Johnfish Posted January 23, 2016 Report Share Posted January 23, 2016 Hi All, Just joined and I am looking forward to learning lots from this group. I started about a year age with a small betta tank and have had ghost shrimp on and off that never seem to do very well. I have 2 amanos in there with the betta 3 neons and a nerite. The Amanos seem to be doing good at this point. My wife is a fanatic about the shrimp so I started a 10 gallon with an ac 20 for filtration. I am about 2 weeks into a fishless cycle and have just started to see no2 and no3. I have some live plants on the way from Triton. I also have a stingray light so the plants are all low light. I am hoping after the cycle is complete to find some neos in blue to establish a colony. My biggest frustration is finding a local breeder or pet shop that have shrimp. There are no independent pet shops in the area they have all gone out of business. Looking forward to talking with all of you. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pika Posted January 23, 2016 Report Share Posted January 23, 2016 Welcome! I've been MIA from the forum for a while due to real-life stuff, but it is and always has been a great place for newbies! Your new setup sounds very similar to mine, which has been wonderful. Centreville Aquarium once in a while carries some Neo shrimp, but you're better off ordering from some of the fantastic breeders here anyway. (When your tank is ready and has built up enough biofilm, and long after this blizzard we're having is history!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted January 23, 2016 Report Share Posted January 23, 2016 Welcome! Where are you from? We may have some members by you that have some shrimp. We also have quite a few members here that like to trade/sell shrimp too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnfish Posted January 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2016 Thank you for the welcome Pika and Soothing Shrimp. I am in Dumfries Va. Pika, How long does it take for the biofilm to grow? Will I need to put a few fish in the tank and let it mature before adding the shrimp or can i just continue to feed the tank amonia for a period of time? Thanks!!! John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jem_xxiii Posted January 23, 2016 Report Share Posted January 23, 2016 Welcome to TSS! You def came to the right place to learn. Just have patience and this hobby will be rewarding to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pika Posted January 23, 2016 Report Share Posted January 23, 2016 It's best to give the tank a couple months at least for the best film. :-/ But it can vary. I did add some Otocinclus to my tank after fishless cycling and before the shrimp, but you don't have to. Plants and snails or ammonia would likely work as well. If you do decide to add fish, remember that basically any fish except Otos will prey on shrimp, so they either have to relocate before the shrimp arrive, or you have to be willing to deal with the circle of life in your tank, which may mean your new shrimp get munched. I love my Otos dearly, though the 10gal is smaller than I'd prefer for them, my 3 seem to do just fine. Browse through the great threads here and you'll find lots of information! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnfish Posted January 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2016 Thank you Pika! Dont the otos also need the biofilm? I guess I could feed them algea wafers as well. My wife loves the otos also but I thought they needed to be in groups of 6 or more and that a 10 gallon might be a bit small for a larger group. I also have a 65 gallon fishless cycling and will be setup as a FW community tank so i could get a few fish for the 10 gallon and then transfer them. Maybe I should move the 3 neons from my beta tank in there. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DETAquarium Posted January 24, 2016 Report Share Posted January 24, 2016 Welcome Johnfish! We are glad to have you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wygglz Posted January 24, 2016 Report Share Posted January 24, 2016 Welcome to our little corner of the net. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishprinceofca Posted January 24, 2016 Report Share Posted January 24, 2016 Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pika Posted January 24, 2016 Report Share Posted January 24, 2016 Thank you Pika! Dont the otos also need the biofilm? I guess I could feed them algea wafers as well. My wife loves the otos also but I thought they needed to be in groups of 6 or more and that a 10 gallon might be a bit small for a larger group. I also have a 65 gallon fishless cycling and will be setup as a FW community tank so i could get a few fish for the 10 gallon and then transfer them. Maybe I should move the 3 neons from my beta tank in there. Otos can be tricky to get to eat sometimes, but I think most will take to algae wafers or cooked veggies eventually. I also had a nice buildup of algae when I first put mine in, so they had that to munch while they figured out algae tabs. My 3 couldn't live on algae alone in the 10g - not enough. Ideally the Otos do love to school and swim, so while mine are doing fine in their little group, I'm sure they could be happier. :-/ You could definitely do the transfer thing, have the benefit of low-effort cycle maintenance, and then move them back and have a shrimp-only setup at the end! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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