[dubels]

After setting up my 10 G red cherry shrimp + chili rasbora, and my evolve 4 rili tank + dario dario tanks I couldn't avoid the little voice in my head telling me that I needed just one more tank for my office. So I moved the Evolve 4 over to a book shelf and went out and got a 5.5 gallon tank. I wanted to set this tank up relatively cheaply so I went with a small HOB filter a pump salvaged from a cheap walmart fountain to run a sponge filter and a 50w non-preset heater. Here it is before I received my shipment of moss:

Don't mind the Cardinal Tetras. They will be rehoused in my friends tank (bad heater killed his tank besides these four). I plan on keeping this tank real simple. I plan on adding moss to two of the rocks and planting some trimmings in the back of the tank where the heater is to hide heater and HOB intake. The tank is completely cycled just waiting on the temperatures to decline to order shrimp. Currently deciding between OEBTs and regular tigers. I might add some chili rasboras to the tank but it is most likely going to be a shrimp only tank.

Sorry for the lack of plants in the pictures. My moss was in my mailbox and I need to find time to glue the moss to the rocks.

 

[GMYukonon24s]

Nice start to this can't wait to see your plants in the tank.

 

[dubels]

Took a study break and glued some moss. Need to find time to trim some plants from my other tanks.

I have been monitoring the temp of the tank and noticed that the tank was in the upper 70s even at night when the house was 74 degrees inside. I didn't notice the heater turning on so I thought it was a problem with all the equipment running and the laptop that is next to the tank. I jumped the gun and bought a cooling fan unit for the tank since I want to keep OEBTs. Now today with the temperature around 74 in the house the temp in the tank has stayed around 74. I guess the fan was not a bad buy since I like to keep my other tanks at 77, I can just run the AC less when I am not here and have the fan running to save money. Trying to do this on a budget so depending on the temperatures I might just sell/trade/return the fan.

I have a TDS meter on the way also.

 

[dubels]

After procrastinating for hours I decided that since I want to house OEBTs in this tank I am going to try and do this right.

Here are my plans now:
-UGF run by a Rio Plus 50 (noise is an issue in my office but since I spend most of my time looking at the tank instead of studying...)I also plan on using the output to run a breeder box occasionally.
-Moss tree: yeah I know some people hate them but I wanted to keep this tanks plants simple because it will be receiving no CO2 or ferts.
-Maybe installing a tank divider/overflow made of lexan to hide the heater, HOB intake, and pump/intake of UGF.
-I am going to stay with the Fluval Shrimp Substrate: Does any one have any experience with it and a UGF filter? Also would a layer of crushed lava rock below the shrimp substrate help?
-Most likely going to ditch the fan idea because I think the temperatures are mostly due to the heater. I am having trouble with getting this elite 50w heater to keep the tank around 70-74. It was good yesterday but today the tank is steady at 76 with the house temperature being the same.
-Still going to be a shrimp only tank unless the chili rasboras in my 10g need to be rehoused because the flow in that tank is too much.

 

[Overgrowth]

Shrimpnow says the FSS is supposed to be okay with UGFs.

 

[dubels]

Thanks for the response. I finally got everything set up over the weekend and added some plants. I will post a picture when I get home.

Because the temperature seems to be an issue even with the AC on I plan on setting up a DIY temperature contoller for the heater and the fan. I plan on having it set up to keep the tank around 72F. It is going to be similar to this one: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=182610&highlight=temperature+controller

 

[dubels]

The mess

Newly set up DIY dual stage temperature controller, controlling the fan and heater to keep the tank at 71.

Hoping these OEBTs will color up. Looking to add to the diversity of the population.

 

[Overgrowth]

Nice shrimps!

 

[NWA-Planted]

I like the temp controller! very nice touch

 

[dubels]

Thanks. Hopefully I'll get everything around the tank cleaned up so I can take a enter picture. I am not really satisfied with the plants in the tank. I just wanted to have everything set for the shrimp.

 

[invert1]

Where'd you get the fan? I live in Alabama and while my downstairs tank is doing fine at 72, the new shrimp tank I just set up is like 78 without a heater or anything (despite the house being at 73...). I'd like to keep OEBT as well so I'm trying to figure out a solution before I start stocking.

Although I have a Fluval Ebi for these guys and I'm loathe to take the top off since it looks so clean and minimalist with it, I'd also like to get them not dying

I'm enjoying your tank journal as well, looks like it's coming along nicely!

 

[dubels]

For the ebi aquatek sells a single fan unit. Or you can check eBay for non name brand ones for cheaper and they look exactly the sme.

 

[dubels]

Checked parameters today:
Temp: 71-72; PH: 7.2; KH: 4; GH: 7; TDS 220; Ammonia: 0; Nitrite: 0; Nitrate: 0.

The TDS is high because they were kept in a higher TDS tank before I got them, in the mid 300s. I am slowly lowering it to keep them from dying off from TDS shock. Aiming for a TDS of 160. Temp stays around 71-72 with the fan and heater temp controller.

 

[dubels]

Got at least one deep blue tiger.

 

[dubels]

Found a berried OEBT!!! Don't know if you can see this very clearly but this OEBT is carrying eggs. Now both of my PFR and OEBT tanks have berried females. I wonder why my rili tank hasn't had a berried female yet.

I have to say this shrimp only tank is my new favorite tank. I added some red rilis, blue velvets and other rili mutations into the tank (Bought Xenxes Identity Crisis Rili package). I love sitting at my desk now, the shrimp just zoom around the tank. I am not sure if I will keep the red rilis in this tank for long. I got the package of rilis mainly for the blue velvets, I want to see how the red rili develop and I might use them to diversify my rili tank. I can also see my rili tank and new bowl from my desk.

 

[flowerfishs]

they only berried under the right water condition. My CRS use to breed crazy, but after I redo the tank and they stop breed.

 

[dubels]

I don't know if Azoo Max Breed can take credit for the berried shrimp because my rili tank was fed that too. But right after I started feeding it to my tanks I got berried shrimp. I just recently set up this OEBT tank and the PFR tank has been going for a few months without berried shrimp.

 

[acitydweller]

If your rilis aren't breeding, check tds and gh/kh/ph to verify that everything is within range.

What happened to the LEDs on your evolve? I had to have aqueous replace one and now my second evolve tank led is failing too.

Nice work on keeping the temps down. Quite some effort but rewarding in the end.

 

[dubels]

The evolve light is now hanging on my breeder box which is currently filled with trims and moss.

My rili tank last time I checked on Tuesday was at: TDS 180; GH 5; KH 1; PH 6.8

 

[dubels]

This is not intended to be a vendor review, just a vent of my frustration.
Well after my excitement after finding my first berried OEBT I was greatly disappointed today. I made an order with a vendor that wont be name but all but one of my shrimp from that order arrived dead. Luckily they were not OEBTs but they were supposed to go into this tank. The packaging was not great, compared to the hobbyist that sell here and are not running a business it is horrible. This vendor sells breather bags but does not use them and only wraps the bags containing the shrimp sparsely in newspaper. Some foam insulation would have been nice or at least more newspaper. The bags were filled barely with any water. The shrimp were sent from within the state and I stayed home just to receive them. I greeted the mailman and opened the package immediately. Depending on how this vendor addresses things I might not ever order from the again. Sorry for the rant, but I expect someone who is running an online business to have at least the same packaging standards as hobbyist here. All the shrimp I have ordered from this site have been package professionally. All of them used breather bags and newspapers, but most of them had at least foam insulation and one had fiberglass.

Trying to acclimate and not shock the remaining shrimp is kind of hard. I opened the bag immediately to dump the bag water into my acclimating container, dripped tank water, added some prime, and removed the dead shrimp after the picture below.