Need help set up Sulawesi Shrimp tank

[Hungle64]

Hi All, I want to expand into Sulawesi Shrimps. I would like to set up the 20g breeder tank for Sulawesi Tank. Planning to have a lot of lava rock hardscape.

Would like to know what you guys are using as following:

1 What substrate are you using ?

2 what mineral for RO are you using?

Any tips ?

[OblongShrimp]

I have 3 Sulawesi tanks now and will be expanding that to 6 in the next week to make room for some new species.  Mine are set up as follows

 

Substrate: EcoComplete.  I am only use Eco since I had the tanks already set up and cycled when I converted them to Sulawesi tanks.  Any inert substrate should be fine and I would use sandblasting sand if I was to start over since its black and inert (Ecocomplete increases TDS over time). 

 

Water:  100% RO remineralized with Salty Shrimp Sulawesi Mineral 8.5.

 

Food: Snowflake food and GlasGarten Bacter AE.

 

Using this setup I lost less then 10% of the shrimp I imported last time and most of those deaths were DOA's or after day 1.  I am getting a bunch more in another 2 weeks so I will have a better idea how this setup works then but I was getting babies from my Yellow Cheeks and Cardinals (maybe my brown camos too but there were a few cherry shrimp in there so it is hard to tell).

[ctaylor3737]

I have 3 Sulawesi tanks now and will be expanding that to 6 in the next week to make room for some new species. Mine are set up as follows

Substrate: EcoComplete. I am only use Eco since I had the tanks already set up and cycled when I converted them to Sulawesi tanks. Any inert substrate should be fine and I would use sandblasting sand if I was to start over since its black and inert (Ecocomplete increases TDS over time).

Water: 100% RO remineralized with Salty Shrimp Sulawesi Mineral 8.5.

Food: Snowflake food and GlasGarten Bacter AE.

Using this setup I lost less then 10% of the shrimp I imported last time and most of those deaths were DOA's or after day 1. I am getting a bunch more in another 2 weeks so I will have a better idea how this setup works then but I was getting babies from my Yellow Cheeks and Cardinals (maybe my brown camos too but there were a few cherry shrimp in there so it is hard to tell).

I do about the same thing, except I used crushed coral and a Marco rock. keeps the ph over 8.3 works good. temp stays at 84. RO top offs I don't do water changes unless TDS is over 250. Very easy shrimp to keep. mine are breeding great now just had another batch of babies.

-Chris

[Shrimpy Daddy]

Hi Hungle64,

 

Below is my setup:

1. Substrate (bottom up):

   a. light sprinkle of fulvic acid and one pellet of barley straw every 5 to 10cm square

   b. 4cm of vermiculite & zeolite (2:1 ratio) charged with calcium carbonate and rock dust

   c. 4cm of lava sand (those used for bonsai) water log with calcium carbonate and rock dust

2. For the RO replenishing salt, I DIY it. It is producing the following water parameter:

   - pH: 7.4 (I prefer slightly acidic than most people recommend. This is to discourage precipitation of minerals and ammonia formation.

   - GH: 5 to 6 dGH (Ca:Mg ratio is 3:75:1)

   - KH: 0.8 dKH (new water) and 2 dKH (tank water)

   - TDS: 120 (new water) and 155 (tank water)

3. Food:

   - Same DIY shrimp wafers as my softwater shrimp but crushed to 0.5mm size or smaller

   - Barley straw pellet

4. Mineral supplement:

   - Weekly: DIY organic mineral powder or DIY ionic powder

   - Daily: Plant trace fertilzer to replenish water column trace lost through precipitation

 

Here are a few pointers you should pay notice to:

1. Make sure the shrimps you are getting are true captive breed.
2. Make sure your tank water has higher TDS/conductivity than the tank they are coming from. Ask the seller or the breeder for the TDS value and you try to adjust yours.
3. Feed them mineral powder the moment they goes into your tank. They need it to moult and to adjust their cell to the water environment. Based on my experience, organic minerals are the best but due to it's production cost, no one sell it commercially yet.
4. You need to aerate the water much more than softwater shrimp. I'm not sure is it due to the higher water temperature (warmer water has less oxygen) or they are used to the large water body in their natural environment that contains more oxygen (maybe both).

Hope this helps.

[Hungle64]

Hi Hyoushoku,

Thank you for the tips. Would you be able to answer the following questions ?

 

 

1. Substrate (bottom up):

   a. light sprinkle of fulvic acid and one pellet of barley straw every 5 to 10cm square

   b. 4cm of vermiculite & zeolite (2:1 ratio) charged with calcium carbonate and rock dust

Question: How much of calcium carbonate and rock dust to use? How do you charge it?

   c. 4cm of lava sand (those used for bonsai) water log with calcium carbonate and rock dust

Question: How much of calcium carbonate and rock dust to use? Water log meaning soaking,  

                 right? And for how long?

2. For the RO replenishing salt, I DIY it. It is producing the following water parameter:

Please teach me and don’t tease me. LOL

   - pH: 7.4 (I prefer slightly acidic than most people recommend. This is to discourage precipitation of minerals and ammonia formation.

   - GH: 5 to 6 dGH (Ca:Mg ratio is 3:75:1)

   - KH: 0.8 dKH (new water) and 2 dKH (tank water)

   - TDS: 120 (new water) and 155 (tank water)

3. Food:

   - Same DIY shrimp wafers as my softwater shrimp but crushed to 0.5mm size or smaller

   - Barley straw pellet

4. Mineral supplement:

   - Weekly: DIY organic mineral powder or DIY ionic powder

OMG. You are killing me with these DIY. LOL

   - Daily: Plant trace fertilzer to replenish water column trace lost through precipitation

 Which plant trace fertilizer to use ?

Here are a few pointers you should pay notice to:

1. Make sure the shrimps you are getting are true captive breed.
2. Make sure your tank water has higher TDS/conductivity than the tank they are coming from. Ask the seller or the breeder for the TDS value and you try to adjust yours.

I Got this to avoid Osmotic shock.

1. Feed them mineral powder the moment they goes into your tank. They need it to moult and to adjust their cell to the water environment. Based on my experience, organic minerals are the best but due to it's production cost, no one sell it commercially yet.

Are you DIY organic minerals ?

1. You need to aerate the water much more than softwater shrimp. I'm not sure is it due to the higher water temperature (warmer water has less oxygen) or they are used to the large water body in their natural environment that contains more oxygen (maybe both).

Hope this helps.

[Shrimpy Daddy]

A lot of questions. LOL!!!

I'm away from my desk out for meeting. Thus, hard reply all these via iPhone. I will reply you when I'm back later today.

www.shrimpydaddy.com

[Shrimpy Daddy]

Question: How much of calcium carbonate and rock dust to use? How do you charge it?

   

 

I am using 2:1 CaCO3 and rock dust ratio. After that 1 table-spoon per liter of water. Soak it for one to two weeks. If it is more than a week, will have to change water in between.

 

Question: How much of calcium carbonate and rock dust to use? Water log meaning soaking,  

                 right? And for how long?

Same as first question.

 

Please teach me and don’t tease me. LOL

My Sulawesi salts are still in testing stage, only tested 6 months and with one tank, thus I don't think it is safe for public consumption yet. I got a few friends to test it but still pending results. However, my softwater shrimp shrimps are proven and it is published in my blog's article.

 

Which plant trace fertilizer to use ?

I'm using Tropica Premium Fertilizer. It contains only trace minerals and has the strongest chelating agent to withstand alkaline water. I diluted it with distilled water and a little potassium sorbate for preservation for easy tiny dosing via my dosing pump. In addition, I also dose tiny bit of Urea, Potassium Nitrate and Potassium Dihydrogen Phosphate + Dipotassium Phosphate (supplement potassium and phosphate; phosphate is also to bring out the color of shrimp) to balance the nutrients for proper moss and algae growth.

 

Are you DIY organic minerals ?

Yes. I will not suggest you DIY this as it is very costly, unless you have a lot of tanks. Organic mineral cost on average under $20 per 100 to 200g each. The mix I have contain 13 different types and you can do the math. In addition, organic minerals turns bad easily after exposed to air and moisture, you will need to seal them in proper packaging, such as plastic coated aluminium bag.

 

However if you are interested to try it's effect, I am happy to send you a couple packs of the pre-mixed minerals; I have few kilograms of them.

[Hungle64]

You are awesome!

Thank you for taking your time to answer my many questions.

[Hungle64]

Hi Hyoushoku,

 

I think i am going to try DIY substrate for Sulawesi.

If i use perlite over zeolite, is it ok? or zeolite better?Just that perlite is more readily for me to obtain.

How about using Salty Shrimp Sulawesi Mineral 8.5, should be ok with the substrate, right?

 

Thank you for offer me those premix minerals. However I am afraid that my shrimps like it. LOL

[Shrimpy Daddy]

Perlite is OK. I am using zeolite due to it's high CEC capability where perlite is inert. If you are going to use perlite, I will suggest 2:1 or 3:1 of vermiculite:perlite. One thing about vermiculite, it is very messy. Thus, you need to ensure you compact it nicely before putting the top layer and is covering them well.

 

Another thing to remind you. When we are using natural mineral substrate (not like those shrimp sand are mostly steamed gravel), they contain a lot of silicate. This is good for growing diatom but if you have too much light, you will have massive diatom bloom. Thus, make sure you have low light and short lighting period for the first few months.

 

For the lava sand, choose the black type and avoid the red type. The red type contain a lot of iron and can cause unwanted algae bloom.

 

Do you intend to put plants and rabbit snail in the Sulawesi tank too?

 

Salty Shrimp Sulawesi Mineral 8.5 content is unknown, thus I will not recommend it. I only know the 7.8 content but did not research on the 8.5.

 

My friends are calling my mineral mix "shrimps' crystal math", because they love it very much. So I think you made a right choice. LOL!!!

[Soothing Shrimp]

Just a heads up that some vermiculite contains small yet dangerous quantities of asbestos.  The EPA issued a warning here not that long ago...yet again.

[Shrimpy Daddy]

Just a heads up that some vermiculite contains small yet dangerous quantities of asbestos.  The EPA issued a warning here not that long ago...yet again.

 

Sounds bad. Is it those used for dry wall manufacturing only (I frequently heard about this) or vermiculite per se? Did they mentioned vermiculite mined from which country?

[Soothing Shrimp]

Vermiculite even packaged for plants.

 

Unfortunately, they did not go into specific places it has come from.   So really, there's no telling which is okay and which isn't.

[Hungle64]

i do some research on it. Right now i am going to use other substrate.

[Hungle64]

Just a heads up that some vermiculite contains small yet dangerous quantities of asbestos.  The EPA issued a warning here not that long ago...yet again.

Thank you for the warning

[Soothing Shrimp]

Just want people to be safe, that's all.

[ctaylor3737]

i do some research on it. Right now i am going to use other substrate.

just use coral man it's easiest and gives all the nutrients they need. they are far to expensive to try something unknown in the beginning. just my opinion, I've watched them die just from a water change with matching parameters. I'm sure expert says otherwise but it works for me.

-Chris

[Hungle64]

 

My friends are calling my mineral mix "shrimps' crystal math", because they love it very much. So I think you made a right choice. LOL!!!

Yes, I always looking for some long term. I don't mind to spend couple hundreds if you are willing to show me the DIY organic minerals. Right now i have more than ten tanks and still adding more..LOL

[Hungle64]

just use coral man it's easiest and gives all the nutrients they need. they are far to expensive to try something unknown in the beginning. just my opinion, I've watched them die just from a water change with matching parameters. I'm sure expert says otherwise but it works for me. -Chris

Thanks Chris

[ctaylor3737]

-Chris

[ctaylor3737]

-Chris

[Hungle64]

Hey Chris,

Where is the best source for crushed coral and a Marco rock?

[Soothing Shrimp]

Crushed coral you can buy at the LFS as substrate.  No idea about marco.

[ctaylor3737]

Hey Chris,

Where is the best source for crushed coral and a Marco rock?

Best stuff is the substrate for cichlids or aragonite. it's a mixture of coral and shells. just don't get the saltwater stuff. I'll link the bag I used. Marco rock should be at most fish stores. I really think it's just dried coral rock. The place I bought it was the only one to call it Marco rock.

-Chris

[ctaylor3737]

Easy man, I like my tanks as easy as possible. Makes watching them more enjoyable and carefree. I can leave for a week and know my tanks are on auto pilot.

-Chris