Biocube for planted shrimp tank?

4792 Views 6 Replies 6 Participants Last post by calfish64, Sep 30, 2010

DestinyCall

Discussion Starter · Sep 28, 2010

Hi,

I'm planning on starting up a small shrimp tank, either shrimp only or shrimp + a school of small top-swimming fish, like zebra danios. I'm trying to decide between a few different options for the initial set-up. I want to keep things small, so I was thinking of using either a 20 gallon long or a 20 tall with a hob power filter w/sponge pre-filter to protect the shrimp. However, I recently came across a great deal on a used 29 gallon biocube, complete setup w/ stand for a very good price. It would give me the lights I need for the plants and a very stylish, high-quality tank and the option to convert to a saltwater setup if I ever get tired of the color green. :icon_wink

So, I'm curious ... how do dwarf shrimp get along with the biocube's integrated filter system? I'm worried that I'll be losing a lot of shrimp through the filter intakes and I'm not sure how I would go about covering them without compromising flow or making tank cleaning a big hassle. Any suggestions, ideas, or personal experiences with this type of aquarium?

Thanks!

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bsmith

· #2 · Sep 28, 2010

Most of the time the equipment in an integrated system leaves a lot to be desired. I have an eclipse 12 that has a bunch or CRS in it and I just put a pre-filter sponge on the filter intake and im good to go.

I would personally get the 20L and get your own light and filter. There great for scaping and also watching the animals inside. If you want shrimp it would be best to keep it shrimp only as I would almost guarantee that a nice new born shrimp would be a tasty snack for a hungry danio.

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mordalphus

· #3 · Sep 29, 2010

zebra danios will tear apart shrimp. I have a 50 gallon with a school of 60 zebra danios, and they destroy shrimp, even full grown ghost shrimp... They're almost like piranhas, they will each take a quick nibble while swarming whatever is dropped into the tank until the entire beast is gone. Most of the time before it hits the bottom. It's sick!

Other than that, I don't see why either a 20 long or a biocube wouldn't work... I personally use 20 longs, but biocubes look very nice too.

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DANIELSON

· #4 · Sep 29, 2010

I use a 20L myself and keep it shrimp only. I have it lightly planted so i can see my 70+ shrimps well.

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DestinyCall

Discussion Starter · #5 · Sep 30, 2010

Thank you for the information and advice. I really appreciate you guys taking the time to let me know about your own experiences. I'm still pretty torn between going with the 20L setup or the biocube. It sounds like most people have used 20 longs with good success.

Does anyone have experience with the biocube as a shrimp-only tank? Any suggestions with how I should modify the filter intake, if I decide to go that route?

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F22

· #6 · Sep 30, 2010

it doesn't work as a shrimp only tank, i tried it, i had shrimp in my filtration, i had shrimp everywhere i didnt want them, save yourself the trouble and go for a 20L with a hydro sponge, it will be way more cost effective and better for the animals.

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calfish64

· #7 · Sep 30, 2010

I have a 8 gallon biocube that I bought used without much money. I set it up mainly for shrimps and with some fishes but for the last few months, only shrimps lived there.

Before I started, I glued pieces of window screen with silicon to the filter intake to prevent shrimps getting into filter chambers. It didn't look too good but was functional. I think overall the setup served me well.

The good thing about this kind of setup is that everything is contained in the back so it has a clean look. Because of the integrated lid, the water evaporation is very low. I only use one of the lights (also with the fan off) to keep moss and java fern there. I am not sure if temperature or noise will be an issue if you are going for high light with all lights on. Also note that biocube are generally built well but there were problems with ballasts. I had one replaced by Oceanic with no charge.

Make sure you have good use the vertical space because bigger biocubes are also taller (20" or so).

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