3 gallon shrimp tank (dbp)

[hambone870]

ive never kept shrimp so this will all be new to me...

heres the specs of the tank-

size- 3 gallon DBP
substrate- eco complete
filtration- red sea nano
lighting- marineland single bright 18"

fire red shrimp
xmas moss, java moss, anubias, sword, a few floaters


i cycled the tank for nearly two weeks with seeded filter media, plants, snails and driftwood before taking home some fire reds from the swap. these were shrimp that were bred in local water and i hope that it has an advantage to my first try.

here's the first fts-





it been just a week and i've lost zero shrimp! even more crazy, ive had 3 molt and one give birth!!! i know the shrimp came berried but even still it was pretty sweet to witness that in the first week. we may have started with 10 shrimp but now we have far more swimming around.









heres some things im working on some solutions for



1) shrimp and now baby shrimp diets and feeding

ive fed algae wafers now twice and they all ate, but i wanna mix it up


2) filtration

the flow of the nano is good but im getting some surface film, also looking to upgrade from panty hose to a real filter guard (what size is small enough to fit?


3) tannins

the wood is leaching but i've only done a 20% change so far, still some color in the water

[sacme]

Looks real good, simple and clean, I like it! I'm still learning about shrimp but everything looks good to me and its only a matter of time till you've cleared up all the tannins. Keep posting and good job.

[merritt1985]

I use a aqua top Hob that I got on Amazon for like 12 bucks. I think it's aquatop pf1. As for diet my cherries really like frozen blood worms, spinach, and zucchini. I use hikari shrimp good as there main good though. I don't think the tannins from your wood will hurt them any. I have mopani in with mine and they have been fine. Good luck with your shrimp

[hambone870]

Originally Posted by sacme

Looks real good, simple and clean, I like it! I'm still learning about shrimp but everything looks good to me and its only a matter of time till you've cleared up all the tannins. Keep posting and good job.

Thanks I'm going to limit this to a few different types of moss and anubias. I'm trying to keep the plants to about 5 types.

As far as the water changes I know shrimp need stable over everything. Can I do more then 20% a week? I've read recommendations of much less then that...

I will keep it updated, thanks!

[hambone870]

Originally Posted by merritt1985

I use a aqua top Hob that I got on Amazon for like 12 bucks. I think it's aquatop pf1. As for diet my cherries really like frozen blood worms, spinach, and zucchini. I use hikari shrimp good as there main good though. I don't think the tannins from your wood will hurt them any. I have mopani in with mine and they have been fine. Good luck with your shrimp

Thanks for the food suggestions, I will try those. I'm going for the idea variety is better shrimp!

[GMYukonon24s]

Your shrimp look happy in there. Nice job!

[A.D.D.i.c.t.]

Contact H4N for a filter guard.

[A.D.D.i.c.t.]

Google shrimp water changes. This small of a tank I would only do 20% a week, maybe every two weeks. Test your water and TDS levels to determine what works for you.

[hambone870]

Originally Posted by GMYukonon24s

Your shrimp look happy in there. Nice job!

thank you

Originally Posted by A.D.D.i.c.t.

Contact H4N for a filter guard.

thank you

Originally Posted by A.D.D.i.c.t.

Google shrimp water changes. This small of a tank I would only do 20% a week, maybe every two weeks. Test your water and TDS levels to determine what works for you.

i heard stable is far more important then parameters, ill stick to once a week on the wc's if that often.

ill just deal with the tannins over time

[StraightAddicted]

Tank looks great, def get a filter guard I just got mine from H4N couple weeks ago well worth it. Don't do big water changes, shrimp do not create a big billowed compared to fish. The plants will help with the small amounts they produce. Shrimp do better in consistent water parameters.
The tannins are perfectly fine and wont harm the shrimp. People actually add Indian almond leaves (IAL) and alder cones to benefit their shrimp. The shrimp will graze on them. Tannins will lower the ph slightly but may be beneficial depending on what species you are keeping. Just test your water parameters and do what's best for them based on the results.

[hambone870]

Originally Posted by StraightAddicted

Tank looks great, def get a filter guard I just got mine from H4N couple weeks ago well worth it. Don't do big water changes, shrimp do not create a big billowed compared to fish. The plants will help with the small amounts they produce. Shrimp do better in consistent water parameters.
The tannins are perfectly fine and wont harm the shrimp. People actually add Indian almond leaves (IAL) and alder cones to benefit their shrimp. The shrimp will graze on them. Tannins will lower the ph slightly but may be beneficial depending on what species you are keeping. Just test your water parameters and do what's best for them based on the results.

well i wont worry too much about the tannins for now though they are unsightly, im sure they will run their course soon