2.5g Shrimp Tank

[bevoholic]

Oh cool.. I couldn't tell from the picture. Well the Ray 2 is a mighty fine choice. Can't wait to see this tank take off.

I've already chosen my fish stock for it, but now I'm trying to choose my plant stock. The only thing I know is that I want a carpet of dwarf baby tears.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

What did you choose for your choose for your livestock anyway? As for the flora, you'll have plenty off options since you'll have adequate lighting and co2. As a start.. staurogyne repens q are a nice plant to place by HC. I really like Pogostemon Helferi (downoi) too. Rotala colorata, ludwigia red, Pogostemon erectus, hygrophila augostefolia, and limnophila aromatica are just some plants I can think of that I really like.

 

[bevoholic]

6 Cardinal Tetras
4 Panda Cory
3 Red Fire Guppies (1 male, 2 female)
1 Dwarf Flame Gourami
1 Bolivian Ram

 

[CorallineAlgae]

6 Cardinal Tetras
4 Panda Cory
3 Red Fire Guppies (1 male, 2 female)
1 Dwarf Flame Gourami
1 Bolivian Ram

Is this for your 20?

 

[bevoholic]

Is this for your 20?

Haha yes. The only thing going in the 2.5 is shrimp.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Haha yes. The only thing going in the 2.5 is shrimp.

Nice! If the 2.5 gets overrun with shrimp you can drop some into the 20 as a nice treat.

 

[bevoholic]

Nice! If the 2.5 gets overrun with shrimp you can drop some into the 20 as a nice treat.

They're going to be RCS so I might try to sell them first. I'd rather not feed the good quality shrimp to the other fish.

Brian, do you see my Banana Plant? It's already sprouted a new leaf! That wasn't there when I received them.

Also, have you had a problem with HC spreading and choking out the roots of other plants? I want to put it in my 2.5g as well, but I'm afraid it will end up killing the PCS or banana plant.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

I don't think the HC would do well in the 2.5g because you won't be using co2 in that tank. HC is just one of those plants that really need co2 supplementation and good lighting to thrive.

Perhaps DHG might do well or a carpet of Hydrocotyle Tripartita sp. Japan.

Anyway... Congrats on seeing some new growth from your banana plant. Guess its enjoying the new light fixture. Have you started dosing ferts?

 

[bevoholic]

You don't think even with dosing of Excel it would do that good? It's not CO2, but it's still carbon.

Either way, once it spreads in the 20g do you think all my stem plants will still be able to thrive?

 

[CorallineAlgae]

HC has much shallower roots than stem plants. If anything the larger plants would shade the HC near their base and that may keep the HC from growing up against them.

 

[bevoholic]

HC has much shallower roots than stem plants. If anything the larger plants would shade the HC near their base and that may keep the HC from growing up against them.

I totally didn't even think about that...

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

You don't think even with dosing of Excel it would do that good? It's not CO2, but it's still carbon.

Yeah i was told HC loves Excel.. It would do a lot better with co2 but you can try the liquid carbon and see how it fares...

Edit:
I posed a similar question once...
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...ill-hc-baby-tears-grow-with-excel-221830.html

 

[bevoholic]

Yeah i was told HC loves Excel.. It would do a lot better with co2 but you can try the liquid carbon and see how it fares...

Edit:
I posed a similar question once...
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...ill-hc-baby-tears-grow-with-excel-221830.html

If it doesn't, I'll have to invest in a DIY CO2 system then. There's no way I'd get a Canister System for that small of a tank.

 

[bud29]

If it doesn't, I'll have to invest in a DIY CO2 system then. There's no way I'd get a Canister System for that small of a tank.

Although be warned - many have failed with the shrimp/co2 combo due to pH swings. When keeping shrimp, the main thing to make sure of is that the tank is very stable. Unstable tanks result in dead shrimp. Especially if trying to breed shrimp, co2 is really not a good idea IMHO.

 

[bevoholic]

Although be warned - many have failed with the shrimp/co2 combo due to pH swings. When keeping shrimp, the main thing to make sure of is that the tank is very stable. Unstable tanks result in dead shrimp. Especially if trying to breed shrimp, co2 is really not a good idea IMHO.

Yea, I know. That's why I'm going to try with just Excel first. If it doesn't work, I may move the shrimp up to a 10g and use Dwarf Hair Grass. I just don't want to put that in my 2.5g because it gets to be like 6" tall which is pretty much the height of my tank after substrate...

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Look up four leaf clover. It grows in any light without co2 and stays short. I have some in my 5.5 gallon. It's slow growing but very lovely. Looks like glosso.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Yea, I know. That's why I'm going to try with just Excel first. If it doesn't work, I may move the shrimp up to a 10g and use Dwarf Hair Grass. I just don't want to put that in my 2.5g because it gets to be like 6" tall which is pretty much the height of my tank after substrate...

Well not true... there's different sub-species of DHG. If you get Eleocharis parvula, it's the shortest variant of the species.. if you get Elocharis acicularis, then you'll have a tall DHG on your hands. I have e. parvula and it stays very compact for me. It's about a year old in my 12g and I think I trimmed/mowed it once and it's about 2".

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

You can see DHG (e. parvula) in the left of my 12g.

 

[bevoholic]

You can see DHG (e. parvula) in the left of my 12g.

That's awesome! If the HC doesn't work, I will definitely try that then.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

You can see DHG (e. parvula) in the left of my 12g.

That really is an ideal grass ground cover. Beautiful.