Joey's Rimless 17 Gallon High Tech Build

[Jkeating8]

Maybe you'll be able to move the neons in time to your Mr. Aqua before the shrimplets come about? Do you have extra media you'll be using to "seed" the eheim with in your filter now? Got to get that sucker cycled quick! Haha

Do you already have a scape in mind, or do you foresee that phase to be a lengthy one due to indecisiveness? Your unborn baby shrimp depend you, dude! Haha

I think what I'll do is move all the filter media to the eheim since ill be using Aquasoil for my shrimp tank anyway. Ill just put the shrimp in the tank and see what happens. Haha. Worst case, only a few shrimp make it. I think there will be plenty of hiding spaces. I can always use a breeder box but I'm not that concerned at all. This is just a sign that ill have even more when I move them to the shrimp tank. But, how long do you guys think it takes for Aquasoil to stop leaching?

Ill have the Mr. Aqua done in about 1 1/2 weeks. I just need plants to come in and stuff. Ill be scaping and setting up the shrimp tank at the same time I plant the Mr. Aqua. If they say 30 days for eggs to hatch..do you think the Aquasoil would stop leaching ammonia in 2 weeks? I could have the shrimp tank shrimp ready as long as the Aquasoil leached in two weeks or less.

As for scape, I won't have a definitive hard scape. Scape will be all plants with groupings based on colors, leaf textures, leaf shapes, size, growth, and so on.

I might just leave the shrimp in and recycle my tank when everything moves to the Mr. Aqua. Then when I do set up the shrimp tank ill be able to take media from the eheim to seed it.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Gosh... I totally forgot about AS in its leaching of ammonia. Guess it wouldn't be shrimp safe for a while if you use it in the 'shrimp tank' as well. I wouldn't risk putting shrimp in tank that hasn't cycled or had a chance to process all that ammonia. And maybe just move a third of the established media to the eheim, the BB will migrate over... you don't want to leave that tank w/out its BB since you'll be changing out substrates too.

As for how long AS leaches ammo, I'm not sure since I've never used it. I know other similar looking substrates such as Up Aqua Shrimp Sand and Fluval Shrimp Stratum do not leach ammonia. We're using the UP Shrimp Sand in the 60F. Maybe Bill can chime in on the AS one since he has experience with using it (or just research it).

Are you going to have enough AS for your Mr. Aqua and your shrimp tank? If not, maybe you should order UP Aqua Shrimp Sand of FSS from Amazon Prime

 

[Jkeating8]

I'm sorry Brian, I should have clarified. I'm only using Aquasoil in the shrimp tank. The Mr. Aqua will get the floramax that's in my tank now, and some new floramax. I would get Aquasoil, but I don't want to wait for the Aquasoil to stop leaching, and I feel that if the water column is dosed well, there will be no problems for plants. I'm not keeping any erios or super hard plants, so I don't thing it's necessary to use Aquasoil. I mean, you don't use it and your 6g is amazing! I've had great growth with floramax. Especially for 10$ a bag! I could just move all of the media and fish and inverts to the Mr. Aqua and let the shrimp tank recycle with the Aquasoil. Then when the Aquasoil is done leaching, I can add the shrimp to the "shrimp tank". Hopefully all before she lays eggs. LOL.

To out it simple, ill put everything in the Mr. Aqua in a week and a half when it is ready, then when the Aquasoil is done leaching, ill put the shrimp in that. Along with the Crystals ill be getting.

 

[Jkeating8]

If everything goes well with shipping, all the items wll be here by Thursday. Ill just have to place a plant order, then ill set it all up

At the same time I transfer everything to the new tank when the plants come in, I'll scape the shrimp tank and start the cycle with the Aquasoil.

This Aquasoil in putting a dent in my plans. Haha.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Ohh okay... sorry if I'm not following along and putting all the pieces together. But I get you now! LOL

 

[Jkeating8]

Haha sorry for these super long messages, too! Im just trying to figure it out. Haha. Either way, I think the berried shrimp will be be in the shrimp tank in enough time to have her babies.

 

[Billbug68]

I think you should be fine, just checked back on my thread and my tank cycled in 2 weeks with aquasoil. I only used a small filter cartridge from a fluval chi to seed the tank, and I had fish and shrimp in on day one. I don't remember having any casualties, other than flying neons...

 

[Jkeating8]

Ok awesome! Thanks alot bill. Sounds good then. I may just keep them in the 17 for a week, then move them before she has babies.

 

[Jkeating8]

Got some goodies!

 

[Jkeating8]

I ordered a TDS pen, RO Right, The tank, and the filter. It all should be here by Thursday.

 

[Jkeating8]

Another gadget! Or two...or three. ammo lock is just for the Aquasoil.

 

[Jkeating8]

If I'm dosing the water column well, and have a ton of stems, will the aquasoil really be necessary?

I'm thinking about ordering it, but I'm not sure.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

That's up for debate. Ask this question in TPT and you'll have a lot that swear by it. My LFS that specializes in planted tanks, looks just like AFA, uses it in some tanks while in others they don't.. I notice some better coloration in the AS tanks. But in all honesty, I think other substrates like EC or Floramax are fine. I put some flourish tabs in the initial setup...but other than that, just column dosing gets more than satisfactory results for me.

However, if you're thinking of skipping on the AS to save money, why not go for some UP Shrimp Sand for the "shrimp tank"? Since its the smaller tank, you'll only need one bag. No ammonia leaching and it buffers too. It also doesn't break apart easily like other pelletized substrates.

 

[Jkeating8]

That's what I thought. I just needed some reassurance. Haha.

I have 3l of AS for the shrimp tank already. My tank will be here a day early actually. Tomorrow hopefully. I'll order plants and have both tanks up and running when the plants come in.

 

[Rivercats]

I'm coming in a little late on the thread here but I don't feel you need Aquasoil in order to have good or even great color on stem plants. I'd put my non green plants in Eco and dirt and the ones in the 55g just in Eco up against anyone's who is in Aquasoil.

 

[Jkeating8]

It's never to late Rivercats. Ok good. I figured. I just didnt know if I was missing out alot by not using aquasoil.

 

[Jkeating8]

What could this be..

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

3 hours ago... we're waiting! Reveal my friend

 

[Billbug68]

3 hours ago... we're waiting! Reveal my friend

Seriously!

 

[Jkeating8]

Haha sorry guys

Eheim 2215! The tank has been in Harrisburg (where I live) since yesterday but hasn't been delivered yet