First Iwagumi! 56k UPDATE 1/13: Dario Dario!

[rengb6]

Tank:2.5 gallon bow-front
Lighting:27watt home depot light
Filtration: red sea deco art nano filter
Heater: Tetra Submersible Heater from doctor foster and smith
Substrate: flourite
Ferts: Excel and flourish whenever I remember to add them
CO2: DIY with 1/4 tsp yeast
Hardscape: granite stone (compliments of 7Matt7)
Flora:Eleocharis parvula and HC
Fauna:Nothing yet but there will be 2 scarlet badis in there soon and maybe a few shrimp

So this tank has been a work in progress for a few months. It started out simply enough as a betta tank with a coconut cave and then I stumbled upon this site. I've decided to make a journal now that the tank hasn't become a complete flop. So I'll start from the beginning!


This is the tank 3 days after set up on November 23rd when i finally finished planting all of the HC.


I covered it to keep the moisture in and sprayed it with some fertz that I already had.


I submerged the tank on Dec. 11


Here is the tank 8 days later on Dec. 19



Then we got a huge blizzard on the east coast(20 inches and the most snow I've seen in my 18 years here!) and after some advice from others on the forum I decided to make the tank into an iwagumi. So thanks to 7Matt7 I received some great rocks and went to work! I added the home depot light here and it made a big difference!

Here it as after getting the rocks its a bit cloudy because I added more flourite. December 29


and here it is January 4th



This is my first try with an iwagumi nano so your advice is much appreciated! Thanks for looking!

[7Matt7]

I'm glad you like the rocks! I personally think you've got the placement just right! It's grown in a LOT too. I can't wait to follow it's progress!

Great Job!!!

[AlexXx]

where do you guys get these rocks! they look AMAZING!

[rengb6]

7Matt7 I believe collected them around where he lives. I couldn't find any here in MD because of the snow so I posted a thread in the "shop and swap" forum and actually got many responses from kind people willing to sell some extra rocks. It beats buying from stores online and paying a lot for shipping!

And thanks Matt! it took me a little while and I smashed one of the rocks but I'm happy with how it turned out! Maybe ill add some ghost shrimp today...

[rengb6]

I went to house of tropics and picked up some amano shrimp today!!! Amano shrimp are two things BIG and EXPENSIVE! I am sure that I got ripped off because they cost 9.98 EACH!!! I got 4 and that was 42$...but I didn't notice the price until I brought it to the register sooooo I couldn't decide not to buy the poor shrimp. There was a little hitchhiker in my bag but the man spotted it and put the poor little shrimp back. Any that store was amazing. It was my first visit to an aquarium store and this one specialized in salt water tanks. It got me thinking that maybe I will start one this summer! Now back to the shrimp, I believe that I have 2 females and 2 males. If my pictures are clear enough I would appreciate if those experienced with keeping amanos could help me sex them. My camera didn't want to focus on them so I did the best that I could. They settled in well and attacked the algae pellet that I threw in for them. So here are the pictures! I have heard that they are difficult to breed but maybe ill give it a try in a critter keeper that used to house my newts!

[Dr. Acula]

I love the House of Tropicals. Their price on shrimp though, as you found out, is a tad high. That's if they have them in stock at all. Freshwater shrimp seem to be the one thing they can't be counted on for. And I saw the ten dollars a shrimp for the amanos. I was surprised, especially considering I had bought them from the same store a few months back for three a piece. Four each for cherries usually too. It would be cheaper to just get them online, but I'm impatient and pay for the convenience.

The tank looks great though. Growth is looking good, and I much prefer those rocks to the little hut. Nice and green, I like it.

[rengb6]

It was definitely a beautiful store! We were greeted by the biggest fish I have ever seen anywhere (minus the Baltimore aquarium) the thing was bigger than a basketball! I was impressed mostly, as I said, with their saltwater selection. I wish that I had gone a few months earlier like you and gotten them cheaper, I will never buy shrimp from them again thats for sure. But like you I prefer to pay for the convenience and also I wanted a small number of shrimp and most people on here sell 20+ and with shipping and everything it comes up to the same price. Hopefully they will live to the summer and I can concentrate on breeding them...thats if the scarlet badis that I am getting dont eat the poor shrimp although I bet the females are bigger than the scarlet badis will be.

Thanks for the compliments! I'm happier with the scape now instead of the hut.

Originally Posted by Dr. Acula

I love the House of Tropicals. Their price on shrimp though, as you found out, is a tad high. That's if they have them in stock at all. Freshwater shrimp seem to be the one thing they can't be counted on for. And I saw the ten dollars a shrimp for the amanos. I was surprised, especially considering I had bought them from the same store a few months back for three a piece. Four each for cherries usually too. It would be cheaper to just get them online, but I'm impatient and pay for the convenience.

The tank looks great though. Growth is looking good, and I much prefer those rocks to the little hut. Nice and green, I like it.

[rengb6]

I am thinking that I would have preferred red cherry shrimp maybe I will go to the shop and swap section and trade these guys for 4 cherries instead. Anyone have tips on shipping shrimp?

[DarrylR]

Originally Posted by rengb6

I am thinking that I would have preferred red cherry shrimp maybe I will go to the shop and swap section and trade these guys for 4 cherries instead. Anyone have tips on shipping shrimp?

Purchase kordon breather bags, via aquabid or kensfish or anyone else.
About a cup of water, add in a drop of prime, and a few sprigs of any moss for the shrimp to hang onto.
USPS boxes are free just pay shipping.
Cushion with newspaper, packaging peanuts, also a Styrofoam box if needed, as well as a heat pack.

[rengb6]

Originally Posted by DarrylR

Purchase kordon breather bags, via aquabid or kensfish or anyone else.
About a cup of water, add in a drop of prime, and a few sprigs of any moss for the shrimp to hang onto.
USPS boxes are free just pay shipping.
Cushion with newspaper, packaging peanuts, also a Styrofoam box if needed, as well as a heat pack.

Thank you! that was very detailed!

[Dragon.Tale]

Yikes!!! Near $10 for one Amano? Sorry, I can't help to chime in. If you are anywhere near Gaithersburg or in Montgomery County, go to Tropical Fish World at 16529 S Frederick Ave. The shrimps are 4 for $5. I got 8 a while ago and all are doing well and growing. Went back last week to get a couple more and found out they're still at the same price.

BTW, if anyone happens to be in the area, could you recommend a few LFS? Using Google Map, I could only find 3 around here. Tropical is a great store but I want to visit more! :p

[rengb6]

I ended up returning them. The lady gave me some trouble so she called the manager and after he checked out the shrimp to make sure they were all healthy and in fact Amano shrimp he asked me how much they were at other stores and he allowed me to return them! House of tropicals is a great aquarium store but the price of the shrimp was way to high! I would love some suggestions for fish stores in the area as well since that one was 40 minutes away!

[Chafire]

HC looks like its coming along nicely, tried to grow it once and failed. Think when the weather becomes warmer I'll order it again and see if I have better luck. Tank looks great with the rocks too!

[Nue]

That is a lot of amano. I bought mine for 2$
Also Nice start!

[rengb6]

Thanks Chafire! So far so good with the HC although my ex-amano shrimp uprooted some! Good luck with your future try, I'll be sure to take a look if you post a journal!

Nue the amano were insanely priced! I didn't look at the price and just assumed the wouldn't come to more than 20$...WRONG! I'll wait awhile before buying more shrimp. 2$ seems a lot more reasonable than 10$. Thanks for the compliment!