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Jennifer V

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Everything posted by Jennifer V

  1. I do remember something about that exact thing -- that fluctuations mimic natural environments so they are better for fish. The house never goes below 70 so I hope it'll work out. I would really like to move away from heaters altogether myself, so this is a great first step! Thank you!
  2. That's fantastic! The tank has been without a heater for more than 24 hours now and the temp is at 74 degrees. Based on everyone's experiences, I think they'll be just fine. Such great news! Thank you!
  3. Excellent! Thank you for the good news!
  4. Yes! That's exactly what I read! They reproduce faster and die quicker at higher temps. I removed the heater per your suggestion and the temp is slowly coming down so we'll see. Thank you so much!!
  5. The room is at about 70 degrees right now. I'm assuming that would be ok for a couple days? I just don't want to shift temperature too much, but I think you're right, 80 is too high.
  6. Hi All! The temp in my 5g neo shrimp tank is slowly climbing. Was 78 and is now 80. I'm thinking I need a new heater stat -- mine is a Tetra cheaper heater right now. I'm ready to purchase another but won't be able to do so for a couple days. 1. Do I monitor and remove this one if the temp goes any higher and deal without a heater for a couple days? 2. I cannot seem to find the best practice to swap out the old one and add the new one. Feel silly for asking but what exactly do I do? Thank you so much!
  7. They're soooo picky! Mine eat the bloodworms if I fast them a couple days but otherwise they refuse and insist on the brine shrimp.
  8. For pea puffers, the more the merrier, so I would consider getting six of you can. They're a shoaling species so they demonstrate the best behavior and have more longevity in groups of at least six. Tank mates can be tricky. It depends on the temperament of the peas. Some will tolerate other fish and some won't. From what I know, it's best to have fast swimmers so they can get away from the peas easily but I know a lot of people have happily kept a variety of fish with them, including otos and it's been just fine. You'll just need a backup plan in case things go south. I tried cherry shrimp with my peas and a nerite snail and it ended badly for both but I have a smaller tank than you're planning. As for Dutch style versus conventional, it seems to me that as long as there are tons of plants to break up sight lines and allow the peas to establish their own territories, it wouldn't really matter much. Something to consider is feeding. They're often picky and require a variety of foods. I'm not yet experienced enough to culture a supply of live food, which is ideal, so I feed mine frozen bloodworms, frozen brine shrimp, ramshorn and bladder snails and live daphnia when I can get them. I set up a separate tank for the snails so I can keep the population up. You'd be surprised how quickly peas will go through an entire tank full of snails. Sometimes they just pick at them for fun, so you'll need to watch your water parameters and do frequent water changes. They're messy little beans! So excited for your new adventure! 🐡
  9. Just a side note, neocaridina shrimp like a seasoned tank with lots of BB rather than a new tank that's still cycling. I'm sure some people have had luck adding them quickly, but I've tried that twice with unpleasant results. It was only until I let my new tank cycle for a few months that I've had a lot of success.
  10. I had the same issue and added crushed coral to my tank. Everything seems to be resolved now even months later. I would try that before adding baking soda.
  11. I've had my peas for a year and a half and in that time have learned so much about their behavior and needs. I don't think a single pea would thrive in a 5g although I know many people have kept them this way. As others mentioned, they're very social and active fish so they are better off kept in small shoals rather than singularly. They are messy little murder beans so it would be difficult to maintain ideal water parameters in a 5g and they have complex needs as far as feeding so it depends on how much you'd like to dive into that. 🐡
  12. I can totally relate! I just realized I have seven different foods for my very small shrimp colony and I keep looking for more. I'm obsessed!
  13. I'm in Denver. There is the Colorado Aquarium Society. They have two active Facebook pages, one for discussion and one for buying, selling and trading. You can find them here.
  14. That's exactly what I have. They're all low light plants.
  15. That's great news! If the population gets to a place you don't like, you can always offer up the extra snails to other local people looking to feed them to their fish. The snail population directly relates to the amount of food available, so it will die back with less food present. For right now, nothing to worry about. Enjoy!!
  16. Love swords! I have Amazon, Red Melon and Red Flame in one of my tanks. I just recently realized there are tons of other varieties as well, some that grow shorter than others. You could put together a really cool tank with just sword varieties! I agree that asymmetry creates visual appeal, but every tank is different. You could maybe try putting one of those blocks on it's side so it's lower to the substrate and attach some nana petite to it. That might be cool! No matter what, you've got a great start to a very cool tank.
  17. What about Java fern or varieties of bucephalandra? In my experience, all are low maintenance. I have Java fern, two types of buce, mosses, anubias and susswassertang in my 5g and they all grow like crazy with very little maintenance at all. I just occasionally trim and add liquid ferts and it's a jungle in there.
  18. IMHO, I would leave it be. All great signs that your tank is heading in the right direction! If you're really in need of some life in the tank, I would try bladder snails. Yes, they do reproduce quickly, but you can likely find some for free, they clean the tank beautifully and can live in just about any water conditions. Since your tank is still cycling, they can handle the fluctuations. And it's so much fun to see something cruising around the tank rather than staring at an empty one. Call me crazy, but I love those little guys!
  19. Agree with @Melkor. Although it's unsettling sometimes to see a new friend in the tank and not know what it is or where it came from. I saw one a few months ago in my shrimp tank and haven't seen any others since. Regardless, they're totally harmless.
  20. If they refuse a certain food at first, you can try fasting them for a couple days and then reintroduce the food they've denied. They'll likely eat it. You'll be surprised how quickly they devour snails. My tank was filled with bladder snails when I got my peas and they ate all of them within a day.
  21. I recently discovered Bacter AE, which creates biofilm in the tank. Granted, I have neos but I believe it's good for caridina as well. My shrimp love it! Might be worth doing some research.
  22. I ended up buying some and use about a quarter of an eighth tsp measurement once a week for my 5g that has about 20 shrimp and shrimplets in it now. They love it!
  23. I think you're right, some kind of Japanese Trapdoor Snail, hence the pagoda misnomer. Very cool!
  24. One of the best lessons I have learned is it's much more enjoyable to involve your family, whether that's your spouse, your children or your forum compatriots, this "hobby" is so much more exciting when we invite companionship rather than going at it in a singular way.
  25. Love vita chem for my peas! We even add some directly to the water for them. We've had them for a year and a half and they're still doing great. 🐡
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