3 Gallon - Betta and ADF.

[Mr.Albiman]

thankyou!
glad to know i was right on with the moss
really? i was wary of ordering over the internet because of the shipping cost/stress to the shrimp...
100!?! wow. i think i'll stick to about 10-15 for now! if they breed though that would be fantastic. might even leave the ghosties at the LFS. haha.

 

[fort384]

Really... have ordered shrimp through ebay or aquabid at least a half dozen or more times... never received even a single dead-on-arrival shrimp.

The folks who ship em out breed em to sell them, so they know how to properly ship them. Just pay attention to the feedback ratings, and you should be good to go.

 

[Mr.Albiman]

great advice! i think i'm confident enough to buy the moss and shrimp now! haha.. would nerite snails be okay or would they overpopulate?

keep an eye on this thread because i might come back if it goes well and ask about java fern maybe...

 

[Mr.Albiman]

as i get more confident i could always trade the fake plants for real ones a i go along

 

[fort384]

I think nerites would be fine. I have never kept them personally. If you don't over feed, they won't over populate.

You will be wanting more live plants as the java moss gets established in your tank. It is a sickness I cannot even look at fake plants anymore.

 

[Mr.Albiman]

hahaha! a bit like the inevitable multiple tank syndrome i have heard about
MPS - multiple plant syndrome
i'm sure both will kick in soon enough..

 

[severum mama]

great advice! i think i'm confident enough to buy the moss and shrimp now! haha.. would nerite snails be okay or would they overpopulate?

keep an eye on this thread because i might come back if it goes well and ask about java fern maybe...

We've got lots of shrimp and java fern and are happy to ship. The shrimp will be juveniles so you may want to grow them out before adding a betta. Wouldn't want them to be eaten.

I think nerites would be fine. I have never kept them personally. If you don't over feed, they won't over populate.

You will be wanting more live plants as the java moss gets established in your tank. It is a sickness I cannot even look at fake plants anymore.

Nerites do not reproduce in freshwater. They will lay eggs in freshwater, but the eggs will not hatch unless they are kept in brackish water. We have a bunch of nerites too.

 

[Mr.Albiman]

Thankyou severummama, I'm living in the UK though,where are you?

I'm not going to get the betta now, its just going to be an invert tank! : )

Great news with the nerites! How many d you think I could have in a 3gal with 10-15 RCS?
What do I do with the eggs?

Thanks, Dan: )

 

[severum mama]

LOL... never mind! I'm in the states.

I would not put more than 1 nerite in a 3 gallon. I don't think single nerites lay eggs but I might be wrong. If it does, just scrape them off the glass and decor.

 

[Mr.Albiman]

Okay, haha
why only one? Its fine, I'm just curious. Do they get big? I didn't realise
Dan.

 

[severum mama]

They tend to be picky eaters and may starve without enough algae.

 

[Mr.Albiman]

Right-o!

 

[Mr.Albiman]

Should I use black gravel to make their colours stand out? : )

 

[fort384]

I think for most FW shrimp, black gravel is the best way to go.

 

[Mr.Albiman]

Righ, tthanks.
Thinking of getting a clip on flourescent light from eBay, but would need to get rid of the lid.
Would the shrimp escape? Or the nerite snail?
Also, severum mama would you recommend olive, zebra or horned nerite snail. I'm particularly fond of the horned: )
Thanks, Dan: )

 

[fort384]

None of my tanks have tops on em, never lost a shrimp or a snail that I know of...

 

[Mr.Albiman]

Awesome!
Here is a list of things I will need:
- clip on compact fluorescent light. 10 - 15 W
- black gravel. 5lbs?
- API Freshwater Master Test Kit
- API Copper Test Kit
- Gravel vacuum
- pH adjuster. Which pH would be best? Its currently around 6.5.
- 10-15 RCS
- Java moss
- Java fern

Anything I missed/don't need?

 

[fort384]

skip the copper test kit (unless you have some reason to think you have high Cu levels?) and the pH adjuster. 6.5 will be fine. Adjusting pH is not a good idea. Stable is better than "perfect". Just make sure you acclimate your shrimp slowly (drip method is good) and they should do fine.

For the light, if you are going to go with one of the desk clip on lights that has an incandescent socket, go a little higher on the wattage... the spriral/curly q type CFLs that screw in will not put as much usable light into the tank as going with one of the flat power compact florescent bulbs (the ones that look like 2 florescent bulbs joined together, and have pins on the end instead of a screw in socket).

 

[Mr.Albiman]

Okay then boss!
I'm soooo grateful, thanks! : )

 

[fort384]

Any time! Take some photos of your progress and share 'em!!

Good luck.