Pinesong's Tank of Shame: Shrimp Tank Makeover Journal

[PineSong]

I impulse-purchased some orange shrimp from Aquashella Chicago and added them to one of my guppy grow-out tanks just to stash them somewhere.

Here we are two months later --the tank is an eyesore because I had to remove all my driftwood and plants to engage in the daily hunt for gonopodiums so that I could be Done With Guppy Fry for a while. 

Luckily, this 10g is in a non-public space in our home so my shame at having such an abandoned- Chernobyl-looking tank is at least private. 

The substrate and background were not ideal for highlighting orange shrimp, so I ordered Seachem flourite black and it should arrive tomorrow. While I am waiting  I started removing the old substrate and today I repainted the background the same dark blue that I have in my koi swordtail tank, which is right next door.

I'm going to shop my other tanks for plants and my extras bin for driftwood, and I hope that will leave me with a tank the shrimp will love and that I don't have to hide behind a closed door.

Here is the sad Before shot; I'll post an After once the new substrate is in:

 

 

 

 

[Patrick_G]

I wonder how many of us have a tank of shame or two? I just broke down a guppy tank that was “planted” with about a cubic foot of hair algae 🤣

@PineSong I think this tank is going to look great. I love orange shrimp a black substrate!

[PineSong]

On 12/11/2022 at 8:07 PM, Patrick_G said:

I wonder how many of us have a tank of shame or two? I just broke down a guppy tank that was “planted” with about a cubic foot of hair algae 🤣

@PineSong I think this tank is going to look great. I love orange shrimp a black substrate!

I have a cloud of that same "plant" in my 20g long 🙂

[Patrick_G]

On 12/11/2022 at 5:37 PM, PineSong said:

I have a cloud of that same "plant" in my 20g long 🙂

I’m surprised how much nitrate it uses up, and it’s free! 

[PineSong]

And now it's gone from bad to worse! I gathered up the rest of the substrate as well as I was able. I don't want to suddenly remove all the beneficial bacteria living on the substrate so I figured I'd keep it in the tank in these glasses for a bit while the new substrate gets acclimated. 

It's hard to believe how much mulm there is in the tank since I ran a HOB on it for a a whole week before I moved it and stirred the substrate multiple times per day and did that periodically while raising guppies in the tank as well. I don't want to gravel vac or remove the pre-filter sponge because the tank is chock full of shrimplets.

New substrate tomorrow or whenever a lot of this mulm is gone....

[nabokovfan87]

On 12/11/2022 at 5:07 PM, Patrick_G said:

I wonder how many of us have a tank of shame or two?

Not really ashamed, but not happy enough with it to actually show it and discuss it?  It's just being a stubborn tank, but it's my beautiful cloudy mopani mess. 🙂

On the plus side though, Grace the shark did enjoy her new digs when I moved the wood around.

 

On 12/12/2022 at 6:47 PM, PineSong said:

It's hard to believe how much mulm there is in the tank since I ran a HOB on it for a a whole week before I moved it and stirred the substrate multiple times per day and did that periodically while raising guppies in the tank as well.

Agreed.  Whenever I do a substrate change it's always messy.  Hopefully it's not too much of a pain with all the shrimplets.  I would always find a fry whenever I do it too.  Strangely.

 

[PineSong]

Phase 2: the new substrate is in. I used the whole bag of fluorite and I wish I had another 1/3 of a bag… but not so much that I will pay for it.

Since one of the tanks I took plants from has planaria, I have those plants soaking in a bucket of No Planaria until Friday. I usually hide my filters behind corkscrew Val but I don’t want to overwhelm this tank so I stuck some Sagittaria there instead. 

It appears the scads of baby shrimp in the tank have survived all these changes. I’m looking forward to adding plants and removing the HOB and old substrate for the full glow up, but I feel like the hard part is over with.

[PineSong]

With no fish in the tank and the dark substrate in place, I’m loving seeing all these teeny tinies at mealtimes.