JOM's 10g shrimp sanctuary log

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JustOneMore20

JustOneMore20

Algae Fighter
Joined
May 30, 2006
Messages
3,872
Location
Birmingham, AL
I have been itching for another tank for awhile, just haven't had the money to do anything big or crazy. I have had my RCS in a 20 long for months with the intent of moving them to something smaller. I just now decided that I have all the equipment and time to setup an empty 10g for them. I will be keeping the 20L, just using it for fish and didn't want the RCS to get eaten.

So here is the start of their shrimp sanctuary. :)

I have never done an Iwagumi type tank and I know my rock arrangement probably doesn't follow the rules for iwagumi (I have no idea what they are and don't care), but its as iwagumi as my tank is going to get. Basically iwagumi style is a tank with rocks and mostly groundcover/low lying plants, if you aren't familiar.

So today I got the substrate in and arranged the rocks. I'm not sure if I love it yet...might mess with it again tomorrow and change things up.

Here are the specs:

10g standard tank
2x24w T5HO lighting (had it lying around)
pressurized co2
Flourite black substrate (had it lying around)
seiryu stones (fancy!)
Aquaclear 20 moved from the 20L

Plants will be:
HC - Hemianthius callitrichoides
Microsword - Lilaeopsis mauritiana

Fauna:
RCS
possibly some Boraras merah or brigittae

And now for pics...the best part!!



My light fixture is a 30" and the tank is 20"...tacky I know, but I didn't have to buy a new light fixture...and the bulbs are 24" so they are closer to the length of the tank.


Plants came in today...and I will be planting either tonight or tomorrow. More pics will come then!
 
Last edited:
Hmm, that stand looks strangely familiar..


*waiting for Jen to see this so she can say lol :)*


I'll be following 'cause iwagumi is awesome and so are FW shrimp and nano-fish!
 
Definitely following.

It'll be a good learning experience for when I start my own RCS tank. On a much smaller scale though.
 
I hate tanks like this :p

I did the HC/Microsword combo for awhile. It looks wonderful. The problem was, I got lazy, and let it grow in kind of mixed. It is impossible to separate it once it grows in together without making a big mess and uprooting all the hc and whatnot... so I guess long story short, just try and keep it trimmed up along the lines you are going for and it will look awesome!
 
Fort, that will be my biggest challenge. I tend to get lazy with tank stuff. Hopefully I can keep it trimmed/separated and make it look good.

My rocks look a little small, the more I look at it. :( I am going to see if I have a couple bigger ones to put in there. If not, they will have to do.
 
Yes... the HC will stay compact... but they do look a little bit small. To get more Iwagumi-ee if you have some differing sizes that could go a long way.

I am terrible with hardscape by the way... and I really think it makes or breaks a tank of this style. Unfortunately, I can never put my finger on exactly what it is when I see a tank and say "Thats it!".
 
Got a tip about my rocks and decided to change them again. And then I did my planting. :)

5622978475_688fc8cb53.jpg

5622978475_688fc8cb53.jpg


It is cloudy from the planting...plus I added more substrate to the back. I still may adjust the rocks more...not sure I'm satisfied just yet. You can't really see all the HC, but I planted 2 pots worth. I only planted 1 pot of the L. mauritiana...may plant 1/2 or the whole 2nd pot tomorrow. I put the filter on (AC 50) and the co2 diffuser in. :) I'll take more pics tomorrow when it clears.
 
I like it! It looks like you did a really good job planting the HC. I think with the substrate, the T5HOs, and the CO2, this tank is going to grow out quickly and look great. The hardscape is looking a little better each time. This is my favorite iteration so far....
 
Thanks! I straightened up the taller rock in the main "element" after the pics were taken because I wanted it to be the tallest rock in the hardscape. I'll have more pics tomorrow. :). And yeah I shoved the HC down in the flourite and leveled it up a bit in the front.
 
Sorry for the lack of updates. I'm having technical issues with my memory cards and/or camera. :( Hoping to get some pics up tomorrow!
 
Not much has changed...except for the water being clear. :) I can see some growth in the HC already. I just need to continue to remember to dose my fertilizers every day and I'll be good.

Pics as promised:


http://www.flickr.com/photos/nursek85/5633340913/


Sorry about the glare


http://www.flickr.com/photos/nursek85/5633924896/HC popping up

I thought I had more L. mauritiana to plant just to make it little thicker, but I ended up getting 2 of the other type of Microsword for my 20g and only one pot of the mauritiana. Oh well....it will grow eventually.

I did add a few Staurogyne repens plant in between the rocks after these pics were taken...just trying to add another element to the scape. I may end up buying more to plant, but I only had a few small plants from my 20g.
 
New pics! The HC has really grown in alot since the last pics. And I added some Staurogyne repens around the rocks. I like it! I also added some regular Microsword to the L. mauritiana to fill it in a bit....probably not great to mix the 2 species, but I had extra Microsword.





Still no inhabitants. I realized I don't have that many RCS in my 20L so I'll just leave what is there and just buy a new batch for this tank. Also, I'll get some Boraras (Micro Rasboras) eventually too. In the meantime, I'm tossing in some NLS pellets to keep the filter cycled.
 
Wow! Your co2 looks cranked. It looks very nice! Can't wait to see that hc filled in.
 
Thanks! Yeah its cranked up since there isn't anything in there yet. The drop checker stays a yellowish green...haven't seen it bright yellow.
 
New pics:





Got a little lazy on my dosing and my co2 was bumped down a bit....so that made for some nice brown algae. It was pretty easy to get rid of but you can still see a little in the HC. I have the dreaded clado in this tank as well...but its manageable, thankfully.

Still nothing in this tank....I'm still deciding though I know I want some CRS and possibly some microrasboras. I'm trying to get the HC grown in more before I add shrimp.
 
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