Picked up a 10g....

[Joey2619]

Hey guys,
Just picked up a 10g for free, and it came with a filter and such, but Im dumping all of that for new, because its not very clean at all. But with that out of the way, Id like to turn this into a planted shrimp tank. I really like Red Cherry Shrimp, so I figure the tank could be setup around them.

I need suggestions for the following:

Filter
Heater
Substrate
Lighting fixture
Bulbs

And anything else that would be needed.

How many shrimp can I put in a 10g, and should I add any other tank mates?

How do I cycle such a small tank? Should I get one uncooked shrimp from the supermarket and pop it in there and let it decay? How long is a cycle for a 10g typically?

I really liked GlitcH's 10g planted shrimp tank, so I'm going to check that out, but I do need suggestions. Thank you for all help in advance.

 

[Purrbox]

If your goal is to breed Cherry Red Shrimp, then you won't want to have much if any tank mates since most fish will eat the shrimplets. About the only fish that you might want to consider is an Oto, but even they are questionably safe with the shrimplets. Common hitch hiker snails like MTS, Pond, and small Ramshorns would be perfectly fine.

For your filter the best option would be to use a sponge filter. Next best option is a HOB with a good prefilter to keep the shrimp out of the filter.

I like the Visitherm Stealth Heaters, and a 50 watt would be perfect for that size tank.

Your lighting will depend on how high tech you want to go with the tank. Many recommend that shrimp breeding tanks should have minimal to no dosing, which would indicate a medium light or less tank. Others, like myself, have no problems breeding Cherry Red Shrimp in high light tanks with CO2 and full fert dosing. One of the least expensive options would be an incadescent fixture using screw in compact flourescents. A couple of 20 watt bulbs would give you a nice medium to medium low light tank once you take into account loss of light due to restrike and that the bulb is self ballasted.

To start your colony, you'll want at least 12 shrimp. This gives you a good starting number and will help ensure that you end up with a mix of males and females. Once your colony is going well, the tank will easily hold between 100 and 200 adult, juvenile, and baby shrimp.

I wouldn't recommend going with either a traditional or fishless cycle on the tank, instead since it is going to be planted you could go with a silent cycle. To do this you would want to get everything setup and plant the tank. Give the plants 2-4 weeks to get settled in and growing well. Then add your shrimp. They will add such a small amount to the bioload that the plants should easily prevent you from seeing an Ammonia or Nitrite spike. As the population expands, your biofilter with grow to continue supporting it.

Some foods that my shrimp really adore include: Hikari Algae Wafers, Hikari Crab Cuisine, and Omega One Veggie Rounds. Feed sparingly every 2-3 days, especially while your colony is still small. They will also get quite a bit of food by eating algae in your tank.

 

[Joey2619]

Wait a second...lol......the 10 gallon will support up to 200 shrimp?!?!?! Thats crazy!

How am I gonna keep the little buggers from coming out!

Haha, now with the shock aside, I dont mind doing a DIY CO2 setup, cause Im sure that a 10g wont need a crazy amount of co2, but Im a newb at the planted game, so I was wondering what kind of fertilizers are we looking at?

I wasnt specifically looking to breed them, but if they are going to do that, what would I do with all the other shrimp?

I was looking at my role model's 92g corner setup... http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=75403&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=50

How is he able to keep the shrimp in with his bigger fish without worries? Because Im going to be getting a couple more large tanks pretty soon, so I was thinking about popping them in there if it gets out of control, but I fear that they will be eaten.

What kind of WPG am I looking for because I also want to be able to grow plants in there relatively quick to put in the other tanks.

I probably have more questions, I'm just not mentally organized right now, lol.

EDIT: Oh yeah, what do you mean by biofilter, an actual filter, or the natural breakdown of wastes that the plants use at fertilizer?

Also, are they any premade ferts that dose everything? Or just have micros or macros?

I was looking at Greg's site where he sells the elements for fertilizing, but again, does he have a premixed package that is basically all you need?

And should I go for a nutrient rich substrate or PFS?

AND Id LOVE suggestions for plants. I definitely want glosso, but how do you plant that? Do you start with seeds? How does it spread so quickly?!
I want some floating plants, and long taller/fuller plants for the background, and some nice plants for midground.

 

[Purrbox]

Cherry Red Shrimp only get to be up to 1" as adults and the babies are start out around 1-2mm. Even the adults don't put very heavy demands on the biofilter since they don't create a lot of waste. If you're only keeping adult shrimp and/or much larger shrimp, then the number that a 10 gallon can support would decrease drastically.

If you're going to be keeping more than one type of shrimp together in the same tank, then this may change my recommendations slighty. Some of the other shrimp may be more sensitive to fertilization and would be better off in a low tech tank without CO2 and fertilization. What other specific shrimp are you considering? Please keep in mind that some species can and will interbreed which is generally not considered desirable.

It's the shrimplets (1-2mm) that are in danger from practically all fish. If you aren't trying to breed the shrimp, then you can safely keep them with most small community fish and larger fish that have specialized mouths for eating algae. There may be some other larger fish that could safely be kept with them, but this can be trial and error determining which ones. Also there have been cases where a particular fish has been fine with the shrimp and then practically over night decided that they are a wonderfully tasty snack and ate them all. Having lots of hiding places for the shrimp (including lots of plants) will help improve their survival chances.

The filter is a mechanical device that is built to provide one or more types of filtration, usually including biological filtration. The biofilter specifically refers to the bacteria that convert Ammonia to Nitrite and Nitrite to Nitrate.

All in one fertilizers are generally not recommended, as they may not be correctly balanced to the needs of your tank. If you go for a high light tank then you would want Nitrate, Phosphate, Potassium, and Trace fertilizers at a minimum. Depending on your water supply you might need to supplement Calcium and/or Magnesium as well.

The type of substrate you decide on is entirely up to you. Both can work extremely well.

 

[Joey2619]

Ah, when I said other shrimp, I meant what would I do with all the offspring. But if theres a market, I can supply . I specifically want RCS only.

And I know what a filter is, I was just wondering what type of filter you were talking about, but as I figured in the first place, it was a mechanical.

I guess I can cross the fertilizer "bridge" so-to-speak when I get to it, but I want to try my hand at a low-tech tank first, and if I have success, stay with it, otherwise convert to high tech. So with a low-tech setup, what WPG am I aiming for, as I understand there arent alot of low light plants, but now that I think about that, I guess I need to make the light choice depending on what kind of plants Id like to grow, correct?

And substrate, I think I may go with Eco-Complete, how many 20lb bags would I need?

So Im thinking about this unit for the lighting fixture. http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsU...life20aqualightpowercompactstriplight1x28watt

Is that enough wattage for a 10g? And would that allow me to tread into co2 territory if I decide to go that route? What about that 50/50 bulb that it comes with, should I get a 6700K bulb for that too?

Since I dont need any biological filtration as per I read from a sticky article, can you point me at a particular sponge filter?

Is this a good heater, or should I go for a better brand? http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp18534/si1378917/cl0/allglasssubmersibleheater50watt

Do I need an air pump for this setup?

Whats the best place to order plants from online? LiveAquaria doesnt really have a big selection at all.

Is SeaChem's Flourish a good fert?

 

[Purrbox]

Okay, I understand now. You could see if your LFS is interested in buying them from you, sell through your local fish club, or sell them online through the forums.

Since you wouldn't have any restrike issues with that fixture, if you use a daylight bulb it should give you a solid medium light. You should be able to get by without CO2 and minimal fert dosing. With the included 50/50 bulb you would probably have low light which would be just as easy to take care of, but not quite as many plant options.

You can add CO2 at any lighting level, it's just not required until you get to medium high light and above.

You'd be looking for something along the lines of this sponge filter or this one. You just need to look for one that is rated upto 10 gallons or a bit more. These would all require an airpump to power them.

I don't have any experiance with that particular heater, so I can't comment one way or the other on it.

I've had good luck with AquariumPlants, Lowcoaster on Aquabid, and of course the BarterTrade section of this forum.

Flourish Comprehensive, Tropica Plant Nutrition, and CSM+B are all good choices for Trace fertilization. You'll also want to dose some Potassium with Flourish Potassium, K2SO4, or KCl (NoSalt).

 

[tropicfishman]

200 shrimp in a 10 gallon? that can't mean fully grown? you must mean shrimplets? lol

 

[Purrbox]

Tropicfishman, if you'll reread my posts you'll see that the number includes juveniles and shrimplets in the count along with the adults.

 

[Joey2619]

Flourish Comprehensive, is that the standard Flourish? And Im assuming the comprehensive has most of the macros in it?

Should I get the Current USA 20" 40watt fixture, and put a 50/50 bulb in there to net me at a moderate light level, then down the road when I adapt CO2, put a 6700K bulb in for the full 40 watts? Or am I totally off track?

 

[Purrbox]

If you look closely at a bottle of Flourish, you'll see that it say Comprehensive right below Flourish. By stating Flourish Comprehensive it eliminates confusion about which Flourish product is being discussed. Flourish Comprehensive is a Trace Fertilizer and has very little Macros in it. To dose macros with Flourish products you'd need Flourish Nitrogen, Flourish Phophorus, and Flourish Potassium.

The Current fixture should give you medium low light with the 50/50 bulb and just shy of high light with a daylight bulb. If you wanted to get into very highlight you'd need the 2x40 watt fixture and use a combination of a daylight and a 50/50 bulb for a total of 60watts usable light.

 

[Joey2619]

I havent actually seen the 2x40 fixture in 20 inches.

 

[Purrbox]

http://tricitytropicals.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=663