75g rebirth...inverts only

[Nubster]

Did a fairly large over haul of my tank...got rid of a lot of plants and removed all the fish. Only thing in the tank are neos and dwarf crayfish. Kept the planting pretty simple with lots of Java ferns, needle, windolev, and trident. Couple crypts, some wisteria and sunset hygro. There's a big chunk of moss behind the rocks too. Still using T5HO, pressurized CO2 and PPS Pro ferts. I'll be moving all the RCS from my 20g tomorrow and keeping the yellows in there until I get my 40B setup which will end up being the new home for them. Here is a before and current shot of the tank. I think I like this more open scape a bit better. The rock work IMO is nicer too. More character to the stone.

Before....


Don't mind the rock on the driftwood, just there to hold it down until it stays on its own.

[Nubster]

Added more shrimp from the 20g...all doing well.

[Nubster]

Added more shrimp including 3 berried females. Well, one berried yesterday, two today. So there should be loads of babies in the next couple weeks as they have been berried a week or longer.

Also got my sponge filters and airpump from Kens today. Threw one in already powered by a powerhead. The other will have to be airpump powered unless I order another powerhead. I use pressurized CO2 in the tank. How much CO2 will I loose by using an airstone powered sponge filter in my tank?

[Nubster]

Shrimp pics bump...

[HolyAngel]

The tank looks nice and so do the shrimp!

I was under the impression that cray's will eat shrimp though?

[Nubster]

These aren't CPO's...they are Cajun Dwarf crayfish (Cambarellus shufeldtii) and so far I have not seen any aggression towards the shrimp...even when they are right next to each other. I think that the shrimp are pretty safe because they move so much faster than the crayfish. I guess if there was a sick/dying or old shrimp it might fall prey if the crayfish was so inclined.

[HolyAngel]

Oh nice! Good info to know, thanks! That cray actually looks kinda cute lol ^^

[Nubster]

Yeah, they are pretty neat even though they aren't flashy and colorful. Just something neat and different in the tank. They seem to just mind their own business. That one in the pic is a female...they are maybe 2" long if that, the males about 1.5".

[Nubster]

ttt

[Nubster]

I was bored today so in an effort to combine some equipment I build a Barr Reactor so that I can remove a powerhead and tubing and get rid of the Rex Reactor I have sitting on top of my tank. I added the sponge filter the other day and will add a second one soon. Plan it to get rid of the AC 110 HOB eventually having the two sponge filters and maybe a couple small powerheads. Here is a shot of the Barr Reactor, this is not the spot it will stay, I'll be moving it to the back corner and hide it behind some plants....

[Nubster]

Bump to be ignored.

[DesmondTheMoonBear]

Nice tank and great shrimp pics!

Also love the MFK sticker, lol. Haven't been on there in ages, but I do miss my gulper catfish that forum inspired me to get.

[demonr6]

Originally Posted by Nubster

I was bored today so in an effort to combine some equipment I build a Barr Reactor so that I can remove a powerhead and tubing and get rid of the Rex Reactor I have sitting on top of my tank. I added the sponge filter the other day and will add a second one soon. Plan it to get rid of the AC 110 HOB eventually having the two sponge filters and maybe a couple small powerheads. Here is a shot of the Barr Reactor, this is not the spot it will stay, I'll be moving it to the back corner and hide it behind some plants....

Out of curiosity how did you determine the size of that tube or did you just leave the tube as is when you repurposed it? Interesting idea. I would need a second powerhead and in a small 20L that may be pretty tight. I already have one in use but it has a DIY spray bar and that whole set up takes up enough space. Maybe a smaller powerhead? It's a Marineland 400 Maxi Jet that I am using now.

[Nubster]

I just used it as is. It's about an inch off the substrate. Not sure if these things are supposed to be a certain length. It works good but I get a lot of micro bubbles even with a big chunk of sponge in the bottom. I'll mess with it a little bit more then I'll go back to my Rex Reactor since it was bubble free. Because of this setup I was able to remove a big clunky powerhead but I think I may add another Koralia nano that I have to move water directly past this reactor to get the CO2 across the tank.

[knuggs]

Nice healthy looking tank! That CPO is cool, specially since he doesnt mess with your shrimp. Very nice shrimp pics too