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Need help set up Sulawesi Shrimp tank


Hungle64

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Hey Chris

Thanks for the info.

anytime, maybe after it cycles I'll have enough shrimp to offer some tank bred ones! I have 6 more tiny babies. They all survived 2 weeks so ima count them. up to 30!

Serious note on the aragonite make sure it says chiclid this brand is the same bag only different lettering. There's a few other brands that work to. The salt water one has too many live cultures in it.

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anytime, maybe after it cycles I'll have enough shrimp to offer some tank bred ones! I have 6 more tiny babies. They all survived 2 weeks so ima count them. up to 30! Serious note on the aragonite make sure it says chiclid this brand is the same bag only different lettering. There's a few other brands that work to. The salt water one has too many live cultures in it.

Cool man ! When the tank's cycled then let you know.

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post-156-0-08246900-1404090343_thumb.jpg

 

Hey Chris

I found this at Petsmart same as the one you posted. There is none just for cichlids only, right?

You have to save me some nice sulawesi ? How much are you asking for each ?

 

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Hey Chris

I found this at Petsmart same as the one you posted. There is none just for cichlids only, right?

You have to save me some nice sulawesi ? How much are you asking for each ?

No not from that company. That's what I used. picking up a bag soon myself I need to cycle another one. I went with this because there is always a bag on the clearance rack here.

-Chris

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If you are planning to use crushed coral, limestone chips and/or oyster shell as substrate, there is something you need to take note.

These stuffs leech substantial amount of potassium, sodium and chloride. It is because there all originate from the ocean environment and the formation of them contain at lot of them. In addition, they are extremely soluble in water and not does not need acid to dissolve them like other calcium component. This the reason why water around limestone area are high in sodium, potassium and chloride. Because of this, the calcium carbonate I used in aquarium are always pharmaceutical grade, instead if food grade that come from micronised limestone, coral or oyster shell (worse, it contains mercury).

Sulawesi shrimps are from limestone area and they should love sodium, potassium and chloride. However, since aquarium is a confined environment, gradually, these stuffs may accumulate too much and there is no aquarium test kits to detect them in parameter specific manner. Therefore if you want to use this substrate, you will need to match the RO salts and anything you put into the water with proper maintenance.

You selected Salty Shrimp 8.5 is a good choice to match, because it's buffer is calcium carbonate instead of Sodium/Potassium bicarbonate in 7.4. The pH above 7.6 also prevent calcium carbonate from dissolving and will expose lesser area for the potassium, sodium and chloride to dissolve (biofilm buildup will help too). But then, it may defeat the purpose of having this sort of active substrate, which is to leech Ca and Mg into water.

Two more things to note when you are setting up the tank:

1. Wash and soak the substrate as much as possible with tap water that is more alkaline. During cycling, change as much water as possible, especially 1 week before put in shrimp.

2. In future if you decided to change your RO salt due to cost or other reason, you will have to select those salts that uses either calcium carbonate or calcium hydroxide buffer. However, you may need to be careful about calcium hydroxide buffer type of salts. Due to the high pH, it is usually matched with chloride salts to bring down the pH.

www.shrimpydaddy.com

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If you are planning to use crushed coral, limestone chips and/or oyster shell as substrate, there is something you need to take note.

These stuffs leech substantial amount of potassium, sodium and chloride. It is because there all originate from the ocean environment and the formation of them contain at lot of them. In addition, they are extremely soluble in water and not does not need acid to dissolve them like other calcium component. This the reason why water around limestone area are high in sodium, potassium and chloride. Because of this, the calcium carbonate I used in aquarium are always pharmaceutical grade, instead if food grade that come from micronised limestone, coral or oyster shell (worse, it contains mercury).

Sulawesi shrimps are from limestone area and they should love sodium, potassium and chloride. However, since aquarium is a confined environment, gradually, these stuffs may accumulate too much and there is no aquarium test kits to detect them in parameter specific manner. Therefore if you want to use this substrate, you will need to match the RO salts and anything you put into the water with proper maintenance.

You selected Salty Shrimp 8.5 is a good choice to match, because it's buffer is calcium carbonate instead of Sodium/Potassium bicarbonate in 7.4. The pH above 7.6 also prevent calcium carbonate from dissolving and will expose lesser area for the potassium, sodium and chloride to dissolve (biofilm buildup will help too). But then, it may defeat the purpose of having this sort of active substrate, which is to leech Ca and Mg into water.

Two more things to note when you are setting up the tank:

1. Wash and soak the substrate as much as possible with tap water that is more alkaline. During cycling, change as much water as possible, especially 1 week before put in shrimp.

2. In future if you decided to change your RO salt due to cost or other reason, you will have to select those salts that uses either calcium carbonate or calcium hydroxide buffer. However, you may need to be careful about calcium hydroxide buffer type of salts. Due to the high pH, it is usually matched with chloride salts to bring down the pH.

www.shrimpydaddy.com

Thank you for your guidance.

That what i was thinking about the substrate buffer and RO minerals are very close match. Also i am going to have a tank to hold the RO water for changing with the same substrate and and aerator so when i change the water it should be matching as well.

How often do you change your sulawesi tank and how much by volume ?

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Thank you for your guidance.

That what i was thinking about the substrate buffer and RO minerals are very close match. Also i am going to have a tank to hold the RO water for changing with the same substrate and and aerator so when i change the water it should be matching as well.

How often do you change your sulawesi tank and how much by volume ?

I always do 10% and just when tds creeps.Salty Shrimp is hard to dissolve all the way. Def keep some water mixed and keep an air stone or flow going. They like stable water, the less you do the better they stay alive.

-Chris

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Thank you for your guidance.

That what i was thinking about the substrate buffer and RO minerals are very close match. Also i am going to have a tank to hold the RO water for changing with the same substrate and and aerator so when i change the water it should be matching as well.

How often do you change your sulawesi tank and how much by volume ?

 

Not sure the WC change needed for this combo, I have not tried before. I do tried to measure the potassium leech from limestone chip and coral chip in controlled environment before.

 

If you know anyone around you has potassium test kit (usually for laboratory and not very accurate. Use it to find raise or drop in level is good enough), you may want to borrow from him to test during the initial period and after 2 months.

 

For my Sulawesi tank, I tried to perform weekly 20%, weekly 10%, daily 2% and daily 1%. Weekly 10% and daily 1% work the best but daily 1% yield the cleanest water. Weekly 20% is definitely no and daily 2% is giving mix result, which I suspect more than just water change is killing the shrimp but I have not perform further testing.

 

I will suggest your new water container should not have the substrate. If you want to remove the compound leeched from the substrate, you should not add that compound in the new water. Get what I mean? If your this container will be there with water forever, put small internal filter and heater inside your new water tank and start cycling the filter at the same time you start the tank. Also, make sure the container has a cover to prevent evaporation.

 

What I have been doing is I have 60L container for the new water mixed with the salt and run it like another tank with internal filter, heater (heat to same temperature as the actual tank) and strong powerhead (only turn on when I am mixing the salt). When I am changing water, I will scoop from there. When the container drop till 30L, I will top up till 60L mark again and add salt for 30L. 

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I like the hardscape with a lot rock formations for them to hide, play or whatever...LOL. However want to know how hard it is to catch them if i need to. Don't want to build something and have to tear it apart.

I want rabbit snails and red cherry water plant.I don't think we have red cherry water plant in the US yet ?

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Sulawesi's are harder to catch then most dwarf shrimp I have kept.  Instead of jumping up when the net gets close to them they seem to either keep crawling away or violently flicking their tail to jet to the other side of the tank.

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This thread is full of great information. I'm going to bookmark it for my tank build in a few months.

Can you mix different Sulawesi or will they interbreed?

FYI. I saw a red cherry plant for sale on tpt recently

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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This thread is full of great information. I'm going to bookmark it for my tank build in a few months. Can you mix different Sulawesi or will they interbreed? FYI. I saw a red cherry plant for sale on tpt recently Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yea you can mix,them. None are known to breed.

-Chris

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This thread is full of great information. I'm going to bookmark it for my tank build in a few months. Can you mix different Sulawesi or will they interbreed? FYI. I saw a red cherry plant for sale on tpt recently Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I searched but unable to find the info. If you are running into it can you give me the link here.

thanks

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Are you planning to have plants in the tank? If yes, what type? <----- This affect what type of snails to keep.

Planning not to have plant unless i need to. I kind of like to have red cherry water plant if i can find them in US.

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Rabbit snail will chew on every single plant, especially stem plant. The only plants that are safe are mosses. Orange and yellow rabbit chew lesser than Chocolate rabbit but they will still chew. They love to crawl around the tank edge (due to the large shell, they don't like to climb high), so don't put anything next to the tank wall.

 

Orange rabbit is the most beautiful when you keep them in higher light intensity (about medium intensity). Where chocolate rabbit looks devilish when in dim lighting. 

 

If you want to keep them, keep at least 5 to prevent too much in-breeding. Do note that they are hermaphroditic, which means all of them can be male and female and can lay eggs at the same time. Thus when all of them are matured, the population will shoot up pretty fast.

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Rabbit snail will chew on every single plant, especially stem plant. The only plants that are safe are mosses. Orange and yellow rabbit chew lesser than Chocolate rabbit but they will still chew. They love to crawl around the tank edge (due to the large shell, they don't like to climb high), so don't put anything next to the tank wall.

 

Orange rabbit is the most beautiful when you keep them in higher light intensity (about medium intensity). Where chocolate rabbit looks devilish when in dim lighting. 

 

If you want to keep them, keep at least 5 to prevent too much in-breeding. Do note that they are hermaphroditic, which means all of them can be male and female and can lay eggs at the same time. Thus when all of them are matured, the population will shoot up pretty fast.

Just wonder what kind of moss would be thriving in that high temp ?

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I tried the following:

  • Mini Taiwan moss - Do very well
  • Flame Moss - Do very well but rabbit snails hate it due to they can't crawl pass
  • Weeping Moss - Do well
  • Coral moss (Riccardia chamedryfolia) - Bad choice as it needs CO2
  • Marimo (not moss but algae) - Surprising doing well, even it came from a place where winter dominate 6 months a year.

Additional info. Staurogyne repens do very well in the warm water too. This is my top favourite plant for shrimp tank because it form nice carpet and yet provide space for baby shrimp to hide and nibble on the sheltered substrate. If you are not going to have rabbit snail, you can consider having this plant; my rabbit snail love to eat this plant and it is irresistible to them.

 

One more thing to note. My tank water is balanced at pH 7.4 to 7.5. Thus, there are decent amount of nutrients in the water column. If you are using SaltyShrimp 8.5, the essential trace nutrients will precipitate easily, thus the plant may not be able to get the nutrient from water column. In theory, stem plant will thrive in alkaline water that has rich and acidic substrate.

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