# amanda's 20g cat-warmer



## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

I think this pic speaks for itself...










So far I've got hairgrass (still kinda clumpy, but I didn't have the patience to spread it out more :icon_conf ), a few crypts, a lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea', a cardamine lyrata, and a few clippings from my h polysperma (just to kick-start things -- I'll remove it later). And my LFS is keeping an eye out for some pearlgrass for me. I'll eventually be adding a piece of driftwood at the right -- either the piece from my 6g or a new piece if I can find "that perfect piece".

Substrate is aquatic soil, topped with fine gravel, topped with sand. I know the sand and gravel will eventually mix, but I'm ok with that. They're both natural colour so it won't look too weird, and I'm hoping the hairgrass will eventually fill out and you won't be able to see the substrate at all.

Lighting is a double 65W Coralife fixture. Since a lot of my plants have high light requirements, I'm going to run one light for 10 hours/day, with an overlap of maybe an hour when both lights are on. Does that sound like a plan? Or do you think a single 65W would be enough?

A Hagen ladder provides CO2. Since it's just a 20g tank, and it won't have too many fast-growers, I'm hoping this will do.

Filter is a submersible Fluval 3 Plus. It doesn't take up too much space at all, and because it's black in colour, it totally blends into the background.

I've had it set up for a few days now. I'm trying to speed up establishing a cycle by using Sera Nitrivec. My LFS swears by it. So I've already added a few fish (the furcatus I've had my eye on for awhile). Once things settle down more, I'll add a few more, and eventually will move the apistos over from my 6g.


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## jart (Jan 17, 2003)

you're really a fan of that hairgrass i see amanda. should look great once it fills in. and maybe it's just the pic but you're right about the fluval i wouldn't have noticed it if you hadn't mentioned it.

that is one contented-looking kitty...


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## Zach987 (Mar 4, 2004)

my wife, " the cat lover " noticed something about your baby. In the second pic his eyes are open and paws are over the water. Are you sure you didn't interupt him while fishing?:icon_bigg


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## SCMurphy (Oct 21, 2003)

You did the perfect job of planting the hairgrass, after a week trim it down to about a half inch and it will spread like wildfire through the open area. If you want to let it spread through the tank do nothing, if you want to restrict it to that area use strips of clear plastic inserted into the substrate as far as you can push them, and sticking out above the substrate about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. This corrals the hairgrass and stops it from sending runners everywhere. You will still have to watch for the occasional stray that gets around the end. It isn't easy to see the plastic, when the plant club came to my house I had to point out the plastic I used to keep an open area in the front of my ten gallon tank. This was a group of people looking very hard into my tanks.:wink:


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Zach987 said:


> my wife, " the cat lover " noticed something about your baby. In the second pic his eyes are open and paws are over the water. Are you sure you didn't interupt him while fishing?:icon_bigg


Hee. Actually, I tried to get another pic later where she was standing on the light, leaning over the glass, and batting at the fish. I hope she doesn't figure out how to open the glass top. :icon_conf 

*Hey Sean*, if I let the hairgrass run wild, will it even grow _under_ other plants, even if that restricts its light? Is there a problem, other than aesthetics, to letting it grow wherever it wants?


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## Basilisk (Mar 1, 2004)

Nice tank. If you add the driftwood you want, it would add a neat contrast to the sand. Hairgrass will look terrific.

It seems like cats just love to be on top of the tank. I've seen at least a dozen pictures of tanks with cats on the hood. Even my LFS has a cat that does in every hooded tank in the store. Does yours also drink from the tank Amanda? Most cats think AquaClears are their private water trough.


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Basilisk said:


> It seems like cats just love to be on top of the tank. I've seen at least a dozen pictures of tanks with cats on the hood. Even my LFS has a cat that does in every hooded tank in the store. Does yours also drink from the tank Amanda? Most cats think AquaClears are their private water trough.


I think it's mostly because of the heat from the light fixture, although with a glass-topped tank, there's the added bonus of providing personal cat entertainment. Luckily, all my tanks are covered so no, the cats haven't tried drinking out of them. They _do_, however, have their own fountain (they are _so_ spoiled!)


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## Mussa888 (May 20, 2004)

That is so cute, I had to get a light on legs so my two couldn't lay on top. I have hairgrass and it has taken a few weeks to start to move out, I trimmed it and it is moving faster, I have eco-complete though. Good luck!


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

Too cute, Amanda. I think your hairgrass looks fine. You might have spread it a bit thinner, but it should work as is, and I would leave it alone now. In the early stages, it is very important to just leave the stuff be. You know the phrase "a watched pot never boils"? Well, this applies to new hairgrass as well. Be patient. Good luck. And make sure your cat doesn't gain too much weight.

Ted

Oh yeah....and I let the hairgrass in my tank grow where ever it wants. And it does find its way under my other plants. I love the look.


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## ninoboy (Jan 26, 2004)

Amanda,

I have a couple of tank with hairgrass as carpet plants. If you don't restrict them, they will spread everywhere including under other plants. I guess the runners don't really care about lights. I also wonder if they would cause any problem to other plants. I don't think they take too much nurients from their roots, do they?


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Thanks everyone for your comments and advice. roud: 

Things are going well so far. I think the combination of Nitrivec and plants is helping the cycle along nicely. Haven't had an ammonia spike yet! 

And this is a good sign...






































The fishies seem to be doing alright too. Swimming around actively... a little _too_ actively when I'm tryin' to take a pic! But I'll keep trying. They're such pretty little fish. I swear this guy was posing for me...


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## Brennor (Mar 8, 2004)

wow, realy nice pics, very crisp. What camera do you use and also what is that lovely fish in the last pic?


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## Stranger (Dec 2, 2003)

Brennor said:


> and also what is that lovely fish in the last pic?


It's Pseudomugil furcatus/Popondetta furcata. http://aquaworld.netfirms.com/Other/Popondetta_furcata.htm

Nice tank!


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

No new pics of the tank (it's just a jumble of fast-growers right now), but a few more pics of the inhabitants.

I managed to take a couple of better pics of the furcatus...




















My LFS was expecting some red cherry shrimp, but they received japonicas instead... roud: 




















And finally, I moved my two apistos over from the 6g. I had originally listed them as "cobalt apisto agassizii", which is how they were labelled at the LFS. But I posted a pic over at apistogramma.com and have been informed that they're actually a hybrid called apistogramma sp. steelblue. They also think that I've got two males, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I've posted a couple more pics over there and am waiting for clarification. Anyway, here's the apisto that's _definitely_ a male...











The furcatus are working out great as dither fish so far. Both of the apistos feel secure enough to swim around in the open and they seem really happy in their new home. And so far nobody's eaten any of the shrimp, although three of them have moulted already which made me think the worst when I first saw it!

The hairgrass is starting to spread nicely, and my LFS has ordered some pearlgrass for me -- hopefully it'll come in this week's order.

Can't wait to get rid of all the h.polysperma!

Oh, and I forgot to mention _someone_ laid a few eggs in there! I didn't notice until the day after I had done a bit of vacuuming of the hairgrass, and when I _did_ see them, I could only find a few. And of those few, most of them were white. They seemed to be scattered about rather than all in one place. Unfortunately, I didn't have anything I could transfer them to, so I had to leave them. They were gone the next day. It would've been either the furcatus or the ottos (they were the only inhabitants at the time). So I've bought a breeding net -- if I see any more eggs, I'll be transferring them. 

Would amanos eat eggs? Or strictly algae? How about red cherries?


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

Those pictures look awesome. Nice fish.


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

You are getting better and better with the photos, amanda roud: . You have some real trophy fish there.

I'm pretty confident that your amanos would eat the eggs (if unprotected). They don't limit themselves to just algae. Mine gladly grab any brine shrimp or blood worms that come within reach. I have no experience with cherries.


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Thanks guys!

I think I've finally figured the best way to handle my camera while shooting the aquarium now -- especially moving subjects -- I've got my flash on a tripod and I'm hand-holding the camera so I can track the subjects. I'm thrilled that I got some good shots of the furcatus. They're so zippy! 

So far so good. roud:


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Mmmmmmmmm. Pea soup! roud: 










Just a wee bit murky. Toldja it was just a jumble of stem plants. But you can see that the hairgrass is slowly filling in. And hopefully I should be getting my pearlgrass this week (fingers crossed). I'm going to be keeping all the crypts, but _all_ the stem plants that are currently in there will be coming out (except for the lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea' in the back right corner). Not sure what I'm going to put on the left side to hide the filter & heater. Any suggestions?

Who wouldn't love this face!?











Got quite a few of these guys to contend with...










So far they're all really tiny. See that big gravel underneath him? Sand.

ETA: I just compared with the original pic -- I didn't realize how much the crypts had grown!! holy crap! roud:


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## Capt. (Mar 11, 2004)

Great looking tank! I love hairgrass as well and am planning on trying some of it soon. Do you find the 65 watts is enough for it or do you need to turn both bulbs on?

Interesting story about amanos and eggs: On a killiefish forum I visit there is a very knowledgable killie breeder from Singapore. He puts killiefish eggs in a dedicated tank with java moss and puts in a japonica or two. He told me the shrimp will pick the eggs up and clean them, but never do any harm to the eggs! So you could be ok.

Also I REALLY like the apisto! Never seen those locally but wouldn't mind getting them if I can find them. Have you found them to fairly peaceful?


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Capt. said:


> ...the shrimp will pick the eggs up and clean them, but never do any harm to the eggs!


That is _so_ cool! :icon_eek: 

Thanks for your comments Capt! I think it still just looks like a mess, but it's a work in progress. So far I've only used one light, and everything is growing really well. It's interesting to note that my h.polysperma is growing horizontally! 

The apistos are pretty good tempered. They can be a bit aggressive towards each other (I think all cichlids are), but they don't bother the other fish or shrimp at all. I hear that will change if they spawn though. 

Over at apistogramma.com these guys are pretty much frowned upon because they're a hybrid and not a true species. Oh well. I still think they're great. Very nice fish, great personalities. The big male is verrry pretty. roud:


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## Capt. (Mar 11, 2004)

Cool. I'm actually quite glad you only use 1 light for the hairgrass because I won't have a whole lot of light over mine. You have co2 injection at least, I've heard hairgrass really likes and benefits from that.

As for the apistos, don't worry they look great. I have fish that are hybrids or albino too and don't worry really care how natural they are. It is the real purist, natural to the extreme people that really nitpick about that kind of stuff.


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## tendril (May 27, 2004)

Amanda, these are some beautiful photographs, particularly the one of the otto. What camera are you using?


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Thanks tendril!

I'm still just getting the hang of photographing things in the aquarium -- focusing on moving subjects through glass and water is a bit tricky...

I'm using a digital SLR (Canon 10D). Most of the shots were with a 24-85mm lens, and the closeups with a 90mm macro lens. 

Photography is my _other_ primary hobby. roud:


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## tendril (May 27, 2004)

amanda huggenkiss said:


> I'm using a digital SLR (Canon 10D). Most of the shots were with a 24-85mm lens, and the closeups with a 90mm macro lens.


Nice! Now I'm jealous of your tanks AND your camera!


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Sorry tendril. :wink: 

Bet you're not jealous of _this_ though...










The peasoup is getting thicker. :icon_conf

And my pearlgrass didn't come in this week (sigh). Neither did the cherry shrimp. I guess I keep haunting the LFS...


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

My tank went through a 'thick' stage as well, amanda. Took 2-3 weeks to clear off, and it hasn't been back since. As for the pearlgrass, pm me your address and I'll send you a wad out of my tank - that bog can always use a trim. If you get me the address early enough, I'll get the stuff out for you today....otherwise, it'll need to wait till monday.


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Jeez, thanks Uni! You sure you're ok about smuggling live plants across the border like that? :wink: I'll PM you with the details. 

I'm not too worried about the green water. I know it's a new tank. I know it's going to go through growing pains. It's just amazing how quickly it can come up out of nowhere!

(Uni's my new best friend!)


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

You know what they say... it's always darkest before the dawn, right?










This pic was taken on the 18th. I got really fed up with it, and while I didn't do a total blackout, I did leave the tank lights off for several days. That made quite a dent in the green water. Since then, it's pretty much cleared up completely. 

Today was a really busy aquarium day for me. First I caught the four clown loaches and the two SAEs that were wreaking havoc on my plants in my 29g (catching them was a big project). Went to the LFS, and guess what I found?










I bought 'em ALL!

Came home, removed most of the fast-growing stem plants I started out with in my 20g, did a bit of rearranging, and added my new find. About 2 seconds after I took that pic, my apisto ate him.

So then I had to try to catch the apistos. _Not_ easy. I finally ended up catching the cherries instead and placing them in a breeding trap until I can move the apistos over to the 29g. Out of the 6 that I bought, I managed to catch 4, and one of them is half dead because my _other_ apisto tried to eat him before I could intervene. I can only hope the other one is still in there somewhere.

These fish have _never_ bothered the amanos, and completely ignore the little green shrimp, so I assumed the cherries would be fine too (they're the same size). Well apparently the amanos are just too big, and I don't think the apistos even _see_ the green shrimp because they're so well camouflaged. :icon_conf The cherries, on the other hand, apparently look like big fat bloodworms.

Crap.


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## putty (Nov 19, 2003)

Did you get your hairgrass localy? If so where abouts? GW will clear up...nice pics.


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Hey Putty

I got the hairgrass at Aquariums West, same as the shrimp. They had some last week, but I didn't see any this weekend when I went in -- then again, I wasn't looking for it.

As for the green water, I'm considering myself lucky. Other than that and some green spot algae, this tank's doin' alright. roud:


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## putty (Nov 19, 2003)

I have to check out AW. Me and the GF always go to Big Als for fish and King Ed for supplies.

I want some hairgrass.

I had a major war with BBA when I moved my tank - you are lucky.


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

putty said:


> I had a major war with BBA when I moved my tank - you are lucky.


:hihi: I take it you haven't seen my 29g!

Actually, it's weird. I have had cross-contamination between my tanks (just me being sloppy), and I've got a few little tufts of BBA on one of my crypts, but it's just not taking hold here like it did in my 29g.


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## putty (Nov 19, 2003)

Mine is alsmost under control, scrubbed, scrapped, reduced water flow, and introduced SAEs...I am almost happy with the tank now.

I think BBA is the worst algae to deal with.


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Nice pics Amanda... hope those Cherries will multiply as quickly as they did in my tank!



putty said:


> I think BBA is the worst algae to deal with.


BBA is a real "patience" alga. Provide the best conditions, then sit and wait and one day it's gone :icon_bigg For me, the worst kind by far is hair alga...


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Wasserpest said:


> Nice pics Amanda... hope those Cherries will multiply as quickly as they did in my tank!


I just hope I still have some females left. Of course the apisto went for the most colourful ones, which are, I believe, the females. 





> BBA is a real "patience" alga. Provide the best conditions, then sit and wait and one day it's gone


So true. I started seriously monitoring and supplementing the Nitrates in my 29g and the BBA disappeared day by day. There's very little left now. :icon_bigg


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## putty (Nov 19, 2003)

Cranking up the nitrates did a lot in my case too...I can't wait to see the pressurized CO2 on there.


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

Pressurized CO2 will really get that aquarium ripping away Amanda! Your algae problems will disappear!

I really like the lay out you have put together. That dwarf hairgrass is going to look fantastic growing with the Crypts!

Mike


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Pressurized CO2? What, do you think I'm made of money?? Hee. Actually, it's Putty who just got CO2. It's still waaaaay down on my wish list.


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

This is how the tank is now.










Still a little bit cloudy, but _almost_ clear. roud: 

Took out all the fast-growers the other day, and what remains is what I'm keeping. I just did a major trim on the e. stellata. Ideally it will be taller and fuller. There are a few strands of rotala rotundifolia in the lower left that will eventually grow nice and big. The hairgrass will continue to fill in. And eventually, I'll have pearlgrass running along the right side and around towards the back. (a girl can dream)

I finally got the apistos out and over into the 29g -- that pop bottle trick _totally_ works! And now the cherry shrimp are happily swimming about. In fact, if you look really closely, you can see one of 'em in the hairgrass at the lower left. Still not sure how many I have left. I've only seen three at one time, but that doesn't mean anything. 

So currently, the only inhabitants are shrimp (amanos, cherries & green), ottos (3 common & 3 gold), and 4 furcatus. Oh, and snails. A billion snails.

Yowza. Compare the size of those crypts with the original picture. I swear, they're the same plants!


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

I was just about to head to bed and decided to have a last look at the tanks... and I have baby green shrimp! They're so _tiny_!!

I would've taken a pic, but they're also very quick. :icon_conf


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## John P. (Apr 10, 2004)

Amanda--are the furcatus "schooling" fish in the Harlequin Rasbora sense of the word? I've done a little preliminary research on them, but would appreciate your thoughts.

Nice work on this setup.


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Hey John

Their behaviour reminds me more of danios. They're very active, zippy little fish, almost exclusively towards the top of the tank. They don't school so much as interact -- the males are always displaying for each other and for the females... Not even slightly aggressive either.

I really like them. Harlequins were always my favourite schooling fish, but now...


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## John P. (Apr 10, 2004)

Great, thanks. They seem like great additions to any peaceful environment.


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

I managed to catch a few pics of my pregnant shrimps.










and...










I've got some pregnant green shrimp in there too, but those guys are just too well camouflaged. :icon_conf

And most of my cherries _and_ green shrimp are showing this yellowing which is apparently eggs in production in their ovaries...










Now I'm worried that I might not have any male cherries. This one showing the yellow spot is one of the paler ones that I thought was a male. Apparently not. I guess I'll just have to wait and see if the eggs produce anything...


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## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

Good luck! Nice tank btw


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

I've decided that I want to stick with the smaller shrimp varieties in my tank, so today I caught my amanos & took them to the LFS.

I pulled out the bag to point out the pregnant female, and she wasn't pregnant anymore... she'd dropped all the babies en route and there were _hundreds_ of them swimming in the bag!

One of the girls working at the LFS is taking them home to see if she can raise them.


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## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

she will have a hard time....unless she's done it before!


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Yeah, she's never done it before, but she knows _how_ to do it -- raising the salinity, etc. I don't have the patience for it, but fingers crossed for her!


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

I bought the shrimp some Hikari Crab Cuisine and they loved it! Had themselves a little shrimp party...



















You can see why I have trouble finding the green shrimp sometimes. Especially the babies. But I finally managed to catch a pic of one!










And more on the way...










And here's one of my redder cherries...










I've also picked up some more mystery shrimp (I've posted pics at Petshrimp.com and and waiting for a response). I was at my LFS today and saw some small unidentified shrimp in with the japonicas. The people at the store didn't even know they were in there, let alone what they were. They might be escapees from their original batch of green shrimp...




























The number of eggs the female is carrying is a lot more than I've seen in a green shrimp though.

The darker ones aren't really this dark (they were hiding under a plant) -- they're more of a tan colour (the last pic is probably pretty accurate). When I first saw one, I thought maybe I'd found the elusive male cherry!


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## Brennor (Mar 8, 2004)

great photos and beautiful shrimps


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Thanks Brennor.

Here's another pic showing the new mystery shrimp with a cherry and a green shrimp for size comparison. You can see that they've turned a blue colour since they've settled into the tank...


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## chinaboy1021 (May 30, 2003)

love the photos bro


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## jbarone (May 31, 2004)

In the most recent photo you posted, Amanda, I see a Green, Cherry and Ghost shrimp. The out of focus one in the front (Ghost) is the "mystery" shrimp you speak of, right?


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

The out of focus shrimp in the right hand side in front of the cherry red is the ghost shrimp. The one on the left is the unid one.

It actually looks like something that I found in my tank over the weekend while redoing my tank. It has a similar striping on its back like yours, but the body color is much darker. It's dark brown almost to the point of being black. I took it out of the tank along with the largest cherry red (both around 1") I had and snapped some pictures of it. Too bad that the unid one lost the majority of its color when it was in the jar, and most of the pictures aren't the best (taken with my brothers S410). I might post some of them when I sift through them and see if there's any which can be used.

BTW, the tank looks much better now, that you can see what's inside. roud:


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

jbarone said:


> In the most recent photo you posted, Amanda, I see a Green, Cherry and Ghost shrimp.


The one with the uneven stripe is the mystery shrimp. Green shrimp have a very clean straight stripe (when they show a stripe at all).




Ibn said:


> The out of focus shrimp in the right hand side in front of the cherry red is the ghost shrimp.


I don't think it's a ghost. It may not be a green shrimp, but it came with the greens when I bought them. My "green shrimp" vary in colour from pale (as shown) to a bright green, turquoise, brown or red. Sometimes they have a cleanly defined stripe down the back, and sometimes not. 

Like I said, it might not be a green, but since it hasn't grown larger than this since I got them (about 1/2"), I'm sure it's not a ghost. I've got a few with this colouring... at least I think I do. The greens tend to change colour, so... who knows?

Speaking of changing colour, yesterday, all three mystery shrimp were the blue as posted above. Today, one is green, one is tan, and one is red.




> BTW, the tank looks much better now, that you can see what's inside. roud:


Tell me about it! :hihi:


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Well, the pregnant mystery shrimp is pregnant no more, and I have a billion little larvae swimming through my aquarium. 

They're about 2mm long in total, with about a 1/2mm blob and a 1-1/2mm tail. 

I guess it's wait-and-see time...

Not sure how I'm supposed to go about water changes now though... :icon_conf


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## ninoboy (Jan 26, 2004)

chinaboy1021 said:


> love the photos bro


Amanda, you may want to start another gender thread :hihi:


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

:icon_roll Yeah, I let that one slide...


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

> Not sure how I'm supposed to go about water changes now though...


Here's what I do when I notice I have Killifish fry bro...oopps! :hihi: 

I added a piece of hard plastic tubing to the end of the soft tubing I use for water changes. I then snap on one of the plastic inlet strainers that go onto the plastic canister filter intake tubes, follow? Then I take a piece of pantyhose and place it over the strainer. All water no fry! Get how it works?

Mike


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Hey Momo

I follow, but bro, these guys are _tiny_. I still have concerns...


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

LOL!

Small enough to get through a piece of pantyhose? Gee whiz, those are some shrimpy shrimp fry!

Mike


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

So sue me, I'm paranoid! :icon_roll 

I don't think it'll kill anyone in this tank to go an extra few days before I try a water change... I hope...


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## amber2461 (Sep 26, 2004)

Good luck then. roud:


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## pphx459 (Jun 25, 2004)

I really like this tank Amanda, wish I had one with shrimp all over the place...


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## PhreelancR (Jan 5, 2003)

Great tank there Amanda.

How long did you have to wait for your LFS to get the Cherry Shrimp in? I bug my LFS everytime I go in there and they've never even heard of the buggers. Are they really that rare or is my LFS just that slow?


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Thanks guys. And pphx459, I wish I had room for a tank like yours. Gorgeous!

My LFS didn't have a clue what cherry shrimp were (they don't know much about any shrimp other than japonicas), but they put them on the order for me. And then it was a waiting game until their supplier decided to get some. It took a loooooong time.

I have no idea why they were so hard to get a hold of. 

And then it appeared that I ended up with all girls. So I recently did a group order from petshrimp.com. Got the shrimp in 4 days (not bad considering it had to come through customs), and there wasn't a single fatality. It still remains to be seen whether I got any boys or not. And there are a few people here selling cherries as well, if you're interested... Check the swap'n shop forum.


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## enchanted (Sep 23, 2004)

That is a really nice tank.  It has made me think about getting a cat again also.


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Anyone with an aquarium _must_ have a cat. :icon_wink 

So, you guys sick of my shrimp pics yet??


Who needs Waldo when you can play "spot the green shrimp"...





































Bonus points to whoever can find the baby in one of the above pics. :wink: 


I believe this is the shrimp that some thought was a ghost in another pic because it wasn't showing its stripe.











This "green" shrimp was showing a red so dark it almost looked black (and yes, the colour in this photo is accurate)...











And finally, here's a wee little baby... (note the size of that giant boulder beside it, and compare to the small grains of gravel in the previous pic).










You can even see its little stripe. Could it be any more adorable??


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Sorry guys, more shrimp pics...

Here's one of the mystery shrimp, pale beige, pregnant with pale eggs...











And here's another, reddish coloured, carrying _red_ eggs...




















Cherry...











One of my new juvenile cherries from petshrimp, along with some adult cherries for size reference...











Killer MTS...










Actually I was impressed that the MTS could balance on the hairgrass like that.


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## ming (Dec 6, 2003)

Awesome photo's, I'm really getting into shrimps too now


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## m3th0d (Jun 27, 2004)

Great photos. That's a really diverse group of shrimp there!


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

Nice photos ,
How about an overall shot of the tank ? Aint seen one in a while. It must have done some growing since August. :icon_bigg


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## pphx459 (Jun 25, 2004)

Those are some insane photos. From looking at them, not sure if I should start getting some shrimps or a new camera? Also, you should roll out a shrimp encyclopedia with those skills.


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## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

Very nice! My cherrys from petshrimp.com are about the size of the little on in your picture. I have about 11 or 10 shrimp, and 2 are pregnant.  Shrimp are additive. Once you get some, you will want more! I tell you what cherrys are sure great little workers! And there colors are great, and the fact that they breed easy, its like the perfect shrimp!


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## Dwarfpufferfish (May 29, 2004)

I agree 100% with puffer. I also have 11 cherries with two carring eggs. How great is that, they show up, grow up, and give us more! I love em! I am setting up a 40g breeder to be planted and have a TON of cherries!


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## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

very nice, i'm sticking all my little ones that grow up into my 55 gallon, hopefully I will have alot of cherrys running around


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Okay, I decided I'd better post a pic of the tank now because... see that big beautiful crypt on the left? It's starting to melt. It's not going to be big and beautiful much longer.

I'm not sure what's triggered this. It could be just that I finally got around to refilling the CO2 mixture (it's been a _very_ busy summer :icon_redf ).

What with all the baby green shrimp hiding in here, I haven't wanted to mess around with my plants at all, so I haven't been doing any aquascaping -- just letting everything grow in. Photoshop-wise, I just did a quick-and-dirty darken of the background.


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## randomrambler (Jun 24, 2004)

nice amanda  i wish i could have luck as good as yours with shrimp, but mine kept getting eaten  i only had an amano and three cherries in a 10 gallon, and the largest fish were panda cories. i think i will move the pandas and try again soon.


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

Very nice Amanda!  Looks great!

Mike


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Thanks guys. I think it looks healthy, but it has no form. That big crypt in the front really should go to the back (or out of the tank completely), but like I said, I don't want to mess around with the plants when there are baby shrimp hiding in them. Oh well. At least the shrimp are happy. :icon_roll


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Very nice Amanda! Tank looks great and those pictures that you've posted are awesome! Man, talk about camera envy there :tongue: .

The "green shrimp" that you have that's a really dark in coloration, to the point of being black, is the same one that's in my tank. I sifted through the pictures that I took awhile back and couldn't find one that was acceptable to post. I think my next upgrade is gonna be a DSLR if anything (which one are you using again?).

Oh, btw, found your baby, in the second pic of that series of pics. It's in the middle of the picture, on the very top, facing head down. :wink:


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Thanks Ibn. 

Man, I _love_ my DSLR. It's a Canon 10D. I'd been shooting film for quite awhile before this, so I already had a good collection of lenses (and all the other gadgets roud: ) so I only had to buy the body.

I still have a huge wish list of camera gadgets though. I'm not sure which hobby costs me more money... :icon_roll


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## Wisty (Jun 17, 2004)

Hmmm....

 

So everyone that has an aquarium must have a cat, uh? 

:icon_redf 

Bummer, I guess I am not going to be admitted in the club.

I insist, great pics, Amanda...
Maria (filishy from petshrimp forum...)


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Not that I'm aware of...no cats around here.

Nice camera, I was actually reading the reviews on it at dpreview this morning, again (I've gone through it at least twice already), and it's just a matter of time before I give in.  

I started out looking for a compact camera, but the results weren't there, especially for macros, so I'm bringing the cost factor up to the prosumer models. Still buying furniture for a new house, so the camera is in the backburner right now, until that's done with. When I do however, I was thinking of picking up the Canon 10D or 20D and then a smaller compact (Sony T1 or G6 at the moment). Of course, by then Nikon might have something in the works other than the D70...


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Yeah, Ibn, unfortunately there is no _one_ all-purpose camera. I've got the DSLR for "real" photography, and then an S410 for point-and-shoot and portability.

If you wait a little longer, I'm sure the prices will drop even more.


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

That's one of the reasons why I'm waiting also (keep on telling yourself that and it'll eventually happen). That and the other one being the prices of furniture.

My bro has a S410 as well and I bought a S400 for my gf at the time...nice camera overall.


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

More shrimp pics!

I looked in the tank the other day and found not one, not two, but _three_ pregnant green shrimp. A few days later, while I could still find the other pregnant ones, I also found one carrying only _one_ egg. I'm really rooting for this girl. :icon_wink 










I love the colour variation in these shrimp...











And I've finally got confirmation that _yes_ I've got some male cherries. How do I know? Pregnant cherries! Finally!










There are two that I've seen for sure. You can also see a pregnant cherry (all blurry) in the background of the first pic.


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## ming (Dec 6, 2003)

Thats a lot of eggs, Is there any other shrimp that looks like its about to bear eggs? I would like to see what a shrimp looks like before its about to have eggs.


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Hey ming (again!)

I've got lots of shrimp with saddles. I can post a pic if you like, but they look just like the pic you'd posted over at petshrimp.


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## ming (Dec 6, 2003)

lol, hey again
I was just wondering if your saddles were bigger cause thats so much eggs, dont know how it can all fit inside that saddle


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

I swear, they really don't look any bigger. I don't know where all those eggs come from!


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## John P. (Apr 10, 2004)

Amanda--after one of my Cherry's was w/eggs, I saw another shrimp the next day with only one or two eggs, too. I wonder if: 1) it was the same female who dropped the rest, or 2) was a dropped egg that another female surrogated?

Strange, these shrimp!

I just love those Greenies. Spectacular!


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

I keep wondering how she ended up with that lone egg.

Someone somewhere posted that they saw one of their shrimp trying to pick eggs off another shrimp. I've _never_ seen any of my shrimp do anything like that though. Weird.


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

I may have to change the name of this thread to "amanda's 20g shrimp factory"...

This looks to me like a _newborn_ baby shrimp, or at least pretty darned close to it. It's smaller than any baby I've seen so far, and while the other babies truck around actively eating, this one was just sitting here, occasionally cleaning itself. And look how big those eyes are!










This is the best I can do to show you scale -- the closest recognizable item was a _tiny_ little tuft of (staghorn?) algae. 










When it curled up on itself like this, it was just a bit larger than the size of the eggs I've seen the cherries carrying.


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## John P. (Apr 10, 2004)

Oh, that's so cool! Wow . . . the wonders of macro lenses! 

Great shot--thanks for sharing!


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## ninoboy (Jan 26, 2004)

Wow, I like both shrimp and your awesome photography. 

I've seen many of your photos and you seem to know photography well. Can you teach me how to take a nice tank's photo? I don't have a high tech, full size digicam. Only the Nikon 3200. I've seen many pictures taken by others using similar camera (or even worse camera) with good results. What setting should I do on my camera? Is there a link I can read on how to take tank's pic or fish? I know it's hard to take fish pic with small camera but I've seen some people do it with great result.


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

No doubt, Ms. "Amanda Huggenkiss" knows how to take a photo roud: . Incredible shots, lady. Any idea what kind of shrimp that little fella is? Cherry shrimp are an impossibility in my neck of the woods, so if you ever want to trade any for...say....some rams or angels , let me know. 

Hope that little bugger makes it. It would be fun to watch him grow up.


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Very nice macro shots once again! roud: 

That's a baby cherry that you have there. Those red pigments will eventually fill the entire body and over time, become red plates.  

I caught a shot of a baby cherry red myself a couple of days ago after moving the plants from the 10G over to the 90. I didn't transfer any of the cherry reds, but I spotted a baby along the side of the glass wandering aimlessly. :tongue: Gonna transfer the cherries into the tank after the weekend (so that I can observe if any of the dwarf apistos, roselines, or even the Camberellus shulfertii are bugging/eating them).

BTW, can you tell me what macro lens you're using there? I just splurged and picked up a DSLR kit, and would be interested in taking pictures like yours.


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Thanks guys!

I've actually got _tons_ of baby cherries in that tank, but this is the tiniest one I've seen. I'm sure he'd _just_ hatched.

*Ibn*, the lens I'm using is a Tamron 90mm macro that I got second hand. I'd love to get the 100mm Canon lens, but it's relegated to my wish list right now (it's a long list :icon_roll ). What kit did you pick up?

*ninoboy*, sorry man, but I don't know anything about that model of camera. I know there are people here taking great shots with similar cameras. Anyone want to jump in?


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

I finally gave in and picked this up:
Nikon D70 Kit 6.1 Megapixel Digital SLR with DX Nikkor 18-70mm f3.5-4.5G IF-ED

Still need to pick up some odds and ends for it (CF cards, thinking about the SB800 AF speedlight, and some lenses). Talk about an investment there. It's amazing just looking at the prices of some of the lenses. All will have to wait though. Still don't have the camera in my hands yet (gets here on Friday), or the money to blow. This and the new tank is a hit on the wallet.

BTW, here's an interesting read on the Tamron 90mm vs. the Canon 100mm:
http://www.photo.net/equipment/canon/can-tam-macro/


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Cool! Thanks for the link Ibn. I'll have to read it later (supposed to be working right now :icon_redf ).

Yeah, some of those lenses are awfully expensive. I've been collecting lenses and bits and pieces one at a time over the years, and I've still got a huge wish list of camera goodies. I don't think it'll ever end... (unless maybe I win the lottery)

*Uni*, if you're ever in Vancouver...! roud:


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## teddo10 (Nov 9, 2004)

I have a D100 with (among others) an 180mm Sigma Macro. I find it very difficult to take good pictures of the aquarium with it. If there' is any angle other than exactly perpendicular (180 degr.) I get strange distortions. I usually use my 24-85 AF D witch macro setting which gets better results. I do want to try a 50-60mm Macro to see if things get better. Outside I love my Sigma 180. (look at my pBase : www.pbase.com/edvet)










Ed


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

teddo10 said:


> ...If there' is any angle other than exactly perpendicular (180 degr.) I get strange distortions.


Same here. Really frustrating sometimes. Photographing things in the aquarium is definitely a skillset all its own.

By the way, do you guys remember my first aquarium pics? They were _awful_! :hihi:


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing Ed. It was interesting seeing the progression of the tank. roud: 

Not to worry about the quality of those pictures. I'm sure mine will turn look like crap, since I've never used a SLR before. :tongue:


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Here's another pic with the baby closer to the algae -- look how thick those strands are...


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## amber2461 (Sep 26, 2004)

It sure loves to pose though ... :tongue:


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

It does, doesn't it. :hihi:


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## travis (Nov 17, 2004)

I love the tank and I especially love the photography  Pictures of a quality rarely seen Amanda and Ed.

I'm new here and just finished reading this post for the first time. The pictures of your cat on top of the tank made me remember a story a friend told me about his cat and tank. It seems his cat loved jumping on top of his tank and watching the fish through the lid. He was cleaning the tank one day and had gone into the kitchen for something when he heard a splash and returned to the tank room to find a soaking wet cat hiding under a chair in the corner. It appears that the cat did not know the lid was open and had jumped up to do some fish watching and gotten a rude surprise  Both fish and cat were fine, just a little bit of a bruised feline ego.


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

LOL. Travis that almost happened to my cat too. Luckily the lid was only _half_ open so she only got _half_ wet. :hihi:


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## amber2461 (Sep 26, 2004)

:hihi: ... poor kitty.


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Serves her right. She was racing around the apartment and decided to take a shortcut over the aquarium. Heh. :tongue:


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## amber2461 (Sep 26, 2004)

Hmmmm ... I remember that episode well the last time I was over. :tongue:


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

This is so cool. 

Whenever I drop food in the tank, all my shrimp crowd around to get their share. Tonight, one of them was a green shrimp carrying eggs. 

A couple hours later, after the light went off, I stopped by the tank to have another look, and I saw a teeny tiny baby shrimp on the glass. I mean a *teeny tiny* baby shrimp. I looked around a bit more and saw another one a few inches away. Looked around a bit more, and I saw the pregnant green shrimp (I could tell which one she was because she has a mark on the side of her head) -- and she only had a couple of eggs left. 

Damn! If I'd been sitting there watching, I could've seen the babies born!!


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## Kris (Feb 27, 2004)

amanda-
i have to add my kudos on tanks and pictures. you and i showed up on the forum at about the same time, but you're learning curve has been shorter/steeper/faster (?) than mine. wow. i am really impressed!
your cat is darn cute. mine have never gotten on the aquariums, i hope they don't as they weigh upwards of 20 pounds each!
 
kris


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Thanks Kris! I'd love to see some pics of your tank too!


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## raykwonx (Feb 26, 2004)

what kind of camera do you use? my digital has a hard time focusing through the water and catching any sort of movement, so unless the fish sit perfectly still for a second I can rarely get a pic of them.


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

*Crap...*

Well I've been having trouble with this tank. A couple weeks ago, I had a billion happy healthy shrimp (okay, maybe not a _billion_, but lots). And then I saw some of my adult cherries dying over a few days. I checked my water params, and everything was fine, so I didn't get TOO concerned about it.

And then more of them died. And then I noticed that I wasn't seeing as many babies as I had before. That big beautiful crypt on the left melted overnight. Seriously. I went to bed one night, and I could see that something was brewing because a couple of the leaves looked a bit iffy, and I woke up the next morning and it was gone. Completely. Not a single leaf left.

What do you do when you see problems like this? Water changes. Of course.

Well, I heard from GDominy just before Christmas that he'd found out that they've been adding extra chloramine in the water lately because of all the rain we've been getting. So my water changes were just making it worse. 

So now I've doubled the amount of Prime I'm adding to the water, and all I can do is wait this out. I still have _some_ shrimp still in there, both greens and cherries, but it looks so bare now. This is so disheartening. :icon_frow


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

Yikes!

Judging by the Crypt, there has to be a pretty drastic change in your water parameters. 

Hopefully it is the chloramine. It is east to treat and easy to prevent a reoccurance.

Mike


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

I'm _guessing_ that the chloramine caused the deaths of the shrimp, and then all those dead shrimp maybe caused an ammonia/nitrite/nitrate spike (by the time I tested -- at the end of the day when I got home from work -- there wasn't anything to see tho).

I'm actually surprised that this all has seemed to affect the adult shrimp worse than the young shrimp. Most of the survivors are youngsters.


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## John P. (Apr 10, 2004)

amanda huggenkiss said:


> I'm actually surprised that this all has seemed to affect the adult shrimp worse than the young shrimp. Most of the survivors are youngsters.


Interesting, b/c I experienced this, too, when I had massive shrimp deaths after relocating my tank. The youger ones must be more resilient. Resilient to what, though?

Has anything upset the substrate in the tank? Have you pulled roots, or are any of the animals in there burrowers? I have more theories than truths, but I think somehow an undetectable-by-"normal"-test-kits pathogen was at issue in my case. My plants stopped pearling/photosynthesizing, which meant the CO2 (with no O2 being produced during the day) choked the fish & shrimp at night (my CO2 used to run 24/7). 

Have you tested the ph/kh to determine your CO2 level in the morning before the lights go on? Could it be that it affected the shrimp and the plants?


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

The only burrowers I've got here are MTS. Other than the shrimp, all other inhabitants of this tank are snails.

I seriously doubt that CO2 was the culprit here. I've only got a single Hagen unit on this tank, and the CO2 levels never get high.


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## scalare altum (Apr 5, 2004)

Those West Coast Canadians are really putting the East Coasters down, with their perfect aquascaping. I am going to have to straighten up and fly right. Ok Jart and I will kick some butt...

BRING IT ON!!!!

-Joel

PS-AMAZING TANK!


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