long roots compared to my other tanks. I pulled most of it after this photo. Naturally, now this makes me want to completely redo my other one.


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## second (Jan 31, 2005)

I ordered an fluval ac30 for mine, hope its not overkill. I have a smaller nano one if its too much. My plan is for seiryu stones and anubias, with a few crypts as well.


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

I'm using an AquaClear 50 on one of these, a 30 should be fine. I tried a 70 but even turned down it was more flow than you can have in a tank with floaters.


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## second (Jan 31, 2005)

I goofed, its the fluval c2 rated for up to 30 gals, should be fine


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## LittleBee (Apr 11, 2012)

Gorgeous tanks and shrimp! I love them all. 😊


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Thank you! It'll be a couple or six months before they're where I want them but the foundation is there for a really pretty aquarium. Using CO2 has me spoiled on how fast I expect things to fill in, but these are medium light no CO2 tanks and are going to take a while, even with soil, ferts, and weekly maintenance. Speaking of, when I went to do my 10% water change today, I found a very curious place for a dead shrimp. They climb on top of floating/emerged plants often, but I didn't expect this (shrimp body at top of photo).









I've decided to remove the river rock from the first Dennerle. I really liked the look of it but it's just too hard to maintain with hardscape that can't be budged. The tank looks pretty pitiful now, but I'll add some wood and some smaller plants from other tanks over the weekend. Also pulled the internal filter and sponge filter and went simple with only an Aqua Clear 30. There was just way too much inside of the tank for how often I get my hands in it. And I suspect the internal filter's "baby protector" had torn, because babies have been disappearing for months now.


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Figured while shooting my Osaka vids I should do one on the Dennerle's since all the crystal red shrimp were out and about. Until I turned on the camera, of course....


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## second (Jan 31, 2005)

Are you using fluval stratum ffg or the substrate? Btw tanks look great


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Figured while shooting my Osaka vids I should do one on the Dennerle's since all the crystal red shrimp were out and about. Until I turned on the camera, of course....
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ipwyUdY-60&feature=youtu.be


 Your going to be You tube star!! You really are a natural. Also, you dont speak in that annoying, yelling, hyper- in your face way so many male You tubers do. Why do they do that?
Id rather listen to a soothing voice any-day!


These tanks are looking spectacular as well. Are there babies in the crystal tank?


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

I accidentally netted a couple when catching them out of my shrimp rack, so technically there are some young ones but none that hatched out in this tank.

Thanks on the compliments but like a lot of people, I cringe at the sound of my own voice!



second said:


> Are you using fluval stratum ffg or the substrate? Btw tanks look great


 I used Dennerle's Scaper's soil for this one. Similar to ADA, it produced a lot of NH4 the first several weeks but has stopped now. I run a pet supply shop and one of my vendors briefly picked up the Dennerle line so I tried lots of their stuff out. They've since dropped Dennerle, so looks like I'm forced back to brands I can order online. Shame, because they make some good products.


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## second (Jan 31, 2005)

Thats too bad about dennerle products, with they were more available. One more question
how much of that substrate did you need the the tank? Looks like you;ve got a good 3" s or so. I bought an 8ish pound bag of fluval stratum but dont know if it will be enough.

My plan is for some seiryu / maybe spiderwood. and mostly anubias with maybe a little crypts


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

I don't recall the weight of the bag but it did give me roughly 3" depth, which seems about right for plants without long roots. I'd test any seiryu stone before using it to be sure it won't leech CACO3. It and dragon stone aren't "supposed" to, but often do.


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Not a lot going on but since my plants didn't come I'd planned on rescaping with, figured I'd do a "before" video.


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> I have two Biocube 14 gallons stands that I am making plywood tops for so that these will fit. Starting that project today and I have had spiderwood soaking in buckets for weeks. Just changed water on them and they're slick with slime.


One think I love about tank journals is it gives you solid dates for when you did things. I would have guessed 2-3 months I've been soaking this spiderwood. But it's nearly *5 months* later and this wood still isn't cured. I pour off the water 2-3x a week, and it still stinks up the house. I don't like the thought of it, but I may just trash this spider wood and start over with something else. Part of me thinks I should just stick it in the tank and let the system take care of it but I'd expect it would be problematic for quite some time. Wonder if it was just harvested green or why it's taking this long?


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Just thought I'd update these two. I need to do some pruning and plant removal, but have been letting them run for the time being.
Tank #1:








Tank #2:











Moved the surviving 7-8 orange eyed blue tigers and 4 cherry-picked yellow goldenback Neos to tank #1. Found one OEBT body, and there is at least 1 or 2 hiding in there but they almost never come out. Wonder if the brightness is impacting their behavior or if I'm just doomed to never have success with these. People used to speculate that they are blind but mine have been very shy in the lights on hours, even when they were new. The yellow Neos are out and about behaving normally and both females are berried. When there are a few dozen babies coming up, I'll try another Caridina type. Really want OEBT, but I'm 0-2 on batches of those I've purchased. 

Tank #2 has a few planaria and I'm tempted to nuke it with Panacur C and then let it reset before adding anything. Hate to start it off with a pest before adding livestock. I put some CRS and black cull Neos in there but removed what I could catch when I noticed the planaria outbreak. These are the bad white ones, I watched one attack a CRS fry on the front glass. Wish I could have gotten my phone out in time for evidence to show when folks say all planaria are harmless to shrimp. At any rate this tank will be set back until the new year at least before I can start thinking about shrimp. It's crossed my mind to put a dozen chili rasboras in here in addition.


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## mfgann (Dec 16, 2010)

I _just_ got my Spec V going good and got my first round of shrimp babies. Now you're making me want the Dennerle tank!

Looks like a great tank you have going!


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Thanks, these have been a lot of fun but I found planaria in both of them now, surely a result of me moving a plant from one tank to the other. So they'll both get treatments here soon and all the snails will die, and I'll probably have a mini cycle from it all. Hopefully at least the plants will be unfazed and I can catch some of the shrimp out first.


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## Econde (Oct 13, 2015)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Thanks, these have been a lot of fun but I found planaria in both of them now, surely a result of me moving a plant from one tank to the other. So they'll both get treatments here soon and all the snails will die, and I'll probably have a mini cycle from it all. Hopefully at least the plants will be unfazed and I can catch some of the shrimp out first.


Ouch. I've been fortunate with no diseases in any of my 3 tanks so far(knocks on wood). Surely there's gotta be a way to treat your tank without harming everything else? Can't be easy though I bet.


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

I'm not aware of one. These are tough, tough life forms. Anything that eradicates them will have some impact on other inverts, as far as I'm aware. But I'll have them where I want them by the new year, with any luck.


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