# Ready to setup my 2nd nano tank - mostly shrimp



## baishui (Jan 7, 2014)

A friend gave me a 10G tank, and I am about to set it up. It's a bare tank with a hood (and two 9W CFL bulb light). It's 20" x 10" x 12".

I want it to be mainly for shrimps. I am hoping to have several different kind of shrimps in it, and I am hoping I could have *many* in it, too. I want it to be a planted tank, of course. There may or may not be any fish in it, and even if I decide to put fish in it, it will be only a few small small fish.

Before I start, I have several questions:

1. *Substrate/soil*: should I use substrate for plant, or for shrimp? Any particular brand/type you recommend?

2. *Filter*: What type of filter do you recommend? Can I just use a sponge filter (driven by air), or should I use a HOB filter (and add sponge to the intake pipe)? And if I use just a sponge filter with air pump, how big should the air pump be? Btw, what's the difference between an air pump and a power head?

3. *Plant*: I want the plants to be low/medium light with no CO2 injection. Moss to cover the whole carpet, several plant to go in the middle of the tank (so they won't be too tall), and several on the back. Any recommendations? Also, the moss, do I need to buy enough to cover the whole bottom, or do they grow to the whole area? Do I need to trim them?

4. *Air*: I have no plan to inject CO2 yet. In this case, does a regular air stone help? I mean, there is CO2 in the air after all.

Thank you first, everyone, for any help/comment you provide.

- Walter


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## Mlevi (Jan 28, 2012)

I am no expert as I don't have a shrimp tank, but here's what I can answer generally...for what its worth...



baishui said:


> 2. *Filter*: What type of filter do you recommend? Can I just use a sponge filter (driven by air), or should I use a HOB filter (and add sponge to the intake pipe)? And if I use just a sponge filter with air pump, how big should the air pump be? Btw, what's the difference between an air pump and a power head?


Air pump is just that. It pushes air. Power head pushes water. In a sponge filter driven by an air pump, the pump does not directly drive water. The pump pushes air, in the form of air bubbles, which create a sucking action up the filter tube and thus dragging water up the pipe. A power head essentially takes in water and pushes it out more forcefully.

For a 10 gal, you can go either route ie sponge or HOB with filter sponge over intake. I personally prefer HOB because A> it allows you a choice of filter media, if needed. B> I have yet to find a quiet small air pump, or one that doesn't start making noise after a few weeks.

On a 10 gal, even the smallest air pumps on the market should suffice, IF it is only used to drive the filter.



baishui said:


> 3. *Plant*: I want the plants to be low/medium light with no CO2 injection. Moss to cover the whole carpet, several plant to go in the middle of the tank (so they won't be too tall), and several on the back. Any recommendations? Also, the moss, do I need to buy enough to cover the whole bottom, or do they grow to the whole area? Do I need to trim them?


Search for 'low light plants' in the plant marketplace here, or message member 'coldmantis'.



baishui said:


> 4. *Air*: I have no plan to inject CO2 yet. In this case, does a regular air stone help? I mean, there is CO2 in the air after all.


If you are not running mid/high light setup, and depending on your plant selection, you don't need to inject CO2. Search 'low tech' in the forum, and you'll see a lot of setups without CO2.

Air stone is primarily to agitate the surface of the water, to promote oxygen exchange. If you run a sponge filter, or a HOB, there's already agitation. Excess agitation actually results in a loss of CO2. Most planted tank hobbyists will not run an air stone unless it is to counteract excess CO2 when the lights are off.

Al.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

if you go with a hob, I recommend aquaclear, I would say the ac20 would be plenty. I would add a sponge prefilter though so you don't suck up baby shrimp.

If you do not do co2 injection, a sponge filter is also perfectly fine with just a basic air pump.

I would go with mostly small carpeting plants myself

substrate is mostly personal choice, what look you want and so on, I would go with a small gravel down to sand, not larger gravel. My current favorite setup for myself is dirt on the bottom capped by coarse sand. I have a sandblasting sand that I like, its a dark grey mostly.

Some shrimp need a substrate that lowers ph.


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## Ischemia (Dec 19, 2012)

If your getting the cherry shrimp from me you could just use a sand substrate. You have to be cautious when adding different shrimp to the same tank as some will cross breed and you will lose they bright colours and they will give you brown offspring. Your best to start with just Cherry shrimp as they are a hardy species. I am also only using a sponge filter with my shrimp. Does the job and causes no harm to the many babies that happen. I can also throw a few plants your way if you get some shrimp off me for a low light/no c02 tank


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## baishui (Jan 7, 2014)

That's sad. I mean, I can only have one kind of shrimp?! I love those transparent ones, the yellow ones, the red/white ones. Then I will have to have 5 extra tanks, I guess. If those tanks don't kill me, I believe my partner will. 

I bought the Aqueon quiet flow 10 filter, and Fluval plant substrate today. I finally decide to go with a HOB cause it takes less space in the tank. Still needs to buy a heater and some driftwood or rock.

Speak of rock, I saw some coral rocks at pet smart, and some of them even glow at dark. Can I use that for a fresh water shrimp tank? They might look great in a tank, I just don't know if they are shrimp safe. 


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## Ischemia (Dec 19, 2012)

If it's real coral then it will increase the ph levels of your tank. You really need to be shopping at Kim's nature just down the road from pet smart. Much nicer store and has tons of rock and driftwood options as well as a more diverse livestock selection. You may pay a bit more but so worth it. Support your small family owned shops. 

As far as shrimp go try the cherry shrimp first to get an idea of how to keep them before jumping into a more delicate and expensive shrimp. Do your research first as to what type of shrimp can live together and how to care for them


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## Mykuhl (Apr 8, 2013)

You can keep several different type of shrimp together and they will not cross breed, provided they are different species. I agree that you should first get some experience with some easy type of shrimp first before you start keeping the more sensitive and expensive ones.

You can start with red cherry shrimp and/or ghost shrimp. Both are cheap and easy to keep, especially the ghost shrimp.


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## baishui (Jan 7, 2014)

Thanks, guys. 

Petsmart is just closer to my work (in Vaughan). I will definitely visit Kim's Nature and Aqua Inspiration sometime this weekend.

As for the shrimps, red cherry shrimp and ghost shrimp will definitely be in the tank. Still searching for any other types.


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## Ischemia (Dec 19, 2012)

Ghost shrimp can be pretty aggressive from my experience


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## baishui (Jan 7, 2014)

Any suggestions? I just want some varieties 


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## mistersprinkles (Nov 4, 2013)

Cherry and amano shrimp would make a nice combination, or Painted fire red shrimp and amano shrimp. I think PFR are just nice cherries.


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## baishui (Jan 7, 2014)

Just some updates on the tank:



baishui said:


> I bought the Aqueon quiet flow 10 filter, and Fluval plant substrate today. I finally decide to go with a HOB cause it takes less space in the tank. Still needs to buy a heater and some driftwood or rock.


I returned the Aueon Quite Flow filter, cause it has only one filter package in it which contains everything and therefore I can't remove the carbon. Then I bought this one from Aqua Inspiration.










It bigger than I thought, though. Also bought a 50W heater there and some rocks and driftwood. This is how it looks before plants get in:










During the weekend, get the following plants from a member of this forum (I had to ask him to write down the names of those plants): Rotala Rotundifolia, Blyxa Japonica, Dwarf Sagittaria, Whorled Pennywort. (But I had to remove the driftwood from the tank)

I will start cycling the tank tonight. I will take the biomax bag from my old tank (which is only a month old actually) and maybe some rocks from there, too. And since I am using a sponge filter (with a pump), I can only hung the biomax bag in the water. And I couldn't find any "pure ammonia", so I will just put in some fish food in it.


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## Ischemia (Dec 19, 2012)

Put you new filter in the old tank now if it will fit to begin seeding It with good bacteria. Also the plants you get should also bring the healthy bacteria


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## Mykuhl (Apr 8, 2013)

Try Walmart for the pure ammonia. I have always had luck finding pure ammonia in Walmart...it is in the household cleaning section. Sometimes you have to look real hard for it but it has always been there when ever I needed it.


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## baishui (Jan 7, 2014)

Mykuhl said:


> Try Walmart for the pure ammonia. I have always had luck finding pure ammonia in Walmart...it is in the household cleaning section. Sometimes you have to look real hard for it but it has always been there when ever I needed it.


What it looks like? I searched their website, and only find this:

http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/great-value-glass-cleaner-with-ammonia/6000145830672

This can't be it. This definitely sounds like "something other than pure ammonia".


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## baishui (Jan 7, 2014)

Or, maybe this one in Home Hardware?

http://www.homehardware.ca/en/rec/i...Z67l/Ne-67n/Ntk-All_EN/R-I4521716?Ntt=ammonia


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## Mykuhl (Apr 8, 2013)

The first one you poste from Walmart is definitely not what you want. The second one from Home hardware may be the right one. You are going to have to read the label carefully to see that it say either pure ammonia or it says that it contains no additives such as perfumes, fragances, surfacants, dyes, phosphates ...etc. the brand I bought from Walmart was Goldex "Household Ammonia".


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## baishui (Jan 7, 2014)

Thanks


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## baishui (Jan 7, 2014)

My tank starts from last Saturday (5 days ago). I didn't do any water test or anything in the beginning, although I do have plants in it from day 1. I moved a stone, two plants from my old tank, and also put the biomax bag from the old tank in. I don't have any ammonia to add it, so I put a lot of fish food in. That was 2 days ago. I was only able to test the water last night, and ammonia is at 0.25, nitrites 0, and nitrate around 20 ppm. I can still see many fish food at the bottom of the tank, though.

Does this mean my tank is cycled? Or, where did nitrates come from?


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## baishui (Jan 7, 2014)

Checked water parameter last night, ammonia 0.25, nitrites 2, nitrates between 20 to 40. Added a cap of old country ammonia, and ammonia jumped to above 4. Will wait and see what happened in the next few days.


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## Ischemia (Dec 19, 2012)

You need steady reading of 0 ammonia and nnitrites before your considered cycled


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## baishui (Jan 7, 2014)

I thought the substrate could release some ammonia, am I right? And in that case, the ammonia should still have a steady reading of 0? I actually have a 0.25 in my first tank, too.


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## baishui (Jan 7, 2014)

The nitrite reading is finally zero today, nitrates at 20 or so (I can never tell the difference between those orange colors), but ammonia is still at less than 0.25, but definitely not 0.

So, I think the tank is cycled, am I right?


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

ammonia can be hard to read sometimes. if you had nitrites go up and now they are 0 and there are nitrates, I'd say you are now cycled. Just remember to keep dosing ammonia until you put fish in to maintain the BB


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## baishui (Jan 7, 2014)

Thanks


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