planted shrimp tank [updated 5-22-07]

[GlitcH]

I just was taking a few pictures of my 20G. Some came out nice so I figured I'd share them with ya's.
Oh and I have a few ID requests.

Tank Specs:
20G long RC Shrimp breeding tank
65 watt CF on from 3am to 11:30pm
No ferts or CO2
I just feed the shrimp and do PWC.
I'm pretty amazed at how well the plants are doing with so little care. 8O

BTW the only reason I think I don't have a problem with algae is cuz I have a ton of pond snails.

Anyway here are the pics:

Ok can anyone id the plant in the middle at the back?

I don't have a clue what this one is either...

And what's the tall one in this shot?

 

[7Enigma]

I know your lying. There is no way your tank with that much light can look like that without any ferts or CO2. 21 hours per day of lighting? no 50/50 bulb?

Comon, tell us, we know you spend 6 hours per day managing ferts and pruning any signs of algae. right?

Absolutely incredible.................

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I'll trade ya, LOL....

Great looking tank. Not sure how my fish would react if I turned the lights on for 20 hours a day, lol.

 

[rich311k]

Great looking tank. This is the second high light, unfertilized tank I know of that looks great.

 

[Jchillin]

*Another "myth" goes crashing out the window*

I have to agree, you must be doing a ton of manual labor on that tank...no CO2, no ferts and twenty hours of light!

 

[Lonewolfblue]

What are the plants feeding on, the substrate? LOL.....

I still can't believe how great it looks. Good job....

 

[875mill]

Is the second plant bacopa? and the third moneywort? just a guess.

Beautiful tank btw.

 

[GlitcH]

I know your lying. There is no way your tank with that much light can look like that without any ferts or CO2. 21 hours per day of lighting? no 50/50 bulb?

Comon, tell us, we know you spend 6 hours per day managing ferts and pruning any signs of algae. right?

Absolutely incredible.................

My hand to god......I am being completely honest.
no 50/50........just a 65w 6700k bulb.
I am baffled too. Goes against everything I've ever read.
Other tank specs...
2215 Eheim canister filter with a DIY prefilter on the intake to keep the baby shrimp out.
Substrate is pool filter sand.
It's been set up for about 4 or 5 months now.

I started out with 8 hours of light a day and increased it from there until I got some visible algae. With all the snails in there......I didnt' see any at all until I got to 20 hours. BTW the pond snails love diatoms too. I had alittle problem with diatoms in the very begining until the snails started multiplying.

What are the plants feeding on, the substrate? LOL...

LOL
This must be workin cuz I overfeed the shrimp and snails to keep the snails reproducing. They are used to seed my other tanks....I'm convinced that pond snails are the second coming of christ.

This is the second high light, unfertilized tank I know of that looks great.

Rich........got a link to the other one?
I'm curious to compare what we are doing.

 

[newfound77951]

Awesome tank......I'm trying not to drool on my keyboard.....

I think the first plant is Rotala rotundifolia, second looks like Lysimachia nummularia? Third one I really don't know, my best guess is Bacopa monnieri but it doesn't really look exactly like it.

 

[JRagg]

Really neat looking tank. The low tech aspect is very appealing.

Just asking the question, but is 20 hours of light too much? I know plants need a respiration period each day.

 

[GlitcH]

Really neat looking tank. The low tech aspect is very appealing.

Just asking the question, but is 20 hours of light too much? I know plants need a respiration period each day.

good question.......its workin so far though.

One other thing......I was just lookin at the pics again and noticed that some of the plants look like they're pearling. That's false pearling.
I had just done a PWC. I've never seen this tank pearl.

 

[7Enigma]

JRagg,

What do you mean by respiration period? As in the dark cycle? If so that is always occurring, even during lighted periods. The plants just cannot usually resupply all of their enzymes/proteins/channel their nutrients if constantly lit and that is when algae begins to take over since the nitrogen (ammonia) is not being utilized.

 

[ryan]

newfound you are correct on the plant id i have the same plants and thats what they arer.

 

[czcz]

Nice tank. I agree with Newfound: 1st looks like very healthy Rotala rotundifolia. I think 2 is Bacopa australlis. 3 looks like B. monnieri, but certainly some Bacopa.

Most of my plants' tips close within 12hours of light, and so I figure if they're sleeping the light is left for the algae and avoid this. I can see why you're doing this for the algae eaters though. Shrimp don't seem to sleep but I still feel better giving them a regular nighttime.

But again, sweeeeeet tank.

 

[Zezmo]

very nice, this is also the tank from this months winning picture? Perhaps shrimp pee just makes plants go crazy and has algae suppresing properties.

plant 1, also agree Rotala rotundifolia, unless you mean the Hydrocotle sp. next to it.
plant 2, I usually see this as "baby's tears", if not the Bacopa mentioned by Cz, then maybe Micranthemum umbrosum.
plant 3, I will also throw my vote in on Bacopa monnieri

 

[GlitcH]

very nice, this is also the tank from this months winning picture? Perhaps shrimp pee just makes plants go crazy and has algae suppresing properties.

plant 1, also agree Rotala rotundifolia, unless you mean the Hydrocotle sp. next to it.
plant 2, I usually see this as "baby's tears", if not the Bacopa mentioned by Cz, then maybe Micranthemum umbrosum.
plant 3, I will also throw my vote in on Bacopa monnieri

Nope Zez........the photo was from my 92G.
Hmm........I'm thinkin nobel prize for that shrimp pee theory.

Thank alot guys for the IDs:
Plant ID 1 Rotala rotundifolia
Plant ID 2 Bacopa australis
Plant ID 3 Bacopa monnieri

Here's my cleaning and fertilizing crew:

 

[7Enigma]

Wow! That looks like a bee hive. And here I thought your behind the scenes picture was from this magical tank. How do you suppose one goes about generating such a snail population in a planted tank that already has some algae issues? I would be hesitant to just start dumping large amounts of food in it? I've buried some algae wafers which seems to have helped my MTS population, but don't know if common pond snails spend their time below substrate level??

 

[GlitcH]

Well, the algae is what they eat so let them clean up what ya got and then feed them an algae wafer every other day.
I feed mine two every other day but that is for the snails and shrimp.
But pond snails are always above the substrate.........the only snail I know of that spends time below is the MTS.

 

[7Enigma]

Then something is wrong with my tank.... I feed 3 times a day so there is no shortage of food scraps to eat, and yet my snails do not seem to be taking over at all. I'm thinking of cutting out my afternoon feeding so there is less lighted hours when ammonia is being produced at the highest level (ie right after feeding).

I still need to get a local water report, as even though my GH is ~10 degrees, my MTS that are adult size show shell damage at the ends (I guess the oldest portion of the shell). I now dose small amounts (maybe 1-2ppm) every day or so of calcium chloride to try to give them a little more if that is causing the problem, but I'm really just dosing blind. I have tiger barbs, Oto's, 1 cory catfish (just today read someone saying their's eats pond snails!>!> ), a BN pleco (new addition so he is not a factor), and probably under 50MTS (I can only see 10 or so at most at any given time during non-lighted periods).

 

[GlitcH]

I'd bet that your barbs are eating the snail eggs......never heard of corys eating snails until that recent post your speaking of.

What other snails do you have besides mts?