PRL - Autumnsky's next shrimp adventure

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Autumnsky

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:welcome:

Here is the new thread for a really exciting build for me. Yes I talk a lot, it is just the way it is.

Backstory:

I have been keeping Dwarf Shrimp since around April 2012.

To a friend, I was bemoaning the fact my city water has 0 kH and I was always having to add minerals to it and it is a little bit of extra work. When they mentioned why don't you just keep CRS - Crystal Red Shrimp?

One time tried my hand at OEBT in the Caridina and they ended up being no longer with me.

Different and pretty old thread.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f129/orange-eye-blue-tigers-248876.html

But since this idea was mentioned, I thought lower pH - check, lower GH, check, basically 0 kH, perfect. This plan has been in the works for around 2 1/2 years!!!

So a little nervous about shelling out a bunch of money to kill stuff.

AND why it has been so very long in coming, I have been downsizing the number of tanks I keep, mainly as I do not have enough time to just play with the tanks all day, as I would like. Life stuff has made some twists and turns and I keep pretty busy and hate to look at a tank and feel guilt!


:fish1::fish1::fish1:

My interest has been to make this build with either some nice CRS or some PRL.

They are bright and cheerful and look great against the lower light plants I will have. This will be a display breeding tank, species only, I think at least until it has been running and with success for awhile.

I have had numerous fish and shrimp which just disappear into the tank and it ends up looking like just a tank of water, done with that for now. Only having a few tanks, and I'd like to see the inhabitants!



A year ago I got a tank - 12G Edge which ended up being cracked (long story, but could not return it) when I finally looked into the box and I was heartsick. :bawl: After months of anguish and denial and a limited budget, decided to brush it off. And trudge forward.

I have tank, tanks, tanks - perfect for shrimp - from cracked bottom which needs repair, to brand new ones in the box in the storage area, to one sitting with a few snails only on a table. 5G-12G

I will likely go with this older 12G Edge. It has a tiny chip on the seam not an issue with integrity and a nick inside where I knocked a rock against the glass :oops:.

60074-albums13090-picture70887.jpg


I have been shopping for all kinds of things for this tank build. More on that in the coming days.
 
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Hahaha! The older tank was why I wanted a new one and also that I wanted to get two matching stands and flank the bowfront on the wall with the 2 - 12G Edge tanks for a lovely living room tank wall display. (and maybe the 2 6.6G aside those :eek: hahaha :angel: )

Cutting back on tanks really!!!
 
Been quite awhile.

The breeder never has contacted me about the higher quality PRL being available for me since the beginning of the year.

Previously I discussed picking up a few PRL from a hobbyist about 6 months back but he was far away from me and there never was an occassion for us to meet in the middle.

Last week he messaged me about getting out of the hobby and asked if I wanted all his PRL!!!

Today I picked up almost 50 nice looking PRL, from a guy who had them breeding very well, started with 12 went to over 100. He was nice enough to let me know he was shutting down the tank and I could come and get all that he had in the tank for $50.

Which is a steal I know where he got them and they were reasonable but not cheap.

He also had a nice little sink model 4 stage RO. Also for $50 and including the Salty Shrimp remineralizer.

He gave me his trimmings of A/R mini butterfly plant and Rotalla and a couple food samples of low something Japan foods a whole bunch of kinds. He said they eat everything.

I had to drive about 220 miles...Through city traffic :( But totally worth it.

<<<<<<<>>>>>>>

Will need to get a TDS tester tomorrow. To use the RO water. I made 2 liters of RO and added it to my tap water and their special blend. To amount to apprx. equal portions. The shrimp are in a container tonight and will tomorrow go into their new tank.

The 12G got emptied and cleaned out with the magic eraser and added the Amazonia Light substrate. Had a great idea to use a DW piece as a cliff to build up a 4-6inch high wall but I noticed after adding some water it is likely going to float. Bummer.
 
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Time stamp says 4 hours ago? 1am my time.

You stay up late playing with your new toys?!
 
Almost always up til 1-2 AM or later. 2am is bed time lol. Hoo Hoo - night owl.

Shrimp are alive this mornng so happy about that - almost having night terrors about it :eek: What if all the shrimp are dead!!! Checked on the at 6am.
 
Just as a couple notes so I don't forget.

Measured the water in the 12G tank I added the Amazonia Light to last night, which I had soaking in a bucket for 6 months.

Today a solid .25ppm not a touch darker.

Measured the water in my vintage 3G turtle bowl (no turtle just RH and a pond snail) which has the AL in it and has been doing a fine job growing the DHS out side under my deck on a table (not in direct sunlight).

0 Ammonia

This means I need to run the 12G for a little while, and plant it and see when it stops measuring ammonia. I can't kill the shrimp!

So thinking about what on earth I can do.

A couple options are to move the Betta in the 12G the filter is cycled and move the fish into the 6.6G Edge and move those guys into the 5G Spec.

I would move the shrimp to the Spec V except I am not sure how not to suck them into the filter holes quite yet. I have read about using filter pad over it, so a consideration. Would be much easier to get the shrimp out of there than the Edge, that is for sure.
 
One more option to keep them in great parameters is to use the SW 6.6G macroalgea tank and clean it out and move that into a opaque bucket.

Use the bare bottom glass only tank for the PRL shrimp until the soil finishes leaching. There are a ton of plants I can put in there for them to clean in the mean time and get a new mini filter and put in established media for the fish and use the already running established filter for the shrimp since they are likely more delicate.
 
What goes into the edge... stays in the edge :) that's my experience anyway!

That is the easiest way to do it.

Those openings are tiny and with plants, rocks and spiky DW it is a complete tear down! That's my experience, ROFL!

Like right now - Tangerine Tiger Shrimp, Thai Crabs and Chili Rasboras and Anchor Cats - lets get ready to rumble! The bull dozer is coming for you!!!
 
Hahaha!

Trying to think of how to make a finger net - goes over the thumb and middle finger to scoop em in at the corners, using the index to shoo them into the net, rofl! What a sight that woud be.
 
Brief update.

Moved the Shrimp this evening from their initial bucket to a cleaner bucket of water.

Counted as I caught them. 54 shrimp, might have been one more but I will stick with 54.

They are pretty small guys right now only about 3 really large sized guys. One looked possibly berried the biggest one.

They are beautiful and a good quality. Still couldn't be happier with them.

Still need a tds meter though. I would like them to be in the water they are used to.

They are all active and seemingly doing well. Added a few more plants in there for them to graze on. They pooped alot!!! Moved them from a white bucket - could see the poop easily to the orange bucket hoping they will feel more secure.

Their 12G tank has been cleaned and set back up again.

Just did a quick placement of stuff, I wasn't feeling really inspired, more stressed and under pressure to get both tanks emptied rearranged, 3 substrates cleaned and put where they go and switching around of fish. And 6 buckets and containers back under control.
 
Obviously I don't know the meaning of the word brief.

Here is part 2

The tank is the 12G Edge

Substrate is the Amazonia Light soaked for ~ 6 months in a bucket and rinsed a few times.

To keep from increasing the pH, I decided against using the cool Seiryu Stones I had got previously.

Used Petrified Wood stones.

3 DW - a medium (covered in Java Fern)
a large long DW as a short wall,
a very large Malaysian burled and knotted kinda flat chunk with some Moss and Subwassertang aka Suswassertang, and a big chunk of Anubias Nana Petite rooted into the side of it.

Threw in a few more plants

patch of DHG which I see floating away piece by piece...
Money wort/Creeping Jenny
Rotalla
Chain Sword
Aponogeton Ulvaceus bulb which DID have about 7 leaves which all broke off and left one small one after I got it out of the growing tub and situated in the corner of the tank, very brittle stems.



Right now the tank is very cloudy to my standard but clearing well for what I did to the tank today and no water clearing drops or Purigen.
 
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These guys really pop in the tank and it is my dream that I can actually SEE the shrimp in my tank!!!

It doesn't hurt there is around 50 of them.

I am so happy about watching them scurry around and pick at and check out all the new things in the tank. It brings me JOY to see them. :love: Probably all the sappy sentiments for now.

Showed them off to a couple people and got to talk about them to a coworker who was interested in getting a fish sometime in the future. Trying to develop fish lovers one person at a time, ;). :fish1:
 
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