[TankPlanter]

Just wanted to thank you all for your help with getting my first very low-tech shrimp tank up and running at my son's preschool. I made laminated picture cards of different things for them to look for (male, female, female w eggs, molted exoskeleton, the little horned nerite, etc.- they use magnifying glasses) And it's been SO EASY (compared to my home tank, a constant challenge 20 gallon kinda Walstad) and gone SO WELL!

The Fluval Spec III was like $40 after shipping (PetCo online sale + coupon), has an amazingly large, quiet filter with bioballs and such, the stock light has grown the easy plants wonderfully (Anubias nana, java moss, Subwassertang, moss ball, Salvinia floater; I popped in a Ludwigia and a Hygrophila just to see if they'll make it) with no additional fertilizers and ... wow. Kids love it, esp the babies.

Specs: Weekly 1/3 water change, fed about 1.5 algae wafers every other day, no ferts, no heater, stock Fluval Spec III. Local hardy low grade RCS + snails- pond, Malaysian trumpet and one very small horned nerite snail. Black diamond inert medium sand substrate.

Modifications include: Some mesh and filter foam in front of the filter intakes for the babies; my husband made a custom 'shield' for the light to sit in on top (the black-painted thing) so that the light wouldn't shine into he kids' eyes; covered up the button that turns the light on/off with cardboard so not little-finger-mess-with-able (light is on a timer); covered up the hole in the middle of the stock lid with plastic wrap (so kids can't 'feed' the shrimp random things).

Thanks to this community for showing me how to do all of this!

 

[WaterLife]

Hey I remember reading your threads about this tank. Glad it all came together nicely!
The tank has a nice lid too so the shrimp are safer from any unwanted additives potentially being put into the tank by the little ones
Would be exciting to see if the shrimps have little babies.

 

[TankPlanter]

They have most definitely had LOTS of babies, holy cow. My 20 gallon has nano fish (CPD's and Microdevario kubotai), and I rarely see any baby shrimp- I have sufficient java moss and Subwassertang and hiding spots, but I'd still bet that many of the tiny babies get eaten. It's wild to see how small they are when they're out and about in a shrimp-only tank!

 

[Cmeister]

Makes me feel like a kid again!

 

[FreshwaterAdvice]

They have most definitely had LOTS of babies, holy cow. My 20 gallon has nano fish (CPD's and Microdevario kubotai), and I rarely see any baby shrimp- I have sufficient java moss and Subwassertang and hiding spots, but I'd still bet that many of the tiny babies get eaten. It's wild to see how small they are when they're out and about in a shrimp-only tank!

I could almost guarantee that the vast majority of the babies get eaten, that's why there are often so many to start with - evolution. However, despite this, its nice to see the few that do survive grow up.