Wy Renegade's 15 gallon Shrimp Tank - Advice and Input Welcome

[Wy Renegade]

I had tried shrimp several times in the past without much success. Finally decided it was time to do some research and do it right. I spent quite a bit of time researching different shrimp breeding set-ups, borrowed a little from here, stole a little from there and finally came up with the following design. Tank was initially set-up in 2014, allowed to mature, and shrimp were eventually added. been running for about 6 months.

Tank: 15 gallon AGA with oak trim

Top: Currently metal screen hinged ZooMed top (eventually I would like to replace this with a DIY custom screen top, but not quite there yet.

Substrate: ADA Amazonian

Filtration: DIY PVC reverse flow UGF powered by a ZooMed 511 Canister filter
Two Dual-Sponge sponge filters

Plants: moss balls, Java moss, hornwort, anacharis, and lots I don't know but probably should

Lighting: A dual bulb t5 by Aqueon (have a LED by Current but don't want to mess with what is currently working).

Shrimp: Crystal Red Shrimp (CRS)

 

[Wy Renegade]

Designing and building the reverse flow UGF (photos are from a more recent built as I didn't take pictures of the originals along the way - you will also have to forgive the quality as many were taken by students rather than by me);

UGF is constructed of 1/2" PVC pipe, the pipe was fitted (but not glued) and holes were drilled into the inward faces of the PVC pointing slightly downward. A plastic barbed connection was added for connecting the return hose of the canister filter.


I used Fluval Ceramic media between the PVC pipe;


Covered the filter media with a plastic screen mesh and zip-tied it in position to prevent too much soil from settling into the filter media.


Covered the whole works with ADA Amazonian soil;


Connected the siphon tube and hose, and added water.



Added sponge filters, my Mopani wood, moss, and moss balls and allowed it to run for an extended period to settle the pH and murkiness of the water.


Can't remember is that a crypt or sword on the left? Think it is a crypt, don't remember ordering any swords.

 

[Wy Renegade]

Added the CRS (unsure of grade) shrimp after about three months and tank went wild over the summer with occasional feedings and water changes.

Some current pictures from early in March.






And one a little more recent;


I'm thinking its about time to trim that moss back and need to figure out the floating plants and either plant them or move them out. I'll post up some pictures later of specifics.

 

[Fresh2o]

I would grade that CRS "G" for gorgeous just kidding of course.
Nice setup. Thanks for posting the step by step build. Reverse flow UG filtration...lost art. Last conversation I had with someone about this type of filtration was via snail mail letters to a contributor to FAMA magazine named Julian Sprung. That was 25 years ago.


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[Wy Renegade]

I would grade that CRS "G" for gorgeous just kidding of course.
Nice setup. Thanks for posting the step by step build. Reverse flow UG filtration...lost art. Last conversation I had with someone about this type of filtration was via snail mail letters to a contributor to FAMA magazine named Julian Sprung. That was 25 years ago.


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Thank you! LOL that sounds about right, but then I always have been a bit old school in my beliefs. Now days I find myself spending a lot of time sitting in my favorite chair, consuming my favorite beverage, and contemplating the different methods I have tried, the knowledge I have gained, and what has and what hasn't worked over the years. Part of my current goals are sustainability without intensive maintenance, and despite what many people say, I'm a firm believer in the value of reverse flow UG filtration. Big Fan of Julian myself. My favorite thread on another forum is a saltwater thread on a system that is over 25 years old and still runs on a reverse flow undergravel filter. That system pretty much breaks all the rules from reverse flow undergravel filtration to beer cans and concrete blocks in the hardscape - gotta love it, and well worth the read even if you don't agree with the methods.

My next venture is going to be in the world of freshwater sumps.

 

[Fresh2o]

Cool. Don't want to clog up your thread with nostalgia. But is was a different time when ideas were shared through newsletters, correspondence, and meets. Truly a time for DIY, experimentation, and creativity. Some of what Julian said was over my head, esp the SW stuff. I still have the letters though.
Interesting about the methuselah filter. Some designs are near perfection (and befuddle the critics).
Good luck with the FW sump. I used to run a FW wet dry (with intent to use on a SW tank at one point) on a planted tank. It was more wet dry with no so much useable sump space. Collecting dust in the attic.


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[Wy Renegade]

Cool. Don't want to clog up your thread with nostalgia. But is was a different time when ideas were shared through newsletters, correspondence, and meets. Truly a time for DIY, experimentation, and creativity. Some of what Julian said was over my head, esp the SW stuff. I still have the letters though.
Interesting about the methuselah filter. Some designs are near perfection (and befuddle the critics).
Good luck with the FW sump. I used to run a FW wet dry (with intent to use on a SW tank at one point) on a planted tank. It was more wet dry with no so much useable sump space. Collecting dust in the attic.


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Not an issue my friend - thoughts and input are always welcome, as it is the way we all grow in this hobby. Nowadays, ideas are shared via the internet, and experimentation is often frowned upon. I do think we see some great DIY stuff now though. SW stuff can seem pretty tough when you are first getting started, but a lot of the principles are pretty much the same, especially if you delve into the world of invertebrates which I see you have.

I've a few of those attic inhabitants from good ideas collect dust in my barn as well LOL.

 

[Wy Renegade]

Many thanks to Amyers22 and Andrew McFadden for help with identifying the Grade of the shrimp; S+ with a tiger tooth pattern. And thanks to all the other shrimp keepers here for being helpful. A couple helpful links to guides for I.Ding grades of shrimp;

A Guide To Crystal Red Shrimp | UK Aquatic Plant Society

Crystal Red Shrimp Grading Guide .:. Information to successfully grade the Crystal Red Shrimp

A fairly recent picture of the masses at chow time;


So how does one going about culling shrimp - do you just remove those of a lower grade to a cull tank? When during shrimp development do you decide if a shrimp is a keeper or a cull?

 

[Andrew McFadden]

They are all keepers at less we are talking about Neos. If your wanting to improve the grade then I'd recommend splitting the tank into sections. Seperate by grade and keep separating them every time they breed. It looks like you have a good mix of grades now. I got rid of all my Cardinia except the S. Cardinals and only keep neos for the most part

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[Wy Renegade]

They are all keepers at less we are talking about Neos. If your wanting to improve the grade then I'd recommend splitting the tank into sections. Seperate by grade and keep separating them every time they breed. It looks like you have a good mix of grades now. I got rid of all my Cardinia except the S. Cardinals and only keep neos for the most part

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Thanks Andrew, splitting that tank may be a bit of an issue, but I've enough tanks I may look into splitting them up.

 

[Wy Renegade]

Little shrimp carnage going on after feeding.

 

[Wy Renegade]

Water change and major cleaning today, gave the Java moss a haircut and moved plants around a bit. Cleaned up nicely I think.






Left me with a bit of a question however, I saved all the Java fern (of course) then noticed later that I had a few juvenile shrimp and an adult running around in the container. How do the rest of you keep from throwing out or transferring the juveniles when you do this.

Tiny little guys aren't they? Best my camera would do.


Of course I had to feed to make sure I hadn't severely depleted the numbers.

 

[Slavo]

Water change and major cleaning today, gave the Java moss a haircut and moved plants around a bit. Cleaned up nicely I think.






Left me with a bit of a question however, I saved all the Java fern (of course) then noticed later that I had a few juvenile shrimp and an adult running around in the container. How do the rest of you keep from throwing out or transferring the juveniles when you do this.

Tiny little guys aren't they? Best my camera would do.


Of course I had to feed to make sure I hadn't severely depleted the numbers.

Looking good Wy! Very nice colony of CRS!


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[Andrew McFadden]

Looks much better now. Whenever I trim I dip in and out of the water several times so the shrimp fall, jump, swim off.

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[Wy Renegade]

Looking good Wy! Very nice colony of CRS!


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Thanks Slavo - nothing compared to your shelf of tanks though LOL.

Looks much better now. Whenever I trim I dip in and out of the water several times so the shrimp fall, jump, swim off.

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Thanks Andrew - I'll keep that in mind next time I trim

 

[Wy Renegade]

Trying out some backgrounds, I'm rather partial to the black on this one, but what do you all think?

 

[Slavo]

Thanks Slavo - nothing compared to your shelf of tanks though LOL.

"shelf of tanks" - I don't follow?

 

[Slavo]

Trying out some backgrounds, I'm rather partial to the black on this one, but what do you all think?

Black. Once you go black, you never go back

 

[Wy Renegade]

"shelf of tanks" - I don't follow?

Oh shoot, I was thinking that was your shelf of shrimp tanks in the Show Off Your Shrimp Tank thread - guess it is phishfriend's. Sorry about that, my bad .

 

[Slavo]

Oh shoot, I was thinking that was your shelf of shrimp tanks in the Show Off Your Shrimp Tank thread - guess it is phishfriend's. Sorry about that, my bad .

haha, I wish. It's all good