Active substrate end of life, time for a new tank and idea

[sayurasem]

I see it now!
The vertical shots of the tank playing tricks on me

[GeToChKn]

Spotted my first baby that came out of hiding somewhere in the tank looking good, nice coloring already for a baby. I did put a berried shrimp in there that only had like 1 or 2 eggs, she dropped the rest but kept 2 eggs to term, so this may be one of them.





Couple pics of everyone in the tank enjoying feeding time and doing well in the new tank.







Between the shrimp and the snails, there is never any food left in the bare bottom glass part. I think feeding on substrate, it falls down before everyone gets a chance to eat it. On bare bottom, it gets eaten.

[GeToChKn]

Here's a full tank shot to see the filter output, added more lavarock, and can see shrimp everywhere.



Here's a shot of the moss taking a great hold around the base of the sponge. I want it to grow up the sponge and create a huge moss wall.





There is also some riccia that came over during transfer and it stuck at the top of the moss, growing slight emersed, so we'll see how that takes hold. I have it growing in another tank coming out of the HOB slight emersed and it's doing great there.

[GeToChKn]

So far, everyone is doing good. TDS is 155, pH is about 6.9-7.1, probably either depending on my cheapo-ebay pH meter or the amount of CO2 in the water, used by moss and floaters, etc and what time of day I check at, gH is 5, kH 0.

I have about 10 berried CRS/CBS/Golden and I think that's all of the females of age in the tank, haven't noticed any deaths, lots of activity and molting, babies from Ebiken growing nicely, two of them are berried already.

So, so far for the test in a mostly bare bottom, non-active substrate, pH near neutral, HMF and sponge filter only tank, my shrimp are:

- living fine and EXTREMELY active in. - Check
- Growing, molting, no deaths. - Check
- Breeding, getting berried - Check
- Holding to term - So far, first females should be ready to pop soon
- Babies growing up and not dying in the water - No idea yet, although I did transfer over 1 probably week or two old baby and 1 probably month old or so and I still see them in the tank, so they didn't mind it.


So we'll see in probably a week or two when the first batch hatches, if I can see babies a week or two after that and the rest should start dropping day after day or within a few weeks and hopefully they get berried again soon. Even if I don't get a high yield, the babies that do make obviously are genetically superior to the ones that didn't make and would more adapt to live in this water. lol.

I speak to breeder in Eastern Europe and they keep TB's and CRS in like 8pH water, because it's the only RO they can get and active substrate is expensive, and they breed and do ok.

So hopefully within a month, I have a tank full of babies, we'll see.



Couple berried momma's hanging out.

[Mrturritos]

It is weird I can never see berried females. But randomly after adding my crs in 2-3months back I saw tiny babies every were. Are you using Tap water or RO? I have been using only tap water and I have just got a TDS meter today. Tested the water in the tank and it is at 178. But it is a meer 23 coming out of the tap from up stairs. Ph is 6.9 but I do have to buffer the water to 5 dGH.

Was thinking of using RO if my tds was high but should I even bother?

[GeToChKn]

Originally Posted by Mrturritos

It is weird I can never see berried females. But randomly after adding my crs in 2-3months back I saw tiny babies every were. Are you using Tap water or RO? I have been using only tap water and I have just got a TDS meter today. Tested the water in the tank and it is at 178. But it is a meer 23 coming out of the tap from up stairs. Ph is 6.9 but I do have to buffer the water to 5 dGH.

Was thinking of using RO if my tds was high but should I even bother?

I'm using with minerals to bring RO up to 5gH. My tap is like 200TDS, 7.8pH. You might be one of the lucky ones with near pure RO water in your taps from the mountains or what not. Mordlaphus has water like that.

[GeToChKn]

Just spotted a few babies in the back, really hard to see with the tank sides but I can see them back there. Either snow white or SSS/SSS+ as they are bone white already, just can't see the headgear yet, too small. lol.

[plamski]

Lava rocks buffer to PH7

[GeToChKn]

Originally Posted by plamski

Lava rocks buffer to PH7

I've had them in tanks of 5-6.5 pH and never seen them buffer.

This tank has 3 large lava rocks and a tonnes of small pieces as is sitting at 6.2pH and going lower right now and my WCM's just spawned a bunch of babies in it, the rocks aren't buffering anything.

[Mrturritos]

That is because me and Liam live in the same state, maybe 30mins away from each other? Winning, and yes we get real nice mountain run off water. Some of the best water in the nation actually =) soooo that means instead of an RO unit I am justified to spend 100 bucks on shrimp!

20 blue velvet, 5 yellows and 5 SSS shrimp muhahahah

[plamski]

Originally Posted by GeToChKn

I've had them in tanks of 5-6.5 pH and never seen them buffer.

This tank has 3 large lava rocks and a tonnes of small pieces as is sitting at 6.2pH and going lower right now and my WCM's just spawned a bunch of babies in it, the rocks aren't buffering anything.

Then maybe my water is not stable somehow. I have problem PH going up with Eheim bio balls too.

[GeToChKn]

So seen a few babies, but not many out, especially in the bare tank area, none venture out that far. Tried looking in the moss, a few. Picked a piece of cholla wood and shook it in the water a bit and it started raining babies, so there is babies all over in there, just hiding, so I'll quit prying and wait for nature to takes its course until they are ready to come out and say hi, and then see if I start to see some new numbers in a couple of months. I'm going to setup a 5.5gal tank as a birthing tank probably that I'll match params on, then I can keep babies in there and monitor them more.

So far, so good without active substrate though and keeping gh/kh/tds/nitrates in line and not worrying about ph.

[shrimpzoo]

Been keeping up with this topic lol. I hope mine can do just as well as yours in a pH of ~6.9-7.1 when my substrate expires (which won't be soon but I always plan for the future).

Best of luck with your 5.5gal set up!

[GeToChKn]

Someone decided to venture out to the bare bottom part today.

[GeToChKn]

New mama's