Scott P.

I just wanted to add one thing. I would never AGAIN put shrimp in a tank with this filter. I love the filter as far as filters go. You can customize to your hearts content. BUT that skimmer deal is a deal breaker for keeping shrimp and or fry. I thought I had that problem fixed by hot glue and screen over the skimmer. Well that lasted a few days and the hot glue came loose. Then I remembered that the pump cover has vents. Which I am guessing is to cool the motor. I pulled the filter awhile ago to address the screen and found two dead shrimp and a baby snail in the filter housing. I ended up cutting some small pieces of screen, rolling them up and jamming them in the skimmer vents. They were tight so I'm fairly sure the skimmer part is done. I started to cover the vents for the pump but decided to leave that alone. As I said, I love the filter, but I don't think this filter is a good idea for anyone trying to keep shrimp.

Found this on youtube yesterday. Cheap diy planaria trap. Trap construction starts at the 3 minute mark.

Greetings

The eheim is what I'm leaning towards. I already have a Inkbird controller so all I need is a good heater. I've been looking at their newer models without the calibration gizmo. Right now my tank stays where I was it, but I believe come winter it may need some help.

Planaria is one I've heard can be bad in a shrimp tank.

I don't know if sponge filters will give enough circulation for a tank that's 24 inches front to back. That's the first I've seen with those measurements.

Greetings Chris

I found my first shrimp molt carcass this morning. I'm guessing that's a good sign.

I think that is the most Hydra I have ever seen in a tank. If it were me they would have to go.

Where's the party?

Trying to figure out how to take a picture with my phone. This is green hair algae up close. This sample was taken where there is good water flow. Funny thing is, I looked all over this stuff and there was nothing in the way of critters. I guess they don't like flowing waters. I sort of knew this to start but really thought I might find something hanging on.

I did the same for years. Last year I picked up a well used university scope. Bad thing is the 100x objective is stuck. The nosepiece is supposed to be spring loaded. It is stuck and therefore useless. On another note I have an ID on a few thing sI observed this morning. Fairly sure there were some ciliates in there. The thing I couldn't ID earlier I believe is a stentor. I'm the guy that people see at the local ponds all the time taking water samples. It is crazy the amount of life in a small sample of pond water. I have a bowl on the back walk that stays full of rain water. I added a handful of leaves last year and now that bowl is full of life.

I have been seeing these tiny little things all over my on my tiger lotus leaves. They look like teeny bits of yellow string against the red leaves of the tiger lotus. I usually vac them off at water change time. This morning curiosity got the best of me, so I pulled out the old trusty microscope. I took a pipet and suctioned up as many of these tiny bits as I could. The movement of the pipet was enough to make most of this stuff float away. Put in a small deli cup and let everything settle in one small area. Then suctioned up a good sample and put it on a slide with a fresh cover slip. What appeared to the naked eye turned out to be mainly just detritus. That said there was a good bit of tiny critters roaming around. Lots of microscopic worms. Something I could not identify, looked like a cross between a rotifer and a vorticella. There were a few round things swimming around. I have seen these before but have never figured what they were. Also a few teeny things flying by at warp speed. I have seen them before in pond water but they move so fast it is futile to try and follow them. Tons of what I believe are bacteria, but bacteria isn't that easy to ID with a scope that doesn't have some serious magnification. Nothing really alarmed me as I was expecting microscopic life to be there. Any of you ever check out your tank for microscopic life? I know a few people that wouldn't like seeing what is living in their tanks.

I think your picture is upside down.

Greetings Max

It won't hurt and it will give beneficial bacteria another place to grow. Yes I would.

I agree with that. I covered mine with nylon screen and a pre-filter sponge on the intake.

Why is that?

Congrats on becoming parents, there is nothing like it.

Greetings

Greetings

One more thing to keep in mind. It only comes with a fairly coarse sponge and a bag of bio-rocks I also ordered Seachems polishing pads. I cut out filter sponges of different ppi and stack them. The one that came with the filter in first, followed by a finer sponge, then filter floss, then the polishing pad. My bag of bio-rocks on top.

I got mine on Ebay.

I have a Tidal 55. That was one of the selling points for me, no need to prime. It does have a surface skimmer, I hot glued a piece of nylon screen over mine. The basket to service media is nice. I have had mine about three months, so far I like it.

Spooky looking critters when magnified.