5.5 gallon Cryptocoryne tank - Now with Rilis!

[Monster Fish]

Here's the tank as of this past Saturday.




And here's the Rilis. Even though they are culls, they have some nice patterns and a bluish tint to them. Thanks again, Ren!

Forgive crappy cell phone pics.































One of the rilis hiding behind the crypts.

Anyways, they are constantly picking at the subwassertang, the substrate, the crypts, and the floater roots. The only way I got them to come out from the plants was with a Hikari Crab Cuisine pellet. I plan on feeding them spinach, zucchini, kale, and Repashy once I get it. They seem content picking at all the biofilm and swimming in the current created by the internal filter.

Anyways, til next time.

[aokashi]

your betta didnt eat the shrimps?!

[Monster Fish]

Originally Posted by aokashi

your betta didnt eat the shrimps?!

He jumped from the tank before I got the rilis. He'd probably try to eat them though if he was still alive.

[aokashi]

oh noes D: ur tank params mustve been terrible !

[ren]

Yo monster! How have they been doing? Any berries yet? They must love your tank since the tank they were in had no hiding spots.

[Monster Fish]

Originally Posted by aokashi

oh noes D: ur tank params mustve been terrible !

Yeah, I think it was when the Nitrates were through the roof. Kinda sad since I had him for 4 years.

Originally Posted by ren

Yo monster! How have they been doing? Any berries yet? They must love your tank since the tank they were in had no hiding spots.

They've been doing great. They are constantly picking at the sponge filter, the floater roots, the subwassertang, and the substrate. They completely devoured a 1 cm cube of Shrimp Souffle in about 24 hours. No berries yet but plenty of bright yellow saddles. I'm going to do my first water change since introducing them into the tank, after the Walking Dead is finished. I currently have some remineralized tap water aging in a 5 gallon bucket. I'll make adjustments to their new water if necessary.

Other than that, I think I need to dose more macros. Some of my crypts are developing pinholes and some of my floaters are yellowing. The shrimp are happy though. I think I should have bought more from you, Ren. 15 is way too little for my 5 gallon jungle! lol

I'll post some new pics later.

[Monster Fish]

Welp. When I was removing some excess floaters to do my water change, I found not one, but TWO berried moms. They were picking at the subwassertang clump at the rear of the tank. Not sure if I should change the water yet. The TDS is hovering around 320. GH and KH both at 6 degrees.

[ren]

Damn your TDS is 320 well then again they are bulletproof. I keep mine between 170 - 200. Well keep those mamas happy they'll give you 2 bundles of joy.

[Bluek24a4]

Monster, when I do W/C on my 5.5 gallon shrimp tanks, I use airline tubing. One from the tank to a bucket on the floor, and then I put a bucket filled with new good water on a foot stool that places it above the tank and run another line from bucket to tank. Then I try to match the flow between the two. To change about three gallons, it takes about an hour to two. Nice and easy, slow, non stressful way to change the water for the shrimpers.

This works great especially if you're in the same room as the tank, as all you have to do is make sure the water level in the tank doesn't go too low or high.

[acitydweller]

+1 better slow drip.

when i have berried mommas and high tds, i change about .5 gal and repeat over the next 4 days. Its a pain in the butt but i dont have eggs drop. just make sure you have your water params pretreated before adding to the tank.

[Monster Fish]

Thanks you two. I got to find a stool and some airline to do the slow change. I already have some treated water (added GH booster, baking soda, and dechlorinator) sitting in a Home depot bucket being circulated by my canister filter from my other 5 gallon (the one I'm dry starting). So, only .5 gallons per day?

[Bluek24a4]

With my drip in/drip out method I usually do 50% water changes over a 90 minute period. Doing smaller ones cant hurt, but I would find dripping in a 10% water change everyday exhausting.

[aokashi]

oO you guys have inspire me to finally do my first water change in 2 months on my 2.5 gallon....

[Monster Fish]

Originally Posted by Bluek24a4

With my drip in/drip out method I usually do 50% water changes over a 90 minute period. Doing smaller ones cant hurt, but I would find dripping in a 10% water change everyday exhausting.

That sounds more reasonable. Do you dose after your changes? Some of my crypts are developing pin holes and some of my floaters are yellowing.

[Bluek24a4]

Yes. I make sure the water itself matches gh/kh and temp wise, and then when its done dripping in I dose Nitrate and Phosphate into the tank.

Potassium goes into the water change water with calcium and magnesium.