Heavily planted former DSM 10g shrimp tank
- Thread starter pbmax
- Start date
Lamental Jester
New Member
hey pbmax, did you ever think about attaching java to that cube when you fill it up? Might do well at giving a more natural look. Annnnnd, when the heck are you gonna fill that bad boy up?
pbmax
Active Member
Nope, I never considered that. You're right, that would look more natural, but it would also make cleaning a bit of a pain. I clean my sponge filters rather vigorously, contrary what some folks advise on here; I wouldn't be able to do that without destroying the moss. It is food for thought, however; I might just try it. 
It's been filled since the 11th! Go back to page 1 :cyclops:
I have new occupants in it as well, as of yesterday.
It's been filled since the 11th! Go back to page 1 :cyclops:
I have new occupants in it as well, as of yesterday.
LuminousAphid
New Member
Looks good, you obviously are super into your planted setups. I am too scared to try dirt, I don't know enough about everything yet.
About the crypts; I got a crypt wendii red that I put in my 10 gallon. It totally melted within about 2 weeks, but with patience it has come back to almost the size it was when I first got it. I'm not sure I would buy more in the future, but it has been cool to watch it appear to die, then come back full-force. There are even some little side shoots that I didn't see before, and that's without any nutrients in the substrate, just tahitian black sand
About the crypts; I got a crypt wendii red that I put in my 10 gallon. It totally melted within about 2 weeks, but with patience it has come back to almost the size it was when I first got it. I'm not sure I would buy more in the future, but it has been cool to watch it appear to die, then come back full-force. There are even some little side shoots that I didn't see before, and that's without any nutrients in the substrate, just tahitian black sand
pbmax
Active Member
Heh, yes, I am. I got into the hobby for the plants; the fish and shrimp are a nice bonus.
Dirt isn't too bad. You have to use the right stuff (too many nutrients are bad), initial planting can be tricky (sand cap to keep everything in place and dirt out of the water column), and keep an eye on the PH - dirt leeches ammonia which results in the cycle producing more acid than usual which gobbles up KH pretty quickly. I boost the KH on 2 of my 4 dirt tanks because of this.
The wendtii red in my 29g spread all over the tank. It still melts in places, but that doesn't seem to slow it down.
Dirt isn't too bad. You have to use the right stuff (too many nutrients are bad), initial planting can be tricky (sand cap to keep everything in place and dirt out of the water column), and keep an eye on the PH - dirt leeches ammonia which results in the cycle producing more acid than usual which gobbles up KH pretty quickly. I boost the KH on 2 of my 4 dirt tanks because of this.
The wendtii red in my 29g spread all over the tank. It still melts in places, but that doesn't seem to slow it down.
pbmax
Active Member
Here are a couple of photos I took of the tank today in all of its submersed glory! :cheers:
I have a bit of green spot algae, lots of limpets, and a huge volunteer ostracod population, but otherwise it's growing very well. The chocolate neocaridina have been breeding very well and I have quite a few very stunning specimens (none of whom are visible in these photos, however... heavy planting does have its draw-backs).
The 1st post has also been updated.
I have a bit of green spot algae, lots of limpets, and a huge volunteer ostracod population, but otherwise it's growing very well. The chocolate neocaridina have been breeding very well and I have quite a few very stunning specimens (none of whom are visible in these photos, however... heavy planting does have its draw-backs
).The 1st post has also been updated.
A
Anonymous
Guest
Nice!
A
Anonymous
Guest
We'll that sucks. My 10 gallon has been a cesspool of algae for months. These pictures completely disappoint me.
That been said....
Looks great pbmax, I am :no: <--- green with envy. This tank has become a wow factor of 10.
That been said....
Looks great pbmax, I am :no: <--- green with envy. This tank has become a wow factor of 10.
pbmax
Active Member
Thanks!SiRWesDragon said:
Thanks! That's probably the nicest thing anyone's said about any of my tanks. :cyclops: With this tank, less really is more. It's just amazonia and root feeders plus potassium sulphate once a week and a 50% water change every 2 weeks. The chocolate shrimp help a bit with keeping the thing clean.fishNAbowl said:
I don't post photos of my faceplant 20g or the amount of cladophora I yank out of several of my tanks every week.
A
Anonymous
Guest
Yeah, I don't get it. My 1st planted tank was a 55. My 1st real planted tank is my 140. It took a couple months but it's busting out the seams with gorgeous plants. Then my 30 gallon; It took a while but it's doing well. It seems the smaller tank I go the harder it gets to maintain for me. In my 10 gallon I just lost 1 of my puffers, another school of Pygmy Corys and a baby bristlenose. Just got done yanking all the yucky plants, and replanting, scalping out of the 140 gallon. Same pattern now for 6+ months. I am about to toss this tank. So disappointing, it's a nice little metal frame tank, and looks good in the entry way in the house...
pbmax
Active Member
I had a 10g that killed all sorts of inverts and looked pretty horrible for a while, but it recovered and now it's once of my nicer tanks.
More recently I purchased a phosphate measuring kit and discovered that the food I'd been feeding in that tank was causing more than enough residual phosphates in the water - enough that I didn't need to add any phosphate ferts to the tank.
Similarly, nitrates were remaining higher due to the age of the tank, over-feeding, and no vac'ing, so I use just potassium sulphate in that tank now as well.
I've reduced feeding (it houses my blue velvet shrimp; they don't need a ton of food) and my algae woes are all but gone now. I have cladphora, but it likes what plants like so there's nothing to be done there apart from manual removal.
More recently I purchased a phosphate measuring kit and discovered that the food I'd been feeding in that tank was causing more than enough residual phosphates in the water - enough that I didn't need to add any phosphate ferts to the tank.
Similarly, nitrates were remaining higher due to the age of the tank, over-feeding, and no vac'ing, so I use just potassium sulphate in that tank now as well.
I've reduced feeding (it houses my blue velvet shrimp; they don't need a ton of food) and my algae woes are all but gone now. I have cladphora, but it likes what plants like so there's nothing to be done there apart from manual removal.