My First Shrimp-only Tank Journal

YuccaPatrol · Post by **YuccaPatrol** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 6:55 pm

Don't worry about not boiling rocks. Some folks in the aquarium hobby have a very odd idea that their tanks should be absolutely sterile and that anything from nature that doesn't come from the pet store must be treated with extreme suspicion. They'll talk about wanting to make sure "bad things" don't find their way into their tanks, but they can never tell you exactly what it is they are trying to save their tanks from.

Sadly (for them), their excessive sterilization techniques destroy more potentially beneficial microorganisms than anything else. The livestock they bring home from the pet store is the source of almost all of the "bad things" that can infest a tank, but at least they undestand not to boil their fish and shrimp before allowing them into their tanks!

Newjohn · Post by **Newjohn** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 7:07 pm

The Fisherman

It looks like you have enough surface space to grow micro-organism's
On.

Now all you need , is to wait for the tank to cycle and and some Shrimp.

John

The Fisherman · Post by **The Fisherman** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 7:26 pm

Thanks for the input guys.

I'll update again tomorrow on how its cycling.

-John (AKA: The Puffer Ninja)

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 8:22 pm

It looks nice

, the best part about setting up the tank for me is adding the water and knowing that it will be sustaining the life of its inhabitants for a long time. Thats just how I think of it

BriMcg · Post by **BriMcg** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 10:03 pm

Thanks for the journal! Great idea...I wish I thought of that.

A couple of thoughts, and I might be way off-base here:

1. I agree on the "no-boil" point. Any beastie that gets in your tank is sure to be murdered by the high ammonia.

2. Is coral really a good idea? In your intro post, you stated that your water is naturally high Ph and very hard as well.

Thanks for the update. Look forward to the next 'chapter...'

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 3:49 am

If your water is good and hard to begin with, there is no need to use coral in my experience. I use coral because I also keep apple snails and they like to eat it, or so it seems. If your water is hard and has a good pH, there isno reason to mess with it.

The Fisherman · Post by **The Fisherman** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 9:22 am

Neonshrimp:

Thanks

BriMcg: Your welcome

I am having a lot of fun with this journal too.

Any beastie that gets in your tank is sure to be murdered by the high ammonia.

Haha, this kind hit my funny bone

Yep, my water is naturally very hard, and high PH, but it also has natural nitrAtes of 25 ppm. Generally I use a mixture of RO and my tap for my FW tanks. Perhaps I should do that and treat with Prime.

I agree with you and Badflash, i'm don't think the former LR is necesary at this point. It looks kinda weird in there after I got the "normal" rocks in there. I'll just pull it out and toss it into my SW tank

I'm not sure I like the look of the gravel in there either, I may be taking that out today too.

-John (AKA: The Puffer Ninja)

The Fisherman · Post by **The Fisherman** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 10:57 am

9/14/06: Maturing the system

Params:

NitrAte: 20 ppm
NitrIte: 0 ppm
GH: 150 ppm
KH: 130 ppm
PH: 7.6
Ammonia: 4-5 ppm

So, same as yesterday. No change over a 24 hour period. Hmmmm...

I'm going to put some filter squeezings into the tank, hopefully jump start it with more bacteria.

-John (AKA: The Puffer Ninja)

The Fisherman · Post by **The Fisherman** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 4:57 pm

9/15/06: Maturing The System

Same params as yesterday...

I did use a liquid test kit for nitrAtes, and they are actually barely detecable right now.

Heh, I had been using the strips, because I lost the FW nitrAte color chart card. I found it in the cup that I keep my toothbrush in....

How that happend I don't know...

Hopefully some changes tomorrow...

-John (AKA: The Puffer Ninja)

wendyjo · Post by **wendyjo** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 5:00 pm

LOL! I lost my ammonia card 2 days ago - maybe I should look in my toothbrush holder as well?

WetPets · Post by **WetPets** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 5:08 pm

Whoa, Whoa, whoa ... about the rock and boil thingie...

I heard its not a good idea to use rocks in your tanks from outside because they contain alot of metals.

YuccaPatrol · Post by **YuccaPatrol** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 5:18 pm

WetPets wrote:
I heard its not a good idea to use rocks in your tanks from outside because they contain alot of metals.

It is a good idea to use only rocks that you know are can reasonably expect to be safe.

Remember that even the rocks that the pet store sells came from outside, they just have a price tag on them.

Knowing just a tiny bit about your local geology can help you to find appropriate rocks.

The Fisherman · Post by **The Fisherman** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 5:28 pm

Well, I never thought about metals being inside them....

I think i'll be fine...They are just normal rocks from outside. I decided to go the "free" route rather then $1.99 per pound at my LFS.

-John (AKA: The Puffer Ninja)

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 7:41 pm

I'd be more concerned about the rocks screwing up my water parameters. Quartz and Granite rocks are pretty safe. Slate is OK in hard water, but not soft. Limestones & marbles can push your pH up. Worry about anything with a lot of color. Many times this means a leachable mineral.

The Fisherman · Post by **The Fisherman** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 7:46 pm

badflash, I don't know if the rocks I have are considered "lots of colors", I just grabbed some nice looking random rocks. You can see them in some of the tank pics.

-John (AKA: The Puffer Ninja)