# My 5.5 gallon shrimp tank!!



## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

Heres just a few photos of My new Orange Bee shrimp, seen with a few cherry shrimps. The lfs had the orange one listed as an Orange Bee, but when looking it up I think maybe its an Orange shrimp. Either way I dont care its hella cute 








hanging out with the cherries

























more pics to come soon


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

Heres a few pics of My Black Diamond Crystal shrimp


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

Heres the Shrimp tank... I just started the tank not long ago, christmas moss tied to an ornament and java moss tied down, some moss balls and an anubias...-also some floating heart and some amazon frogbit. The plants on the right side are not going to be permanent- just some extra hygro and a crypt that werent doing that well from my 15 gallon to give the shrimp some plants until I find a better plant for that corner. I plan on trying to get some moss to grow as a carpet too...








looking upwards at some frogbit growing like crazy


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## arktixan (Mar 30, 2010)

Tanks looking good  even better when you get your moss for that wall . Can't wait for the plants to grow in either

I really like that Black Diamond Shrimp... tho I think it's just called a Crystal Black Shrimp (like the red ones Crystal Red Shrimp...) I am not 100% sure.

Though if they Breed, and you are successful, I may have to scoop some off you.


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

thank you! The moss on the ornament is starting to grow a tiny bit but yes for sure a moss carpet will look good when its done  
Yes ur probably right- a crystal black shrimp, they also had my orange shrimp as an orange bee but I think its an orange sunkist 
i hope they breed! My cherries have bred successfully once so far


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

If it is an Orange Sunkist, won't it cross breed with your CBS?


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## arktixan (Mar 30, 2010)

Courtesy of Planetinverts.com, I hope people don't mind me tossing this up

By looking at the chart, looks like they can interbreed with RCS, and Yellow Shrimp. CBS/CRS are fine


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

Perhaps I am missing something from the chart, but if I look at Orange Bee vs. Red Cherry and Yellow Shrimp, the chart says that they can be kept in the same tank together. 

The chart then goes on to say that Orange Bees and CRS cannot be kept in the same tank together.

The chart asks the question whether the shrimp can be kept in the same tank, not whether they will interbreed or not.


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## arktixan (Mar 30, 2010)

Darkblade48 said:


> Perhaps I am missing something from the chart, but if I look at Orange Bee vs. Red Cherry and Yellow Shrimp, the chart says that they can be kept in the same tank together.
> 
> The chart then goes on to say that Orange Bees and CRS cannot be kept in the same tank together.
> 
> The chart asks the question whether the shrimp can be kept in the same tank, not whether they will interbreed or not.


Oh that is right! lmao, I thought that was a interbreed chart... HA.. I take back what I said hehe... I'll see if I can find the interbreed chart.

hmm this is the link i am given... says Interbreed chart... but at the bottom of the picture says the "can they be in the same tank" strange
http://www.planetinverts.com/Will These Shrimp Interbreed.html


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

I would think that my cherry shrimp could breed with the crystal red and crystal black and the orange sunkist cause arent those all originally bred from red cherries? i was told that only my amano shrimp wouldnt breed with them because theyre a separate type... (but i traded the Amanos today with Igor) i dont mind if they interbreed really cause I just like to have the shrimp for fun  Im just a newbie with shrimps so i dont really know who breeds with who yet  
i picked up a shrimp at Menagerie today... An Orange Sunkist and it looks really nice. When i put it in My tank and compared it to the Orange Bee shrimp I got at BigAls i think that big als shrimp is a Sunkist not a Bee... They look very similar but I think a Bee is supposed to have stripes ? I only see a few faint stripes of red on its face when i look thru a magnifying glass.. But otherwise he looks the same, the one from Menagerie is really orange  love them both


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## Plaid (Nov 10, 2008)

Just gonna chime in and say that I love the way you keep your frogbit from becoming full cover. : P


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

GuppyLove said:


> I would think that my cherry shrimp could breed with the crystal red and crystal black and the orange sunkist cause arent those all originally bred from red cherries?


No, RCS will not interbreed with CRS or CBS.

Orange shrimp will be able to interbreed with CRS and CBS, but not with RCS.

CRS and CBS are different strains of the same shrimp, and are a completely different species of shrimp when compared with RCS.


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

Ahh ok now I know who will be breeding in there  
Does anyone know the difference between Orange Sunkist Shrimp-Caridina cf. propinqua and Orange Bee Shrimp-Caridina cantonensis? Any noticeable difference in the looks?


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

You have _Orange Sunkist Shrimp-Caridina cf. propinqua_. It's fully orange. It requires a brackish water to breed, I'm sorry.









Orange Bee Shrimp-Caridina cantonensis is like Crystal Red, but orange. It has visible stripes like tiger shrimps.


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

Ok I see from you photos a big difference between them... I did get a closer pic of the shrimp and it does have faint red stripes on its back, but not like your photo


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

Introducing the baby rcs! No its not the cute red shrimp next to the moss ball, if you look closer you can see a tiny white thing on the moss ball 








closer  bad photo but the shrimp is less than 2 mm


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

That's definitely a tiny baby shrimp.


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## arktixan (Mar 30, 2010)

Huzzah on les bebe!


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

Two shrimps of the same species can look different. Even the same shrimp changes its color easily.
I think your orange shrimp and that _Orange Sunkist Shrimp-Caridina cf. propinqua_ look very similar 

It's quite a tiny baby. Good job!


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

Today I noticed that some of My cherry shrimp are pregnant! Annnd in My guppy tank I also found 5 more shrimp babies(my shrimp used to be in this tank but I thought the babies had been eaten by My gupps) omg I almost have too many cherry shrimps now! Lol cherry shrimp sale soon


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

Congratulations!


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## arktixan (Mar 30, 2010)

always good to have babies


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

Thank you  
heres an update! 
I rearranged a few things in My tank...added some new Hairgrass and some java moss stones(made by Igor) and Stargrass
the xmas moss I tied to the cave ornament has started to show just a tinnny bit of growth. The moss stones have started to show lots of little new pieces too! 
Pics!! 
The tank: 








java moss stone made by Igor showing new growth 








Xmas moss cave showing only a small growth but thats ok 








java moss bush: 








what I made the java moss bush with(plant pot and rubber mini elastics)


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

Continued....

Stargrass - lost a few leaves in transport but now is showing signs of new leaves in the centers:


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

It looks good!

When stargrass has reached the top, you can cut it and plant again. But don't through away an old stem. It will start new brunches.


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## killer007 (Feb 10, 2010)

@[email protected] holy....
really really nice....


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## camboy012406 (Jun 11, 2010)

nice tank..do u use co2 for that??


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## Joeee (Apr 3, 2010)

igor.kanshyn said:


> Orange Bee Shrimp-Caridina cantonensis is like Crystal Red, but orange. It has visible stripes like tiger shrimps.


That one looks like a hybrid.


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## arktixan (Mar 30, 2010)

Tanks looking good 
Keep up the excellent work!


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

Joeee said:


> That one looks like a hybrid.


Like a hybrid of bee and tiger? It can be true.


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## camboy012406 (Jun 11, 2010)

how did u manage to grow hc plants with shrimps??


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

someone was asking about what type of filter etc. I had in My tank so I figured Id post up everything that is in My shrimp tank now  In case anyone is curious  

*5.5 Gallon Tank 
*Aquaclear 30 Filter: 
-inside the filter I have 1 Aquaclear 30 sponge, and 2 Aquaclear 30 filter bags with Aquaclear Biomax media inside both, NO carbon media . 
-on the intake tube of the Aquaclear I have an Aquaclear 20 sponge to keep the shrimp from getting sucked into the filter.
*25 Watt Heater: set to around 79-80 degrees.
*13 Watt Power Compact lamp with 6400K bulb
*Perfecto Glass Lid 
*Fine Natural Gravel 

Plants: 
*Java Moss bush (tied with thin clear fishing line to a plant pot) and some Java Moss tied to stones
*Christmas Moss (tied to a roman cave with thin clear fishing line) 
*Echinodorus Tenellus, planted in the gravel
*Java Fern, planted in the gravel
*Stargrass, planted in the gravel
*Anubias Hastifolia, planted in gravel
*Hairgrass (Long type, not sure of the full name) planted in the gravel
*Marimo Moss balls, (2) float around the tank but usually on the bottom
*Amazon Frogbit, floating at the top 

Water:
I usually fill a BigAls large pail with My water the day before a water change, add Seachem Prime water conditioner to the water in the pail. The pail sits in a place where it is closer to the same temperature as the tank.
When I do a water change, twice a week, I change about 15% of the water each time. I also have used Seachem Stability when My tank was new. 

Light:
I am currently keeping My light on for 10 hours a day, on a timer, so it comes on and off at the same time everyday. 
I also make sure that the tank is in a completely dark place at night.

Fertilizer:
I am using Seachem Flourish, once a week at a low dose. I only use one drop of fertilizer a week. 

Feeding:
I am feeding My shrimps HBH Crab and Lobster Bites, and also Hikari Shrimp Cuisine. They seem to really like both. 

Co2: none

I dont know My ph/levels etc. but the shrimp are breeding like crazy and are really happy so everything seems good  I had My water tested at Menagerie and everything was fine. I am going to invest in a test kit in the future though for My 15 gallon guppy tank, so Ill be able to do readings for both, and start to understand better how PH and all that works...


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## camboy012406 (Jun 11, 2010)

wow nice setup..im gonna follow that.


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## camboy012406 (Jun 11, 2010)

hi guppy, how much flourish you dose once a week??


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

I use one drop of Flourish a week , i use a small eyedropper 
only one drop! Its not much but if you have shrimp in your tank you have to be careful with Flourish because it contains copper which is bad for shrimp.


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

New growth on My java moss stones that Igor made Me...
Looks nice with all the pieces of moss growing straight up...


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## camboy012406 (Jun 11, 2010)

how did u manage to grow the moss like that??


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

the moss in that photo were made by igor(from the forum) they are java moss tied to little stones... tied with thin fishing line ( but igor knows how to tie them properly somehow so they grow straight like that) 
I tried to make some myself but they didnt have the same look--- they did tie on and are growing well but the moss isnt straight and perfect like the stones igor made me, Id love to know how he did them... magic moss stones


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

The java moss stones are really growing nicely ....


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## camboy012406 (Jun 11, 2010)

GuppyLove said:


> The java moss stones are really growing nicely ....


did your shrimp happen to breed in your 5.5tank??


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

Oh yes they are breeding like crazy!


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## camboy012406 (Jun 11, 2010)

GuppyLove said:


> Oh yes they are breeding like crazy!


you mean crystal red shrimps?? or just cherries??


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## BettaBeats (Jan 14, 2010)

She has a mixture of several shrimps. Crystal reds, cherries, orange sunkist, possibly a black crystal I think she said?

Anyways, her tanks are very nice! Great selection of plants, her guppies are extremely happy and colourful, and her shrimp tank is playful and planted well.

It was a treat to see them in person.

Igor posted a link to how to make the moss rocks - http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14842&page=9

Very delicate, but a great effect.


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

Thanks BettaBeats!  
I read that post too about how he made the moss stones... What it doesnt say is how exactly he cut the java moss from the original plant and how exactly he placed it on the stones...and i know he must be doing that part a special way to get it to grow in the correct direction and evenness...i have my own version of a moss stone that I tried to make and it grows great but looks like a bush instead of how Igors moss stones look nice and straight and untangled when they grow...magic lol


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

GuppyLove said:


> the moss in that photo were made by igor(from the forum) they are java moss tied to little stones... tied with thin fishing line ( but igor knows how to tie them properly somehow so they grow straight like that)
> I tried to make some myself but they didnt have the same look--- they did tie on and are growing well but the moss isnt straight and perfect like the stones igor made me, Id love to know how he did them... magic moss stones


Thank you. I can collect pictures and explain a way to do this. The key is a fresh moss


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

Yes that would be helpful to see how you trimmed your moss and how you placed each piece of moss on the stones


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

GuppyLove said:


> The java moss stones are really growing nicely ....


Yes, they look great.
You can cut long moss stems in ends on a stone. This will make moss to grow more even.


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

GuppyLove said:


> Yes that would be helpful to see how you trimmed your moss and how you placed each piece of moss on the stones


Yep, I can do this, or at least try. It's hard to make a picture of individual trimming in a planted tank


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

My shrimp tank thread is now located in the Invertabrates section of the forum  
Too bad I couldnt just move this whole thread over there lol


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## camboy012406 (Jun 11, 2010)

GuppyLove said:


> Heres the Shrimp tank... I just started the tank not long ago, christmas moss tied to an ornament and java moss tied down, some moss balls and an anubias...-also some floating heart and some amazon frogbit. The plants on the right side are not going to be permanent- just some extra hygro and a crypt that werent doing that well from my 15 gallon to give the shrimp some plants until I find a better plant for that corner. I plan on trying to get some moss to grow as a carpet too...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


hi guppy where did you bought that circle thing for the water lily.


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

Hey camboy
Its a heater suction cup... I got at bigals, comes with 2 or 4 in a package.... Works great for holding floating plants in place


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## camboy012406 (Jun 11, 2010)

GuppyLove said:


> Hey camboy
> Its a heater suction cup... I got at bigals, comes with 2 or 4 in a package.... Works great for holding floating plants in place


excellent idea.. I must buy that.


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