Logic and logistics

[Tacit Blues]

I made another video, this time more about just the hardware and setup, though I got a pretty nice shot of a shrimp too

https://youtu.be/5KtlTSVAExw

I've really been enjoying doing these little videos, it gives me a good excuse to sit down and watch the tank, which is kind of hard to make time for otherwise sometimes.

 

[Tacit Blues]

I think this is even one of the survivors from the last group so if these eggs hatch I think they’ll be 3rd generation born in this tank which is kind of a miracle given the debacles I’ve gone through. I think I also saw one of the little younglings pregnant too which is cool. Some molt shells laying around the tank and still no dead shrimp so that’s good!

 

[Delapool]

Gee, that’s nice. Shrimp are really pretty rare here and coloured ones even less.

 

[Tacit Blues]

Even just Neocaridina types? They're even starting to pop up in my podunk local fish stores here now, though they're still not really that easy to get a good number of at once unless you go online. I wonder if it's an import law thing? I would think that since they're from Taiwan it would be easier to get them in Australia.

 

[Delapool]

Yes, it’s strange but tight bio-security (can sort of get it). Apparently a decade ago there were raids and everything. But I think generally this stuff is rare in shops too - cichlids are big, everything else is in a few shop tanks.

 

[Tacit Blues]

Huh. Are they available at all?

 

[Delapool]

I found this when I’d say they cracked down. My understanding generally is that can’t import from overseas and into Western Australia from another Australian state is also generally difficult (so international and interstate quarantine). Keeping non-natives is allowed but not sure on breeding. I’ve seen them come up for sale here and there but not really often.

I looked at getting some plants from northern Australia several years back but was told it’s two hours of import paperwork to pay for so just left it.


https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/amp...s/news-story/f735730cdafd30cfb23f319bbe29215d

 

[Tacit Blues]

That’s really interesting. Thank you for the information! I guess that there the natural waterways would be more conducive to them living since the climate is closer to their natural habitat. And I guess Australia has had a lot of other introduced species fiascos. Here I think shrimp would die off every winter in the wild unless they were in a hot springs or something.

 

[Autumnsky]

Yikes! Hmmm. I will appreciate the shrimp I can get here more now! Even if I can't get what there is from Asia. Any shrimp are pretty fun to watch in your tanks. Pretty red is even better though.

Glad your new shrimp are breeding (or getting the breeding going) Tacit. Looking forward of new baby pics!

 

[Tacit Blues]

A moment of zen for you

https://youtu.be/vrDCR6cvgdg

I fed them a shelled pea and took a little video of it.

 

[Delapool]

Really nice! A shrimps life.

 

[Tacit Blues]

Right?!? Lucky little bugs

 

[Tacit Blues]

So I have disappointing news. Things were chugging along nicely and suddenly within a week I haven't been seeing shrimp. Where before I could put in a couple pellets of food and they'd have 15 shrimp come out of the woodwork for feeding, now there's maybe one if you're lucky. I don't know what happened but I'm pretty sure this tank is cursed.

 

[Delapool]

Sad news! Just a quiet week for them maybe??

 

[Autumnsky]

Noooooooo!

I am so sorry. That really IS terrible news. .

 

[Tacit Blues]

I think it might be time to cut my losses and move on to some endler’s or something. Or it’s about 80% of the way to being a hill stream aquarium anyway, needs a bigger pump for more flow. I don’t know. Just a bit discouraged right now.

 

[Autumnsky]

No doubt. My problem is with Guppies and Endlers. They seem to just slowly die off.

Maybe a change.

 

[Tacit Blues]

I still see like one shrimp at a time. Apparently that’s the load this tank can handle or something. Been thinking about what I want to do. Went to one of the LFSs and they had a tank full of praecox rainbows (dwarf neon rainbowfish) that’s intriguing. Also looking at all sorts of hillstream species, though it seems the lava rock style isn’t really common for a biotopish tank of that sort so I am not sure if something like a hillstream loach would like it. I love the looks of Rachel O’Learys big hillstream tank but I’m not sure about the 40b size vs her 120g or whatever it is for the diversity of neat species so I think I’d want to focus a bit more. I really would like to come up with something that could breed a little bit at least. Alternatively could go crazy and tear the whole thing down to try for shell dwellers maybe. It’s just that I really like the look of the scape and plants still.

Anyway there’s the stream of consciousness thoughts right now at 11:17pm on a school night

 

[Autumnsky]

Hahaha, I stay up WAAAY too late!

So (not that you asked but...). As for Shell Dwellers, most people I see who keep them, end up bored after the initial period of wonder, watching them establish and begin breeding. So it may be that you can enjoy them for awhile (or for a long time) and pass them on to someone else. They are really unique and I have had a number of friends really enjoy them for a year or so. So, maybe a fun project and maybe not long term (or maybe will be intriguing long term).

Consider some Killifish types.

But I think having a petite version of Rachel's 120 would also work. There could be a few groups in addition to the bottom and HS Loaches in a 40. I have a hunch you can source river bed type rocks with your location and resourcefulness. And unlike myself, not even have to buy them, lol!

My hope for you is that you think of what would be most exciting to see everyday and raise / keep. Don't just settle for what is nearby. The choices are vast. Especially with all the good shippers. You can do anything.

 

[Tacit Blues]

I mean, no comment on whether or not there's already a box of nice smooth rocks on a shelf in the garage...

A thing that I'm also trying to keep in mind regarding fish types is that it's an open top so I don't want anything that jumps too much either. I've been going back and looking through all of Rachel's species spotlights on hillstream types. Rosy Loaches? A huge group of CPD's if I don't want to go full hilstream? There's lots of gobys out there but it sounds like finding a type that doesn't need salt water for breeding is another consideration. It's all going to be slow going anyway, the fish budget isn't huge.