I have a 150 gallon community tank and recently joined GWAPA, where I got a good deal on a nano 2.5 ($5) and a RedSea Nano filter in the box ($6) so I thought I would add a small heater in the filter, either Deep Blue or Hydor, and a little LED if I can get one at a decent price or a desk lamp etc.
I want to just put Red Cherry Shrimp in the tank with a little moss, maybe some tiny cholla, and float a little Riccia. I thought I could breed them here and add adults to my big tank or sell them off if it works out well. I guess I will have to cover the inlet on the nano filter with something to keep babies from getting filtered.
I did want to do something more elaborate with a UGF in a 12 gallon long, the UGF flipped upside down and capped with bio-media "coco puffs" then some stratum, etc. but this little tank came along cheap and I don't want a 2215 on a 2.5 g. tank. But as it stands I will just do Stratum alone.
I would love to hear any suggestions to help me with my setup, I can't pick up the tank and filter until early December at the next club meeting but I would like to have all my extra stuff ready to go, thanks.
I use a Fluval foam piece over the intake of my HOB filter. The Shrimp love to graze on it. And no baby shrimp get sucked up. My 10g is stable enough I don't use a heater. But my room is the warmest room in the house in the winter.
Do me a favor and give a link to the foam piece you use, thanks.
This room is also warm it used to be my office so it has about 10 halogen track lights that get hot, my computer a little more, and my 150 which has light, filters etc., that generate heat, but I would like to be safe. I guess I should see what temp Cherry's like I alway thought it was a little cooler the the community tank like 74 to 76, I know moss likes it a little cool too.
The first bit of advice that I would give you is to start with the best cherry shrimp that you can get. The price of fire reds (even newer PFR) is getting so low that they are easily affordable.
Otherwise down the road you will decide you want a few dark/solid red ones and then you will be stuck either maintaining multiple strains or mixing them (which will mean that you can't sell the extras at the higher grade).
Azoo has undergravel circulating pipes that I have seen recommended for slightly planted (or shrimp only) tanks that seem like they would suit what you had in mind for the future 12G tank.
Both shrimpnmoss and mordalphus have shrimp tanks set up along the lines of what you are suggesting (using UGF that are pipes or tubes and which are powered by external canister filters). shrimpnmoss has a pretty good diary of sorts describing it over at shrimpnow and mordalphus has a thread going right now in the inverts sub-forum here about how he just set up the filtration in a re-done shrimp tank. Just some info to help you on your way when you get around to setting up a bigger tank (with UGF).
For cherry shrimp the stratum should be great. You don't need to really soft water and low pH for Neos to thrive so Fluval Shrimp Stratum combined with tap water should work great.
If you have the shrimp nano-tank in a climate controlled room away from windows and doors (drafts) you probably don't need a heater. Finding a nano-heater can be a PITA.
ATI (the Hydro-Sponge company) have a Filter-Max pre-filter that seems to work quite well and is better at resisting clogging than the make-shift sponge pre-filters that people seem to use most of the time.
The downside is that the pre-filters are pretty bulky.
ATI (the Hydro-Sponge company) have a Filter-Max pre-filter that seems to work quite well and is better at resisting clogging than the make-shift sponge pre-filters that people seem to use most of the time.
I think they have more than one size. It is vastly better than any other pre-filter sponge. It is a heavy duty material that lasts a LONG time and has a nice snug fit. Most others have a flimsy sponge that breaks apart in a few months or falls off.
Is it this one, or maybe you could give me a link, the intake on the Red Sea Nano filter is very small, maybe 1/2 inch thin wall tubing.
EDIT: I did find some smaller ones and came across this with the dual inlets.
I had the idea for the UGF and went to the invert section to inquire about the 12 long I want to build and Mordalphus, shrimpnmoss, and others quickly chimed in telling me about the bio media, etc., but if shrimp like clean water then a tank with a spotless substrate makes common sense and to make it your bio media filter bed is just smart, bigger is better.
I have like 6 of the Filtermax 3 pre-filters that you have pictured here.
Work great, resist clogging pretty well (it is more like pond filter foam than fine pored aquarium filter foam) and the shrimp seem to love to pick at them and feed off of them.
I can just see how some people would not like to look at them. I don't mind one way or another but I don't have show tanks (or even aquascape the tanks) so aesthetics aren't something I can comment on much.
Ok I get the tank & filter 12-4-11, below is the rest of my list this far in no particular order.
This one is supposed to be only 1.75 inches tall and from 64 to 86 degrees.
I think the 4.4 pound bag will be enough substrate and this heater should slide into the filter or I'll hide it in the tank.
The light is fairly sleek and has 3 blue moon lights and 18 white for day and I have no idea at what end of the Kelvin scale, but it should do the trick and last 5 years.
I got some extra filter pads because they were cheap and all this stuff is coming from the same place so shipping is cheap and I decided on this inlet strainer/sponge because it should allow the filter to work unrestricted and it was only $1.05, so....
Now I just need water, I've got the plants in another tank, and I need to buy a few Fire Red Cherry's, I think that's what they are called. If you see anything missing or any problems let me know, thank you.
Oh, I think it's just a standard 2.5 and I was thinking of a deriming then painting the back flat black or a black adhesive background and this is the filter. What beast and rated for tanks up to 3 gallons with such extreme disregard to extra half gallon of filter capacity I can hardly contain myself.
I placed my order with Amazon today but hat to omit the heater, extra filter pads, and foam intake as it added an extra $15 in shipping and I would rather give the dough to my LFS if I'm going to over pay so they will still be there when I need them.
Well I found the Betta Stik heater at my LFS for $7 and my Amazon order came in and of couse the Stratum is fine, the little Fluval thermometer is great and very small, but the light is sub par and may need to be returned. It only has 2 watts of lighting power over all so this would be more like an experiment to see how low you can go and still grow something, plus the shrimp light to sustain life, I think. Anyway I couldn't find any good info on the light other than it wa 10 inches long but that's overall the actual head area of diodes is 3 inches by 1.5 inches.
I say ditch the stick-on thermometer, as it won't give you accurate readings you're looking for. Get one of the Fluval Ebi/Flora thermometers for $1-$2 - they're perfect and nearly disappear in my 2.5gal tanks.
When it comes to filtration - if you're using Red Sea Nanos - just get whatever cheap filter foam you can find at the LFS or one of the online retailers and cut it down to size. Don't spend more than a couple bucks and you'll have enough to last for years and years. (I also run ceramic media in mine)
Black pantyhose will also do the trick for covering the intake and won't take up any valuable space in the tank. Stretch it really, really tight over the strainer and tie a rubber band around it.
Glad to see other folks doing small tanks like this!
Thanks for the reply, I wanted some feedback. On the thermometer I use one similar in my big tank but in this nano I want nothing, no drop checkers or big foam, so it I know my temp is between 75 to 77 that will be good enough and I can put it on the far side of the tank where it's not visible.
I was thinking of a little bio media in the filter and if I do ladies stockings I will most likely spray paint the intake flat black first and use a black wire tie to attach it. I have a ton of filter floss that might work but the pads are so cheap and it might be wise to have a little carbon for clean water.
I'm really excited about this tank and I want the shrimp to shine and all equipment to disappear or not be seen at all.
For RCS the little stick on thermometers are perfect. You won't need a super accurate temperature anyways so what you have would work fine.
I'm not very familiar with the Red Sea Nano filters but you don't want to attach the pantyhose so it's a hassle to get off. When I used to have only a pantyhose over the intake of my whisper filter, it would clog up maybe every three days? Now I have a sponge inside the pantyhose to increase the entire area and that doesn't clog ever. It also allows a second place for beneficial bacteria to grow, but I see you already have a sponge filter so that would be up to you :]
yeah, that sponge filter should be plenty for filtration, you could leave the red sea empty and it just be a powerhead and oxygenator... if you wanted, you could put biomedia or carbon in the filter, but just another thing to clean when the sponges are made to do the job. I have the red sea filter and so far it has worked great, did have an issue just 2 days ago where sand finally stopped the impeller... all good again now though, I have already replaced the in filter sponge after 6 months, because it got too clogged, even with rinsing every week in tank water. Thats why I suggested leaving it empty...
When it comes to that tank, keep in mind that putting a sponge inside it is going to take a ton of room. I'm a fan of just running sponge pieces inside the Red Sea. Works really, really well for me and I use broken pieces of Fluval ceramic and/or the AquaClear ceramic pellets behind the sponge.
These little filters are actually roomy enough that you could put a bit of purigen in some pantyhose or a media bag if you ever needed.
And about the stick-on thermometers. They're even less accurate with tiny tanks and are more prone to ambient room temperature. If you end up using a Hydor mini heater, you'll need a super-accurate thermometer to make sure you aren't cooking your shrimp. It's worth the $1 investment in my opinion.
I keep the house pretty cool in the winter with 70 degree while we are awake and 68 while we sleep so I'll use the Betta Stik which is preprogrammed and to what temp I don't know but Betta's like it hot, from 77 to 83 so this would be too hot for shrimp and moss. So the heater is rated for tanks up to 2.5 gallon and is supposed to be on 24/7 but I put it on a timer and have it on for an hour and off for 3 or what ever gets the job done so the tank stays at 75 degrees.
My apartment stays at ~70 degrees all the time (people above and below me seem to blast heat so my heat hasn't even turn on once ). I find if you have a lid to your tank, my tank water stays at ~74. Fluctuates to 72 at night and 76 if the sun shines on the windows. But haven't had to use a heater.
RCS can survive in lower temperatures, as long as its ALWAYS that low. They'll do fine if your temperature is 70 during the day and 68 at night.
Marina/Hagen and Marineland both make small heaters that are a constant 77/78. That's what I had to upgrade my tanks to. About $12 a pop online or about $20 at your LFS, usually.
When running an under-gravel filter, keep in mind that you may have to tear your tank down if you run into major clogs or problems. That's not always conducive to keeping a planted tank or aquascape that you wish to maintain for a long period of time.
And in a small tank like a 2.5gal setup, it's not as easy to do without taking up valuable tank real estate. It's why most people use small HOBs or small canisters on little tanks.
Lots of shrimp folks here on the forum (and elsewhere) swear my sponge filters in shrimp-only tanks. Cost effective, easy to clean, quiet, shrimp-safe. But that's usually just in tanks larger than a 2.5gal.
If the tank were a little larger I have a 2215 I could use with the UGF but it would be to much for the RedSea nano filter.
I am waiting for some Fissidens from Chad and a couple of other mosses which will be perfect for this tank, I also have some small pieces of driftwood that broke off a larger piece during shipping. The light I ordered came in and I hope it's enough to make moss grow it's really under powered and may have to be replaced with only 2 watts of output.
Thanks to all for all the heating info too.
What should I do to cycle this tank prior to adding any shrimp, I've read the Stratum doesn't get an ammonia spike like other substrates but I could use some help in this area.
Did you get Chad's moss starter pack? I got one a while ago and loved it. So many mosses.
A little filter media from the big tank maybe? Do you have the clay things in your filter on that one? If so, you can toss a couple of those in the filter on this one for a week or so.
Well I have a filter cleaning on a 2217 coming up on the 13th so that works out perfect I can steal some bio media and the nasty old fine filter pad should do the trick, thanks.
FWIW, I also dont use a heater on my tanks. I have found that they breed faster at room temps. I keep my heat @ 68*.
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