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ShrimpZoo's 30gal CRS/CBS/Golden Breeding Tank

33K views 126 replies 36 participants last post by  Soothing Shrimp 
#1 · (Edited)




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Like the title says, I'm going to start a 30gal CRS breeding tank and I'm going to start designing it tomorrow.

I've got 2 bags of "NETLEA Crystal Shrimp Soil (9L)" that will be delivered to my house, so that means the fun official starts tomorrow.

I've already got a basic layout planned in my brain and here is what I'm thinking:



Blue Area: Will be where I'll have my "Breeding Tubes". They will be "Breeding Tubes" that will consist of Cholla Wood. I've ordered 5 sets from NeoShrimp and you can see them at - http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=184932

I'll be attaching some Java Ferns on top of them as a roof lol :hihi:.

Red Area: This will be where I'll be placing my driftwood (re-using the one in my current tank). You can check out the piece using the link in my forum signature. I will be wrapping a ton of Java Moss around this piece of wood.

Pink Scribble: That will be where I'll have a feeding dish. The feeding dish is just a simple sushi soy dish holder. http://www.mysushiset.com/soy-sauce-dish-snow-white.html

Green Boxes (2): Will be where I place 2 separate filters. They will most likely be Seapora Sponge Filters -

http://www.bigalspets.ca/fish/filters/breeder-sponge-filter-136.html

They'll be run by a Marina Air Pump that has a duo air output line:

http://www.hydroshop.ca/english/hagen-marina-200-2-outlets-air-pump.html

Random Yellow Markings: Marimo Balls


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That's all for the layout of the tank. What I want feedback on is the following (but feel free to comment on my set up) FEEL FREE TO SKIM THROUGH (I blab a LOT):

#1. Filtration - Is having 2 giant sponge filters crazy? or practical? Will there be an issue with flow/current for the CRS? I want to keep water clean but I don't want to create a problem doing so. Because as I've heard countless times, keeping it simple is best and I hope I'm not overdoing it.

#2. Substrate will lose its buffering capabilities after 12 months from what I've read @ http://www.shrimpkeeping.com/substrate.html

How do you guys efficiently+effectively change your substrate? This is something I'm going to have to do in the future so I'm curious to how it is done. Do you just scoop up all your shrimp and dump the substrate and put in a new one? and does that mean you have to re-cycle the tank?

#3. Since this is a breeding tank and I want to keep nitrates as low as possible, would having duckweed as a floater be a smart move? My only plants will be (excluding duckweed) are:

- Marimo Ball / Java Moss / Java Fern

#4. MTS, yes or no. The only reason why I would WANT them in there is because they mix around the substrate and will act as a clean up crew if food gets into the substrate where the shrimp cannot reach it. Is there ANY negatives other than disliking them (some people just hate em because they are ugly)? Besides, won't they help speed up the tank's cycling process?

p.s: planning on having the substrate about 3" in depth (should be fine I'm assuming)

#5. Water water water, is the main reason that CRS keepers use RO water because if they use tapwater for a WC it'll cause a shift in paramaters and shock the CRS to death? IF so, I will be safe using tap water to aqua-scape I'm assuming. I fail to see why I would fill 30 gallons with RO water if I'm not going to stock up with CRS anytime soon lol. So if it is just an issue with parameters then I should be safe :) please confirm if my assumption is correct. I will probably get RO water from Loblaws or Home Depot or even install one in the basement sink while the tank is cycling.

#6. Here is a list of the food I currently have, are they good enough for CRS (diet-wise)?

- TetraVeggie Algae Wafers Xtreme
Crude Protein (min.) 30.0%, Crude Fat (min.) 6.0%, Crude Fiber (min.) 5.0%, Moisture (max.) 9.0%, Phosphorus (min.) 0.8%, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) (min.) 100 mg/kg.

- Hikari Algae WAfers
Crude Protein Crude Fat Crude Fiber Moisture Crude Ash Phosphorus min. 33% min. 4.0% max. 3.0% max. 10% max. 17% min. 0.8%
- Indian Almond Leaves + Blanched Cucumber :)icon_surp N/A Analysis)

- Hikari Micro Pellets
Crude Protein Crude Fat Crude Fiber Moisture Crude Ash min. 42% min. 4% max. 3% max. 10% max. 12%
- Hikari Shrimp Cuisine
Crude Protein Crude Fat Crude Fiber Moisture Crude Ash Phosphorus min. 35% min. 9.0% max. 6.0% max. 10% max. 14% min.0.8%
- Fluval Shrimp Granules

Crude Protein 37% min
Crude Fat 5% min
Crude Fiber 4% max
Moisture 8% max
Ash 10% max
Calcium 1.8% min
Phosphorus 1% min
Iodine 0.0065% min
Vitamin A 10,000 IU/lb min
Ascorbic Acid
(Vitamin C) 350 mg/lb min
Vitamin E 50 IU/lb min

My plan is feeding them once every other day.

#7. I'm planning on starting off with 10-15 CRS. Is that a good number to start a breeding tank or would you recommend more?

I suppose that's most of what I wanted to say lol... believe it or not this isn't all that I have on my mind atm. I guess having a new tank and getting my substrate tomorrow is making me too excited.

Anyways, thanks for reading and any feedback is appreciated as always.
 
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#57 ·
I just filled mine with plastic pot scrubbers for biomedia from the same dollar. lol. They do sell smaller ones, multi-compartment ones, all kinds depending on the dollar store. FYI, shrimp will climb in the holes and eat on the goodies building up on the bio media. Don't mind them, if they can crawl through a hole to get in, they can crawl and get out. lol.
 
#61 ·
Update:

6 CBS (S Grade)
6 CRS (SS Grade)
^ All successfully acclimated no deaths

Eheim 2213 Classic Canister Filter installed =D (will replace sponge prefilter with a stainless steel one in the future)

modded my HOB filter (to lower output flow and increase biomedia of tank)

and now for some pictures:

- Breeder Box



- HOB Filter Mod





I'll upload pictures of the tank with the eheim and some pictures of the shrimp when my internet isn't so slow and when I get them sent to me from my cousin.

Since, apparently my camera got dropped in Calgary cause someone decided to toss it... sigh* lens is broken so yeah.
 
#62 ·
Hm.. I'll have to check out getting one of those soap dishes. Do you place covers on your tanks? Or do you think having the soap dish under the output will effect the covering?
 
#65 ·
Thanks, and I have no idea how to change the title of the thread (I doubt I could lol)

If I can, tell me ;D and I have to agree that the CBS/CRS are the best shrimp I've ever kept too but lol I've only kept RCS before these guys XD so it isn't saying much but nonetheless these guys are AWESOME.
 
#66 ·
So cover, like a glass cover over the tank to reduce evaporation and keep unwanted things out of the tank. Something like this:

Seems the soap dish won't affect the ability to fully close the glass cover :)!

As for editing the title of the thread. Click on your first post and click "edit" then click on "advanced". Then you'll see an option to edit the title on the top!
 
#70 ·
You could put berried shrimp in there until the eggs hatch OR you could put a male and a female shrimp in there for selective breeding purposes :)

for the meantime, I'm going for mass breeding (so I won't use the breeder box yet). I want to hit about 150 shrimp then I will probably selectively breed the SS grades.
 
#73 ·
So today I decide to look through thee ole tank to check up on my CRS/CBS but I found something that I never expected to see EVER again.

I found a RCS from my previous 10 gal tank... and I'm thinking to myself... no way. Has to be a super sick CRS/CBS but no it was a RCS fully faded orangey red colour all over (at one point I tried to play it off as an underwater spider falling into the tank or some trick of the light lol).

and I was in disbelief for like 5 mins staring at it. It was grazing on the inside of my driftwood. I'm just hoping that it's the ONLY RCS in the tank lol. I didn't take him out cause I was stunned and decided to leave him be because that is pretty huge accomplishment... I mean this guy... was in the tank from day 1 (when I transferred the driftwood/coconut cave [with the java moss] in my other tank)

I know it isn't uncommon for shrimp to be transferred along with moss but the things this guy has been through

RCS truly are the tanks of the shrimp world lol JUST because:

He literally handled a tank with a TDS of 0 (0 gH 0 kH) for like a good long amount of minutes (the day I changed from tap to RO). Handled a giant parameter change gH 12 kH 9 pH 7.8 to gH 4-5 kH 0-1 pH 5.5-6.0 (current tank parameters) and gosh do I feel bad unknowingly putting him through that...

I guess his prize is to live amongst the CRS/CBS in super clean filtered water lol...
 
#79 ·
Hey, yeah I have like at least 6 of them berried from what I can see (saw like 4 CRS and 2 CBS berried), possibly more :D. No babies sighted yet though, but I am definitely preparing for them.

First I thought I had only 1 CRS berried but then I saw 2 CRS berried and realized they were switching with each other in the spotlight lol (so that was an awesome surprise). Then I saw a bunch more berries when I was checking on what I thought were the only 2 berried shrimp for hatched/dropped the eggs (at this point I was having a mini celebration inside).

Been feeding MosuraBioplus every 3 days (Sundays & Wednesdays) so the babies will definitely have something to feed on. and Saturdays is food for adults.

Right now I'm trying to "fix" my TDS and gH so it is down to 5 gH and ~175 TDS. It is at 185 TDS and 6gH as of today. Going to be doing 10% RO WCs until I hit that spot I really want.

Going to be doing WCs every 2 weeks with the week in-between for RO top off once this issue is fixed.

Hopefully all goes well and I get to see shrimplets :) !!
 
#80 ·
Just felt like updating this journal since I feel it has changed a fair amount and progressed nicely lol





What I've changed:
- Added 23" Marineland Bubble Wand (for oxygenation)
- Added Ebiken Shou/Nagomi (for trace minerals)
- Added Indian Almond Leaves (for biofilm w/ magical tannin juices)
- Added peacock moss to left of the tank
- Replaced feeding dish with reptile water dish to look more "realistic" (blend in)
- Replaced light with Zoomed Florasun (pinkish hue)
- Removed frogbit and replaced with riccia (floating)

Babies are now everywhere and survival rate is looking pretty good. Hopefully it remains that way and I can hit my goal of ~200 CRS/CBS. Planning to add White Goldens into the mix.

Ideal tank paramaters are set at:
~200 TDS
~5.5-6.0 pH
~ 4-5 gH
~ 0-1 kH
~ Temp 21-23'C

Anyways, just thought I'd ask 1 question while posting an update about my aquarium:

Will my riccia pull through? The one that yellowing. It became yellow because it wasn't in direct light of the aquarium (which is why the other 2 are perfectly fine). And the skewer system I made is there to position and keep the riccia in direct lighting.

Also, will the Java Moss be okay with the riccia island floating on top of it? I hope the shade of the riccia won't start killing my Java moss.




Thanks for reading :) !
 
#81 ·
Wow your java moss recovered very well! Initially it was very brown and what not :)!

Ricca has always grown out of control for me, to the point I threw it all away since I couldn't keep it attached on anything. I would wait ~1week for and see if the ricca recovers. If it doens't just chuck the yellowing sections out and the healthier parts should regrow.

As for java moss lighting, I don't think it will mind being partially shaded. It's not a high light plant. What will actually happen is that the java moss on the way bottom of that bush will slowly die off.
 
#82 ·
lol yeah the java moss made a full recovery and is smothering the driftwood beneath it. But meh, the driftwood is so the shrimp have a nice little tunnel system where they can gamble and have fun.

I will return to the tank again in 2 or 3 weeks and see if it shows any signs of improvement.

and lol wow the java moss at the very bottom slowly dies off o.o I hope that stuff dissolves away so the java moss doesn't keep piling on and on and on and blow the roof of my aquarium off (not literally but yeah).
 
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