purrmaid

Last night my nitrates were only 5ppm, gh was 4 and kh 1 so I added 0.5ml easy green and 1/2 teaspoon of aragonite sand in a little stocking on top of the filter. I have some baked and powdered eggshells somewhere that could add calcium but idk how much 🤔 I'm feeding a single shrimpee stick per day and that's supposed to have the calcium they need but I've found at least one dead from that white ring molting issue

So water parameters are improving, slowly. Besides the root tabs, I haven't done any easy green but if memory serves this is a lighting related issue. I currently have it on the light's day sim but I think I can program it to have a longer 'full light' period. There's also a layer of floating frogbit blocking light but idk if the trade off is good. That frogbit is keeping the nitrates lower 🤔

I should probably make a new thread but it's easier to keep this together--I set up a shrimp tank! I had an Aqueon 5gal acrylic bowfront in my garage so I cleaned it up, added leftover controsoil, the spiderwood from my quarantine tank, some media, water, and plants from the 35 gal, and here we are, a new tank for only the cost of a power strip that I still need to get, and a new Pawfly submersible led light that just came in. The original lights were broken and dinky anyway. This light has a day sim setting so that was nifty. I don't think it's terribly bright so that will be interesting to see what survives. So far it hasn't fully cycled so I'm checking 2x a day bc unfortunately the store I ordered shrimp from had them here in 5 days, not the predicted 12-16 days. I've had ammonia spike to 0.5ppm and nitrates to 40 so doing daily changes and pulling the water from my 36 gal tank with the idea that that water will already be full of good bacteria. So, any recommendations for keeping a nano tank? It may not be permanent bc the goal is to basically use it as a breeding/growout tank and then add these guys back into my 36 gal at such high populations that fish eating the babies and snailsfilling the same niche can't compete. I need a slimmer couch if it's actually going to be shown off. This is the same spot I want to do a walstad betta bowl someday too so idk. Could still use it for a betta after the shrimp project is achieved. Also, any recommendations for a low light stem plant that can hide those cords? I jave a couple stems of cabomba in there, a sprig of pennywort, some little clover, and some ludwigia that may just die. I broke some root tabs in there so they're not completely starved. I think the giant anubias, christmas moss, frogbit, african and java ferns will probably be fine but those won't hide the cables.

The ones making extra roots are pennywort, cabomba, and some mini clover looking stuff whose name I forget. The ludwigia occasionally makes a few extra but nothing crazy

I mean, the root tabs have sulfur in them. But they're in the substrate, not the water column 🤔

So I've noticed for a while that my stem plants, especially my pennywort, grow roots along the stems. I know they don't hurt anything, but it just doesn't look like the manicured projects I see online. It has occurred to me that these people could be carefully trimming them off, which sounds like an enormous pain (specifically in my poor hand and shoulder), but what if it's a nutritional problem?? My nitrate usually sits around 10-20ppm and I have tabs and easy green. Does roots showing mean I'm low in something specific like phosphate or something??? It's definitely not because I'm too lazy to trim all the roots 🫣

I've been looking at root tabs more and it's occurred to me, 'why can't we use pond tabs?' They come much cheaper. I've looked at the guaranteed analysis of a few and noticed they have higher amounts of copper which can be bad for shrimp...but if it's in the substrate, maybe it's okay?? Plants need copper, and so do shrimp, they just don't like it in the water column they like to eat it. Anyway has anyone tried pond tabs? Got any advice?

Going for a bowl. I have a 3.5 gallon one but that's small for anything. A 14" bowl holds around 5 gallons and a 16" holds around 8, depending on the water level, of course. I want it big enough for lots of plants and a cool piece of wood. I have a mini heater already that I can hide behind said wood, not that I need it rn. So hot 🔥

I have some red cherries, yes! They've even had babies but surprise, surprise, the babies have been scarce since adding the female bettas. I picked mine up when Petco was having a sale on invertebrates and I'm keeping my eyes out for another sale. I think maybe if I have enough, the bettas statistically can't eat *every* juvenile shrimp. There should be pics of them somewhere on the thread. I called ahead and they only have 2 male blue marble bettas come in. If I had my walstad bowl ready, that would be one thing but alas, I'm still looking at thrift shops for a bowl. The internet wants around $100 for a 14-16" diameter one. I also need to find an adjustable, classic looking wall lamp that I can put on a timer and put a plant bulb in. The spot I want to put it is in a dark corner that my mom likes to work her crosswords in when she visits, and then complain it's dark...mind you there are 2 other lamps in the room besides the overhead fan light and they're both next to chairs... Anyway, an excuse to put a fish bowl there lol. I used to actually keep an old biowheel acrylic all-in-one tank of not-kois on that table in college. They lived for years considering I was an idiot then lol. I think I had fake plants and petrified coral or something like that. Amazing the poor things' fins weren't scratched up and they tolerated such a small tank. It couldn't have been more than 10 gallons for even small goldfish. There's a lot more resources on fish keeping out there now though

Lol you're not late for anything. I was debating Seachem or these https://a.co/d/0fI9Wobg The PAC ones look like they're more nutrient dense from the guaranteed analysis so maybe I can use fewer. Nilocg and Aquarium Coop's unfortunately are both in gelcap form and I don't like how the Nilocg ones float bc of that. The dust algae goes away when I turn down the lights so idk about blaming the south facing window that's 12 ft away in a house with 8 ft ceilings. It's *really* not getting any natural light. Makes it hard when I have to remove the lamp to clean it bc it's hard to see what I'm doing 😞 All the hillstream guides say 'get at least 3 bc 2 will just harass each other without a third' I suspect the siamese algae eater has already nipped the side fin of my hillstream so the old guy may already be at a disadvantage in the hillstream hierarchy if I get him assistants 😥 And yes, you read wrong...ish. English is weird. I studied linguistics so I can say that with authority lol. I meant that the substrate is 18" deep under the water, not that the thickness of the layer of substrate is 18" deep. We have the same 36 g tank, that'd be like an 'Oops! All Dirt!' tank. The Petco gets a new batch of bettas today. They're usually not out til 4ish but I sorta want to see if they get in something called a 'blue marble.' I'd like to add one to the tank so I have a 4th girl. Maybe I'll call first though. My car has no AC and the temp is supposed to be 95°, not including the humidity 🥵. Maybe swing by Wendy's and get a few of those berry frostys for the freezer and to, of course, prevent my imminent demise. They need to totally add them to the normal menu!

Alas, I am in Atlanta. That's a bit of a drive lol. Does the forum have members down here? I've enjoyed having a garden the my cats can't chew on and won't give me heat stroke to work on during the summer.

The new mc is a bit pale but I would be too if you shipped me in a box for 5 days I didn't add more root tabs since the dang things float and I stirred up plenty of gunk that's probably chock full of nutrients (aka fish poop) anyway. Siamese algae eater is now in the 10g quarantine tank. I took out the trash and by the time I got back, the shrimp have all come out like the villagers after the wandering cowboy has taken out the bandits. Hopefully they can flourish now! Again, is there like a discord or something for fish rehoming/trading? Something less sketchy than craigslist? Bc I'd really like to quarantine some hillstreams to join my one and get my kitchen counter back 😕

The 4 betta gals are still hanging in there. They seem happy to sneak around. I found one in a shrimp cave last nigbt and had to go in and make sure they wer a lot snugger against the glass! I have additional monte carlo coming in today so let's hope it's survived the mail. I'm wondering if I should fish out the siamese algae eater while I'm planting. I've noticed he's bullying the hillstream loach and neons a bit but idk what to do with him. I'm not comfortable doing craigslist and the local petstores have told me they don't rehome fish. I even got bro to ask his ttrpg discord 😅

Turns out my phone has night mode! It's a half circle so you can see them from the side. There's one on the other side too but no one's in there right now. No fish allowed lol!

I'm back! I've been doing stuff without noting it! So for one thing, I switched to Easy Green. I realized that custom blended fertilizer wasn't going to do my tank any good if I'm always forgetting to dose the tank since the micros mold if it's not in the fridge. I started doing a nightly squirt of it and a mL of some leftover Flourish Iron I had. I know the instructions say do 1 squirt/10 gal 1-2 times per week depending on high yadda yadda but if it's not a nightly habit, it's not gonna happen. I have some more monte carlo on order. Mine *is* growing, just not fast and I'm impatient. I added a few old Nilocg root tabs near the existing mc today. Very annoying bc they float. Replacement recommendations are welcome. I also pulled out the older piece of driftwood and super glued some christmas moss cuttings to it. The white glue that seeped out looks kinda gross but theoretically the moss will cover it soon. My lfs had both it and java but the christmas looked greener to me. I took out my big overgrown tiger lotus and moved the smaller two towards the background and moved the ludwigia and mermaid weed back a bit too. I need something for the front corner now that's only going to get a few inches tall. Maybe something with lacey leaves? Or an unusual color besides red or green? Shrimp seem to be slowly breeding! I've found a few tinies hiding in the foliage 💕 Bro 3d printed some little 'caves' for them for me. I'll try to take a pic tomorrow when the light is on. I'm trying to hide them with rocks but hopefully I can get something to grow around them and hide them. I want the shrimp to feel secure and have more babies....especially since I'm quarantining a quartet of female bettas. It just looks like dwarf gourami are too carnivorous for a happen coexistence with cherry shrimp. So far the girls are getting along well tho I lost a fifth one. I'm debating replacing her since they seem to be getting along with just the four. I worry adding them to a tank with neons flashing around might make them need their fifth member to feel secure though. I'm also wondering if Ishould add any more hillstream loaches. I have one but I've read they're social? But you need 3 or the smaller one is always bullied? Idk, I would have to quarantine 3 of them in a 10gal for at least 3 weeks so they don't fight, giving me 4 in a 36g at the end. Don't they need like at least 20gal? Hopefully not *each* I also read that monte carlo needs a lot of light so I turned it up some. Hopefully that won't cause too much algae. The substrate is about 18" deep and according to the PAR data on my light, the levels drop pretty dramatically. I've noticed the cabomba and ludwigia are a bit leggy and not as red as they should be. My tank is prone to the green brown 'dust' on the glass, whatever that is, when it does deign to get algae so I'm wondering if more hillstreams can help prevent that. I don't want to go too overboard with co2 bc I read the shrimp don't like too much. I *think* those have been all the changes lately...