Heather's Fluval Chi--Future shrimp tank redux. Photo and new scape 3.9.11

11974 Views 19 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Heatherdersh, Mar 9, 2011

Heatherdersh

Discussion Starter · Sep 29, 2010 (Edited)

5

My first foray into shrimp keeping.

I had a long post made with all the details but my browser ate it (bad browser!) so here's the short version:

I love the looks of this tank, only wish it was brighter. There's no mods available for the lighting so it looks like I'll be waiting a year for my moss to fill in before I can even begin to shape it how I want to. Oh well, though, this tank is more for the shrimp than the actual plants...and as long as the shrimp are happy frolicing on haggard-looking moss, then I'm happy

But then again, I might end up using my zoomed 501 and buying one of those lights from The Home Depot and turn this into a medium-tech tank and have more than just moss in it...time will tell. For now I've got the deformed moss tree and some groundcover moss, with a betta in to keep things going (he'll be out once the shrimp are in, of course). I'm waiting things out because I made the big mistake of putting duckweed in there and it all got sucked into the filter and pretty well messed it up...so I've been performing daily maintenance on it trying to get it suitable for shrimp again (hence the cloudiness and random stuff hanging on to the moss fronds)

Anyway, on to the photos:

FTS:

Lower angle:

Side View:

3/4(ish):

And little Chi's position next to my big tank:

Go ahead. Laugh away. Or not, haha whichever you prefer. I just can't wait to get shrimp in this baby!

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El Funko

· #2 · Sep 29, 2010

I looked at this tank when I got my Edge. It's cool, the way the water trickles into it. As you've pointed out, it may not be enough light to grow much, but I'll be watching to see how your shrimp like it. Which shrimp are you thinking of adding?

Big tank's nice too...

Heatherdersh

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 29, 2010

El Funko said:
I looked at this tank when I got my Edge. It's cool, the way the water trickles into it. As you've pointed out, it may not be enough light to grow much, but I'll be watching to see how your shrimp like it. Which shrimp are you thinking of adding?

Big tank's nice too...

Yeah, the lighting is god awful but I'm going to wait it out a few months to see what, if any, growth I get before I do away with the neat trickle filter and replace that and the light.

I haven't decided on the shrimp yet...the guy I'm getting them from has RCS and BPS (I think?) and I can't have them both, so I've got to pick between those two. I've got a bit of time to decide though...this thing has to get back on track from the duckweed disaster before I chance putting shrimp in it. I'll probably go with the cherries though because they seem like they'd be more noticable in the low light of this tank.

cmabrey75

· #4 · Sep 30, 2010

Thats a nice little tank. I would probably go with the cherries I have 6 or 7 berried up at the moment so it doesn't look like the will be any shortage of shrimp. I finally have a CRS berried so hopefully I have some extras of them in a few months as well.

Heatherdersh

Discussion Starter · #5 · Oct 1, 2010

3 days later and the tank is starting to stabilize again.

Now that it's crystal clear, the light seems much brighter and the moss has fresh green tips. I'm going to say it's from the time it spent in my big tank just to be rational about it...but I can hope too. I don't want to dismantle the filter and light because that's what I spent $60 for...but then again if I have to then I'll at least come out of the deal with my first rimless open-top tank.

I can't wait for the parameters to settle and get shrimp in

Heatherdersh

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 23, 2010

this tank is near ready for shrimp! ammonia and nitrite are finally zero and nitrate is down to 5-10ppm post water change. i'm gonna give it a week of monitoring to be safe so the tenative shrimp day is october 29th...which is a day off for me so i'm excited.

i'm going to keep the original chi components because the moss i have in is growing surprisingly well with the stock lighting. i already have a higher tech tank so i'll keep this one easy for my and the shrimps' sake.

the tank currently has java fern?and anubias floating waiting to go in the big tank but i'm out of superglue and haven't made it to walmart yet. once i get them out i'll get pics up!

Heatherdersh

Discussion Starter · #7 · Oct 25, 2010

4

New pictures. It's growing! haha

New FTS:

Corner view:

Close ups of actual moss growth!!

Shrimpys to come Friday if all goes well!

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cmabrey75

· #8 · Oct 25, 2010

Tank looks nice. The shrimp will be very happy in there

Heatherdersh

Discussion Starter · #9 · Oct 26, 2010

cmabrey75 said:
Tank looks nice. The shrimp will be very happy in there

thank you! and i'm glad you say that...it looks extremely bare compared to what i'm used to but i know shrimp love moss to cling to so i was hoping this was something they'd enjoy!

brains613

· #10 · Nov 11, 2010

Any update? Although I'm a forum member, I found your thread via Google search because I'm looking to start a shrimp tank in a 5 gallon Chi.

What kind of moss did you use?

Cuchulainn

· #11 · Nov 11, 2010

Cool little tank!
What the Dimension of your bigger tank in the first pics?

Heatherdersh

Discussion Starter · #12 · Nov 11, 2010

Thanks for the interest guys. No real update for the moment...I had a bit of an ammonia spike in the tank during a filter media replacement and have been busy prepping to add a new four-legged family member to my house in the form of an adorable 12-ish week old apricot standard poodle who was abandoned at work. The person who gave him up was crazy! Adorable and completely sweet to boot.

I'm also heading out of town in a matter of hours to visit my grandfather for his 80th birthday...come Monday the new pup should be settled and hopefully (there's that word again...one has to use it so often in new setups!) the tank will have properly matured by then. Then we'll finally see about the shrimp

Also, brains, the moss I used in the tank was a complete mix of peacock, taiwan and flame moss. The only one I can tell the difference is the flame moss, the rest of it is all melding together but I kinda dig it. If you're interested in this tank, I do like it a lot, but the lighting is god awful and I can't see it supporting much more than the mosses I have in here (though they're doing surprisingly well) so keep that in mind.

Cuchulainn, the tank's dimensions are 20" wide, 20" deep and I want to say it's 22" or 24" tall but I can't recall exactly...i know it's a bit taller than it is wide or deep so it's not a perfect cube but close enough. The dimensions in it are great though..i really like it.

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Cuchulainn

· #13 · Nov 11, 2010

Yah Heather, its a great viewing tank!

roud: Love it

brains613

· #14 · Nov 11, 2010

Thanks for the info. I'll try to find myself some mosses. I have other tanks set up, so maybe I'll grow the moss in those, and move it to the Chi. I don't have it yet, but I saw them on sale last week for for $49.99, so I think I'll go grab one after I'm done working today.

Looks like you may be gone already, but have a safe trip!

Jorge_Burrito

· #15 · Nov 11, 2010

I have a planted Fluval Chi as a Betta/RCS setup...I can maybe post some pics later, although I recently ripped a bunch of plants out of it for a different tank so it is pretty bare right now. To solve the light problem I got a clip on reading lamp and clipped it onto the portion of the filter where it hangs on the glass. I then arrange the lamp to angle the light in from the top corner of the tank. It doesn't look like the nicest solution ever, but it provides enough supplemental light to get away with growing low and some medium light plants.

Heatherdersh

Discussion Starter · #16 · Dec 13, 2010

Ok guys, here's the situation. I figured I owed all interested an update, especially cmabrey, as he will eventually be my shrimp supplier.

My aquariums have presently moved to the back burner as I'm car hunting..not to mention holiday hours, but moreso the constant searching for a vehicle. The day after I got back from Texas I had my boyfriend cover a shift for me at one of my two jobs (he's the boss man there so worked for me) and it was raining, people were driving like idiots as they are wont to do in the rain here and he ended up in a wreck that totalled my car. He is and was ok, but the airbags deployed and we all know what that means for an older car. Anyway, with that plus working so much and the new puppy (who was VERY sick, but better after lots of vet visits and needed meds) my aquariums have been pushed aside temporarily. Believe it or not, this one has actually reached an overgrown state!

Hopefully I can find a suitable car soon enough and once holiday hours are done get back to my tanks and get shrimp in this thing

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Heatherdersh

Discussion Starter · #17 · Mar 7, 2011

Big update, no pictures though.

As long as I've had this tank running I have not been able to figure out WHY I've had such horrible issues with ammonia...until a few days ago. It finally clicked. "Holy shxt...I never washed the substrate!" Yeah. It was recycled from my defunct ten gallon, sat in ziploc baggies in my Saturn's (RIP) trunk for two months and I plunked it in, unwashed, expecting everything to be peachy. Normally I would have known better, but I suppose I was overly excited (and hasty) at the prospect of finally keeping ornamental shrimp that that key factor went out the window.

Anyway, I just finished a total tank breakdown and it's back together now. Complete with the old, and now huge, moss tree. It's got new inert white grave and some haggard decorative stones (will be replaced). I put in my old trooper of a betta, some SafeStart and have my fingers crossed for this thing to finally get going.

Also...any tips on preventing a determined kitty from drinking out of the tank? He loves water so the spray bottle does nothing. I use Worlds Best cat litter and worry that the residue from his paws will get in and break down causing excess nitrates. Plus I know it's not really good for him to drink tank water with ferts and all...

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Newman

· #18 · Mar 8, 2011

a cover for the tank. if there is no cover he might eat the shrimp too.

Heatherdersh

Discussion Starter · #19 · Mar 8, 2011

Newman said:
a cover for the tank. if there is no cover he might eat the shrimp too.

I can't put a cover on it with the way it's designed. It's a Fluval Chi with a filter cube that sticks out a good deal from the top of the tank. My thought was a large bowl or something upsode down when I wasn't home to physically remove him from the tank, but I tried that and it ended up slowly dribbling water everywhere. As for the tank inhabitants, he's never once shown interest in the betta, he focuses much more viewing on the 27 gallon tank about two feet away from this tank.

Heatherdersh

Discussion Starter · #20 · Mar 9, 2011

Alright folks, I have one single mobile pic of the tank as it stands now:

I like it much better like this

as I said, those "fish store typical" rocks will go soon enough, but for now, here it is. Fingers crossed for a quick and painless LEGIT cycle.

EDIT: Ugh. Photobucket killed the image so it looks like poo. Sorry for that!

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