Fishprinceofca

Interesting. I've never seen a backstripe on my OEBTs, Royals, or BTOEs, but haven't kept wilds, so that's good to know. Thank you for posting and clarifying.

That's a bummer. You should ask for a refund.

Hi Colin, Welcome to the forum and the hobby! Those actually look like Neocaridina. Tiger shrimp belong to the Caridina family, and will not have a back stripe. You may have a Black Rose, or one of the Blue type Neos. The genetics get kind of funky with the Blues. Here's a picture of one of my lighter Orange Eye Blue Tigers, and another of a Royal Blue Tiger.

Yes, it is possible to over-mineralize your water changes. Too much or too little will stress your shrimp. Match the parameters of your water change to the parameters in your tank. If you need to adjust the parameters in your tank, then do it slowly, as shrimp prefer stability above all else. I used to do 20% weekly water changes on all my tanks, but backed off to 10% every two weeks on my PRLs and Taiwan Bees, which are a bit more sensitive. I still do 20% water changes with my Neos and Tigers, but every other week. Like most hobbies, shrimpkeeping goes through cycles of highs and lows, and hobbyists come and go. You'll find many posts on this site written by much more experienced and knowledgeable shrimpers than I, who are either taking a break from the forum or shrimpkeeping in general. So seek out their posts where you can. We'll try to help out when you're stumped. There's also a few Facebook groups dedicated to shrimpkeeping that are a bit more active, and you may find more responsive users there. You'll lose the anonymity, but might make a new friend or two

Yes, place it on the very bottom of the tank, before adding in your substrate. Just as in The Green Machine photo, I sloped my PowerSand, with it being higher in the back to accommodate the larger Cyperus helferi. Here's a picture of the back of my 60-H: And the side: Please excuse the flash, but wanted to show you that the ADA AS Powder type shows some compaction near the middle and top layers, whereas the ADA AS Regular type and Power Sand are holding their shape after six months since initial setup.

I have used PowerSand in all my planted tank setups, and highly recommend it. My crypts, swords, Blyxa, and other rooted plants all went for it. When I tore down my 65-gallon community tank after 4 years, my Echinodorus parviflorus was close to 12" tall, had 5-6 daughter plants, and all of them had PowerSand clinging off of their roots. If you're going to be keeping a tank for the long-term, I think it's worth the investment. Currently, all but one of my shrimp tanks are planted, and they all use PowerSand underneath in conjunction with ADA AS and their line of substrate additives. No ill effects that I can see.

Welcome!

Welcome!

By now, the buffering capacity of the ADA is gone, and I haven't kept up with the trimming nor scape. But they're still doing fine. Finally did some trimming a month ago after nearly a year of neglect.

Shrimp will grow at different rates, depending on their genetics, environment, and, to some degree, nutrition. Higher temperatures will increase the growth rate, but also spur the tendency of bacterial infections. There are food products out there (e.g. Mosura Excel) that market faster growth with higher protein content. You can supplement their diets with a bit of protein, just feed sparingly, especially in a small tank. I rotate among protein, plant, and baby foods, powder and pellet, on different days. You are probably seeing babies from a berried female that was hiding. My experience with OEBTs is that they breed when they reach maturity and size. Some shrimpers have kept OEBTs in Taiwan Bee parameters. Most keep them in harder, neutral water. I have mine in a planted tank with GH 7, pH 7.4, and KH 2, and with ADA Amazonia. The caveat here is to make sure there are stones or something else to buffer the pH and add some hardness. I planned for an Iwagumi scape with Seiryu stones, which raises the GH and pH, defeating the purpose of an active substrate meant for soft water shrimp like CRS and Taiwan Bees, but perfect for a planted tank with OEBTs.

12 hours seems a bit long. When was the last time you changed the bulbs? How long has the tank been set up and the Pogostemon planted?

Welcome!

Welcome!

Curious. Sounds like something might be affecting the roots, which would diminish the plant's ability to absorb nutrients from the substrate. My Pogostemon helferi died similarly until I switched to higher lighting. How big is your tank, and what are the dimensions of it and your light fixture?

A fan will help lower the temperature of your tank. I have mine set on a timer over my tiger tank to run in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Others have theirs set through a thermometer connected to their tanks, so that when the temperature goes over the set amount, the fan will turn on.