# Walstadd Shrimp Bowl?



## BoiBJ (Aug 10, 2011)

Ok so I decided to create a Walstad Shrimp Bowl, with subsoil substrate with topsoil mixed. My bowl is approximately about 2.5-3 gallons, it's going to planted heavily with low light plants and mosses? How many RCS could i stock in this bowl , some sources say 4-5 max?? And what plants would you recommend that won't over crowd?


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

I have the exact same setup, with 2 lucky bamboos, and some java moss. I put it near a sunlit window. I haven't had much growth with the plants, but the green hair algae has taken over.

I started with about 10 RCS, there must be at least 30 in there now, if not a lot more.


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## BoiBJ (Aug 10, 2011)

=0 never knew you could stock that much ! Do the leaves of the lucky bamboo have to be out of the water?? Wow , I guess I was underestimating how hardy RCS can be!!


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

BoiBJ said:


> =0 never knew you could stock that much ! Do the leaves of the lucky bamboo have to be out of the water?? Wow , I guess I was underestimating how hardy RCS can be!!


Yeah, the lucky bamboo leaves have to be out of water. Honestly, I'm not sure it does much, but I like the look and its extensive root system serves as good surface area for biofiltration.

I also change water only once a month, if that. The rest of the time I just top off.

I should mention though that my condo is pretty warm during the winter, rarely going below 20C. If your home gets cold, you might want to use a small heater.

Oh, and I rarely feed them either. They live off of the algae.


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## BoiBJ (Aug 10, 2011)

solarz said:


> Yeah, the lucky bamboo leaves have to be out of water. Honestly, I'm not sure it does much, but I like the look and its extensive root system serves as good surface area for biofiltration.
> 
> I also change water only once a month, if that. The rest of the time I just top off.
> 
> I should mention though that my condo is pretty warm during the winter, rarely going below 20C. If your home gets cold, you might want to use a small heater.


Yea, Ill probably need a small heater, BTW i dug out too much soil , I overestimated my fish bowl size ai ya! Now I have enough soil for multiple projects! BTW i have no experience with shrimp, so do I have to provide some supplements for food?


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

BoiBJ said:


> Yea, Ill probably need a small heater, BTW i dug out too much soil , I overestimated my fish bowl size ai ya! Now I have enough soil for multiple projects! BTW i have no experience with shrimp, so do I have to provide some supplements for food?


I thought the MTS was for your 10 gallon?

Anyway, the most important thing with shrimps is a good water quality. The tank/bowl/whatever has to be cycled.

Soil will leech nutrients in the beginning, so you might want to keep an eye on ammonia and nitrate levels.

I feed my RCS hikari micro-pellets once every few months if I feel they're not getting enough protein (more gut feeling than anything scientific). The shrimps live mainly on the algae.


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## BoiBJ (Aug 10, 2011)

solarz said:


> I thought the MTS was for your 10 gallon?
> 
> Anyway, the most important thing with shrimps is a good water quality. The tank/bowl/whatever has to be cycled.
> 
> ...


LOL yea it was for the 10g but my mom didnt want me messing with the tank so she made me test it on something else (empty fish bowl), so I decided to turn this experiment into a RCS project. I mean even if the my experiment succeeded, with the plant showing new growth, what would I do with it afterwards, (add shrimp). So they can live off the algae in the bowl, with occasional supplements ? Okay then!


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## BoiBJ (Aug 10, 2011)

So MTS is mineralized top soil, but Im using subsoil, so ?? Do I still have to go through the whole procedure of soaking it then waiting for it to dry?


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

BoiBJ said:


> So MTS is mineralized top soil, but Im using subsoil, so ?? Do I still have to go through the whole procedure of soaking it then waiting for it to dry?


Yes, because subsoil still contains some organic matter. The more you skimp on the process, the more problems you may run into.


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## AquaticPulse (Jun 19, 2011)

solarz said:


> I feed my RCS hikari micro-pellets once every few months if I feel they're not getting enough protein (more gut feeling than anything scientific).


Does feeding them make them more red? I might be crazy but i feel like they appeared more red when i fed them versus them living off algae. Maybe i'm a little crazy or sleep deprived from studying for finals


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## BoiBJ (Aug 10, 2011)

solarz said:


> Yes, because subsoil still contains some organic matter. The more you skimp on the process, the more problems you may run into.


OK then wouldn't wanna risk anything


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

thinkshane said:


> Does feeding them make them more red? I might be crazy but i feel like they appeared more red when i fed them versus them living off algae. Maybe i'm a little crazy or sleep deprived from studying for finals


I really don't know. The shrimps in my bowl are not red at all, but I figured it was because they were hanging on the glass all the time (and thus a light background).


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## BoiBJ (Aug 10, 2011)

solarz said:


> I really don't know. The shrimps in my bowl are not red at all, but I figured it was because they were hanging on the glass all the time (and thus a light background).


LOL you could always paint the glass BLACK if really want them nice and red !


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## zfarsh (Apr 7, 2011)

oh my god, thanks for posting this, i went and googled the Walstad Shrimp Tank, and will be reading it, but i am already familiar with her concepts 

Now, I suggest if putting it near window for natural sunlight to NOT use Lucky Bamboo, as they dont like the sunlight, and i suspect the leaves may turn yellow or light green. Otherwise, lucky banboo are great for the pupose of removing the nitrite/amonia, and yes, the leaves have to be out of the water!!! Pothos should work great (again all leaves must be emergent, only roots in the water hanging, or if long enough, put the roots at bottom in the soil, but NO leaves in the water for the emergent type plants!!!!). Amazon Frogbit (floating plant) is probably essential specially for the begining (i love these all around). And Java Moss / Fern should be great addition as the dedicated submerge plants. I think bacopa could be agreat addition at some point, as it can be either submerged or emergent. If not in sunlight, with low light lamp, i think the Java / amazon frogbit and lucky bamboo should be great.

But thanks to the maker of this post, that i can re-use my 2.5 Gal tank for something nice!!!


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

zfarsh said:


> Now, I suggest if putting it near window for natural sunlight to NOT use Lucky Bamboo, as they dont like the sunlight, and i suspect the leaves may turn yellow or light green.


I've read about that too, but my experiences contradict this completely.

I have 2 stalks of "bamboo" (which is actually dracaena) in the shrimp tank. One has yellow and withered leaves and is not doing well, but *that happened before the bamboo was ever introduced to sunlight, and came from the same seller as some other bamboo which had long died*.

The other stalk came from Ikea or T&T, was longer and thicker, and is currently doing very well. The leaves are thick and green.

More significantly, I have about a dozen other stalks left in front of a sunlit window in a bucket which kept some guppies all summer (so very nutrient rich water). The stalks are all doing extremely well, with thicker and healthier leaves than bamboo stalks with less light and nutrient.

It makes no sense that a plant with green leaves (i.e. full of chlorophyll) would be averse to sun light. I suspect that this myth arose from most people keeping the bamboo in nutrient-deprived tap water. In those conditions, the plant is simply dying a slow death rather than growing. When exposed to sunlight, the plant uses up more nutrients from the water, and starves itself to death.

I think the condition of the stalks play a large part as well. Like I said, I did not get good results from a certain seller in Pacific Mall, but I got good results from stalks bought in both Ikea and T&T.

Further Note:

I wouldn't recommend actually putting the lucky bamboo *OUTSIDE* in direct sunlight: indoor plants do not do well when exposed to the UV radiation of outdoors sunlight.


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## zfarsh (Apr 7, 2011)

thanks for sharing your experience. 

My experience is different. I made a test with 2 stalks from Wallmart, very long ones. The roots were doing extremely well, and leaves stayed great green when they were not in front of sun. When i put them in a larger tank, i made a system that partially covered them. The one bamboo that had less protection, ie more sunlight would get in, started changing to a paler green. Plants were still doing good, i believe. I wanted to start putting much more, but discovered their roots were poisonous if eaten... well, having goldfish in it, who eat everything, the plant went somewhere else, just as precaution. For shrimps, this and "normal" fish, this wouldnt be a problem.

I have also seen on youtube that LuckyBambooExpert advised to keep it off the sun, as well as other sites. But if your experience is different, then i may try it again with Ikea Stalks... Question though, do you need fish in it, for enriched "conditions" which you mentioned, cause i was planing only rcs.. unless there is a shrimp safe fish where a 2.5 gal tank would be ok.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

I would just try it out. If the bamboo is not doing well, just take it out.

I wouldn't count on it for nutrient export though. That's why sunlight is important in my bowl: it stimulates algae growth, which keeps the water clean as well as providing food. I also have java moss in there.


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## BoiBJ (Aug 10, 2011)

NO wonder my stalks getting yellow, because of tap water! I hope this bamboo stalk recovers in my walstad bowl! Yes I am a idiot never knew tap water would effect a plant to go all yellow.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

BoiBJ said:


> NO wonder my stalks getting yellow, because of tap water! I hope this bamboo stalk recovers in my walstad bowl! Yes I am a idiot never knew tap water would effect a plant to go all yellow.


I've read that chloramine adversely affects dracaena, but I don't know if it's true. I think that it's more a case of lack of nutrients, or a poor piece of stalk to begin with.


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## BoiBJ (Aug 10, 2011)

Hey guys , I kinda rushed into the whole soil thing and didn't properly air it out , since i got excited you didnt have to air it if its subsoil. And now i have a major water problem, i knew i shouldn't rushed, i kept telling myself not too! Today i added some hornort and lucky bamboo, and i filled the bowl halfway, and oh um i added some sand on top. After a while there was debris in the water and it was all nasty , it cleared up but now i have this slimey/oily film onto of the water, and the water looks a bit milky? I also turned on a lamp for light 0_0? How do i get rid of this milky water, I tried siphoning the film but it didnt work...could it be a bacteria bloom, or a haze of some sort? Could it be sand debris? The water also kinda smells now , it didn't before, kinda smells like lake water, 0_0 kinda similar to the smell of the lake's water when i go fishing?


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