Putting shrimp inside of a TV

[Scrimpy scrimp]

Working on my first shrimp tank. I have an old Magnavox credenza from the early 60s. There is a record player on the left side, and a radio on the right side, In the center was an old tube tv that i gutted. So far i have reinforced the bottom with a platform with 2 ¾’ in of wood. It is very sturdy now i can stand on it easily, im close to 200 lbs and it won't budge. I have sprayed the whole thing down with primer as a preventive measure against any moisture and heat.


I have a 20 gallon high tank in there currently. The dimensions of the tank are 24 l x 12 w x 16 3/4 h. Attached is an album with pictures of the setup. The blue tape on the aquarium is a guide to the viewing when the tank is in the unit. Up to the blue edges on the sides is not visible when the aquarium is in place and the blue tape on the bottom is 2 inches up to have an idea of where the substrate will be at.


I need some help now deciding on the aquascape, the setup and what shrimps to put in the tank.


As far as shrimp, i definitely want ghost shrimp in the tank. I am also thinking of tangerine tigers I am thinking of putting them in the tank initially and than adding in bloody mary shrimp and tangerine tigers. From what i have read they should all be a different genus and at similar temperature range. Can someone please confirm this? I don't want them cross breeding if possible.

Secondly i was looking at ninja shrimp, I would like to get them but am having trouble sourcing them. I am in the northeast USA.

Potentially thinking about putting some micro rasboras in the tank further down the road after the tank is established, There seemed to be some conflicting views on them from what i was reading. If it's going to end up scaring the shrimp and they will be hiding most of the time than I won't proceed with it.

As for the aquascape i was thinking of doing something sloped and putting in some plants and rocks or driftwood. Could use some advice here not sure how to go about this. Would like to keep it low tech and easy to maintain though if possible. Also don't want the tank to be too heavily planted that I can't see the shrimp, the tank will be the focal point, its in the middle of my studio apartment but the way the room is set up there is a sectional couch that is 8 feet away.

How does putting decorations in the tank work, do you have to source them form online or a store, can you get them from outside and is their a process of cleaning them?



I was at the local aquarium store and i was talking to one of the gentleman there,m i started picking up some supplies pictured below. I was quite surprised when it rung up for the pricing on the substrate. It ended up being $48 for the big bag and $36 for the small bag. He said it was a great substrate and it would be really easy to see the ghost shrimp on it, but it just seemed pretty high, is this accurate?

As for lights, we was also trying to recommend a full spectrum led light, fluval 7500k but it was $170. For lighting i have 2 ½ inches clearance from the top of the tank to the lid of the unit.

Im going to be using a sponge filter. Still need to get a heater, thermometer and a lid. Thanks for all the help in advance, its much appreciated.


https://imgur.com/a/wWUShL1

 

[Autumnsky]

If I remember correctly these are pretty solidly made furniture.

It will be holding not only the tank and water but also the substrate weight and stones, along with other things in the tank, as well as the filter, usually a HOB or small canister. If you are using it for storage of supplies to figure in that weight too.

Nice to be in the planning stages and asking questions to get a solid plan in place before getting livestock.

What is the number one creature you are wanting to get for this tank build? Create your plan for that work around to see how everything else fits into place - or not!

Before I forget, really important! You will need a prefilter or screen to keep out the shrimp from the intake if you are not using a sponge filter.

Substrate can be really important with shrimp. If your shrimp and water are inline with necessary parameters, then you might not need fancy/costly substrate. You may prefer to use that money for the shrimp or decor pieces.

I would not keep Ghost shrimp together with any other shrimp. They are generally aggressive and predatory - do not play nice with other shrimp. So if you would like to see your shrimp population increase, it would generally be better to skip them.

You could always start with them and remove them later when you were ready for other shrimp.

But...

Tangerine Tiger shrimp are awesome and very easy to keep.

Shrimp should be ideally kept in a matured tank maybe 4-6 months of maturing and developing biofilm and aufwuches, tiny things we don't see but the shrimp graze on. Some additives like Bacter AE and other similar "starters/foods" for them to help out.

So decide what you would really like first. You can always change your mind later, but it is hard to remove teeny tiny shrimp from an established tank.

Look at other tanks and see how the shrimp you are thinking of look in there, color of substrate, with mosses, stones and driftwood, etc.

For instance the Blue Velvets seem to blend in with a planted tank with lots of green plants and little DW or stones ( I know because I had that :/) But Tangerine tigers pop on green plants.

White sand causes shrimp to lighten up /to blend in better with their surroundings, not a good thing for you since generally you want them to be brightly colored.

Stones can change the pH to some degree, like Seriyu stone will INCREASE pH.

You can order stone online or get it from "nature" watch out for poisons sprayed around homes for weeds and bugs for instance, or flooded water, toxic residue on driftwood from streams. You would likely know if there were floods or problems with polluted water in recent years in collection areas.