Jake's Mr. Aqua 12gal Long/36" Shrimp Tank (pic heavy)

[somewhatshocked]

Bacopa australis is blooming:



Shrimplets love to hang out beneath the filter intake sponge:



This PFR is nearing the end of the road:



Horned Nerite doing its job:

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Feeding time with OM NOM NOM!



Marsilea minuta has really taken off after more than half a year. I figure it'll look perfect in another 2-3 months. Started adding my own homemade clay fert balls beneath it and that seems to have done the trick. Gonna leave all the old, dying growth for the shrimp and snails to continue devouring.

Found my PRL mama got berried again before I could move her back to my PRL-only tank:



Guess she'll have to wait another month to move back home.

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Found these in the filter upon swapping out the Purigen bag:



Nine of them.

Nice find!

Yes, I use a pre-filter sponge. I'm gonna start using something that's more tight fitting, though, for sure.

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Craziness: half the shrimplets kicked the bucket upon being moved to the tank.

[SomeCanuck]

Change of parameters between the filter baskets and the tank itself, maybe?

[somewhatshocked]

That's the only thing I can imagine. Though, I've never had shrimp die upon being moved to the tank from the filter before.

The remaining half are alive and well.

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I love this tank but am now beginning to really dislike the Bacopa australis:



The sides:





Think I'm gonna have to give in and start training it to be more of a bushy plant than a tall stem.

The lone CRS baby in the tank:



Some CBS babies:






Two almost-adults:




I think I've almost got breeding them perfected. Nice shell thickness, nice coloration. Only a few more miles to go.

[eeng168]

Tank looks great!!!

I have a question about the stand. I know of it well but was wondering it you kept all 6 compartments in? Did you cut some boards? Where do you put the filter? Behind it or on the side? Nothing will fit in those 1 sq feet boxes.

[somewhatshocked]

If you take a look at the beginning of the thread, you'll see that the shelving unit has not been altered.

Filtration system has been hidden from view, though it's not in the unit.

Originally Posted by eeng168

Tank looks great!!!

I have a question about the stand. I know of it well but was wondering it you kept all 6 compartments in? Did you cut some boards? Where do you put the filter? Behind it or on the side? Nothing will fit in those 1 sq feet boxes.

[PinkRasbora]

beautiful tank there. I want to steal some of your shrimplets lol

[somewhatshocked]

Thanks! The shrimplets seem to be growing up quite nicely.

Noticed a few more babies earlier today.

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Feeling the urge to replace some of the Bacopa australis with more upright Bacopa stems (monnieri, salzmannii).

Or maybe some sort of Crypt. Any Crypt recommendations, fellow planted tankers?

[MABJ]

Jake, how will you train the bacopa? I'd like to do this with mine in the 18" 3 gal


From MABJ's iPhone
2G Fluval Spec ~ fauna and flora in the works!

[somewhatshocked]

Press it into your substrate. More specifically, as roots develop on the stem, push those down into your substrate. You'll nearly constantly have to press stray stems down but it becomes a little easier over time.

[somewhatshocked]

In the past three days I've gotten all kinds of private messages from people asking about bacterial infections. That's on top of all of the recent threads. And one thing is a constant, unfortunately: the supplier of shrimp. They're selling shrimp that haven't been quarantined and are spreading bacterial infections all over the place.

So I just want to remind folks who may be reading this to gauge your seller well before making a purchase. Take time to get to know them and make sure they're legit before you plop down $20-$50 on a single shrimp. If you don't know them on Aquabid? Don't throw your money away. Don't know them on TPT beyond a feedback score? Don't risk it. Know who you're buying from, what their practices are, how they care for their livestock before selling to you. You'll thank yourself.

This isn't to name names or harm anybody, as there are obviously terrific sellers here on TPT. Just please be sure the seller you choose reliable so these bacterial scares are rare.